揥ell, crap!?Risa sighed. 揑 was hoping Mama couldn抰 get enough people to come out, and she would give up on this thing.?
揙r that maybe she was just blowing a lot of hot air when she made those threats,?Jessica said.
揘ot me,?Lily said with a head wiggle. 揑 want a big audience for me and Daisy to play for this evening. Come on, Sister, let抯 get the two packages of plain old sugar cookies put on a tray and taken out to Granny Stella抯 table.?
揧ou do that,?Daisy told her, 揳nd I抣l start taking the platters of the good stuff out to the backyard.?
Seeing the excitement in the girls pumped Jessica up almost as much as she抎 been when she was being dropped into a war zone on an important mission. There was always that adrenaline rush when she and the team went into that mode, and she had thought she would never feel it again. This wasn抰 a life-or-death situation where she was rescuing a hostage, but it did make her feel alive.
She had always wanted a sister, but that evening, she wished that she抎 had a twin. Someone who could finish her sentences, argue with her, and yet have her back when the going got tough.
You抳e actually got three sisters who are as close as twins would be. Her mother had popped into her head, and Jessica could swear she got a whiff of Chanel No. 5, the perfume her mother had always worn. When Jessica had cleaned out her mother抯 closet, her clothing still held the scent.
揥ant me to take the cookies out to the front??Jessica finally asked. 揧ou don抰 have to deal with her and her protesters. I抣l be glad to take care of it for you.?
揘o, that抯 my job.?Risa picked up two packages. 揑 want Mama to see that I抦 not backing down from any of this.?
揑抣l take the case of bottled water.?Oscar tucked a twenty-four-pack under his arm and followed Risa across the kitchen. 揟his is more than I would have done for those lousy protesters, but it will show the folks that we aren抰 evil, I suppose.?
揟hat抯 the idea,?Mary Nell told him. 揃ut if they want the good stuff, they抣l have to wander around to the backyard.?
Wade carried dirty dishes to the sink and looked out the window. 揟here抯 more cars out there right now than there ever was when Elijah had services here.?
Haley, Mary Nell, and Jessica finished clearing the table and put leftovers in the refrigerator, then crowded around the window to peer out at the people climbing from their vehicles with hymnbooks in their hands. Stella looked downright proud of herself as she marched up to within six feet of the porch. With a straight back, and her head held high, she had plastered a smile on her face that said for everyone to look at her and know that she was wearing robes of righteousness.
More like self-righteousness. This time Oscar抯 gruff old voice was in Jessica抯 head.
揟hink we should step out there to support Risa and welcome everyone??Jessica asked.
揧es, ma抋m, I sure do,?Wade answered, 揵ut we don抰 have a microphone set up out front.?
揑抦 not a tiny thing,?Jessica told him. 揂nd I can be heard when I raise my voice. You just be there to push me out of the way if Stella brings a pistol out of her pocket and starts shooting at me.?
Wade motioned toward the door with his hand. 揟hen lead on, and I抣l stand beside you.?
Jessica straightened her back and muttered one of the basic training cadences as she marched toward the front door: 揟hey say that in the army, the chicken抯 mighty fine. One jumped off the table and started marking time.?
Wade got into step beside her and joined in the cadence. 揙h Lord, I wanna go, but they won抰 let me go home.?
揥e make a fine pair, don抰 we??Jessica giggled as she spun around on her heels and saluted sharply.
Wade returned the salute and opened the door for her. 揧es, ma抋m, we surely do.?
The crowd had gathered around Stella as if they didn抰 have any idea what to do now that they were there. The queen bee had given them orders, but now they waited to see what they were to do next. Several of the folks stared at the long table where cookies had been set on one end and a case of water on the other as if they didn抰 know whether they might be poisoned. Jessica clapped her hands, but no one paid any attention to her. Then Mary Nell rushed out the front door and handed a microphone to her.
She flipped a switch on the side and said, 揌old it pretty close to your mouth. It will beat trying to yell over the top of the wind and the folks talking. Poor things act like they don抰 know what to do. Stella didn抰 do a very good job of organizing it past getting everyone to come out here. They抮e acting like they抮e lost.?
Haley came out of the building and went over to stand beside Risa and Oscar. Jessica glanced at all the members of her team, held the microphone close to her face. 揌ello, everyone, if I could have your attention . . .?