and definitely not her thing. She
preferred contemporary music and not the dancing kind. On the front
porch, the smell of smoke didn’t coat her clothes and skin. How
people stood next to the grill swamped by gray smoke without
plugging their noses was beyond her. It was too much—and she liked hamburgers! But
smoke saturated clothing was not her idea of a good time. She was
only here because she had to be.
As she nursed a tall glass of iced tea,
Casey’s thoughts went to Troy, Travis and Felicity. As usual,
Travis and Felicity were stuck together like two pigs at a trough.
Normally Troy would be right there with them, but for some reason
he kept his distance from the pair today—which was weird. He even
boasted a black eye, something Casey had the sneaking suspicion
Travis might have had something to do with. That part wasn’t so
weird. Those two scrapped all the time, but mostly for play,
usually started by Troy. Had something changed between
them?
Pondering the matter, Casey
pulled a slow sip from her drink, the liquid cold, but the tea and
ice running together in a bland mess of taste. She set the glass on
the floor beside her rocker, tucking it out of the way of her
chair. Pulling her legs into a fold beneath her, Casey peered out
over the heap of cars and wondered how much longer she had to stay.
Her mom would have a fit if she left early. Said it would be a
personal insult to Miss Ashley if they didn’t stay for at least a
few hours. Casey didn’t see how it would matter one way or the
other. Her godmother was so busy running back and forth between the
kitchen and the grill, where Mr. Fulmer kept hollering like a
chicken with his head cut off. Ashley,
fetch me some more butter ! Ashley, we need more cheese out
here ! Ashley, where
in tarnation is my spatula ?
If Casey had a husband yelling at her
like that, she’d tell him to get his own spatula. She wasn’t his
servant. But not Miss Ashley. She just ran and ran and
ran.
“ Hey, darlin’.”
Casey’s heart stopped, then thudded
through her chest like a freight train. “Miss Ashley! I didn’t hear
you come out,” she said, her cheeks flushing hot.
Ashley moseyed near and lowered to a
white wicker rocker beside Casey, laughing as usual. “Oh, child—I’m
like a thief to the cookie jar when I need to be!”
Casey tried to smile, but the effort
failed. Good thing Miss Ashley couldn’t read minds. “I
guess...”
Ashley sighed. “I’m as full as a
stuffed pork chop, I couldn’t eat another bite.”
Dressed in rhinestone-punched red,
white and blue, her boots candy apple red and scuffed with mud,
Casey suppressed a chuckle. Splattered with barbecue sauce and
grease stains, Miss Ashley’s sparkly stars and stripes apron looked
as if she ate a dozen stuffed pork chops, some hamburgers, and a
few greens to go with them! It was a shame to ruin a pretty apron
like Miss Ashley always wore, but Casey knew there were ten more
just like this one hanging in her pantry. As to her own wardrobe,
Casey had decided against anything red, white or blue just to irk
her mother.
In no hurry Ashley eased back in her
seat, took a cloth from an apron pocket and dabbed her brow. Her
heavy makeup was beginning to slip from the heat, leaving a shine
of perspiration in its place. “I swear Mother Nature must be having
hot flashes—it’s so hot you could pull a baked potato right out of
the ground!” She grinned at Casey. When Ashley’s smile didn’t catch
a response, it withered to a frown. Blue eyes burrowed in. “Child,
you know the party’s out back. What are you doing out here by your
lonesome?”
Casey turned from her. Taking a deep
calming breath, she pulled knees to her chest and replied, “I know.
Guess I’m not much in the mood for a party.”
“ What’s the
matter?”
“ Nothing.”
“ Nothing?” Ashley waved her
off and tucked the handkerchief back in her pocket. “Nothing
doesn’t come hide out on the front porch like a bandit.” With
preferred contemporary music and not the dancing kind. On the front
porch, the smell of smoke didn’t coat her clothes and skin. How
people stood next to the grill swamped by gray smoke without
plugging their noses was beyond her. It was too much—and she liked hamburgers! But
smoke saturated clothing was not her idea of a good time. She was
only here because she had to be.
As she nursed a tall glass of iced tea,
Casey’s thoughts went to Troy, Travis and Felicity. As usual,
Travis and Felicity were stuck together like two pigs at a trough.
Normally Troy would be right there with them, but for some reason
he kept his distance from the pair today—which was weird. He even
boasted a black eye, something Casey had the sneaking suspicion
Travis might have had something to do with. That part wasn’t so
weird. Those two scrapped all the time, but mostly for play,
usually started by Troy. Had something changed between
them?
Pondering the matter, Casey
pulled a slow sip from her drink, the liquid cold, but the tea and
ice running together in a bland mess of taste. She set the glass on
the floor beside her rocker, tucking it out of the way of her
chair. Pulling her legs into a fold beneath her, Casey peered out
over the heap of cars and wondered how much longer she had to stay.
Her mom would have a fit if she left early. Said it would be a
personal insult to Miss Ashley if they didn’t stay for at least a
few hours. Casey didn’t see how it would matter one way or the
other. Her godmother was so busy running back and forth between the
kitchen and the grill, where Mr. Fulmer kept hollering like a
chicken with his head cut off. Ashley,
fetch me some more butter ! Ashley, we need more cheese out
here ! Ashley, where
in tarnation is my spatula ?
If Casey had a husband yelling at her
like that, she’d tell him to get his own spatula. She wasn’t his
servant. But not Miss Ashley. She just ran and ran and
ran.
“ Hey, darlin’.”
Casey’s heart stopped, then thudded
through her chest like a freight train. “Miss Ashley! I didn’t hear
you come out,” she said, her cheeks flushing hot.
Ashley moseyed near and lowered to a
white wicker rocker beside Casey, laughing as usual. “Oh, child—I’m
like a thief to the cookie jar when I need to be!”
Casey tried to smile, but the effort
failed. Good thing Miss Ashley couldn’t read minds. “I
guess...”
Ashley sighed. “I’m as full as a
stuffed pork chop, I couldn’t eat another bite.”
Dressed in rhinestone-punched red,
white and blue, her boots candy apple red and scuffed with mud,
Casey suppressed a chuckle. Splattered with barbecue sauce and
grease stains, Miss Ashley’s sparkly stars and stripes apron looked
as if she ate a dozen stuffed pork chops, some hamburgers, and a
few greens to go with them! It was a shame to ruin a pretty apron
like Miss Ashley always wore, but Casey knew there were ten more
just like this one hanging in her pantry. As to her own wardrobe,
Casey had decided against anything red, white or blue just to irk
her mother.
In no hurry Ashley eased back in her
seat, took a cloth from an apron pocket and dabbed her brow. Her
heavy makeup was beginning to slip from the heat, leaving a shine
of perspiration in its place. “I swear Mother Nature must be having
hot flashes—it’s so hot you could pull a baked potato right out of
the ground!” She grinned at Casey. When Ashley’s smile didn’t catch
a response, it withered to a frown. Blue eyes burrowed in. “Child,
you know the party’s out back. What are you doing out here by your
lonesome?”
Casey turned from her. Taking a deep
calming breath, she pulled knees to her chest and replied, “I know.
Guess I’m not much in the mood for a party.”
“ What’s the
matter?”
“ Nothing.”
“ Nothing?” Ashley waved her
off and tucked the handkerchief back in her pocket. “Nothing
doesn’t come hide out on the front porch like a bandit.” With
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