“Well, rats,” Irene complained. “I wanted to roast a hot dog on the fire myself. I haven’t done that in years.”
Ruby winked at Taryn. “Don’t pout, Irene. We can always do s’mores sometimes this week in our backyard. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to set the grass on fire.”
“Why would you do that?” Taryn asked.
“So those good-lookin’ firemen can come rescue two little old ladies,” Ruby answered. “We haven’t had much excitement these past few weeks. It’s really time for us to come back to the shop. I miss hearing all the gossip and knowing when folks die, have babies, or get married before I have to read it in the newspaper.”
“Amen!” Irene said with a giggle.
Then their laughter filled the vehicle.
A cold chill chased down Taryn’s back at the very thought of leaving Shamrock.
And to think you didn’t even want to spend a few weeks here,the voice in her head reminded her.
“We could come over and build a small firepit in the yard for y’all and celebrate getting it built by having a s’mores evening. We could ask Clinton to bring a couple of his casseroles for supper and ...”
“Nope.” Irene shook her head. “We’re not having a firepit, and you are not talking us into coming over more than one day a week. You’d all three corner me and tattle on each other. You need to learn to get along without me settling arguments. Now, get Ruby’s walker out before she decides she needs to do something worse than build a fire in the yard.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Taryn followed her grandmother’s orders and then helped Ruby out of the SUV. Together they guided her up the steps to the porch and into the house, where she went straight to the recliner, sat down, and held out her arms.
“Clinton, you can take the baby out of that bucket and give her to me,” she said. “And, Anna Rose, get me one of those flavored beers to sip on.” She started rocking and humming the moment Zoe was in her lap.
The baby reached one little hand up and touched Ruby’s cheek.
Ruby’s smile lit up the whole room. “See? She likes me better than you, Irene.”
Irene sat down on the sofa and propped her feet up on the coffee table. “She does not—and you’re not distracting me into an argument, so I won’t notice when Anna Rose brings you a beer. You can have a glass of sweet tea or a bottle of lemonade. The doctor said no liquor of any kind for six weeks.”
“Party pooper,” Ruby grumbled. “Bring me a lemonade, then, and don’t be timing me with this baby. I get her as long as I want.”
Jorja set a bowl of grated cheese on the bar next to her drink and then took a seat beside her grandmother. “I’m glad y’all felt like coming out this evening. Does being back in the trailer bring back memories?”
Irene leaned slightly and lowered her voice. “I can’t believe my eyes. Are you really drinking a beer? What has happened in this place?”
“Yes, I am, and it’s pretty good,” Jorja said. “I’ve decided to go on a journey to find myself, and so tonight, I’m having one beer.”
Anna Rose brought her grandmother a beer and Ruby a lemonade, then pulled out a chair and sat down at the kitchen table. “Jorja is turning over a new leaf and trying new things.”
“But I’m not forsaking my beliefs or my church,” Jorja declared.
“A beer is not going to keep anyone out of heaven,” Irene said.
“If I die before this hip is healed, I hope they have beer in heaven,” Ruby said with a sigh.
“What makes you thinkyou’llever get past the Pearly Gates?” Irene asked.
“Because I’m going to sneak in on your coattails,” Ruby retorted. “Besides, if you got to go and I didn’t, I’d throw a big old hissy fit, and the devil wouldn’t want me in hell.”
“Even if you get past the front gates, you’ll be a spirit and won’t be able to drink other spirits, if you see what I mean,” Irene reminded her.
Ruby cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “Just for that smart-ass remark, you don’t get to hold the baby”—she lowered her voice to a whisper—“and when I find out how they talked Jorja into drinking even one of those silly beers, I’m not telling you.”
“The older you get, the harder you are to put up with,” Irene told her.
“Are we going to have to separate you two?” Clinton asked.
“Ain’t nobody been big enough or brave enough to do that in the past,” Ruby answered. “Me and Irene have been best friends since we could walk. We might argue and fuss amongst the two of us, but nobody better even try to come between us. Here, Taryn, you take this baby. I can’t even drink this lemonade with a baby in my lap. She keeps lookin’ up at me with those pretty eyes, and I know she’s too young to have it.”
