Chapter Twenty-One #2
“I will teach you everything you need to know,” Iris declared.
“You can start packing tonight. I already put a bid on a house only two doors down from Faith’s parsonage.
There’s a revival going on in Vega, and the preacher is single and about your age.
Faith and I will set you up on a date with him. ”
“But . . .” Sabrina hesitated and then went forward with a full head of steam. “My dad depends on me to help him at the office. I would love to meet the preacher, though, so could you introduce us?”
“This is more fun than a barrel of monkeys,” Cleo said out the corner of her mouth.
“It’s even better than the fireworks will be,” Mae whispered.
Walker got to his feet. “I hate to miss this soap opera, but I’m starving. I see the hot dog stand is open for business. How many do we need?”
“Two for me, and—” Tina started to say.
“If you are going to say chips, then don’t,” Cleo said. “We brought them in a tote bag and drinks are in the cooler. And I’ll take a couple of kraut dogs.”
“I want one with chili and one with only mustard and relish,” Mae said.
“Then we need at least ten,” Walker said. “Tina, will you go with me? I don’t think I can carry all of them, plus some of those cookies that I saw on a table when we passed by.”
She pushed up out of the chair. “Glad to. I’m pretty hungry, too.”
“Hot dogs sound great,” Sabrina said in a strange-sounding tone from the other side of the tree. “I’m going to get one for each of us. What kind of soda do you want, Iris?”
“I want a cold beer,” Iris declared. “I don’t usually drink, but this is a good day. We can leave Benson as soon as my lawyer can get the paperwork done.”
With her short legs, Sabrina had to walk fast to catch up with Tina. “I don’t like you, and asking for help is—”
“Just about kills you, doesn’t it?” Tina said in a saccharine voice.
“What do I get in return? I really think you and Iris would be good roommates. She could teach you all the finer points of being a good wife if you marry a preacher. I’m not so sure about the motherhood lessons, since she never had children.
And from what I hear, her cooking is horrible, so you better get ready to either learn to cook or starve.
But you would be great gossiping roomies. ”
“What do you want?” Sabrina snapped.
“For you to stop stirring up crap on social media and commenting on what others say,” Tina answered.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Sabrina growled.
“Yes, you do. You started all those stories about Gracie breaking her folks’ heart when it came out that she’d been sneaking around with Dakota, and we won’t talk about the shit you’ve started about me and Walker.”
Sabrina sucked in a lungful of air and let it out in a whoosh. “I don’t like you. Never have. Never will, and I only tell the truth.”
“The feeling is mutual, but if you want my help, you will do what I ask. Or I might lower myself to your nasty level and bring up my own stories from the past,” Tina said.
“I bet lots of people will be interested to know about how you seduced Ned Turner before he got rich and then bragged that he would never find a woman as good in bed as you. How do you think Reesa would like hearing on social media that her best friend stabbed her in the back?”
“That was years and years ago, before he and Reesa ever got together.” Sabrina nodded toward Reesa coming through the gate with her husband and children. “And don’t talk so loud.”
“The question is not when, but did you ever tell her about that night?” Tina asked. “And, honey, that is just the tip of the iceberg. I took the blame for a lot of things that you did, so I remember them quite well.”
Sabrina clamped her palms over her ears. “Okay, okay! I will stop all my comments, but only if you can get me out of moving in with Iris.”
Tina started to stick out her hand but then dropped it. “We don’t want folks to say that we are friends. And remember that goes for Cleo, Mae, and Walker, too.”
“Deal,” Sabrina said and hurried on ahead of them to talk to Reesa.
“How are you going to take care of that?” Walker chuckled.
“I’ll figure out something before we get back with our hot dogs,” she answered. “But if she reneges on her end, there will be war.”
Walker leaned over and brushed a sweet kiss across her lips. “I’m glad to see more and more of the old Tina surfacing.”
“I’m at least seventy percent there, thanks to my family, and I’m not talking about blood kin,” she said.
Walker stepped up to the window and put in his order. “I certainly hope we aren’t related.”
Tina’s mind worked double time as she carried six small disposable containers in a box back to the tree.
She had settled on what she would say when she handed off a couple of hot dogs each to Cleo and Mae and set the last of them on her chair.
“I’ll be right back. Got a little mission to take care of. ”
She rounded the tree and sat down in the chair where Sabrina had been. “I know you don’t like me, but I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t tell you a few things about your beloved Sabrina.”
Iris narrowed her eyes and glared at Tina. “Why should I believe a word you say about anyone?”
“Believe it or not. It’s no skin off my back, but before you talk Sabrina into moving in with you, you should know that she’s not the innocent little lamb you think she is.
” Tina’s eyes darted around the area as if she was making sure no one was listening, then she lowered her voice to only a notch above a whisper.
“You better be ready to do lots more laundry, especially the bedsheets. I’m not saying that she will sneak men into her bedroom after you go to sleep, or that maybe all that stuff . . .” She glanced around the area again.
“What stuff?” Iris asked.
“I’m not the kind to cast stones, but it could just be that she can’t control her bladder, or it might be something else.
That’s the real reason she doesn’t want to leave her parents’ house.
I understand why she is putting up a fight about moving away from Benson, because those sheets are embarrassing.
But then, I don’t know any of that for absolute truth.
Once she’s firmly imbedded in your house with you to wait on her hand and foot like the housekeeper does at her folks’ place, it might be tough to get rid of her. ”
“You are lying to me,” Iris declared.
“Like I said—I don’t care if you believe it or not.” Tina stood up. “That’s your choice if you are willing to live with the consequences. But you should budget in some extra laundry soap if you still want her to live with you.”
Sabrina returned with their food and raised her perfectly waxed eyebrows at Tina. “What are you doing here? Iris, we wouldn’t want folks to think we are friends with her or her kind.”
“She was talking about the sale of the house,” Iris said without even a hint of a smile.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Tina said. “I’ve got some disinfectant wipes if you want to clean your chair before you sit down again.”
She had settled on that story since she remembered Cleo saying something about Iris being a germaphobe.
Falling in that mud had to have been torture.
If it worked, then the rumors would be cut by 90 percent.
If it didn’t, then she would have to make good on her own promise and set the gossip lines on fire.
She sent up a silent prayer that she didn’t have to do that—not even Sabrina and her minions were worth that much energy.
“I do love a good kraut dog,” Mae said. “What were you saying to Iris?”
“That’s classified, and if I told you, well . . .” She smiled.
“But you will tell us later, right?” Cleo asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Tina answered.
In a few seconds, Iris’s voice made its way around the tree.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said, Sabrina.
Your dad does depend on you to be there for him and the rest of his employees to get their lunch hours.
And you always work so hard to organize the Christmas party and the little getaway in the summer for everyone in the office.
Maybe it would be best if you don’t move with me.
You can still see me and Faith every evening, though. I hope you aren’t disappointed.”
Tina pumped her fist in the air and looked up at the cloudless blue sky. “Yes! Thank you, Lord.”
“I just knew you would understand when you had time to think about it, Aunt Iris,” Sabrina said in a silky-smooth voice. “And yes, ma’am, Faith and I will check on you often, and if you ever need anything, you can call one of us.”
“And you will move your church membership, right? That way we can still go to lunch every Sunday like we do now,” Iris said.
“How about I have a dual membership?” Sabrina suggested. “That way Mama and Daddy won’t be upset. I’m on the Christmas play committee, and I would hate to give that up.”
“That sounds wonderful. I don’t want anything to do with anyone in this town, but if you want to have your name on two memberships, that’s fine by me.
If Benson is going to welcome Tina with open arms, then it’s time for me to get the hell out of town.
” She laughed at her own joke and then raised her voice.
“And you can rest assured that I’m not taking a penny less for my house than what it appraises for.
I’ll let it rot before anyone can say that I did Cleo and Mae any favors. ”
“A deal is a deal!” Tina called out.
“Yes, it is, and I mean what I say,” Iris yelled.
Cleo elbowed Tina on the arm. “What did you do?”
“Later,” Tina said. “Right now, let’s enjoy the evening. I haven’t been to a fireworks display since I left Benson.”
Tina and Walker were on the porch watching the sun set when Grace and Dakota came home on Sunday evening.
“Y’all are late. Every time a car goes by, either Cleo or Mae run to the window to see if you are here.
They wanted y’all to have supper with us, but since you can’t, there is no way you will get out of at least having coffee and cookies,” Walker said.
“Aren’t you coming inside?” Dakota asked.
Tina stood up and tugged on Walker’s hand. “Of course we are. We have stories that we’ve been keeping until you got home.”
“So, that’s the real reason the ladies are so impatient,” Gracie said. “Well, let’s go have a snack with them and hear about what’s happened in the last few days.”
“You are going to be shocked,” Walker chuckled.
“Did you and Tina elope? That would shock me for sure,” Gracie said.
“No, we did not!” Tina answered.
“We wouldn’t steal your and Dakota’s thunder like that,” Walker assured her with a wink.
“You are finally here,” Cleo said when they all four entered the kitchen. “Sit down. We’ve got coffee and sweet tea made and three kinds of cookies on the table, plus a lemon chess pie in the refrigerator.”
Mae brought out the pitcher of sweet tea and the pie. “There, now, we can all sit down and have a little dessert and visit. How did your Fourth of July go yesterday? Were there lots of fireworks?”
“The whole show lasted over an hour,” Dakota answered and sent the coffeepot around the table after he poured himself a mug full. “My family really gets into the holidays.”
“You will come home for Christmas or at least Christmas Eve, won’t you?” Cleo’s tone testified that she was nervous.
“Yes, we will,” Gracie and Dakota answered at the same time.
“You’ll have your famous gingerbread made for us, won’t you?” Gracie went on to say as she put two cookies and a slice of pie on her plate.
“Of course,” Cleo answered.
“Tina tells me that you have news,” Gracie said, “and that you’ve been saving it rather than telling me over FaceTime.”
“We are buying Iris’s house,” Mae announced.
Gracie had started toward her mouth with a cookie, but it froze in midair. “Why? How? When?”
“Why? Because she says no one else would buy it because we are such poor neighbors,” Cleo answered. “She says we have to take the rooster with the place. So if you want it, you better lay claim to it now.”
“No, thanks,” Gracie said with a giggle.
“When?” Mae took the next question. “As soon as it is appraised and her lawyer draws up the paperwork. We’re still talking about how we’ll do things, but the first thing we’ll do is take the fence down.”
“Good fences make good neighbors,” Gracie recited.
“They don’t in this case, so the best thing to do is buy the place, right?” Tina asked.
“Absolutely,” Cleo answered. “Now, for the next thing. Tina, you tell her since you’re the one who worked magic on that issue.”
“The social media abuse has died down,” Tina said.
“How did you ever manage that?” Gracie asked.
“Our old Tina came back to life,” Walker announced. “Tell her word for word what happened, darlin’.”
Tina told them about the deal she made and how she talked Iris out of insisting that Sabrina move in with her. “How she interprets the information that I gave her is not my business. But if she goes to social media, Sabrina might wish she was living with Iris.”
“Genius,” Dakota said.
“She really is,” Grace agreed.