shoulder. ‘She’s right, Bess,’ he said. ‘You’re really sweet to believe in me so thoroughly, but Megan doesn’t, and she shouldn’t. All I can tell you, Megan, is that I didn’t do it. I never touched her, ever. I’m not saying I didn’t want to, but she was, like, real stand-offish. I always got the feeling I’d be shut out if I even tried to kiss her. So I never did. And I can swear to that on a stack of Bibles if it would help.’
‘It won’t,’ Megan said. ‘If you’d lie about knocking up somebody, then you’d be stupid enough to lie on a stack of Bibles, too.’
‘Megan!’ Bess started.
‘But!’ Megan said, raising her voice to drown out Bess, ‘I don’t think you’re stupid. And I
do
think Harper is up to something. So we’ll help you.’
‘Gee, Megs, that’s so
good
of you!’ Bess said sarcastically.
Logan pulled Bess back down to the sofa. ‘It
is
good of you,’ he said. He glanced at Alicia. ‘And you?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I’m on board,’ Alicia said, although she still had her misgivings about any relationship building between this boy and her sister. She wouldn’t be able to handle Bess being hurt the way she was hurting now. Shaking herself mentally, she asked, ‘So how do we get Harper alone?’
‘You said y’all were on the same volleyball team?’ Bess asked.
‘Yeah, last semester,’ Alicia confirmed.
‘Would she be suspicious if you reached out to her?’ Bess asked.
Alicia shrugged. ‘Could she see that well from the car last night? I mean, I was one of the ones jumping her brother.’
‘It was pretty dark in the parking lot. One of the lights burned out and Cam hasn’t gotten around to having it changed yet. You gotta call an electrician to do it because—’ Logan started.
‘We really don’t care,’ Megan said. To Alicia, she said, ‘I think we can take the chance. There was so much going on, and she never got out of the car while we were beating on her brother, so chances are she wasn’t paying that much attention.’
‘So what would I say?’ Alicia asked. ‘“Hey, Harper, I hear you got knocked up. Anything I can do to help?”’
Megan rolled her eyes. ‘Hardly. You know, just say how you’ve noticed she hasn’t been back since winter break and you wonder if she needs you to bring her some schoolwork or whatever. Ask her, you know, if she’s sick or something.’ Megan grinned. ‘That might even get a confession out of her.’
‘So I go over there or what? I don’t even know where she lives,’ Alicia said, not overly keen on Megan’s plan.
‘I’m sure Logan knows where, but I think a phone call first.’
‘Just call her up out of the blue?’ Alicia asked.
Megan swung her legs off the arm of the loveseat, straightening herself. ‘Alicia,
dear
,’ she said, ‘it’s not that big a woop, OK? You just call her up and say what I
just
told you to say! She responds. Put it on speakerphone and I’ll get paper and pen and write down the correct response to whatever she says, if you’re afraid you can’t do it!’
‘Don’t get all huffy with me!’ Alicia said. ‘I think I can handle it! It’s just that I don’t
want
to!’
‘Then don’t,’ Logan said, standing up. ‘Y’all have been great, and I appreciate the attempt, but there’s nothing that can be done until Harper’s baby is born. I’ll just try to put off marrying her until then.’
Bess jumped to her feet. ‘No! We can help! I swear we can, Logan!’
‘I need to get home—’
‘Your face is still a mess,’ Megan said. ‘Your mother will see it for sure.’
‘Then I’ll just tell her the same story we told Cam at the restaurant—’
‘Oh, for gawd’s sake, give me the damn phone!’ Alicia said.
I helped Miss Hutchins fix breakfast while Diamond Lovesy sat in the dining room drinking another full pot of coffee. The body had gone, as had Chief Cotton and his entourage. Willis wandered downstairs about a half an hour after they left.
‘It won’t,’ Megan said. ‘If you’d lie about knocking up somebody, then you’d be stupid enough to lie on a stack of Bibles, too.’
‘Megan!’ Bess started.
‘But!’ Megan said, raising her voice to drown out Bess, ‘I don’t think you’re stupid. And I
do
think Harper is up to something. So we’ll help you.’
‘Gee, Megs, that’s so
good
of you!’ Bess said sarcastically.
Logan pulled Bess back down to the sofa. ‘It
is
good of you,’ he said. He glanced at Alicia. ‘And you?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I’m on board,’ Alicia said, although she still had her misgivings about any relationship building between this boy and her sister. She wouldn’t be able to handle Bess being hurt the way she was hurting now. Shaking herself mentally, she asked, ‘So how do we get Harper alone?’
‘You said y’all were on the same volleyball team?’ Bess asked.
‘Yeah, last semester,’ Alicia confirmed.
‘Would she be suspicious if you reached out to her?’ Bess asked.
Alicia shrugged. ‘Could she see that well from the car last night? I mean, I was one of the ones jumping her brother.’
‘It was pretty dark in the parking lot. One of the lights burned out and Cam hasn’t gotten around to having it changed yet. You gotta call an electrician to do it because—’ Logan started.
‘We really don’t care,’ Megan said. To Alicia, she said, ‘I think we can take the chance. There was so much going on, and she never got out of the car while we were beating on her brother, so chances are she wasn’t paying that much attention.’
‘So what would I say?’ Alicia asked. ‘“Hey, Harper, I hear you got knocked up. Anything I can do to help?”’
Megan rolled her eyes. ‘Hardly. You know, just say how you’ve noticed she hasn’t been back since winter break and you wonder if she needs you to bring her some schoolwork or whatever. Ask her, you know, if she’s sick or something.’ Megan grinned. ‘That might even get a confession out of her.’
‘So I go over there or what? I don’t even know where she lives,’ Alicia said, not overly keen on Megan’s plan.
‘I’m sure Logan knows where, but I think a phone call first.’
‘Just call her up out of the blue?’ Alicia asked.
Megan swung her legs off the arm of the loveseat, straightening herself. ‘Alicia,
dear
,’ she said, ‘it’s not that big a woop, OK? You just call her up and say what I
just
told you to say! She responds. Put it on speakerphone and I’ll get paper and pen and write down the correct response to whatever she says, if you’re afraid you can’t do it!’
‘Don’t get all huffy with me!’ Alicia said. ‘I think I can handle it! It’s just that I don’t
want
to!’
‘Then don’t,’ Logan said, standing up. ‘Y’all have been great, and I appreciate the attempt, but there’s nothing that can be done until Harper’s baby is born. I’ll just try to put off marrying her until then.’
Bess jumped to her feet. ‘No! We can help! I swear we can, Logan!’
‘I need to get home—’
‘Your face is still a mess,’ Megan said. ‘Your mother will see it for sure.’
‘Then I’ll just tell her the same story we told Cam at the restaurant—’
‘Oh, for gawd’s sake, give me the damn phone!’ Alicia said.
I helped Miss Hutchins fix breakfast while Diamond Lovesy sat in the dining room drinking another full pot of coffee. The body had gone, as had Chief Cotton and his entourage. Willis wandered downstairs about a half an hour after they left.
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