throat.
We missed hearing the vows, though. The second they started saying them, those dratted chimes started playing “Fight the Good Fight” right over our heads, at a volume and tempo that almost inspired the whole congregation to go do battle with whoever forgot to turn them off.
We all went to the country club afterwards. I’d let Maynard use our name to get the ballroom, since cheap old Hubert dropped his membership to Golf Only after his wife died, and I’d consulted with Selena about the menu, flowers, and music, and I’d suggested who ought to bake her cake, but otherwise, I hadn’t done a thing.
In the dessert line, I heard a couple of teenagers complaining that they couldn’t find Maynard’s BMW. As I went to join Martha and Ridd, I said, “Sounds like every boy in town already knows about Maynard’s new car, and from what I’m hearing, it’s now missing. Skell was hoping to get Maynard to sell it back to him—you reckon he did?”
“Fat chance,” Ridd said with a grin. “He came in his old Saturn in case anybody decided to send him away all decorated.”
Walker sauntered up, sat down by me with a full plate of cake, and echoed what I’d just said. “Maynard hasn’t told a soul where he’s hidden that new car.”
“You still eat dessert like you’ve got a football game next week,” I observed, wiping sweet gooey frosting from my own lips. “You’d better start slacking off.”
“I’m gonna do that.” He winked at Martha. “I’ll start the day Mama stops telling me how to eat. You know where the car is?” he asked Ridd between bites.
“Yep.” Ridd heaped his own fork like cake was being taken off the approved-eating list in another minute. He made us wait while he chewed and swallowed. “In my garage.” Ridd and Martha had a comfortable old bungalow across town with a small detached garage. “I put on a padlock and gave Maynard the key. In fact, Bro, I need a favor. I’ll leave the key in the Saturn, and I need you to run it down to the used-car lot later today. I told him I’d do that, but I’d forgotten we had a plane to catch. You don’t have to wash it. Skye said they’ll do that while they’re cleaning it up to sell.”
“I might mosey out and have a look at the Saturn then.” Walker pulled a bottle of white shoe polish out of his pocket. As he stood, he added, “You can finish my cake, Mama.” He’d left all of three crumbs.
“Don’t ruin that car,” Ridd warned. “I’m thinking of buying it for Bethany.”
“Walker will never grow up,” I muttered as he swaggered out.
Martha chuckled. “If he does, it will kill you both.”
“Speaking of killing, did you all hear what happened at the rehearsal dinner last night?”
Ridd scowled. “Bethany told us. Said you sailed in on your dignity and took care of things.”
“The truth is, my knees were knocking, and your daddy was the one who really calmed things down. Those boys were as close as peanut butter and jelly to knocking each other’s teeth out. Think what that would have done to Maynard’s wedding pictures.”
By the time they told me of their skiing plans (they were taking Bethany out of school and would be gone all the next week), we heard a commotion that meant Maynard and Selena were coming. He’d exchanged his tux for a gray suit and a shirt of deep green. She had taken off her wedding gown and put on a brown dress so tacky I knew it had to be the latest style. Selena wasn’t as hipped on history as her new husband.
We all hurried outside. The poor Saturn sported enough shoe polish to whiten Selena’s nursing shoes for a year. “Know which ones I wrote?” Walker murmured in my ear.
“Sure,” I told him. “The ones that make your mama blush.” He snorted, but didn’t deny it.
Martha shaded her eyes and looked at dark clouds massing in the west. “The wind’s rising,” she announced, holding her full red skirt. “We’ll get more rain by nightfall, but we can use it.
We missed hearing the vows, though. The second they started saying them, those dratted chimes started playing “Fight the Good Fight” right over our heads, at a volume and tempo that almost inspired the whole congregation to go do battle with whoever forgot to turn them off.
We all went to the country club afterwards. I’d let Maynard use our name to get the ballroom, since cheap old Hubert dropped his membership to Golf Only after his wife died, and I’d consulted with Selena about the menu, flowers, and music, and I’d suggested who ought to bake her cake, but otherwise, I hadn’t done a thing.
In the dessert line, I heard a couple of teenagers complaining that they couldn’t find Maynard’s BMW. As I went to join Martha and Ridd, I said, “Sounds like every boy in town already knows about Maynard’s new car, and from what I’m hearing, it’s now missing. Skell was hoping to get Maynard to sell it back to him—you reckon he did?”
“Fat chance,” Ridd said with a grin. “He came in his old Saturn in case anybody decided to send him away all decorated.”
Walker sauntered up, sat down by me with a full plate of cake, and echoed what I’d just said. “Maynard hasn’t told a soul where he’s hidden that new car.”
“You still eat dessert like you’ve got a football game next week,” I observed, wiping sweet gooey frosting from my own lips. “You’d better start slacking off.”
“I’m gonna do that.” He winked at Martha. “I’ll start the day Mama stops telling me how to eat. You know where the car is?” he asked Ridd between bites.
“Yep.” Ridd heaped his own fork like cake was being taken off the approved-eating list in another minute. He made us wait while he chewed and swallowed. “In my garage.” Ridd and Martha had a comfortable old bungalow across town with a small detached garage. “I put on a padlock and gave Maynard the key. In fact, Bro, I need a favor. I’ll leave the key in the Saturn, and I need you to run it down to the used-car lot later today. I told him I’d do that, but I’d forgotten we had a plane to catch. You don’t have to wash it. Skye said they’ll do that while they’re cleaning it up to sell.”
“I might mosey out and have a look at the Saturn then.” Walker pulled a bottle of white shoe polish out of his pocket. As he stood, he added, “You can finish my cake, Mama.” He’d left all of three crumbs.
“Don’t ruin that car,” Ridd warned. “I’m thinking of buying it for Bethany.”
“Walker will never grow up,” I muttered as he swaggered out.
Martha chuckled. “If he does, it will kill you both.”
“Speaking of killing, did you all hear what happened at the rehearsal dinner last night?”
Ridd scowled. “Bethany told us. Said you sailed in on your dignity and took care of things.”
“The truth is, my knees were knocking, and your daddy was the one who really calmed things down. Those boys were as close as peanut butter and jelly to knocking each other’s teeth out. Think what that would have done to Maynard’s wedding pictures.”
By the time they told me of their skiing plans (they were taking Bethany out of school and would be gone all the next week), we heard a commotion that meant Maynard and Selena were coming. He’d exchanged his tux for a gray suit and a shirt of deep green. She had taken off her wedding gown and put on a brown dress so tacky I knew it had to be the latest style. Selena wasn’t as hipped on history as her new husband.
We all hurried outside. The poor Saturn sported enough shoe polish to whiten Selena’s nursing shoes for a year. “Know which ones I wrote?” Walker murmured in my ear.
“Sure,” I told him. “The ones that make your mama blush.” He snorted, but didn’t deny it.
Martha shaded her eyes and looked at dark clouds massing in the west. “The wind’s rising,” she announced, holding her full red skirt. “We’ll get more rain by nightfall, but we can use it.
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