In my mind, it’s like Travis all over again. It’s walking around behind Emberly’s bakery and seeing Daisy up against the wall with Travis between her legs sticking his tongue down her throat.
Okay, it’s not as bad as that, but it sure feels that way. What the hell is he doing holding her shit and helping her take her seat in church? Why is she touching his arm like there’s something between them? What the fuck is up with that girl going after my man?
Emberly nudges my arm with her elbow, and I look down to see she’s written in the margin of her program. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.
My lips tighten, and my nose gets hot. I take the tiny pencil and scribble back, So I’m not crazy to be upset?
I press my elbow into her ribs and slide the program back. She looks down and reads then slowly shakes her head no.
I take it back and add one more question, Does he sit with her every Sunday?
Her lips press together, and she takes the little pencil out of my hands. I haven’t really noticed. I’m sorry.
A painful knot is in my throat, and it has never taken my uncle this long to make us all feel like hell-bound sinners. Finally, he instructs us to bow our heads while God examines our hearts for secret sins.
I don’t even care anymore. I stand and slip out of the pew in front of my best friend. Then I walk to the back door and push it open. It lets out a loud screech, and when I step out the door, a warm breeze pushes past my shoulders. I keep on walking, all the way home.
Twenty-Three
Chad
The minute Bob Green says Amen, I’m ready to bolt.
Daisy stands, holding my arm like we’re on some kind of date. We’re not.
She called the station this morning saying her car wouldn’t start. Since I was standing outside after seeing my mother off, Robbie asked if I’d swing by and pick her up on my way.
I wasn’t planning to attend the service. I’d told my mother I’d be home tonight for supper. As I expected, she was thrilled—and a bit smug, as if she’d won some sort of victory. She offered to wait for me, but I’d already rented a car. I made an excuse that I needed to be sure Robbie had everything under control.
There’s no way in hell I’d go back to Charleston without my own transportation. I need to be able to leave when it’s time to come back, and I don’t intend to be gone more than a few days. I know my mother and her ways—she’d invent excuse after excuse to keep me there for good.
So I hung around a bit longer to drive Daisy to church. I also wanted to try and see my girl one more time before I left.
Not like this.
What the hell was she doing in church this morning?
“I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a service more.” Daisy’s soft voice is at my shoulder. I turn from straining my eyes down the road after Tabby to studying the young woman holding my arm. “We just have to wait for Melody to be let out of Sunday school. Penelope usually gets her and her little sister Polly and Coco for us.”
“Sure.” We’re down the short flight of steps, heading to where Emberly is glaring daggers at me from beside Betty Pepper. It’s not what you think!
“Would you like to stay for lunch? I’m just having chicken, but—”
“Hey, would you mind if I let Bucky drive you home?”
We both speak at the same time, and her nose immediately curls. I know—Bucky Pepper smells like formaldehyde. He’s a taxidermist. He’s also a bit odd.
“I just need to run a quick errand—”
“It’s true, isn’t it.” She looks down at her hands. “You’re really serious about Tabby Green.”
“You didn’t know?” I thought the whole town knew after my truck was parked outside her house that night.
“I guess I don’t get out much.” She glances up at me. Round hazel eyes, hair the color of straw. Daisy’s sweet, but she’s not my Tabby. “Jimmy Rhodes keeps saying how you’re trying to steal his girl.”
“Jimmy Rhodes.” It’s a part-growl, part-annoyed response.
“Tabby’s so quirky, I thought… well, you always check in on Melody and me, making sure we’re okay. It seemed like…”