Deep Dixie (40 page)

“
And who doesn
’
t want to help Riley, Aunt Sis? He
’
s done so much for all of us. And now we can do a little something just for him.
”
Dixie took the older woman by the shoulders.
“
You do want to do something for him, don
’
t you, Aunt Sis?
”

“
Well, I was—
”
She pointed in the direction of the kitchen where Riley pictured his poor
phone laid out on the counter like a victim in a mad scientist
’
s experiment.

Dixie diverted her aunt away from the kitchen toward the stairway.
“
What he needs right now is some privacy so he can have a long chat with his momma.
”

“
I suspected as much.
”
Momma patted the empty cushion on the sofa next to her. Out of nowhere, Peachie Too appeared to claim that spot.

“
What say you and I muster the troops, Aunt Sis, and take Grandpa, Wendy, and ourselves down to the drugstore for a treat?
”

“
Drugstore? We going down to the drugstore?
”
The Judge flung open one of the glass doors to his office.

Sis glared at him, hands propped on her ample hips.
“
What were you doing? Listening at the door?
”

“
Wendy, hurry yourself down here, child,
”
the Judge called out, ignoring Sis with undisguised glee.
“
We
’
re going to go get ourselves a treat!
”

Wendy thundered down the steps, Baby Belle tucked under her arm.

Dixie leaned in Riley
’
s direction.
“
You owe me. When it
’
s time for me to have my talk with Miss Lettie, it
’
s your turn to tend to the nut farm.
”

Riley scowled and also laughed, a little.
“
Hey, you
’
re referring to my child and my mother in that group.
”

“
Where are we going, Grandpa Smilin
’
Bob?
”
Wendy marched right up and said it like she
’
d been born to the breed, Riley noted, like she
’
d lived here all her life. And when the Judge offered her his arm, she took it with her head high, just the way Riley imagined Dixie might have done when she was his daughter
’
s age. Suddenly, it didn
’
t seem so bad to find his family included with hers.

“
The drugstore, that
’
s where we
’
re going!
”
The Judge grinned then rubbed his hands together.
“
Now, isn
’
t that just the thing to liven up a dull Saturday afternoon?
”

Dixie nabbed Sis by the arm and prodded her across the room toward the old man.
“
Grandpa, if you
’
re going into that drugstore with us, and you are, make no mistake about that, you have
got
to behave!
”

“
Oh, he
’
ll behave all right, Dixie-sugar. He
’
ll behave like a seventy-something-year-old juvenile delinquent!
”
Verdi called out with a laugh.

“
Momma!
”
Riley folded his arms, ready to compare her rude outburst to something he might have done as a kid—the ultimate comeuppance for her, he thought, to be sure.

“
Now don
’
t you chide Miss Verdi, young man, she
’
s only telling it the way it is.
”
Sis shook her finger as she brought up the rear of the group heading out the door.
“
And I, for one, have got to just thank you for bringing her to be a part of our lives here. Heaven knows, I welcome one other voice of rationality and refinement around this place!
”

The door slammed shut behind them.

“
One
other
?
”
Riley gave his mother a skeptical look.
“
Meaning Aunt Sis believes that aside from you, she is the sole arbiter of rationality and refinement in this household?
”

“
No, arbitration is the Judge
’
s bailiwick, dear.
”
Verdi stroked the pink-tinged poodle now curled contentedly in her lap.

“
The Judge?
”
Riley threw up his hands.
“
Momma, you know why Dixie has to warn him to behave himself when they go to the drugstore, don
’
t you? He
shoplifts
!
”

“
Oh, that?
”
She batted away the very notion, rolling her eyes.
“
The whole thing goes way back. Seems ten years ago when Noni Philpot took over the town drugstore, she set everything up her way, which was all contrary to the way it had always been before. People, Smilin
’
Bob
among
‘
em, complained they couldn
’
t find things, that they liked it the old way. Noni responded by telling them if they didn
’
t like it to go someplace else.
”

“
There is no place else, not in Fulton
’
s Dominion.
”

“
Precisely. And Noni sure did take advantage of that fact. Raised her prices right through the roof.
”
Momma jerked her thumb upward.

“
And this relates to the Judge
’
s shoplifting how?
”

“
He never shoplifted a thing in his life. He just took it upon himself, as a pillar of the community, someone looked upon for guidance and to set a fine example—
”

“
Now there
’
s a scary thought.
”

“
He just took it upon himself…
”
she was using that stern don
’
t-mess-with-Momma tone,
“
…to start his own one-man protest committee. So every time he would go into the store, he
’
d move items back to their old places, one or two at a time. A box of razorblades here, a bottle of aspirin there. Smilin
’
Bob thought that after a few years of that he might just get the place back to its old way all on his own.
”

“
This has been going on for ten years?
”

“
Oh no! Five years ago Noni got fed up with his tomfoolery and announced to everyone that things had started to disappear after Smilin
’
Bob
’
s trips to the drugstore. She neglected to mention that they later reappeared someplace else in the store.
”

“
Why, that old mischief maker.
”
Riley walked to the sofa, laughing.

“
Smilin
’
Bob challenged Noni to prove he
’
d ever taken anything. She answered by issuing the order that the Judge couldn
’
t come into her store by himself except to go straight to the lunch counter.
”

He crossed his arms.
“
So, you
do
have some kind of inborn radar for getting all the good gossip.
”

“
It
’
s not gossip.
”
She raised both hands and tapped her ears with her fingers.
“
It
’
s personal history, and the reason I know so much about it is not because I seek out dirt on people but because I
listen
when they talk to me about the things that matter to them.
”

“
How Noni Philpot arranged her aspirin bottles is something that matters to the Judge?
”

“
No, standing up for what he thought was right mattered. Not backing down when someone who had the upper hand wanted to use it to bludgeon good people mattered. Making sure that as the newest member of this family, I understood that sometimes what one person called eccentricity another person might know was an ethical stand. That mattered.
”

Riley slashed both hands through the air to bring that speech to a halt.
“
Whoa! As the newest member of
what
family, Momma?
”

She shifted on the sofa, not meeting his eyes.
“
You know what I meant.
”

“
Momma, I
’
m not sure what I know anymore.
”
He put his head in his hands.

“
Love will do that to you.
”

“
Love?
”
That went through him with a jolt.

“
Yes, love,
”
she repeated softly.

“
Momma, you
’
ve got this all wrong. I do not love Dixie

Fulton-Leigh.
”
He turned his back to take a step away from this discussion but in every direction he saw Dixie. He shut his eyes and clenched his jaw.
“
That is, I am not in love with her. Sure I find her attractive, compelling, funny, exciting...but love?
”

“
Well, I wasn
’
t thinking of you being in love with Dixie, son, but by that response I have to wonder—
”

“
Carol?
”
This
he could deal with,
had
to deal with, so he might as well dive right in. He
went to his mother and slumped into the sofa cushion shaped to the width and weight of Sis
’
s behind.
“
Is that who you
’
re talking about? Did you find out she called me today? Well, restarting that dead-end romance was about the farthest thing from—
”

“
I was thinking about your love for your little girl, Riley.
”
She put her hand on his arm.

“
For Wendy?
”
He wasn
’
t sure he understood.

“
And for your dear old mother...and even your...your sister.
”

“
You know?
”

“
Not the details, but it
’
s pretty obvious this has something to do with us. I can certainly see where your struggle to do right by all of us has worn you thinner than the sliced ham on a miser
’
s smorgasbord.
”

Riley chuckled.
“
Is this another
listening
thing?
”

“
This is just plain horse sense. You
’
re less than two weeks from the hearing to ask to sever Marcia
’
s parental rights. You get a call from your ex-lawyer that you chose to go outside the home to return. When you come back all sullen faced, you
’
re so distracted you try to have a conversation with Peachie Too.
”

The dog lifted its head, looking at Riley quite indignantly and giving something between a woof and a growl.

“
The next thing I know, you
’
ve allowed Dixie to empty out the house so you and I can talk. What else could that be about but Marcia?
”

He dropped his hands to his lap and stared at them. For most of his life he
’
d been able to help his family with these two hands...to work in the mill, to pay the bills, to carry the burdens for the people he loved. Now the rough and calloused fingers looked unsuitable for the tasks ahead of him. This would be a job too big for him to handle with mere hard work and determination. His chest tight, he bowed his head and drew in a long breath.
“
Marcia
’
s back.
”