The promised crepe paper streamers and construction paper hearts dripped from the ceiling, but the dance committee had classed the place up a bit this year with the addition of little tea light candles and mason jars of flowers on each of the covered tables. Adele’s second in command, Joe Fowler, manned a cash bar adjacent to the punch station. A DJ was set up at one end of the gym. On the dance floor, a trio of older women were shaking their collective groove thing, gyrating with their hands in the air as Sir Mix-a-lot’s “Baby Got Back” rocked out over the PA. As he watched, one of them began to twerk.
“Oh God,” Cam grimaced. “I could’ve gone my whole life and not seen that.”
“She’s got better rhythm than I do.”
“Shut your mouth. That’s my seventh grade English teacher, Mrs. Jennings. She usually doesn’t get that…enthusiastic until after several glasses of wine.”
“You’ve had occasion to see that before?”
“She cuts loose at every non-Baptist wedding reception where there’s alcohol.” Spying a pack of old ladies headed their way, he wrapped an arm around Norah’s waist and said, “Brace yourself. You were worried about the family. You didn’t give a single thought to our debut to the rest of the town.”
She laughed. “What?”
“It’s the Casserole Patrol.” He pasted a smile in place to greet them.
Without preamble, Miss Betty Monroe asked, “Did you try my Jello mold?”
“I’m afraid we haven’t had the opportunity. We just got here.” He began introductions, but Miss Maudie Bell Ramsey rolled right on over him.
“Well, of course, we know who Norah is. Glad to see you’ve got the good sense to snatch her up.”
“Been wonderin’ who was going to take you off the market after all this time,” Delia Watson said. “S’pose it makes sense. If you were gonna pick a local, you’d have done it by now. Who are your people, honey?”
Before he could come up with a means of rescuing Norah from the question, she launched in, explaining that while her mother was a Royce from Charlotte, NC, her father hailed from Bay St. Louis. “His family went way back in the area, so I actually have very old Mississippi roots.”
“Do you still have kin there?”
“My grandparents passed when I was little. I don’t think there are any relatives still there now. At least not more than distant cousins I’ve never met.”
“Burke.” Miss Maudie Bell tapped her chin in thought. “That wouldn’t happen to be Benjamin Burke, would it?”
“Anderson. Benjamin was his first cousin on his daddy’s side, I think.”
There followed a complicated discussion about how Miss Maudie Bell’s family was connected to Norah’s.
Cam stroked a thumb over the pulse in her wrist and felt it jump, though she didn’t falter in saying her grandmother had been a Fitzpatrick before her marriage.
“So I reckon that makes us third or fourth cousins, twice removed,” Miss Maudie Bell concluded in triumph. “See there, bet you didn’t know you had family here.”
“No, I certainly didn’t! Not beyond the Campbells, whom I’m not actually related to.”
Miss Betty beamed at the pair of them. “Oh, I expect that won’t stay the case too long.”
Miss Delia nudged Miss Maudie Bell conspiratorially. “These two will make beautiful babies, don’t you think?”
Norah froze, mouth half open, cheeks flushing pink.
Cam was searching for a polite way to redirect the conversation when his mother’s personal assistant neatly inserted herself into the conversation, laying a hand on Cam’s arm. “I’m sorry, ladies, I need to steal the Councilman and Norah. City business.”
Cam could’ve kissed her. He offered a rueful smile to the Casserole Patrol. “Duty calls. Excuse us.”
Avery led them through the crowd to where Dillon had a table staked out. She made quick introductions and sat, accepting the glass of punch he offered. “You looked like you needed rescuing.”
“I’m pretty sure they just married us off and gave us 2.5 kids.”
“Five more minutes and the kids would be named and their college funds started.” Cam turned to Avery, “You’re getting a raise. I don’t know where we’re finding the money, but I owe you.”
“Feel free to bring that up at the next City Council meeting. But anyway, it wasn’t a lie. We have news.”