“Listen, y’all are going to have so much fun with Jeb and Winona. They have a passel of grandkids and you’ll get so many carrots and apples you’ll be sick of them. When I visit, I expect to see you grazing and happy, maybe hauling some kid around on your back.”
Whinny gave another snort.“A child? So beneath me.”Such a diva.
Silver smiled and looked as if she were in awe that little people would be around.“Someone my size.”
Hercules raised his nose as if he were the guardian of the galaxy.“You can count on me.”
“I love you guys.” Wiping her face with the back of her hand, Gemma turned to Jeb. “Best go before I change my mind.”
“I mean what I said, Gemma. Come by any time.” He climbed into his truck, fired up the old diesel engine, and eased down the long drive toward River Road. Blue once again leaned against her leg.
“Don’t worry, boy, you’re staying with me.”
Daddy gave Gemma a strong side hug. “I hate this for you, Gemstone. I really do. You’ll land on your feet, I promise.”
“You’re an eternal optimist, Daddy.” She kissed his cheek. “And about our exchange in the kitchen—”
“Don’t give it another thought. We’ll talk when you’re ready. But just so you know, your mama and I couldn’t be any prouder of you. Yeah, we wish you’d not made some of the choices you made but you navigated them with class. You came out ahead. That takes courage, Gemma.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Daddy grunted and cleared his throat. “I best be going. Promised Deacon Eldredge I’d help with repairs at church.”
“And we’re going to finish moving. Imani, do you want to do one last check in the house?”
“I did this morning.” She wrapped her arms around Gemma and set her head on her shoulder. “We’ll be all right, won’t we?”
“More than all right. We’re going to get the adoption done and face the world together as a real mother and daughter.”
Imani wiped her eyes with the edge of her T-shirt. “Can we have a movie night? So I don’t think about today very much.”
“Absolutely. Something funny. Cheer us up.”
She ran to tell Justin who smiled and wrapped her in his arms.Treat her right, boy. Treat her right.
With the truck and the BMW loaded, Gemma was ready to lock up the house one last time. Imani and Justin headed on over to Mama and Daddy’s and Gemma faced the house.
“You rescued me. I’m grateful. I had big plans for you but now someone else will redo your plumbing and walls, floors and doors.”
She inserted the key in the lock then stored the key under the blue-glazed ceramic pot she bought at the hardware store.
Starting toward her car, she was suddenly lassoed by the breeze and turned toward the back of the twenty acres. The tree branches swayed as if waving goodbye and the ripples running across the top of the pond water restarted her tears.
“We were supposed to grow old together. But these have been the best two years of my adult life.”
Leaving Hollywood and Vegas was not a loss. Leaving Matt, not a loss. But leaving this place, with the green field of wildflowers and the place where she learned to laugh again, was a huge loss.
Yet, the farm was also a reminder, if she could hold onto it, that redemption had a place in everyone’s life. That beauty could come from the ashes.
Even for someone like Gemma Stone.
“MP Hamish Fickle is with us today. Mr. Fickle, you said something just before the break that made my mouth drop. The queen asked you to ‘join her team’?”
“That’s right, Tamma. And thank you for having me. She wanted me to help smooth the way for Prince John and change my stance on the monarchy. But she doesn’t get it. As leader of the RECO party, and we are growing, I’m about every Lauchten being their own king and queen. This aristocratic class has to go. Time to end the old order and usher in the new. Besides, Prince John, we’ve learned through recent events, is no leader. My goodness, he brought a Vegas stripper to an international summit ball. Don’t get me started on his wife,Holland. She’d be on trial for corruption and insider trading if she were alive. Our future king has absolutely no discernment. The Reingard case is ongoing so we don’t know the outcome, but our own crown prince could be implicated. What did he know? If anything. The thick walls of Perrigwynn Palace hide many secrets. But Hamish Fickle is on the scene. You can run but you can’t hide.”
—News at Noon with Tamma Tucker
Our royal family is falling apart. I’m thinking of joining the RECO party. Hamish Fickle makes sense and he’s so sexy. Anyone else?
