“Fine.” Archer marched toward the door, flinging it open with enough force to rattle the hinges. “That’s just great. I don’t know why I even bother.”
Cordelia followed him outside but stopped at the gate of her small front porch, where she watched him get in his truck and drive away. She didn’t attempt to call him back or explain herself. What could she say anyway? So she just stood there, and didn’t go back inside until she could no longer see his headlights.
In the distance, a coyote howled. A stark and empty sound that reminded her of just how isolated they were out in the brush country. Before turning out the lights and climbing into bed, she double-checked that all the windows were locked tight.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“WE’RE GOING TO THIS.”CORDELIA SET DOWN THE FLYER ON THE POOLSIDEtable.
Belinda Sue had made strawberry daiquiris with red pop, chopped-up ice, and rum. She took one look at the flyer and wrinkled her nose. “No, thanks.”
Daisy picked up the corner of the flyer with her thumb and index finger as she pushed her straw around her glass with her tongue. “You said we don’t have to go to church no more.”
“This is different,” Cordelia said. “The whole town will be there.”
The church was hosting a celebration to welcome Hollis Thorne, the new pastor, down at the town square. There would be a big potluck, lots of gossip, and plenty to observe. Cordelia also knew that Edna would be present, and since she hadn’t heard from her since she offered that deal, she had plans to corner her at the event when she couldn’t slam a door in her face.
“Y’all don’t have to come with me, but I’m going.” Cordelia picked up the flyer and folded it into a neat square, tucking it away in her purse.
“I’d rather skinny-dip with piranhas,” Arline said.
Cordelia pinched her lips together. “A simple no would’ve been fine.”
Daisy hesitated. “Do I have to wear another caftan?”
“No, this is a more casual affair.” Cordelia gestured to her own ensemble, a tweed skirt and button-down top tucked neatly into the waistband, to illustrate her point.
“Right.” Daisy glanced between Arline and Belinda Sue, who both averted their eyes. “I suppose I could come with you. If I get to dress how I want.”
Cordelia laid her hand over her heart. “I swear, I won’t make one comment.”
An hour later, Cordelia and Daisy were headed into town. Daisy had chosen to wear a red tube top with little sheep stitched into the fabric, and hot pants, but Cordelia just got in the car. She suspected Daisy had picked that outfit on purpose to test her. The chicks seemed to forget she’d already raised one overgrown teenager and knew how to play the game far better than they ever would.
They parked a few blocks over from the town center. Bumper-to-bumper cars lined the walkways of every side street. Everyone had come out to greet the new pastor.
Cordelia carried the apple pie she’d bought earlier, nodding at people as they passed. The Newman brothers, reeking of sweat and sour milk; Brian Kobi, who’d played the trumpet in the high school marching band twenty years before and still made it a core part of his personality; Danielle Alvarez-Calderon, who was still known for having a spider crawl in her ear and die at a sixth-grade sleepover; Biscuit McCreedy, who’d rescued a cat from a transmission tower. People who had histories and memories built into the very fabric of Sarsaparilla Falls.
Daisy stopped to chat with a few clients and people she knew from town. Girls with thick brown hair threaded with pink ribbons zigzagged through the crowd with melting snow cones in their fists. A band of middle-aged, balding men wearing matching bowling league shirts played ’90s hits from the park’sgazebo. The center of town had a bounce house and ring toss set up for the kids and a beer tent for adults. It didn’t feel like a church affair so much as a festival.
People stood in clusters, fanning themselves against the oppressive heat. Not even the cooling misters set up around the perimeter of the park could touch the temperature. The air was dry enough for the birds to build their nests out of barbed wire.
Cordelia set her pie on the dessert end of a long table that held the food offerings. Flies buzzed around the fruit dishes, and ice melted in trays set up to keep the salads cold. Sarsaparilla Falls had hosted several town potlucks when she was a kid, but she’d never gone to one. Her momma said they weren’t nothing but gossip mills for snooty folks who thought the sun shined out of their cracks. Her way of saying they wouldn’t have been welcome anyway.
Times certainly had changed. Daisy was twice the sinner Sherilynn was, but she’d been welcomed with open arms. Of course, her momma hadn’t done anything to contribute to the well-being of the town either. All she’d ever done was take and blame.
Cordelia grabbed a spare flyer and furiously fanned herself. Sometimes those old resentments could sneak up on her out of nowhere. Her momma had come a long way since those days, but every now and again Cordelia would be right back there in the past as if she’d never left. It probably wouldn’t hurt to make an appointment with her therapist.
“Whew, it’s hotter than a honeymoon hotel out here.” Daisy pressed a bottle of water to her neck and handed one to Cordelia. “Have you seen Edna yet?”
“Not yet, but—” Cordelia gripped Daisy’s arm. “Oh, my. Look who’s fresh out of jail.”
Honey Stevens parted the crowd. She swished her hips as she gave homecoming queen waves to her gawkers like they were paparazzi trailing her every move. She had a lot of nerve, Cordelia had to hand that much to her. For every dirty look she caught, she blew a kiss in return.
“Damn, I’d like her sass if she wasn’t so awful,” Daisy said. “How do you suppose she got out? Surely no one posted her bail? It was set at a hundred grand. Ain’t no one around here but the Abernathys got that kind of money.”
“We could ask her, seeing as she’s headed this way,” Cordelia said out of the corner of her mouth. “Hello, Honey. Good to see you out and about.”
“Don’t lie.” She flipped her overly processed hair over her shoulder. “You’re mad as hell that I got out before you could find a way to clear Daisy.”
