揑抦 almost done here. I just have to back up my work,?Mary Nell said with a smile. 揂nd, Daddy, thanks for loving me.?
揂lways.?Oscar smiled back at her and then disappeared out into the hallway.
She recognized the tune he whistled as being the one that she and her mother had heard every evening when he came home from work.
揟hat抯 the kind of man I want, not one who comes in whining about how he抯 the best country singer in Nashville and no one will give him a break,?she muttered as she went back to work.
Jessica sat on the raised platform at the front of the church and waited for the two guys to finish taking apart a few more pews. She抎 only been there a minute when the twins came out of the kitchen and plopped down on either side of her. The morning had been a whirlwind of signing papers, both at the lawyer抯 office and the bank. Wade had been right there beside her the whole time, sometimes close enough that she could catch a whiff of his shaving lotion梥omething woodsy with a hint of vanilla梩hat sent her senses reeling. Now, she was watching the muscles in his upper arms stretch the fabric of his T-shirt as he and Oscar tore apart the oak pews. When they finished with two, she and Haley carried the lumber from the backs and seats over to an empty Sunday school room where they were storing the wood until Oscar and Wade were ready to start building the bar.
揓essica!?Lily touched her on the shoulder.
With a jerk, Jessica focused back on anything but those upper arms. 揑抦 sorry. Did you say something??
揘o, but there抯 a spider on your other shoulder, and I抦 afraid of them,?Lily said.
Wade came by, brushed the spider away, and stomped on it with his boot. 揑t was just a little one, nothing like we had in the sandbox.?
揌e抯 your knight in shining T-shirt,?Daisy said with a giggle.
揑抦 not afraid of spiders,?Jessica said. 揗aybe he抯 not my knight, but yours??
Daisy shook her head. 揌e抯 way too old for me. He抯 as old as my daddy. You抣l have to take him, since he saved you from getting a spider bite.?
揙uch!?Wade threw a hand over his heart. 揟hat hurt.?
揥hat??Jessica asked. 揟hat you抮e old or that someone has to take you??
揂 little of both,?Wade said as he headed toward the kitchen. 揑抦 going for a bottle of cold water. Anyone else want one? You better speak up now while I抦 still strong enough to carry more than one. I can feel the feebleness sneaking up on me.?
揧eah, right!?Daisy giggled. 揂nd yes, on the water.?
揇on抰 worry,?Lily piped up. 揧ou can still outrun it for a little while yet. I抣l take a water, too.?
Wade raised an eyebrow at Jessica. 揥ater, tea, beer??
揥hoa!?Lily put up a palm. 揑 didn抰 know beer was a choice here.?
揥ater.?Jessica smiled and turned to Lily. 揂nd you two don抰 have a choice.?
揑 was just joking with you,?Lily said. 揑 don抰 even like beer.?
揑抦 the beer girl,?Daisy chimed in. 揝he likes whiskey.?
揥ater for both of them,?Jessica said with a slight giggle. 揟hey抮e just trying to get a rise out of us.?
揟ruth.?Daisy crossed her heart. 揙ne of our cousins, a daughter of Uncle Matthew抯， who was our preacher, invited us for a sleepover a few months ago. She had stolen a can of beer from one of our other uncles and one of those little bottles of whiskey. We all tasted them.?
揑t was for spiritual reasons,?Lily declared with an impish grin, 搒o that we would know what it tasted like so we would know the enemy of our souls.?
揟eenagers!?Wade headed on into the fellowship hall to get the water.
揇oes your mama know that you tasted liquor??Jessica asked.
揥e tell Mama everything, but Granny Martha didn抰 know. She would have kicked us out of Kentucky before she did if she found out. Boys could drink beer and have a shot now and then, but girls couldn抰，？Lily said. 揋ranny Martha ran the town where we lived, and nobody, not even God, crossed her.?
揋ranny Stella didn抰 know, either, or she wouldn抰 have let us move in with her,?Daisy added.
How on earth did these girls get to be so well adjusted? Jessica wondered.
Wade returned with bottles of water and passed them around, then went on over to the other side of the sanctuary, where Oscar stopped working long enough to take a bottle from him.
Lily took a long drink and then twisted the lid back on the bottle. 揑抦 going to help Mama finish up with supper.?
揑抣l go set the table.?Daisy stood up and dusted the seat of her cutoff denim shorts. 揥e love our mama, Jessica. Granny Martha tried to turn us against her when she found out about the pills, but we抮e glad we don抰 have a bunch of brothers and sisters.?
揧eah,?Lily agreed, nodding several times. 揙ur cousins are always bitchin?about the boys and girls having different standards. Boys do one thing and get away with more in the Jackson family. They say, 態oys will be boys.挃