Daisy, who had been on her hind legs pawing at Ellie’s shins from the minute she walked in, jumps in Ellie’s lap and kisses her face.
“Aw, she’s so cute,” Cali says, reaching over to pet Daisy.
“She should be,” Haynes says from the fridge. “My wife feeds her homemade organic dog food.”
Ellie, who is scratching up and down Daisy’s back, kisses the top of her head. “You deserve homemade organic dog food. Don’t you, girl?” After a few more scratches Ellie puts her down. Daisy sits back on her haunches, then innocently cocks her head at Haynes when he returns to the table with the Cokes. She’s preparing her next move.
“Daisy, here,” he says, peering down at her, “landed in a bucket of cream when she flashed those big browns at my wife.”
Cali laughs. “I love dogs. My grandmother… not so much. I’m getting one as soon as I move into an apartment, though. I’ve already decided.”
Haynes shoots her an exaggerated wink, points at Daisy. “You can have this one.”
“She’ll have to kill me first.” I reach down to stroke my baby’s head.
After handing the girls their drinks, Haynes shakes out his napkin and places it in his lap. “Okay. Lay it on us. What has that shameless silver spoon done now?”
Ellie giggles. “I don’t even know where to begin.” I notice her eyes shift over to Cali, who is shaking her head lightly. “Aside from insulting Cali in a way she’d rather I not get into, Lilith Whitmore shot us down on something before we ever got started.”
Haynes lifts his hands over his head, the way he always does when he wants to make a point. “Never underestimate the evil power grab of a sorority alum with no other life.” Then he cuts a small slit into his steak. “Hang on, El.” He looks at me. “Is your steak okay?”
I slice into mine. “Perfect.”
“Okay, keep going.”
“After Miss Ophelia’s funeral, Cali and I came up with this great idea forour pledge-class philanthropy project.” She glances at Cali. “We wanted to raise enough money to give the Alpha Delt staff benefits, and Lilith Whitmore wouldn’t hear of it.”
Haynes leans in toward her with his fork in one hand and a knife in the other. “The staff doesn’t have benefits?” He shifts his gaze to me.
I have no idea. So I simply shrug.
“No, Dad. They don’t. None of them do. Miss Ophelia died from stage-four uterine cancer because she didn’t have health insurance and never went to the doctor.”
“I understand she had no health insurance, and I do think that’s… absurd,” Haynes says, slicing into his steak. “But she could have gone to a doctor, honey. There are free health clinics around Oxford.”
“Maybe so, but it’s still wrong,” Ellie says, somewhat defeated. “And so sad.”
“It sure is.” This is news to me. I’d never thought about whether or not the staff had benefits.
Cali hasn’t said much, but she finally opens her mouth. “Miss Pearl said Miss Ophelia was, like, super stubborn about going to the doctor.”
“And she never wanted to spend any money,” Ellie adds.
“Let’s get back to the reason you drove all the way home,” Haynes says, after swallowing his first bite of baked potato. “You two went to Lilith Whitmore with an idea and then what happened?” He slices off another bite of steak, then puts his knife down.
“She told us Alpha Delt is a small business and we can’t afford to give the staff health insurance,” Ellie says.
Haynes turns to me. “How many people on staff?”
I hurry to swallow before answering. “Six besides the housemother.”
“Alpha Delt gives Mama Carla health insurance,” Cali adds.
With one hand twirling her hair and the other holding her Coke can, Ellie’s focus is on her father. “Dad, don’t you know Eli Manning?”
“I wouldn’t say I know him, but I’ve met him. At an Ole Miss athletic banquet. Why?”
“Do you think you could talk him into letting us sell tickets for a chance at an evening out with him and his wife, Abby?” Ellie has raised up in her seat. I can hear the excitement in her voice.
