sheâs wearing so badly today.â
âJoseph OâMalley brought on those hives, Allie,â Jessie reasoned. âShe hasnât had them since a few weeks after she came home, not until today. Now both the hives and the house are on your head. I hope youâre happy.â
âYour sisterâs shattered nerves are what brought on the hives, Jessie. Try to concentrate. Itâs Maddyâs diving into all those courses in domesticâ¦domestic whatevers. Picking out Joe OâMalleyâs exact opposite for her groom. If she were completely sure sheâs doing the right thing, her nerves shouldnât upset her enough to have her covered in splotches, now should it? Besides, Iâm not saying sheâs wrong, exactly, Iâm just saying that she needs to see the two of them stacked up against each other. Sort of weigh them, sort out her own feelings.â
âInspect their teeth, their bank balances? Sleep with both of them?â Jessie said as they walked back through the house, heading for the kitchen. âThat is what youâre thinking, isnât it, Allie? I know you. Iâve seen the books you read.â
Almira stopped dead, ten feet in front of the kitchen door, and turned to hold a finger just beneath Jessieâs nose. âNow you listen to me, little girl. I read romance novels. Love stories. One man, one woman, true love triumphing over each and every obstacle. I do not read about or advocate sleeping with two men at the same time, comparing them likeâ¦like automobiles I might be taking out forsome sort of test drive. Shame on you for even thinking such a thing.â
âYes, Allie,â Jessie said, bowing her head. âIâm sorry. I guess I must have gotten carried away. Forgive me?â
Almira pulled her taller granddaughter down and kissed her cheek. âOf course I forgive you.â Then she whispered in Jessieâs ear, âAlthough, it could be interestingâ¦.â
âAllie!â Jessie exclaimed, straightening, knowing her cheeks were turning a bright, embarrassed red.
âAnd, my dear, if it helps you to understand what Iâm doing, I have it on good authority that your sister and Matt have neverâ â
âAllie!â
Inside the kitchen, sitting on a high stool, her chin tucked into her hands, Maddy lifted her head at the sound of her sisterâs voice.
Sheâd gone straight to the family kitchen upon her return, Mrs. Ballantine right behind her, prudently shooing the cook, Mrs. Hadley, and one of the maids out of the area before leaving Maddy to her own devices.
Those devices had included a lot of slamming of pots and pans, a lot of wrenching open of cabinet doors before flinging them shut with considerable force.
And muttering. There had been a lot of muttering.
âHe still loves me. Hah!â sheâd grumbled, measuring flour and sugar into a stainless steel bowl.
â Iâve got a warped mind? Double hah! Heâs the one with the warped mind. Listening to Allie. Buying my house. Coming here with his grin and hismoney andâ¦and his knees, and acting as if it was no big deal.â
Sheâd stop mixing the brownie batter, staring off into the distance. â Boy, is he lucky we donât keep rat poison in the kitchen. Because Iâd be this close toâ¦â Sheâd shivered, shook her head and began abusing the brownie batter once more. âI wouldnât want to waste good food that way,â sheâd told herself just before she sat down with the bowl, licking batter off the wooden spoon.
Heâd looked so good. So very, very good. Just the way she remembered. Just the way he appeared in her dreamsâno, her nightmares.
Sheâd fished a clean spoon out of the drawer, and took another whopping scoop of brownie batter.
And then another.
And another.
She could still see Joe standing outside the wedding chapel, telling her heâd blithely
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