揙scar.?Wade shrugged. 揌e抯 a fountain of information about anyone in Riverbend. Lived here his whole life, and he hosts a domino game at his house on Sunday afternoons. I attend almost every week, and sometimes I even win. Back to the gossip. Old women don抰 have a monopoly on knowing everything that goes on in a small town. Old men talk as much as old women.?
A line of vehicles was already parked outside Haley抯 house when Wade made the turn down the short, tree-lined lane. The sight of the old two-story house with its wide front porch brought a flood of memories back to Jessica抯 mind梒hasing fireflies in the yard when they were little girls, crying over boyfriends lost and sighing over boyfriends wished for as they got older, making plans that last year they were in high school, and shedding tears right there on the porch when Jessica was the first to leave town.
揑 spent a lot of time here,?Jessica muttered past the lump in her throat. Where had the time gone? Almost four decades of friendship, and a lot of it was spent right there in that house. They could never go to Risa抯 house because Stella didn抰 want kids running in and out of her place. Mary Nell抯 mama didn抰 care if they came over to her house to play, and Jessica抯 folks were warm and welcoming.
揑 remember that y抋ll were all friends even when we were just kids.?Wade parked beside Risa抯 old truck, which had once been shiny and red but now had faded to somewhere between a dull pink and an ugly shade of orange.
Jessica would bet dollars to doughnuts that Paul didn抰 drive a vehicle that old. He would probably have a new one every two years, plus an old one to use for a hunting wagon. She slung open the door and took the porch steps two at a time, expecting to find Risa in tears. But everyone was sitting around a table with a gallon jug of sweet tea and a bowl full of ice in the middle. No one was crying, but they all stopped talking at once when she reached the top step.
揑抦 so sorry, Risa,?Jessica said.
揥e抮e not,?Lily and Daisy chorused together.
Risa motioned toward an empty rocking chair right beside her. 揑t抯 not your fault, and probably for the best all the way around.?
Jessica sank down into the chair and set it in motion with her foot. Risa didn抰 look or sound upset, but being tossed out of two homes like a bag of garbage couldn抰 be good for her. She must be putting on a brave front for her girls. If Jessica had daughters, she would certainly do the same thing.
揥elcome to the party,?Haley said as she poured two glasses of sweet tea and handed one to Jessica and the other to Wade. 揟his solves a lot of problems for all of us. The twins have a home that抯 not in the back of a bar. I don抰 have to rush to make a decision about the house, and even if I go back to Alabama in the fall, someone will be living here to take care of things for me. And I抣l have time to help with the renovations at the bar.?
揗ary Nell tells me things went well at the lawyer抯。 When do we start to work??Oscar asked as he came out of the house and sat down in a lawn chair beside Wade.
Oscar hadn抰 changed much. He still wore what Jessica called his signature look梑ibbed overalls and a faded T-shirt. She could have hugged him for starting a new conversation about the renovations on the church. Risa needed to think about something other than her mother right then.
揟omorrow morning too soon??Wade took a long drink of his tea.
揘ot one bit. Mary Nell tells me you抮e moving your trailer and equipment out there. I抦 free this afternoon if you want help doing all that,?Oscar said and then looked over at Jessica. 揋irl, you ain抰 changed a bit since high school, and you ain抰 gained a pound, neither.?
揘either have you.?Jessica smiled. 揑 was sorry to hear about Miz Nellie passing.?
揝he was a good woman, more wife than I deserved, and a good mama to Mary Nell.?Oscar sighed.
揑 miss Mama so much and more here lately than ever,?Mary Nell said.
揑 miss her every day, but I抦 glad to have all you girls back in town and going into business together.?Oscar took a drink of his tea. 揗y Nellie would like that. Most of all, I抦 happy that Wade is going to be working for you so that I can be in the middle of all the fun. Elijah would have been happy to see you use that old church for something rather than letting it just sit there and rot. He probably should have made it into a bar rather than a church in the first place. He would have had a helluva lot more success. Folks have enough religious places in Riverbend, but they ain抰 got a good bar and grill.?
揟hank you. When I heard that Stella had . . . ,?Jessica stammered and took a long drink of her tea. 揥ell, you know.?
揌ey, if Haley didn抰 have a place for Risa and these girls, I would have insisted they come live with me and Mary Nell. We抳e got lots of room. Nellie wanted a house full of kids, so we built a big house,?Oscar said.