She sucks in a breath, covers her mouth. “Does your mother not know yet? California is a long way away.”
Ellie looks at me, then back at her. Digs her hands into her hips. “You know what, Mrs. Whitmore? No one cares about the stuff you care about. Everyone here is just happy to have Cali as a new member.”
“Cali is a very lucky girl. Snap bids are extremely rare. Especially for Alpha Delta Beta.”
After grabbing the handle, Ellie yanks the door open. “Come on, Cal. Let’s get out of here.”
I put one foot forward, then whip my head back around. I can feel the flood of adrenaline rushing through me like a roaring wind. Deep inside my gut a match has been struck and the flame has reached my tongue. “You’re absolutely right, Mrs. Whitmore. I am a very lucky girl. Lucky that I don’t have you for a mother.”
Ellie and I share a victory smirk as I shut the door behind us.
FIFTY-SEVEN
WILDA
The luscious smell of chargrilled filet fills the room when my husband opens the back patio door. He’s spent the last fifteen minutes standing over our outdoor grill with a beer in one hand and a pair of long tongs in the other. The baked potatoes are done, the asparagus is roasted, and the table is set. We’re celebrating our freedom. We have officially excommunicated Lilith and Gage Whitmore from our lives. Hallelujah!
“Potatoes ready?” he asks, swinging the small platter of meat over his head like he’s playing airplane with one of the kids. Then he places it down carefully on the kitchen island. Haynes has a new pep in his step.
And so do I. “Yes indeedy. I’m about to take them out now.”Things may actually be getting back to normal,I think, as I bounce over to the oven, sliding an oven mitt over my hand. I take that back. We are living anewnormal. I am a new person.
Haynes reaches into the fridge, pulls out another beer. After popping the top he extends it my way. I reach back for my wineglass.
“Cheers,” we both say in unison, clinking our glasses. We lean in for a kiss. Haynes strolls over to our docking station, slips his phone into the dock. After pushing play, Mick and the boys fill the room. “Under My Thumb.”
I reach into the oven for the baked potatoes and plop one on each of our plates. After slitting them open and watching steam fill the air, I position several asparagus spears right next to the potatoes, singing along loudly with every word. “It’s down to me… she’s under my thumb.” Haynes plops the smoldering filets in the middle and pours the juice from the platter on top. We’re dancing over to the table when the door leading in from the garage flies open and bangs the wall. Ellie rushes inside with Cali right behind her.
“Heart! What in the world?”
Haynes whips around so fast he almost drops his dinner plate. “What’s up, El?”
“Y’all have to do something about Lilith Whitmore!”
I look at Haynes. He looks at me. “To be free or not to be free. That is the question,” he says theatrically.
Ellie sneers. “What are you talking about, Dad?”
Haynes puts his plate down on the table, moves over to her. “A little inside joke between your mother and me. Come here.” He hugs her to his chest, then does the same to Cali.
I put my plate down and stretch my arms around them both. “Something big must have happened for you two to drive all the way home on a Wednesday. How on earth did you get here?”
“Jasmine loaned us her car,” Ellie says. “Wait till you hear what Lilith Whitmore has done.”
I can’t believe I’m hearing that woman’s name so soon after our emancipation. “First, let me get y’all a plate.” I’m headed back to the cabinet when Cali stops me. “Thank you, Mrs. Woodcock, but we stopped for dinner along the way.”
“Oh Lord, I hope it was good for you,” I say with a sigh. “There’s nothing but pickled pig’s feet and fried pork rinds between here and Oxford.”
Haynes adjusts his glasses and peers at me from across the room. “Wilda, stop worrying. I’m sure the girls went through the Whole Foods drive-in in Holly Springs.”
“No, sir. We didn’t see that,” Cali says with a concerned face.
Ellie rolls her eyes, then looks at Cali. “He’s just kidding you.”
“No, I’m having a little fun at your mother’s expense.” Haynes pulls a chairout and motions for me to sit. He does the same for Cali and Ellie. “Would you girls like something to drink?”
“I’ll have a beer, please,” Ellie says. “Make it a tallboy.”
Haynes points a playful finger her way. “How about two Cokes?”
