water off a duck’s back. But I’m the one who has to stay and deal with the aftermath.” She walked to the counter and began to clean up the dishes from lunch. “Move your car, Will, please, before someone besides Jillie sees it, and—”
“Actually, that’s why I’m here.” Jillie took a seat on the other side of the lunch counter. She put her hand on Rita’s. “Word’s out. Pernel is on his way over right now.”
Rita’s lips silently formed a swear word that he suspected wouldn’t faze a Sunday school teacher. “He’s the very last person I want to know about my plans for this place. And him hearing I brought another man in to make over his old business? This won’t be pretty.”
“Of course it won’t be pretty.” Jillie crinkled up her nose. “We’re talking about Pernel here.”
Will laughed.
“It’s not funny. Pernel will resist my trying to do anything new to his precious palace.”
Will felt a double edge to Rita’s words. “The place is yours now. What you do with it, or yourself, is none of his concern.”
She didn’t even look Will’s way. “Pernel will take my making changes without consulting him as a personal affront—or worse.”
“Worse?” Will scowled.
“He could insist on lending a hand, getting involved with the renovations himself. That’s one headache I want to avoid, thank you.” Rita scraped the last bit of potato salad off the serving fork.
“Then just tell him to butt out.”
“You don’t know how he can get .”
“Let him get his panties in a wad. That’s not your lookout.” Will rounded the lunch counter, took the dishes from Rita, and started for thekitchen. “You don’t have to tell him a damn thing, you know. You don’t owe him anything anymore.”
“I can’t just turn a blind eye to the feelings of a friend or family member. I’m not like…some people,” she called after him.
I’m not like you. She did not have to say it aloud to drive her point home. He stood just inside the kitchen door, his hands full and his spirit drained. He and Rita had always been worlds apart, and, at least to her thinking, they always would be.
“Jillie, are you sure he’s on his way over?” Even from the kitchen he could hear weariness and worry butting heads for control in Rita’s tone.
“I’m sure,” Jillie said.
“ How do you know?”
His sister paused. He could just imagine her drawing this out just to hang on to the attention even a few seconds longer. “Right place, right time.”
He flipped the faucet on to let the water run into the deep steel sink as he set the dishes aside.
“Is he coming alone ?” Rita asked softly.
Again an unwarranted lag in the conversation followed.
It was all he could do not to go back in there and grab his sister by her scrawny neck and make her give Rita the kind of outright answer she deserved.
“I don’t think he’d dare bring his new girlfriend around,” Jillie finally replied with a soothing tenderness he had forgotten she possessed. “Not here. Not yet.”
“I want to meet her at some point. I want him to bring her by sometime soon but under…better circumstances. You know?”
“Well, I don’t think it’d hurt to have him wonder what’s gone on here between you and Wild Billy .” She all but shouted the hated nickname right at the open kitchen door. “But you’re right. You ought to get yourself a little more fixed up before you meet the ‘other woman,’ so to speak. Or in this case is this the other other woman?”
“Mind your manners, Jillie.”
“Ignore her bitterness, Rita. That’s just the voice of experience talking.” He’d never have sunk so low if his sister hadn’t started the low blows with that “get yourself a little more fixed up” crack to Rita. He shut the water off. “I don’t think you have a place telling anyone how to act, baby sister, or who they should meet with when, or how they should look when they do it.”
“Fine. Then I won’t bother to
“Actually, that’s why I’m here.” Jillie took a seat on the other side of the lunch counter. She put her hand on Rita’s. “Word’s out. Pernel is on his way over right now.”
Rita’s lips silently formed a swear word that he suspected wouldn’t faze a Sunday school teacher. “He’s the very last person I want to know about my plans for this place. And him hearing I brought another man in to make over his old business? This won’t be pretty.”
“Of course it won’t be pretty.” Jillie crinkled up her nose. “We’re talking about Pernel here.”
Will laughed.
“It’s not funny. Pernel will resist my trying to do anything new to his precious palace.”
Will felt a double edge to Rita’s words. “The place is yours now. What you do with it, or yourself, is none of his concern.”
She didn’t even look Will’s way. “Pernel will take my making changes without consulting him as a personal affront—or worse.”
“Worse?” Will scowled.
“He could insist on lending a hand, getting involved with the renovations himself. That’s one headache I want to avoid, thank you.” Rita scraped the last bit of potato salad off the serving fork.
“Then just tell him to butt out.”
“You don’t know how he can get .”
“Let him get his panties in a wad. That’s not your lookout.” Will rounded the lunch counter, took the dishes from Rita, and started for thekitchen. “You don’t have to tell him a damn thing, you know. You don’t owe him anything anymore.”
“I can’t just turn a blind eye to the feelings of a friend or family member. I’m not like…some people,” she called after him.
I’m not like you. She did not have to say it aloud to drive her point home. He stood just inside the kitchen door, his hands full and his spirit drained. He and Rita had always been worlds apart, and, at least to her thinking, they always would be.
“Jillie, are you sure he’s on his way over?” Even from the kitchen he could hear weariness and worry butting heads for control in Rita’s tone.
“I’m sure,” Jillie said.
“ How do you know?”
His sister paused. He could just imagine her drawing this out just to hang on to the attention even a few seconds longer. “Right place, right time.”
He flipped the faucet on to let the water run into the deep steel sink as he set the dishes aside.
“Is he coming alone ?” Rita asked softly.
Again an unwarranted lag in the conversation followed.
It was all he could do not to go back in there and grab his sister by her scrawny neck and make her give Rita the kind of outright answer she deserved.
“I don’t think he’d dare bring his new girlfriend around,” Jillie finally replied with a soothing tenderness he had forgotten she possessed. “Not here. Not yet.”
“I want to meet her at some point. I want him to bring her by sometime soon but under…better circumstances. You know?”
“Well, I don’t think it’d hurt to have him wonder what’s gone on here between you and Wild Billy .” She all but shouted the hated nickname right at the open kitchen door. “But you’re right. You ought to get yourself a little more fixed up before you meet the ‘other woman,’ so to speak. Or in this case is this the other other woman?”
“Mind your manners, Jillie.”
“Ignore her bitterness, Rita. That’s just the voice of experience talking.” He’d never have sunk so low if his sister hadn’t started the low blows with that “get yourself a little more fixed up” crack to Rita. He shut the water off. “I don’t think you have a place telling anyone how to act, baby sister, or who they should meet with when, or how they should look when they do it.”
“Fine. Then I won’t bother to
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