by Debby Mayne
After the blessing, a resounding shout of “Amen!” comes from my hungry family members before they converge on the tables filled with everyone’s best casseroles, salads, and desserts. It’s a good thing the tables have been moved, or there would be a logjam, something that could be a disaster with this hungry family.
“They act like a pack of starving animals.” I glance over my shoulder and see Sara smiling and shaking her head. “You’d think they never saw food before, the way they’re pouncing on the food.”
“I think it’s all in how they’ve been conditioned.” I point to the table holding most of the meat. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s mostly men.”
“Yeah, I have noticed.” She nods toward her husband, who is right up there with Uncle Bubba, Uncle Irby, George, Digger, and a large group of our other male cousins and guests. “And I know for a fact that Justin has eaten today. He told me he fixed Grandpa Jay and himself each a six-egg omelet with ham, potatoes, and tons of cheese.”
“I sure wish I knew where he put it. If I ate like that, I’d have to buy a whole new wardrobe.”
“Where’s Nate?”
“With all this craziness, he’s had to fend for himself.” I look around and spot him approaching the meat table on the other side. “There he is.”
“Why don’t you stop worrying about everyone else and give him more attention?” Sara shakes her head. “He’s such a good guy, and I think there might be something there if you allow it to happen.”
“Yeah, I know. I really do like him.” He makes me feel safe.
“So you’ve said. Speaking of Nate, has he given you any indication of when you’ll be able to close on the condo?”
“He thinks it should happen before Christmas.” I try to remember all the details he said I’d have to take care of first. “We need an inspection, and we have to make sure everything that’s broken is fixed.”
“Can’t it wait until after the holidays?”
“No, if I don’t act quickly, she might back down, and then I’ll have to start over. I really need to move forward with this.”
“That’s just sad.” Sara’s bottom lip protrudes in the same way mine does when I’m not happy about something. “I was hoping we’d all be able to sit by the tree and sip hot chocolate on Christmas Eve.”
“We can still do that,” I remind her. “It’s not like I’ll be all that far away.”
“I know, but—”
“Hey, Sally, you’d better get some meat while there’s still any left.”
I turn and see Nate walking toward us with a plate filled with chicken, pork, and fish.
“I don’t see any vegetables.” I clamp my mouth shut as soon as I realize I’m sounding just like Mama.
A sheepish look comes over him. “Yeah, I reckon I’d better go get some salad or carrots or something.”
“Puddin’ makes an awesome broccoli casserole,” Sara says. “Or if you like cold veggies, you can try some of the stuffed celery.”
“Okay.” Nate turns back toward the table filled with sides, leaving Sara and me alone again.
Sara raises her eyebrows. “He’s so much like Justin when it comes to food I can’t stand it.”
“And they’re both like Daddy.”
She crinkles her nose. “Are you saying we’re attracted to our daddy?”
“That doesn’t sound right, but I’ve heard that happens.”
“You girls better go on up and get yourself something.” Daddy has a plate in each hand as he stops beside us. “I don’t want y’all missing out on the good stuff.”
Sara looks at me, and we both laugh. “We were just about to hit the salad table.”
“Okay, but don’t wait all day.”
As soon as he leaves, we both snort, until Sara pipes up. “I guess that just proves what we were saying.”
“But I’m not married to Nate,” I remind her.
We approach the table where Nate is standing. He smiles at me, warming me from the inside out. I feel my cheeks flame, so I tilt my head forward so my hair will cover it.
“This is unfamiliar territory to me,” he says.
“Me too.”
He gives me a tender look. “I’m talking about the vegetable table.”
Again, my face heats up. “Oh. Why don’t you try a little of each and dip it in some of the dressing? Everything’s good with ranch dressing.”
“Great idea.” He looks at me again. “By the way, the way I’m feelin’ about you is unfamiliar to me too.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been as attentive as I should be.”
“Don’t worry about it, Sally. I totally understand. Besides, it’s giving me a chance to chat with some of your relatives. I’m actually having a great time.”
I love the fact that he doesn’t need handholding, but I also feel like I need to give him more attention. I make a vow to myself to do better.
Sara approaches and gestures toward Nate, who is loading up his plate with broccoli, carrots, and celery. “Look at that. How did you manage that?”
Nate glances toward her with a goofy grin. “She told me it’ll be good with ranch dressing.”
She opens her mouth to say something, but the sound of folks hollering echoes through the air. My heart pounds as I look at her widened eyes.
Seconds later, I hear Grandpa Jay’s thunderous voice coming from the top step on the back porch. “Everyone stay put. We don’t need everyone getting involved. Officer Murdoch will take care of whatever’s going on.” Without another word, he comes down off the porch and heads in the direction of the hollering.
I hear someone say, “I bet it’s those boys again. Didn’t they learn their lesson last time?”
“Wait right here, Marybeth. I’ll deal with this.” As soon as Bucky takes off to see what on earth the boys are up to, I close my eyes and send up a prayer for our son. And I add an extra plea for Grandpa Jay to have mercy on him for not obeying.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the screaming and screeching sound is the result of one of Julius’s shenanigans. My husband clearly doesn’t see that he’s spoilin’ Julius to the point where there may be no return, and I’m afraid that might be happening at this very moment.
“What on earth?” Puddin’ steps up beside me.
“Brace yourself,” I whisper so only she can hear. “I have a feeling we might be dealing with our sons getting into trouble again.”
No sooner have I said that than I see Julius and Brett running around the corner of the opposite side of the house from the noise. “Did y’all just hear something?” My son looks sincerely concerned.
“It wasn’t y’all?”
“Wait, what?” Julius narrows his eyes and gives me a look of disbelief. “Are you kidding? We’ve been working on the boxcar and planning our strategy.”
Puddin’ lets out a sigh of relief. “These boys must have learned their lesson.”
“Then who—and what—was it?” I move a few feet away and shield my eyes from the sun as I glance in the direction of the sound.
Bucky comes out from around the house shaking his head, and Grandpa Jay is right behind him looking equally bewildered. They both stop about twenty feet from the crowd that’s holding its collective breath. Grandpa Jay glances over at Bucky, who is shuffling his feet and clearly not in the mood to convey the message we’re all waiting to hear.
Finally, after what seems like forever, Grandpa Jay speaks up. “Resume whatever you were doing before this incident. It’s nothing any of you need to worry about.”
Since folks in this family rarely defy him, several of them go about their business. But this isn’t going to work for Granny Marge, who marches right up to her husband, stops a couple of feet from him, and plants her fists on her hips. And then I think she does a little head bob, sort of like what I see the young women in the family doing. I have to stifle a giggle.
Then she pulls out the dreaded index finger and wags it at Grandpa Jay. “If you think you can get away w
ith not telling us what just happened to cause all that commotion, you’ve got another think coming.”
The helpless look on Grandpa Jay’s face is priceless and makes him seem more human to me. His very presence has always been so huge I forget he’s a mere man.
“Okay.” He holds up his hands to let everyone know he’s about to say something profound. “We had a bit of a romantic brawl.”
“Ooh, sounds interesting.” Granny Marge widens her eyes. “I hope you don’t think you can stop there.”
“What more do you want?” he asks.
“Whose romantic brawl, for one, and what happened?”
He looks down at his wife and speaks so softly I can barely hear him. “Can we discuss this privately?”
“Sure.” Without another word, she takes him by the hand and leads him to the back of the house. Bucky is right behind them, and after he says something I can’t hear, they go inside.
Once they’re away from the crowd, Puddin’ joins me again. “It was Coralee.”
I pull back and look at her with caution. “How would you know this?”
She gestures over toward the side yard, where Coralee is talking to a young man who appears pretty miserable. “Apparently, there’s a love triangle with her, that boy she’s talking to, and Officer Murdoch.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” I shield my eyes as I scan the crowd. “Speaking of Officer Murdoch, where is he?”
“According to Digger, Grandpa Jay sent him home.”
“Oh wow. It just goes to show that anything can happen, even when you bring in a cop to make sure nothing happens.”
Puddin’ nods. “Words of wisdom if I ever heard ’em.”
I see someone walking toward the back door and turn to see that it’s Coralee. A warning bell goes off in my head. It’s one thing to have craziness outside where everyone is hanging out but another thing to go into my private space. This is one of the reasons I didn’t want to go along with Bucky’s plan to have everyone here for the weekend. “I think I’ll go check on things and make sure—”
Puddin’ interrupts me. “Make sure nothing gets broken?”
I force a laugh. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Then I’m coming with you.” She grins when I turn around and look at her. “You know. For support.”
I can’t even begin to describe the feeling that surges through me, merely from Puddin’s promise of support. If being close to my husband’s family does this for me, I want more of it, and I’ll do whatever it takes to have it.
Sara nudges me in the side. “Even after hiring a cop, this family has more drama in a day than most see their whole lives.”
“We don’t know that.” I pause. “I suspect others are just as bad, but they keep it to themselves.”
“It’s these reunions that are making us famous in Pinewood and parts of Hattiesburg.”
I nod. “But as long as it doesn’t go beyond Pinewood and the ’Burg, we’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, we don’t need someone taking our dirty laundry to the tabloids.” She holds her hand up as if pointing to a headline. “I can just see it now. Rabble-rousing with Rich Rednecks.”
“Rednecks?” I give my sister a pretend glare. “Speak for yourself. I like to think of this family as eclectic—with a smattering of redneck blood but just as much southern charm and grace.”
She tilts her head back and laughs out loud. “Right.”
“Do you really think we’re all rednecks?”
Sara smiles and then shakes her head. “Not really. But you have to admit that anyone who sees us at a family reunion would jump to conclusions.”
“I suppose you’re right.” I look around to make sure no one else can hear. “There are some pretty rough edges on a few of our family members.”
“Ya think?”
“Hey, what’re you girls so talky-talky about?” Justin comes up from behind and puts his arms around Sara. “Looks like you might be tellin’ secrets.”
“Of course we are,” I say. “That’s what we do best.”
I notice someone else approaching in my peripheral vision, so I look up and see that it’s Nate. He smiles and gives me a look that nearly turns me inside out. “Hey. Did y’all get everything worked out?”
A wave of guilt washes over me. “As much as possible.”
“And that’s not saying a lot,” Justin retorts. “There’s always something to work out in this family.” He chuckles. “That’s not always a bad thing though, and there’s never a dull moment.”
I’m amazed by how chatty Justin is right now. He’s been keeping Nate company, and knowing Justin, he wouldn’t bother if he didn’t like him. That makes me smile because I really like him too, in spite of the fact that I haven’t been as attentive as I should be. It’s just that sometimes I’m not sure what to do with someone other than my sister. And after our conversation at the salad table, I don’t feel quite as bad.
If given half a chance, I think I might even be able to fall in love with Nate. I just have to be careful to guard my heart so I don’t wind up being failed fiancée number four. But now that everything has calmed down, I decide to try to make amends.
“I’m so sorry I’ve been a bad date,” I say. “I hope you don’t hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.” He gently turns my face toward his.
I look him in the eye, and he smiles. “I promise I won’t leave you alone with my family again.”
He holds up his hands before taking one of mine. “I’ve already told you not to worry about it. I’ve had a good time seeing firsthand what so many folks have been saying. You really do have a lot of excitement at these things.”
Justin nods. “That’s putting it mildly.”
Sara and I exchange a glance, and she speaks up. “Let’s try to have a good time while we’re here, okay? Put all this stuff behind us.”
I nod. “Sounds good to me.”
The four of us stand around and discuss the food, and since Sara and I haven’t had a chance to eat, the guys walk with us over to the tables, where it looks like a bunch of buzzards have hit. Sara gives me a sideways glance before picking up a plate and trying to figure out what to do next.
Justin points to a very unattractive casserole. “That tastes a lot better than it looks.”
Sara makes a face, baring her teeth. “What is it?”
“Um . . .” Justin looks at Nate, who shrugs. “I think it’s chicken.”
“All righty, then.” Sara picks up the serving spoon and scoops a little bit onto her plate. “I think I’ll go see if any of Missy’s chili is left.”
“I saved you some.” Missy’s voice catches Sara’s and my attention. “I have a whole ’nother Crock-Pot of it in the garage, but don’t tell anyone.” She smiles. “I figured something might happen, so I decided to have backup this time.”
I let out a deep sigh. “I think you just saved us.”
“What’s a cousin for if she can’t be there for ya?” She takes a couple of steps toward the garage, stops, and gestures for us to follow. “I don’t want to bring it out, or folks’ll converge like the monkeys from Wizard of Oz.”
That cracks Sara and me up, and we laugh all the way to the edge of the garage. Missy holds up her hands to stop us. “Somethin’s going on in there. Listen.”
Sara and I both lean forward. Missy makes a zipping motion across her lips to tell us to be quiet.
“I don’t give a hoot what you want, I’m done.” It’s clearly a young woman’s voice, but I can’t quite make out whose. “So why don’t you just leave me alone?”
“I can’t, Coralee. Not after what I did to you. I feel awful.”
“Stop worrying, because I’m over it.”
“But I’m not.” The man’s voice has turned all gravelly, almost like he’s on the verge of tears. “When I told you I was only using you to help me study, that wasn’t exactly true. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“Then what’s the truth
?”
“I was covering up how I really felt. And now I’m ready to admit that I’m in love with you.”
Sara’s eyes grow huge as saucers as she looks back and forth between Justin and me. “We can’t go in there.”
Missy makes a face and whispers, “Why don’t y’all stay right here? I can go in there and pretend I didn’t hear a word of it.”
“Nah, that’s okay.” I take a step back. “We can find something else.”
Sara shakes her head vehemently. “Speak for yourself, Sally. I’m starving, and I’m determined to have some of Missy’s chili, no matter what I have to do to get it.”
The pleased expression on Missy’s face makes Sara’s comment all the more comical to me. I let out a nervous laugh, and Nate stifles a grin as he winks at me.
Before I have a chance to say another word, Missy goes straight into the garage. I hear her greeting Coralee, rattling the Crock-Pot, and making an issue of apologizing for interrupting. When she appears in front of us holding the Crock-Pot, she has a humongous smile on her face—almost as if to say ta-da!
It takes me forever to get rid of Kyle. His profession of love is way too late, but even if he’d said it when we were still seeing each other, I wouldn’t have been all that happy. Red flags kept popping up, and then there was the matter of the chemistry that fizzled out for me pretty quickly. But I stuck around a little longer than I should have because it was convenient. Now I understand why folks stay together even when they don’t seem to care a lick about the other person.
I’m surprised that Marybeth took me to one of the guest rooms, insisting I stay for the weekend. It’s gorgeous in here with the forest-green furniture and deep coral accents. But I’m not in the mood to enjoy my surroundings. I plop down on the loveseat, lean forward, and bury my face in my hands.
Now I have to figure out what’s going on with Officer Murdoch. Trace. He acted awful strange when he realized Kyle was the one who made me cry. And I’m talking strange in a good way. Like he was happy that he could be there for me.