Love You to Death (20 page)

“Thanks for this,” I blurted.

“You’re welcome.” He flashed a quick smile at
me. The insides of my stomach turned into quivering jelly. I wanted
to make it stop, but at the same time, I didn’t want it to go away.
I wanted to freeze this moment and stay here forever.

Chapter
Nineteen

Aurora Ross was not what I expected. We were
gathered around the long dining room table for Sunday brunch. Other
than dinner it was the only meal we ate in the opulent dining
room.

I made green chile cheese strata this
morning, with a side of hash brown casserole, and country sausage
and biscuits. We’d just seated ourselves. Sissy said grace and we
started passing the food around.

“Sorry we’re late.” A tall redhead breezed
into the room, followed by JD and a sour-faced Maggie. “I had a
heck of a time getting this one out of bed.” She gestured to
Maggie, who reluctantly plopped into the chair next to me.

“You’re fine, we just sat down,” Sissy said.
“Welcome home, Aurora.”

“Thank you, Sissy. It feels great to be
home.” She sighed happily, sitting beside JD. She then gave each
person around the table a chipper ‘Good Morning’, even me and
Stewie. Gideon handed me the biscuits. I took one and passed it to
Maggie. She snatched the basket from my hands, took a biscuit, and
held the bundle out across the table for her mother.

I noticed Aurora give her a brief withering
look as she took the biscuits.

“I heard you sent out the invitations for the
Gala,” Aurora said, smiling at Sissy. It was infectious, her smile.
It lit up her face making everyone else want to smile too.

“I did,” Sissy nodded. “Last year we waited
too long, most people had other commitments. I know it’s three
months away, but I felt better sending them out now.”

“I agree,” Aurora said, taking a bite of the
casserole. “This is simply delicious.” She took another bite. “JD
wasn’t kidding when he said you were a very good cook, Cherry.”

I was startled to hear her say my name. I
looked at her anxiously and murmured, “Thank you.”

“No, really, honey. This is good. Most girls
your age can’t boil water. I’m impressed, sugar.” She flashed her
effervescent smile at me.

“Most girls have a life,” Maggie grumbled
under her breath, glaring into her plate.

“I hear you and Stewie are a real help around
here. I sure am glad. Our Gideon works way too hard for my liking,”
she said motherly, winking at Gideon.

I was at a loss. How could mild-mannered JD
and this... this... I could hardly find the words. Happy, upbeat,
and charming were a few that came to mind. How could this ray of
sunshine have ever produced Maggie?

“I’ve been known to cook a few good meals
from time to time.” Aurora fixed her sparkling blue eyes on me.
“Maybe we can collaborate sometime?”

For a minute I was transported back in time.
My mother and I were in the small kitchen of our second-floor
apartment. I was probably about thirteen. It was Mother’s Day, and
my gram was sick. We didn’t know at the time it would be our last
holiday with her.

“Our first holiday meal with three
generations of women in the kitchen. This’ll be quite a
collaboration, don’t you think, Arden?”
My mother had said,
smiling proudly.

“I’d like that very much, Mrs. Ross.” I
smiled shyly.

“None of that, sugar. Call me Aurora.”

It was the most cheerful meal I’d experienced
since coming to the farm. Aurora was like a breath of fresh air
that swept in and lifted us all up. Well, almost all. Maggie sat
stonily beside me picking at her food.

“May I be excused?” she asked, not waiting
for a reply, pushing back her chair.

“Where are you going?” JD asked around a
mouthful of hash brown casserole, his third helping.

“A bunch of us are going to Miller’s pond.”
She stood up, flipping her long honey blond hair over her
shoulder.

“Who exactly is in this so-called bunch?”
Aurora asked. I could tell she had an idea of someone and wasn’t
happy about it. She cast her first frown since entering the
room.

“Just the usual people, Mama.” Maggie sighed
sarcastically, pushing her chair in, grabbing her plate. “Don’t
start in on me.”

“Bring it down, Margaret Leigh.” JD eyed her
sternly over his lifted coffee cup before slurping.

“Chrissy, Sue Ellen, Bobby Ray, Fletcher and
Jesse,” Maggie recited mutinously.

“Jesse? Jesse Martin?” Aurora said.

“Yes,” Maggie said, narrowing her eyes.

“That boy is trouble,” Sissy piped up. She
hadn’t said much up until now. She had her bird dog eyes on Maggie,
frowning.

“He’s fine. People exaggerate is all,” Maggie
snapped.

“Oh?” Sissy leaned forward, resting her
elbows on each side of her plate. “So he didn’t steal that tractor
and ride it through Brownie Herbert’s field and ruin half his
crop?”

Maggie’s eyes narrowed. She pinched her lips
into a thin line.

“And I guess he wasn’t the one who went
huntin’ last November, drunk as a skunk, and shot his friend,
what’s his name? Gene McIntosh’s boy...” Sissy thought for a
minute. “Oh yeah, Kurt, that’s his name. Didn’t he pump Kurt’s butt
full of lead?”

“Jesse’s not too bright Maw-Maw...” Cort
laughed. Sissy gave him a look that clearly said shut up.

“He’s changed. He’s more mature now.” Maggie
defended him.

“We talked about this, Maggie,” JD said.

“I’m nineteen, Daddy. I can date who I want.”
She stuck her chin out defiantly.

“Date?” Aurora gasped. “You’re dating that
boy?”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “Don’t get all worked
up, Mama. We aren’t gettin’ married or anything—just hangin’
out.”

Aurora smiled. It was friendly and sincere.
“That’s fine, baby girl. In that case, why don’t you be the
gracious southern girl I raised and invite Gideon, Cort, Stewie,
and Cherry along? I bet they’d love a day at the pond on such a hot
summer day.”

My head jerked to Maggie. She was seething.
Her normal tanned complexion was marred by a ruddy blotchy
redness.

“I’m sure they have better things to do,
Mama,” she bit out.

Aurora said nothing, only lifted a sculpted
russet eyebrow as if to say, ‘How do you know?’ I knew Maggie was
trapped. She either had to admit she was seeing this guy and today
was an actual date or she had to invite us and prove that is was
just a bunch of kids hanging out.

I, for one, was already thinking of how
refreshing the cool water of the pond would be. However, the idea
of spending the day with Bonnie and Clyde and watching them suck
face all day was very unappealing.

“I don’t have a suit,” I said, looking
apologetically at Aurora. “Thanks for the invitation though.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Aurora waved a
hand at me. “My little girl has more swimsuits than a
Sports
Illustrated
model. I’m sure she’ll share.”

I swallowed hard. I didn’t dare look at
Maggie. It felt like days had passed by the time Maggie stiffly
replied, “Of course. C’mon,
Cherry
,” she snapped my name.
“Let’s go find you one.”

She didn’t wait for me to answer her. She
propelled herself out of the dining room, down the hall, and
through the kitchen door. I scrambled to pick up my half full glass
of juice and empty plate as I pushed my chair back to follow
her.

* * * *

The Ross’s lived on the farm in a
three-bedroom cottage just past the main house about a quarter of a
mile, hidden inside a family of Black Hickory trees.

Maggie’s room was a mess, clothes thrown
everywhere, shoes strewn across the floor. She had opened two
dresser drawers. “Knock yourself out,” she told me as she pulled a
pair of cutoffs over her bikini bottoms.

I hesitated, feeling very uncomfortable.

“Look,” I began, “I tried to help you out
back there.”

“I know.” She exhaled sharply, bending over
to reach under the bed for something. “You can wear any of them but
the hot pink one. That’s for special occasions.” She pulled out a
flip flop.

“Uh...okay.” I reached in and dug around for
a one piece. When I didn’t find any, I switched and rooted in the
other drawer. Unbelievable, all bikinis.

“Don’t you have any one-piece suits?” I
asked.

“Are you kidding me?” She scrunched her face
at me. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in a one piece.”

I looked at her dumbfounded. I’d never worn a
bikini. I much preferred the extra coverage. The only place I’d
ever gone swimming was at the YMCA, except the one summer I spent
swimming at a park pool. I was just a kid then, although in both
places it was much safer to wear a one piece.

She stomped over to the dresser, nudged me
aside, and pulled out two pieces. They were bright red with tiny
little white polka dots. The bottoms were like short little
exercise shorts that I was sure were barely going to hide my butt
cheeks. They weren’t exactly what I had in mind, but they were
better than the itty bitty bottoms I’d seen on Maggie.

The top was terrifyingly small. I wasn’t a
busty girl, but I had more than enough to fill what little material
the bikini top had to offer. I stared at her.

“Take it or leave it, Pollyanna. It’s the
best I’ve got for you.” She tossed the items at me. “See you
there.” She spun on her flip-flopped heel and bounced out the
door.

Chapter
Twenty

I tugged at the bikini top under the T-shirt.
Not for the first time, I was grateful to the MIA cousin who left
half her wardrobe behind. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have anything to
cover up what the bikini didn’t, which was a lot.

Gideon drove, Cort rode shotgun, and I got
the hot seat between them. Stewie decided to stay behind, as he
thought the kittens needed him. That and I knew he couldn’t swim.
Sissy pooh-poohed me when I balked at leaving him behind.

“He’s not an invalid,” she barked. “He won’t
be any trouble. I’ll keep an eye on him,” she’d said as she shoved
me out the door.

I was the bit anxious to be going to an
outing with so many strangers. It’d been a long time since I’d been
around kids my own age. I hoped I didn’t do something stupid and
embarrass myself.

It didn’t take long at all to get to Miller’s
pond. It was laid out in the middle of a vacant grassy field. There
was a wooden dock with a couple canoes tied to it. In the middle of
the pond there was a large square platform. Two girls were lying on
their stomachs, chatting casually as they soaked up the sun.

Gideon parked the truck. I slid out after
Cort. We watched a boy swing on a knotted rope, higher and higher,
until he finally let go, flipping forward into the water. Shouts
rang out when he surfaced.

“Show off,” Cort huffed.

“Who was that?” I asked.

“Jesse Martin,” he sneered, like the name
itself was bitter on his tongue.

So this was Maggie’s boy toy. I watched him
swim to the edge of the pond. He was shorter than Gideon and
thicker. He stood in the shallow end, shaking the water from his
shoulder length hair before turning to watch another boy attempt
the same flip, only to land belly flat into the water. That was
gonna hurt. Jesse laughed and called out something I couldn’t
hear.

“Here.” Gideon handed me a towel. “Ever done
this before?”

“Swim in a pond?”

He nodded.

“Never.” I shook my head.

“You’ll be alright.” Cort flung a brotherly
arm around me. “Just watch out for the snakes.”

“Snakes?” I jerked my head up. “You never
mentioned snakes!”

Cort started laughing. I elbowed him in the
ribs.

“Don’t ever mention those hideous creatures
to me. I hate snakes.” I shivered at the thought of one of them
slithering in the water.

“Don’t worry. There are no snakes in this
pond.” Gideon slapped Cort in the back of the head. “Stop scarin’
her.”

I wasn’t aware that we had an audience until
we reached the big tree. Several faces stared at us, some smiling,
some not. I noticed Jesse Martin was. Maggie was not.

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged
out of the barn.” Jesse greeted Cort with a nod and ignored
Gideon.

“Jesse,” Cort replied with an edge.

“Ya’ll come to have a good time?” Jesse
thumbed to a couple of coolers behind him.

“Just came for a swim,” Cort said.

Jesse eyed him, saying nothing. There was
definitely bad blood between the three of them. Jesse suddenly
smiled, a feral grin stretching across his face.

“Who’s the babe?” He lowered his head to look
at me from under his lashes. A calculated move I’d seen many times.
Out the corner of my eye I saw Maggie bristle. Just what I
needed.

Neither Gideon, nor Cort, seemed inclined to
answer him. I was getting more and more uncomfortable as the
silence stretched on.

“This here is
Cherry,
” Maggie drawled
out my name, giving me the evil eye.

“Cherry?” Jesse said my name. He smacked his
lips like he was tasting the sound. “What an interestin’ name. How
does somebody get a name like that? Is it short for somethin’?” He
winked at me.

Pig. That was all I could think of. He
reminded me of Cass with his cool demeanor and the way he liked to
make himself look like the smart person by talking down to everyone
else.

Gideon stepped closer to me, our arms almost
touching. His voice quivered slightly when he said, “Watch it.”

Jesse glanced at Gideon then over to Cort,
who stepped up to my other side. His eyes focused on me, and his
lips twitched.

“It’s like that, is it? You Shepherd brothers
do like to share everythin’.” He took a step in my direction. I
thought that was either very brave of him or very stupid, maybe
both. “If you wanna get wet darlin’,” he paused, “you come see
me.”