揟hen we don抰 have to eat in a hurry,?Wade said as he took the biscuits out of the oven. 揂nd we can even do a little work before we have to get ready and go. We抳e got enough of the pews torn apart that we need to figure out where to measure for the actual bar. I抦 still two ways about where to put it. I keep second-guessing myself on where to place it. Got any ideas??
Jessica thought about the two places they had talked about and finally said, 揑 like it against the wall into the fellowship hall. That way if we ever draw in a big enough crowd to have a live band on weekends, we抣l have a stage for them to use.?
Wade nodded as he toted the rest of the food across the room. 揚robably for the best, and when we don抰 have a band, we can put the jukebox and a couple of tables on the stage, and the mechanical bull off to the end like we talked about.?
Jessica raised an eyebrow. 揇id we agree to buy a bull??
揕ily and Daisy will be disappointed if we don抰，？Wade answered with an extra sparkle in his green eyes. 揑抦 betting Lily will want to be first.?
揑 wouldn抰 take that bet for anything. That girl is fearless.?Jessica put a forkful of eggs into her mouth. Family梤elated or not梩hat抯 what made it easy to put down roots.
Risa awoke with a sense of dread and almost told Haley and her daughters that they would either skip services that morning or go to a different church. Then she considered the example that she would be setting for her girls, took a deep breath, pasted on a smile, and went downstairs to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. If she let Stella intimidate her, it would be just like all those years when she was a teenager and trying to make her mother love her, and the years she lived under the shadow of Paul and his mother. The first thing she抎 told Lily and Daisy when they crossed the Kentucky state line into Tennessee was that no one was ever going to tell her what to do or make the rules for her life again. She was on her second cup of coffee when Haley arrived with Lily and Daisy right behind her.
揗ornin? y抋ll. Mama, do we have to go to church this morning??Lily asked. 揋ranny Stella is going to be a handful if we do. I know I got to respect my elders, but it抯 getting awful hard to keep my mouth shut and my language all sweet and ladylike.?
揗ight as well get it over with,?Daisy said as she headed for the refrigerator. 揑 love Sunday morning, when we get cold cereal for breakfast.?
揥hat do you mean, 慻et it over with??Lily asked.
揝he抯 full of hissy fits. Hand me that chocolate cereal, please,?Daisy said. 揝he抣l have a special one for when we show up in church after we didn抰 bow down to her demands when she issued the ultimatum she did. The fit will just get worse and worse with time. Way I figure it is that we might as well nip it in the bud this morning.?
Lily handed her the cereal and took two bowls from the cabinet. 揧ou抮e probably right. Maybe we should dress like the women who stand on street corners敆Lily wiggled her eyebrows棑she抯 accusing us of being.?
Risa was about to take a sip of coffee and jerked her head around so fast that she spilled part of it on her faded nightshirt. 揥hen did she accuse you of that??
揕ast night when I went back to the concession stand for a root beer,?Lily answered. 揝he was helping get the wagon cleaned up, and she said she wouldn抰 be surprised if we didn抰 use the Sunday school rooms for 憃ther things.挃 She air quoted the last two words. 揑 don抰 think she was talking about Bible classes.?
Risa stiffened her back and set her jaw. 揥hat did you tell her??
揟hat Jessica was living in the evangelist抯 room, that Mary Nell was using one of the others for an office, and that we had turned another one into a storage room, but敆Lily shrugged棑that when me and Daisy got eighteen, we might think about her suggestion.?
揋ood Lord!?Haley sputtered.
揑f you can抰 beat 抏m, join 抏m.?Daisy got the milk from the refrigerator and sat down beside her sister. 揑抎 wear a hooker dress if I had one, but Granny Martha didn抰 let us go to church without being dressed like ladies. You got anything flashy that I might borrow, Haley? We抮e about the same size.?
揑 work in a school, so no, I don抰 have clothing like that,?Haley answered, and Risa could see her bite back a grin. 揟he flashiest thing I have would be a red sundress that抯 got big yellow sunflowers on it. You are welcome to borrow it if you want.?
揧es, ma抋m, I would love to borrow it,?Daisy answered.
揂nd I抳e got a pale blue gingham checkered sundress that comes to my ankles.?Haley turned to focus on Lily. 揑t抯 got a stretchy top, and it would probably hit you at the knees, if you want to wear it.?
揧ou bet, and thank you,?Lily said. 揑s that all right with you, Mama??