clear the table, and then change out of her dress into something more suitable for cleaning. She’d planned to begin with the upstairs closets.
Dana had showered, moisturized her body with a perfumed lotion, and pulled a cotton sundress over her head as the doorbell chimed throughout the house. Quickening her step, she made it down the staircase to the front door.
It had taken her more than two hours to go through one closet, the first of four, excluding two others where her grandmother had stored stacks of tissue-wrapped tablecloths and heirloom linens. There was a time when Georgia had supported herself as a skilled seamstress, making everything from her own clothes to household accessories.
A brilliant smile lit up her eyes when she saw a face from her childhood. Lily Mitchell-Clark had grown up to become an extremely attractive woman. She was tall, slender, and her naturally curly hair was stylishly cut, framing a rounded face from which sparkled large dark laughing eyes. Dana’s gaze shifted from Lily’s smiling face to the small child in her arms. The tiny rosebud mouth was open and relaxed in sleep.
Unlatching the door, Dana pushed it open. Curving an arm around Lily’s shoulders, Dana pressed her cheek to Lily’s. “Please come in and rest yourself.”
Lily stepped into the entryway, her smile still in place. “How would you like to hold your namesake?”
Dana went completely still, her arms falling limply at her sides, her gaze fusing with Lily’s amused one. It had been more than two decades, but it was apparent that her best friend hadn’t forgotten her.
“You named your baby after me?”
“I call her Dana even though her name is Danella.”
“Give her to me, please.” Dana held out her arms as Lily laid the delicately formed baby girl in her embrace. “How old is she?”
“Fourteen months.”
Danella Clark was a beautiful child, inheriting her mother’s hair and features and her father’s burnished-gold coloring. Lowering her head, Dana pressed a kiss to the silken curls covering a perfectly rounded pate.
“She’s adorable, Lily.”
Curving an arm around Dana’s waist, Lily hugged her. She wanted to tell Dana
she
was beautiful. Just like her mother had been. Lily always thought that Alicia Nichols was the most beautiful woman in all of Hillsboro. At least that was what all of the men used to say, much to the chagrin of their wives and girlfriends. Whenever Alicia walked into Mt. Nebo Baptist Church with her husband and daughter, all heads turned in their direction. Alicia always took advantage of any situation where she’d become the center of attraction. She’d slow her pace, smiling and nodding like a celebrity, until she was seated on a pew where prior Nichols generations had sat and worshipped.
What Lily hadn’t understood was Dana’s unwillingness to acknowledge her own budding beauty. Even when everyone had remarked about her resemblance to her stunning-looking mother, Dana always denied the claim. It was as if she’d been ashamed of her looks.
“Come, let’s sit on the porch,” Dana urged, leading the way across the living room. “Have you had dinner?” she asked, glancing at Lily over her shoulder.
“I just came from Billy’s mother’s house. I ate so much I can hardly move. The woman’s idea of a snack is a four-course dinner.”
Sitting on a slider love seat, one leg tucked under her body, Dana cradled Danella Clark to her breasts. The baby stirred, her tiny mouth making suckingsounds, but did not wake up. Holding the little girl close to her heart, and inhaling the clean scent exclusive to babies, evoked a foreign emotion of longing in Dana—a longing for her own child.
She sat motionless, not knowing who or what had stirred her maternal instincts. She’d never felt the pull of motherhood, not even when she’d thought herself in love with Galvin.
Lily, reclining on a nearby cushioned rocker, removed her sandals and rested her bare feet on a
Dana had showered, moisturized her body with a perfumed lotion, and pulled a cotton sundress over her head as the doorbell chimed throughout the house. Quickening her step, she made it down the staircase to the front door.
It had taken her more than two hours to go through one closet, the first of four, excluding two others where her grandmother had stored stacks of tissue-wrapped tablecloths and heirloom linens. There was a time when Georgia had supported herself as a skilled seamstress, making everything from her own clothes to household accessories.
A brilliant smile lit up her eyes when she saw a face from her childhood. Lily Mitchell-Clark had grown up to become an extremely attractive woman. She was tall, slender, and her naturally curly hair was stylishly cut, framing a rounded face from which sparkled large dark laughing eyes. Dana’s gaze shifted from Lily’s smiling face to the small child in her arms. The tiny rosebud mouth was open and relaxed in sleep.
Unlatching the door, Dana pushed it open. Curving an arm around Lily’s shoulders, Dana pressed her cheek to Lily’s. “Please come in and rest yourself.”
Lily stepped into the entryway, her smile still in place. “How would you like to hold your namesake?”
Dana went completely still, her arms falling limply at her sides, her gaze fusing with Lily’s amused one. It had been more than two decades, but it was apparent that her best friend hadn’t forgotten her.
“You named your baby after me?”
“I call her Dana even though her name is Danella.”
“Give her to me, please.” Dana held out her arms as Lily laid the delicately formed baby girl in her embrace. “How old is she?”
“Fourteen months.”
Danella Clark was a beautiful child, inheriting her mother’s hair and features and her father’s burnished-gold coloring. Lowering her head, Dana pressed a kiss to the silken curls covering a perfectly rounded pate.
“She’s adorable, Lily.”
Curving an arm around Dana’s waist, Lily hugged her. She wanted to tell Dana
she
was beautiful. Just like her mother had been. Lily always thought that Alicia Nichols was the most beautiful woman in all of Hillsboro. At least that was what all of the men used to say, much to the chagrin of their wives and girlfriends. Whenever Alicia walked into Mt. Nebo Baptist Church with her husband and daughter, all heads turned in their direction. Alicia always took advantage of any situation where she’d become the center of attraction. She’d slow her pace, smiling and nodding like a celebrity, until she was seated on a pew where prior Nichols generations had sat and worshipped.
What Lily hadn’t understood was Dana’s unwillingness to acknowledge her own budding beauty. Even when everyone had remarked about her resemblance to her stunning-looking mother, Dana always denied the claim. It was as if she’d been ashamed of her looks.
“Come, let’s sit on the porch,” Dana urged, leading the way across the living room. “Have you had dinner?” she asked, glancing at Lily over her shoulder.
“I just came from Billy’s mother’s house. I ate so much I can hardly move. The woman’s idea of a snack is a four-course dinner.”
Sitting on a slider love seat, one leg tucked under her body, Dana cradled Danella Clark to her breasts. The baby stirred, her tiny mouth making suckingsounds, but did not wake up. Holding the little girl close to her heart, and inhaling the clean scent exclusive to babies, evoked a foreign emotion of longing in Dana—a longing for her own child.
She sat motionless, not knowing who or what had stirred her maternal instincts. She’d never felt the pull of motherhood, not even when she’d thought herself in love with Galvin.
Lily, reclining on a nearby cushioned rocker, removed her sandals and rested her bare feet on a
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