Anna Rose touched hers. “Remember what Nana Irene said when she gave us each one for our sixteenth birthdays?”
“That our grandfather had bought Nana Irene a necklace with three pearls on it when she had her third child. She had the pearls reset in the middle of the shamrocks—one for each of us,” Jorja answered. “The pearl to remember our heritage, the shamrock to bring us good luck in whatever we chose to do with our lives.”
“And now we’re all back in Shamrock together, at least until we decide what we’re going to do with a big chunk of land and two houses.” Taryn fastened her necklace. “Kind of symbolic, isn’t it?”
“Whatarewe going to do?” Jorja asked as she led the way down the hall.
“I’m staying and learning all I can about running a watermelon farm,” Anna Rose answered as she left the room. “This seems like an omen to me. I can still take pictures, but I’ll do it around this area. If a book sells, that’s fine. If not, then I’ll make a living selling watermelons.”
“We could make watermelon wine,” Jorja suggested as she followed her.
“And maybe watermelon-rind pickles.” Anna Rose opened the door just as Clinton was starting to knock.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Taryn said. “I might see what else we can make to sell in our roadside market.”
“Thought of what?” Clinton asked. “And by the way, you all look very nice.”
“Thank you,” they chorused.
Taryn tried not to stare at him, but it wasn’t easy. He wore creased jeans, a white pearl-snap shirt, and freshly shined black cowboy boots. “You clean up pretty good yourself. What vehicle are we going in?”
“We can take my truck, and I’ll chauffeur,” Clinton said and stood to the side. “I’ll be the envy of everyone in town.”
“Except for Diana, Mallory, and Elaine,” Anna Rose said as she got into the back seat of the truck. “They’ll want to put us in the casket with Amos.”
“If they start something, they just might find that they’re the ones in the casket,” Jorja stated with conviction.
“You can leave Elaine out of that picture.” Taryn told them what had happened the night before. “And I wouldn’t do that to Amos. It would be downright disrespectful. That sweet old man wouldn’t rest in peace for one minute with all three of them bickering throughout eternity.”
Clinton fastened his seat belt and then started the engine and drove toward the church. “Amen to that. I hope this contest crap dies in its sleep. I wouldn’t even mind making a wreath for its funeral and saying a few words over it.”
“I’ll help,” Taryn offered.
“And I’ll speak at it, for sure,” Jorja added. “They might not be nice words, but I’ll speak from the heart.”
Anna Rose giggled. “You are moving on right well, Jorja.”
Taryn was surprised that there were only a few vehicles at the church. She had expected the lot to be full and maybe a few cars parked out along the curb. Amos Landry had been born and raised in Shamrock. Even if people weren’t religious, they should have come to pay their respects for all the watermelons he had given to folks for different events through the summer.
“Doesn’t look like we’ll have trouble finding a seat,” Jorja said when Clinton had parked.
“Do you think that folks have already found out about the will?” Anna Rose asked.
“Who knows?” Taryn said with a shrug. “If they did and disagree with the way things are going, then that’s their problem, not ours.”
Jorja unfastened her seat belt, opened the door, and got out of the truck. “You sounded just like Nana Irene.”
Anna Rose pointed at the car parking right beside them. “Looks like she and Ruby have decided to attend the funeral.”
Taryn flung open the truck door and started fussing at Irene the moment she was out of her small vehicle. “Nana Irene, why didn’t you call me? I would have come over and driven for you and Ruby.”
“Don’t gripe at me, girl,” Irene said. “Just get Ruby’s walker out of the back seat and help her out. She’s doin’ real good today, and this was our test drive to see if she’s able to get in and out of the car before we go to the doctor tomorrow for her checkup.”
“And I’m doing just fine,” Ruby declared as she stood up and took her walker from Taryn. “In another week, I’m throwing this thing out in the yard and using a cane.”
“There’s no talking to her,” Irene fussed. “When she sets her mind, a block of C-4 couldn’t blow the idea out of her head.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Ruby said. “But we are here to pay our last respects to Amos, so we need to be nice.”
