“Hi, sweetie. What brings you in? You were just here the other day.” Her eyes dart back and forth between me and the door, and she’s got the look of a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“I, uh, just wanted to say hi and see if you remembered about the game Friday night.”
“Sure, I remember. What’s wrong, cousin? Is your mama giving you a hard time about something?”
“That lady that was just here ... do you know her? What was she doing in here?”
“Meg? What do you think she was doing here? Shopping, of course. She’s going to the homecoming dance.”
“Oh. With Drew, no doubt.”
“Yes, with Drew. What’s it to you? Are you chasing after a guy who’s not interested in you?”
Barbara Jeanne huffs in irritation. “No, I’m not chasing him. Mother actually arranged a date for us a while back after she realized he was the Moyers’ son. We didn’t have much in common. Even though he’s hot, he acts old and boring.”
I laugh at Barbara Jeanne’s description of Drew, who’s at least five years younger than me, as old. “Okay then. What are you not telling me, and how do you know Meg?”
Her eyes drop to the floor and she clears her throat. “I, uh, sorta ran into them at Tupelo Heat last week.”
“And?”
“And she and I had some words.”
“What kind of words?”
“She attacked me for no reason! She’s so rude! I spoke to the manager and he made them leave!”
“Girl, what is wrong with you? You are not in high school anymore. Meg tells it like it is, but she’s not rude for no reason. My money says you asked for whatever you got from her. Time to grow up, Barbara Jeanne. There’s a big bad world out there and if you keep acting like a spoiled brat, it’s going to come back to bite you. You can’t act like a sheltered princess forever, and your daddy and Sandy are not always going to be around to rescue you.” I hate to be so harsh with her, but I’m trying to help her mature and deal in the real world. Her parents and Uncle Sandy have always pampered her, and she’s got to learn to stand on her own two feet.
Barbara Jeanne finally makes eye contact, and I see tears rolling down her cheeks. “I don’t know why I act the way I do sometimes. I don’t even know why I was trying to make her jealous. I’m really not interested in him.”
I wrap her up in a sisterly hug and pull back, wiping her tears with my fingertips. “I know you meant no harm. I want you to promise me you’ll work on showing people the real Barbara Jeanne; the kind, strong woman I know you to be. Next time I see Meg, I’ll let her know you’d like to apologize. Okay?”
Barbara Jeanne gives me a tentative smile and a quick kiss on the cheek. “Okay. Thank you, Sally. I’m so happy to have you here. You’re like the big sister I never had!”
My heart swells with affection for my cousin. “Well, I’m so happy we have each other. And I’m forever grateful to you for finding my father. And giving me the gift of family. I love you, girl!”
Chapter 21
Nolan exited his truck and hit the lock button on his key fob. Since every family in town was at the football field, he had to park a few blocks away from the high school. He needed to hustle if he was going to get to the bleachers before the pre-game activities began. He’d promised his high school buddy Sean Sullivan that he’d sit with him tonight. A few moments earlier, Sean had texted his location: about halfway up the bleachers on the fifty-yard line. Since Nolan had purchased his ticket online earlier in the week, he was able to go straight to the gate and show his e-ticket on his phone.
As Nolan walked along the track toward the midfield portion of the bleachers, he heard Sean holler out. “Yo, Nolan! Over here!”
Nolan looked toward his friend, waved his hand in response, and froze. Sitting in the same row of bleachers as Sean were the Patricks. All of them. Including Sally. She looked incredible in black jeans, a kelly green peacoat, and a scarf of the Patrick family tartan. At the same time that he spotted her, her eyes met his. She had that deer in the headlights look for an instant, then her eyes moved away. There was nothing to do except climb the bleachers toward them. He couldn’t very well walk past since they’d all seen him. Unfortunately, he’d have to move past the Patricks to get to his seat beside Sean.
As Nolan approached, Sandy rose and greeted him. “Hey, Nolan, good to see you.”
“Good to see you too, Sandy.” The rest of the Patricks stood as well so he could get by them in order to sit with Sean. He nodded over toward them and gave a simple “Hello.” He then proceeded to move down the row. He deliberately got as close to Sally, who was right next to Sandy, as he could, and looked her straight in the eye. “Hey, Sally. Excuse me.” He could barely hear her response since she spoke so softly as he kept moving through the aisle.
“Hey, Nolan.”
Nolan stepped past Sean and took his seat. Sean greeted his friend. “Hey, man, you got here just in time for the pre-game activities.”
“Good. I always enjoy homecoming.”
The announcer’s voice came over the PA system. “Good evening, Green Springs, and welcome students, faculty, alumni, parents, and friends to homecoming! We’d like to start off tonight’s activities by recognizing Hall of Fame members, former Homecoming Queens, and other noteworthy alumni.”
Nolan tuned out the announcer, as all he could think about now was Sally. Having her in such close proximity after all that time put all his senses on high alert. He craved her touch and her smell like a drug addict seeking a high. As he daydreamed about kissing her senseless, he heard a familiar name over the loudspeaker, “... Class of 2002, Drew Moyer!”
