Chapter 45
“What took you so long?” Jodi asked later that afternoon as they directed food trucks into the newly graveled area. “I thought
you’d fallen asleep or something.”
Mylie gave her friend a guilty look. “I’m sorry,” she said. “We just lost track of time.”
“Sure you did,” Jodi said, pursing her lips. “Sure you did.”
“Where are we on the fish fry?” Mylie asked, changing the subject. “All of the trucks have agreed to shut down at three p.m.,
so that the VFW makes a maximum profit on this fundraiser.”
“We’ll be ready by then,” Melissa said, ambling over to them.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Mylie said. “I was worried that maybe Bernice and Granny might end up in a fight again.”
“I’ve got old Bernie on a tight leash,” Melissa said with a grin.
“The last two teams are here!” Joe said, clipboard in hand. “They’re checking in at the hotel.”
Melissa turned her attention to Ben. “Hey, you know how I told you about the community college looking for adjunct instructors?”
Ben nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, the dean for arts and sciences called me yesterday to ask if I know anyone who might be able to teach full-time this
fall,” Melissa continued. “She needs someone to teach Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Statistics.”
Mylie kept her eyes on Joe, but she was listening for Ben’s response.
Ben didn’t immediately reply.
“Anyway,” Melissa said. “I gave her your name.”
“Wow,” Ben said. “Uh, thanks, Melissa.”
“So, do you think you might be interested?”
“I really appreciate it,” Ben said. “But I just don’t think that’s something I can do right now.”
“Okay,” Melissa said, giving his arm a pat. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
Mylie felt herself deflate.
“Are you pleased, boss?” Joe asked.
“What?” Mylie blinked. “With what?”
“With the way things are coming together!” Joe replied. “I think it’s all pretty good, considering.”
Mylie nodded, trying to shake the knot in her stomach. Joe was right. Despite the rain and the mud and the gravel and the
food trucks, everything was going off as planned. Nothing was going to go wrong. She wouldn’t let it.
She left Ben with Melissa and headed over to check on the Hook, Line,
you know how he gets sometimes.”
Mylie shook her head.
“You should have seen the look on his face when he took a big swig,” Granny said, clasping her hands over the giggle that
threatened to escape past her lips.
“Anyway, he went home to brush his teeth just in case he gets too close to anyone from the Assembly of God.”
Mylie pressed her mouth into a tight line, but it was only to keep herself from laughing along with Granny. “He’s never going
to forgive you,” she said.
Granny waved her off. “Oh, child, he’ll be fine. You think he’s never had a nip or two? He pretends to be a teetotaler, but
I know different.”
“Mylie?” Jodi said, appearing behind Mylie.
Mylie was too busy trying not to laugh to answer.
“Mylie!” Jodi said, her voice rising an octave. “Hey, Mylie!”
“Huh?” Mylie turned to Jodi. “What? What’s going on?”
“It’s the twins,” she replied. “They got into an accident just outside of Rockbridge.”
“Oh, my God, are they okay?”
Jodi nodded. “They’re okay, but Angel has a concussion and Nevaeh broke her wrist.”
“Have you talked to Louise?” Mylie asked. “Is she with them? I should call her.”
“She’s on her way,” Jodi said. “She said to tell you not to worry. They’re both going to be fine, but there is no way they
can compete.”
“No, no that doesn’t matter,” Mylie said. “As long as they’re okay.”
“Jessica and Louise still want to go on with the tournament,” Jodi said. “We just need to find two more people.”
“I guess I can do it,” Mylie said, thinking.
“I can’t,” Jodi said. “I’m a judge, remember?”
“Right,” Mylie said.
“You should ask Ben,” Jodi continued. “I’m sure he’d be happy to help.”
“We’ll lose for sure,” Mylie said, laughing. “But I guess I could ask him.”
“Seems like he’d do just about anything for you,” Jodi said, wiggling her eyebrows.
Mylie thought about their shower activities earlier and felt the heat rising up her neck. “I’ll talk to him, okay?”
The rest of the day went along smoothly, and Louise kept Mylie up-to-date on the twins. Aside from the fact that Nevaeh might
need surgery, they were doing fine. The food trucks shut down at three p.m. as promised, and by the evening, just as the fish
fry was getting going, the entire downtown area was packed with locals and tourists alike.
Ben had been more than happy to be added to the team, but he’d balked at wearing the T-shirt, which was admittedly three sizes too small for him.
“I’m not wearing that,” Ben said.
Mylie laughed. “You can just wear any green shirt. And thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Hey, after this is all over, can we talk?” he asked. “There are some things I want to discuss with you, but I know it’s too
hectic right now.”
“Sure,” Mylie replied. “What is it?”
“It’s not a big deal,” Ben said, but something in his voice told Mylie it was a lie—something about the way he looked at her.
She didn’t have time to think about it, though, as people streamed in and out and Joe and Jodi kept running to her to tell
her they were out of supplies. She’d already made several trips back to the warehouse.
“Have you seen Cassie?” Granny asked an hour later, balancing a plate of fish in her lap.
All around them people were smiling and laughing, having a good time. A local band had decided to set up at the last minute,
and people were streaming in and out of the main group, where Granny, Morris, and a few other people had set up lawn chairs
to listen.
“I haven’t,” Mylie admitted. “I thought she was with Allie somewhere?”
“I’m sure she is,” Granny replied. “But I heard a rumor some of the kids were stealing beer from the beer garden.”
“I’ll go check on her,” Mylie said.
She waded through the sea of people, narrowly avoiding Robbie and his family as they piled their plates high with fish and joked about the tournament tomorrow. With the twins out, Mylie wasn’t sure if they stood a chance at winning, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Maybe if Robbie won, he’d stop being such an asshole.
There was a group of teens on the edge of the library parking lot just off the square. Mylie squinted into the oncoming darkness
to see if Cassie was one of them. She saw Ryan with a few boys and, sure enough, off to the other side, were Cassie and Allie.
“Cassie!” Mylie called, heading over to them. “Hey, Cassie!”
The look of surprise and guilt on Cassie’s face was enough to tell Mylie that something was up. The group closed in around
each other as she approached.
“Cassie,” Mylie said. “Granny’s been looking for you. Are you not answering your phone?”
Mylie stepped close to the group of girls and peered in just in time to see Cassie and Allie kicking two empty beer cans away
from them and into the grass.
“What are you doing?” Mylie asked, grabbing Cassie’s arm and pulling her away from her friends.
“I didn’t take them!” Cassie said, trying and failing to wrench herself free from her sister. “It wasn’t us.”
“Did you drink them?” Mylie demanded. “Because looking at your face, it sure seems like you drank them.”
“Don’t tell Granny,” Cassie said, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Cassie,” Mylie hissed. “You’ve got bigger problems than telling Granny. You’re fourteen years old. What do you think is going
to happen when someone tells the sheriff a bunch of high school freshmen are drinking in the library parking lot?”
Cassie only shrugged.
“You’re going home,” Mylie said. “Come on.”
“Come on, Mylie!” Cassie protested. “Please, you’re embarrassing me.”
“I have not even begun to embarrass you,” Mylie hissed. She turned her gaze to the other teenagers in the parking lot. “Hey!”
They all turned to stare at her.
“You all better go find your parents right now,” Mylie yelled. “Do it now, before I do it for you!”
The group scattered, and Mylie stomped off toward her truck, pulling Cassie along with her. They waded through the crowd of
people, stopping long enough for Mylie to whisper to Jodi that she was taking Cassie home and to let Granny know everything
was fine. She’d talk to Granny later.
They rode in the truck silently for a few minutes before Mylie said, “Are you okay?”
Cassie looked green. “I don’t feel great.”
“How much did you have to drink?”
“I don’t know,” Cassie replied. “Not much, but it tasted awful.”
“Yeah, that was cheap beer,” Mylie said. “Honestly, what were you thinking?”
“We were just trying to have fun,” Cassie said, her voice sullen. “This town is so boring.”
“Yeah, and puking all over the library parking lot is going to make it better,” Mylie muttered.
“Like you never did anything like this,” Cassie shot back.
“I’m not saying I didn’t,” Mylie replied. “But at least I had the good sense to do it in the woods without an audience.”
“I’ll remember that for next time,” Cassie said. “Mylie, I think I’m going to be sick.”
Mylie steered the truck over to the side of the road and cut off the engine just in time for Cassie to jump out and vomit.
Mylie walked around to the other side of the truck and held back Cassie’s hair as she heaved, rubbing her back in small and soothing circles.
“I’m okay,” Cassie said finally, sitting down on the grass away from the mess. “I’m okay.”
“This feels like punishment enough,” Mylie said, sitting beside her.
“You can’t punish me anyway,” Cassie said, sniffing. “You’re not my mom.”
The words stung more than Mylie wanted to admit. She knew she wasn’t Cassie’s mother. They were sisters, but their relationship
had never been like regular sisters. Mylie helped raise Cassie. Things were different.
“I know,” Mylie said carefully. “But right now, you’ve got me, and I’m telling you that barfing on the side of the road is
punishment enough.”
“So, you won’t tell Granny?”
“You and I both know Granny is going to find out,” Mylie said, helping Cassie up and back into the truck. “It’s in your best
interest to tell her before she finds out from someone else.”
“I just want to go home and go to bed,” Cassie groaned.
“Can I trust you to stay by yourself?” Mylie asked. “How many beers did you have? Tell me the truth.”
“Just a couple,” Cassie admitted. “And Allie and I shared them.”
“Okay, then you’ll be fine,” Mylie replied. “I’m going to drop you off, run back to the fish fry, and then I’ll come home.
I just need to make sure our tent is shut down for the night, okay?”
Allie nodded. “I don’t see why this is such a big deal,” she said.
“Because you’re fourteen,” Mylie replied.
“Like you and Granny never drink.”
“That’s not the point,” Mylie said. “We’re both adults.”
Cassie was turning greener by the second, but she said, “I just wanted to see what it was like.”
When they pulled into the driveway, the truck’s headlights caught on the for sale sign in Ben’s yard. It was so quick that Mylie had nearly missed the gleaming white under contract that had been added to the top part of the Realtor’s advertisement.
“What does that mean?” Allie asked. “Under contract?”
“It means,” Mylie said, “that the house has sold.”
“Did you know?”
“No,” Mylie replied. “I didn’t.”