“Of course she will. Our daughter has a good head on her shoulders, Haynes. She knows right from wrong and she can spot a phony a mile away. If Annie Laurie Whitmore turns out to be an insensitive princess, Ellie won’t stand for it.”
With a purposeful snicker he sits back down. “You’re right about that.”
“Of course I am. But I don’t think that’ll happen. When we visited the Whitmores in Natchez they were a gracious, loving family.”
After a long pause and a blatant disregard for my comment he changes the subject. “That dorm room. I didn’t want to embarrass Ellie so I didn’t say anything, but holy crap. How much did that cost us?”
Gulp.“Three thousand.” I say the lie softly, hoping he’ll shrug it off.
A loud screech from his stool as it is pushed away from the counter tells me he won’t.“Three. Thousand. Dollars?”
“All of this dorm room stuff costs a fortune. I’m telling you, we’re in the wrong business.” My pulse is beating so loudly I’m sure he can hear it.
For a full minute he keeps his mouth shut. Once my pounding pulse has turned into bona fide heart palpitations he surprises me. “She does have a beautiful room. And it made her happy. Did you see her face when she walked in?”
I nod. And seize the opportunity to show excitement over every inch of my face.
“That made me happy, too. Seeing how much she loves it.” If there’s one thing I know about Haynes, Ellie is his Achilles’ heel. He slurps the last bit of coffee and stands up. “Okay, enough of this. Let’s move on.”
Feeling immense relief, I turn his way. “Hope the rest of your day is better.” We lean in to kiss and I wrap my fingers around his forearm. “Don’t forget I’m driving back down to Oxford today… for the last Rush Workshop meeting. But I’ll be back tonight after dinner. I’ve decided not to spend the night with Lilith. My to-do list is ten miles long.”
With a tap of his forehead he says, “Ah. The new Rush Advisor. Go steer those Alpha Delts in the right direction.”
“That’s my plan.”
“You’ll be a great role model.” Thank God, there’s a smile on his face.
“You mean it?”
“Of course I mean it. Be careful of the traffic, though. It’s move-in day for the rest of Mississippi.” He grabs his briefcase off the bench, moves toward the door. Then he turns back around. “Babe.”
I look up.
“I’m not pissed at you. I’m just worried for Ellie. I’m sorry if it came out like this is your fault. It’s not.”
I kiss the air to let him know I’m okay. But I’m not. I’m rotting on the inside. No way around it, I’ve out-and-out lied to my husband. The clanging of the door shutting behind him is the last sound I hear. Wallowing inside my cesspool, I sit another moment in silence before pouring myself another cup of black coffee.
ELEVEN
CALI
“Papaw,” I call over the side of his pickup truck when I see him squinting his eyes and gritting his teeth, “that’s too heavy. Let me help you.” I shut the truck door and run back as he’s maneuvering the heaviest box onto the tailgate. “Be careful, please.” He pulled a muscle in his back a few weeks ago and I don’t want him reinjuring himself.
He turns. “Young lady. Don’t you know you’re not supposed to put heavy things in big boxes? What’s in here?” While he’s heaving the box toward himself a small grunt escapes.
“Almost every book I own. With a few shoes and boots on top.” As the two of us lower the box onto our rented dolly I can feel my arms straining.
“All these books. Well, what else could I expect from our first lady governor.” After a wink, I see that familiar grin.
“That’s a lot of pressure, you know.”
He reaches for the next box. “You tell me how many of these pretty little girls moving in today are class valedictorians with all Honors and AP courses?”
“Papaw, shh. I don’t want that broadcast all over campus.”
“And why not?”
“Because I’m not a bragger,” I whisper.
