IN FOR A PENNY (The Granny Series) by Nancy Naigle, Kelsey Browning Page A

cloudy mood. She’d slept in Lil’s bed, needing to feel close to her. First she’d lost George, and now she might well have lost Lillian.
    Lillian, how could you leave me in this position? This isn’t the kind of seventy-second birthday present I expected.
    Caring for this big ole place and figuring out what the heck she was supposed to do to help her best friend was way more than she’d ever bargained for when she moved to Summer Shoals.
    Dear God, was this happening because she’d been so whiny about having personal freedom and space? She’d just wanted to use the carriage house. She hadn’t meant to get it like this.
    She rolled out of bed and shoved her feet into her slippers. “Careful what ya wish for, I guess.”
    When Angelina Broussard had seen the Torpedo parked in front of Summer Haven yesterday, she’d been so excited that Maggie hadn’t even realized what she was agreeing to until the woman was walking away. Lillian must have told Angelina the car was going to be in the shop to cover her absence. That also meant Lillian had known she wouldn’t be around for the parade when she spoke to Angelina weeks ago.
    Would have been really swell if you’d have shared that little tidbit with me, Lil.
    That was what she got for neglecting to park the Torpedo back in the garage. Now she had to come up with a plan to cover her mistake. How was she supposed to pull off Lillian leading the parade with no Lillian?
    She sure couldn’t tell anyone Lillian Summer Fairview was in prison.
    Prison. And prison sure wasn’t a place for a William & Mary girl.
    If people found out Lil was up the river, it would be the biggest scandal to ever hit Summer Shoals. And if Lil thought Harlan’s scratcher tickets were worth keeping hidden, then Maggie sure knew to zip her lips about Lil’s little vacation.
    Maggie jumped to her feet . Lil’s parade outfit, that’s the key!
    She ran across the room, threw open the double doors to Lillian’s closet and shuffled through the clothes. Although she’d never personally come down for the Fourth of July parade, Lillian had sent her enough pictures over the years for her to know that Lillian wore the same red, white and blue outfit every year. It had to be in here somewhere.
    She pushed past a dry cleaner bag of clothes, then paused. “There you are.” She peeled away the thin plastic and admired the red-and-white striped jacket with silver stars embroidered on the epaulets.
    Off went her nightshirt and she tried to pull the jacket over her bulky shoulders. “Oh, yeah. That’s not going to happen.”
    She tossed the jacket on Lil’s four-poster bed and plopped down beside it.
    Suddenly, her brain conjured up the image of Sera coming out of the creek looking as fit and perfect as Bo Derek in that movie where she wore those cornrow braids. “Sera, you’re doing Lil a favor this time.”
    Maggie shimmied into a red shirt decked out with appliquéd flags and rhinestone stars. She tucked it into a pair of khakis, then hurried to get to Sera. They had not a minute to lose.
    She started to head for the back door, but caught the shadow of movement out the windows flanking the front door.
    Oh, no. People were here for the parade already!
    Hoping to head them off, Maggie hotfooted outside. But the crowd gathered on the Summer Haven lawn was worse—much worse—than early birds for the parade.
    There in the middle of the yard, Sera was leading a group through yoga poses. No less than ten men were out there in blue jeans and T-shirts sweating like pigs and looking anything but elegant or relaxed. She could barely see Sera on the other side of them.
    “Lord, please let Sera be fully dressed,” Maggie whispered.
    She hustled toward the contorted bodies, and relief streamed through her like a tall glass of her special tea. The tight little shorts and skimpy tank top Sera wore weren’t much, but they covered her essentials even if that diamond belly-button ring was peeking out with every