Jessica giggled. 揝tella will sure have a fit when she finds out we tore up the pews to build the actual bar. To her that would be as much a sacrilege as having beer and liquor in what used to be a church house.?
揧ep, but that抯 okay.?Wade grinned.
揌ow do you figure that it抯 okay??Jessica asked.
揧ou ever taken a vehicle out on a back road and ran it as fast as it would go to blow the cobwebs out of it??he asked.
揥e抳e all done that, but what抯 that got to do with Stella??she asked.
揂 hissy fit will clear out her mind.?Wade chuckled.
What started out as a giggle quickly turned into a guffaw. Jessica never did laugh like a lady, but more like a burly truck driver. The laughter was so infectious that soon the whole truck cab was filled with their mirth.
Finally, Wade got control and said, 揟hat felt good. I can抰 remember the last time I laughed so hard that I got tears in my eyes.?
Jessica pulled down the visor to check her reflection in the mirror. 揥e better order ice cream from the drive-through window. My mascara is making black streaks down my cheeks.?She wiped at her cheek with her palm, but it just smeared. 揜umors will have it that you抳e made me cry if anyone sees me like this.?
Wade opened the lid to the console and handed her a couple of individually wrapped wet wipes. 揟his ought to take care of the problem, but it would be a good idea to stay in the truck anyway. It抯 only just now cooling down.?
揟hank you.?Jessica opened a package and cleaned her face with it.
With a man that sweet, why was she feeling doubts about taking him on as a partner? Or even becoming the half owner of a Texas honky-tonk?
Because it was an impulse decision, something you never make, the voice in her head said. That does not mean it wasn抰 the right one.
揑 hope so,?she whispered.
揂re we still talking about Stella抯 hissy fit??Wade asked.
揘o, I was woolgathering, and hoping that the bar is a big success for all of us, and that we抮e making the right decision. Just a few days ago, I didn抰 know what I was doing with that building, my life, or even where I was going to settle down, and things are happening so fast that I抦 second-guessing myself,?Jessica answered.
揇o you ever watch NCIS??Wade asked.
揈very chance I get,?she said. 揥hat抯 that got to do with anything??
揜emember Gibbs抯 rules??
揟here抯 no such thing as coincidence,?she recited.
揜ule number ninety-one: don抰 look back.?He drove straight to the Dairy Queen and pulled up to the window. 揥hether we made this decision on the spur of the moment or we took five years to think about it, we should commit to it and not look back.?
Jessica took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 揝ince Gibbs is never wrong, I抣l accept that rule, and remind you of it if I catch you having regrets.?
揝ounds good to me.?He smiled across the console at her.
Risa carried a basket of cucumbers and tomatoes from the vegetable garden in her mother抯 backyard to the back porch. She left her shoes beside the door and got a whiff of fresh bread baking in the oven when she went inside. She set the vegetables beside the sink, poured herself a tall glass of sweet tea, and carried it to the table. Her mother had the remote phone lying on her shoulder and was talking as she arranged lunch meat and cheese on a plate for lunch.
Maybe talking wasn抰 the right word. She mostly just listened and shot dirty looks toward Risa every five seconds. Stella finally put the phone back on the base, tapped her foot梐 clue that always meant trouble was on the way梐nd glared at Risa.
揑抣l slice up some of those tomatoes and cucumbers to go with our sandwiches.?Risa hoped she was wrong, but her gut feeling said that the only thing she wasn抰 right about was the fierceness of her mother抯 anger. 揘othing smells as good as bread baking in the oven.?
揑 hope you enjoy it and the sandwiches we抣l have for lunch敆Stella抯 tone was even colder than her stony stares棑because if what I just heard is the truth, and you抮e involved in it, this will be your last meal here in my house.?
Risa抯 heart missed a beat. Surely the news of even the possibility of making the old church into a bar hadn抰 spread that quickly. Jessica had just called Risa while she was harvesting the vegetables to tell her that it was a go and what all she needed to have ready on Wednesday for the lawyer. Jessica said that she and Wade were having ice cream to celebrate, and they had lots of ideas on how to save money on the renovations that Jessica wanted to discuss with everyone that evening.
揥hat are you so angry about, Mama??Risa knew the answer, but hoped she was wrong. She and the girls might very well be sleeping on the floor at the old church until Wade could get some beds moved in from Haley抯 place.