Fireflies and Magnolias (5 page)

“Amen.”

When they went inside, they found Tammy and the reverend in the kitchen with Tory.

“Hello, Reverend,” Amelia Ann said in a soft tone. She’d never known any female preachers growing up, and she felt like she had to watch her Ps and Qs something fierce.

Even more so after hearing about the soap.

“Amelia Ann. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Louisa?” the older woman said, wrapping her in a warm hug.

“Hey, Amelia Ann,” Tory said, greeting her with gusto. “You hungry?”

Tory usually took care of the meat even if she wasn’t hosting, and Tammy and the others who enjoyed cooking helped out with the sides. Last week, Amelia Ann was allowed to bring bread from a local bakery. Since she wasn’t much of a cook, they usually didn’t ask her to bring anything other than wine.

“For your cooking, honey? You bet. I knew not to eat lunch.”

“Hah! Rye and J.P. are outside with Dale, poking at the coals. I almost have these ribs ready for the grill.”

“What would you like to drink?” Susannah asked her.

“White wine would be great.”

Setting aside the knife she’d been using to cut Vidalia onions into slices, Tammy washed and dried her hands before pulling her into an embrace. “Hey, honey. Good to see you. The kids have been wondering where you were. Rory was just inside begging me to let him text you.”

Her nephew was seven and already texting. Heaven help them. “I brought some wine. Is Daddy here yet?” she asked, handing her sister the hostess gift.

“Thanks. This looks lovely. Daddy is on his way. Said he wanted to unpack a few more boxes.”

“I could have helped him with that,” she said, taking the glass of wine Susannah handed her.

“This move has been big for Daddy after living in Meade all his life. I think he needs some space to do things on his own. Mama never let him arrange anything in the house. From what he’s said, he’s enjoyed picking out all his own furniture.”

When their daddy left their mama months ago, everyone had been shocked since they’d been married—albeit unhappily—forever. Divorce was frowned upon in their family and community, but Tammy’s split from her ex had helped open up new possibilities for their daddy. Deciding his wife was unlikely to change, he’d moved out and announced his plans to retire and relocate to Nashville to be closer to his children.

Mama was still back in Meade, but she seemed to be thawing like a worn-out icebox. Of course, after all these years, Amelia Ann didn’t trust the changes in their mama, fearing she would freeze back into her old self as quick as you could say Jack Robinson.

Time would tell.

Tory loaded up the truckload of dry-rub ribs she’d been preparing onto a cookie sheet.

“Here, let me call Rye for you and have him carry that,” Amelia Ann offered.

Her pint-sized sister-in-law elbowed her aside and headed to the back door. “No need. I used to carry heavier trays than this when I worked at the diner. But I’d appreciate you opening the door.”

“Sure thing, honey,” Amelia Ann said, taking a sip of her wine. “I’ll be right back. I want to say hi to the men folk and the kids.”

“Take your time,” Tammy called, resuming her chopping. “We’re about ready to sit a spell while the food cooks.”

Shutting the door behind Tory and herself, she smiled when J.P. raised his hand in greeting. The men were sitting in deck chairs around the patio table, beers in their hands, enjoying the cooler weather. While fall hadn’t completely arrived yet, at least being outside was no longer the jail sentence it was during summer. Rye spotted them, cursed under his breath, and jogged over to his wife.

“Darn it all, Tory, why don’t you holler when you have something that heavy to haul?” he asked.

His wife gave him a pointed look. “Because I can haul it myself. Now, step aside.”

“Stubborn woman,” Rye muttered, moving out of her way.

When Tory set the tray down beside the grill, she playfully squeezed Rye’s bicep, her green eyes flashing with mischief. “You don’t have to prove to me how strong you are, big boy.”

Rye only shook his head, knowing better than to argue with his Yankee wife. Amelia Ann liked Tory’s independence just fine, but she had no trouble letting men lift heavy items for her, and she just wasn’t going to feel guilty about that.

“Hey, sugar,” her brother said, kissing her on the cheek.

Amelia Ann greeted J.P. and his stepfather, Dale, as well. Setting her wine glass aside, she scanned the yard Tammy had transformed into a vision of beauty. Though it was late in the season, the chocolate garden still smelled delectable.

“Where are the kids?” she asked, not seeing the little munchkins.

“In the tree house,” J.P. told her. “I’ll let them know you’re here.” He picked up a yellow walkie talkie. “Base to tree house. Beautiful aunt on the premises. Copy.”

“She’s here!” her nephew yelled back. “Wait…ah…copy.”

“We’re coming, Aunt Amelia,” her niece called over the contraption, and soon the two most precious children in the world were running across the yard from the edge of the forest, their two dogs in tow. Amelia Ann walked off the patio to meet them.

“Where have you been?” Annabelle asked, plowing into her legs.

“I had some school work to finish,” she told the girl, bending at the waist to hug her niece with all her might.

Annabelle’s dog, Barbie, a caramel-coated Shih Tzu, plopped down in the grass beside Bandit, Rory’s labradoodle. J.P. walked off the deck and threw a ball across the grassy knoll well away from the flowers. Bandit raced off with a bark while Barbie continued to pant.

The little girl smelled so much like rose petals it made Amelia Ann wonder if her niece had been in charge of picking the flowers for the bouquets Tammy had arranged around J.P.’s house.

After kissing the girl’s blond hair, she turned to Rory, who was waiting patiently beside his sister.

“Hey, sugar,” she said and opened her arms for a hug.

He snuggled close, his heart still racing from his run from the tree house. “I missed you.”

She always went to the eight o’clock church service so she’d have a solid chunk of time to work before joining everyone for dinner. Everyone else favored the later service, though of course the reverend delivered them both. “Ah…words every girl wants to hear. I missed you too.”

“Did you see the ribs Aunt Tory made?” Annabelle asked. “Uncle Rye said we’re going to bust our buttons eating all the food, but not me. My dress doesn’t have any buttons.”

Shoulders shaking, she pressed back from Rory. “What about you?” she asked him. “Are you going to bust your buttons?”

He puffed out his little chest and pointed to his dress shirt. “If Uncle Rye can do it, so will I.”

And that pretty much summed up how her nephew viewed the world. Uncle Rye was his hero, and J.P. was a pretty close second.

“Aunt Amelia, can you please, please, please tell Mama that we need to sleep out here tonight?” Annabelle begged, tugging on her skirt. “I want to try and see the chocolate fairies!”

“But you have chocolate fairies and a chocolate garden at your own house,” she responded, not wanting to get between Tammy and her niece. Wisely, Tammy had planted one at their new house.

“I know, but we need to spend time with these chocolate fairies too. They miss us.”

“Annabelle,” Rory said, putting a hand on her shoulder in a protective gesture well beyond his years, “you know Mama said we’ll come back and live here when the time is right. Now, let’s go inside and wash up for supper.”

She smiled as she watched Rory take Annabelle’s hand and lead her to the back door. It touched her heart to see how good he was with his sister.

“Thank goodness Rory handled that,” J.P. said in a soft tone only she could hear as he threw the ball Bandit brought back to him. “I’m trying to be patient and let Tammy have all the time she needs, but I want to marry that woman something fierce.”

“There’s no question she’ll marry you,” Amelia Ann said, giving him a half-hug.

“I know that. I’m just impatient. Don’t mind me.”

And wasn’t that why J.P. McGuiness had won her sister’s heart? She patted J.P. on the back, and together they headed back to the patio and joined the others. Since she’d been sitting down all day, she remained standing, and her body gave a sigh of pleasure.

Rye ran up behind the kids as Rory was about to open the door and swept them up into his arms, causing them both to giggle. The sight of him made Amelia Ann smile. She knew her brother was going to be a wonderful father some day. Then the door opened from the inside, and Amelia Ann’s own daddy emerged with a glass of sweet tea.

“Granddaddy!” Annabelle shouted.

Rye set the kids down so they could greet their granddaddy. Hampton’s kids all loved him dearly, but they knew he doted on his grandkids like he’d never done with them. And they always made sure to give him his due. When Rye mentioned it once as a joke, Daddy had laughed and said he always got to them eventually. Annabelle had agreed, adding in all seriousness that she thought grandkids deserved hugs first.

When Rye rejoined their group, he wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her away. “I don’t want the kids to overhear us. I thought we could talk to Tammy today about whether or not she’d feel comfortable with doing the spot for the charity concert. J.P. said he’d keep an eye on the kids.”

“What did he think of the idea?” she asked.

“He isn’t sure what she’ll do, but he agreed that we should ask her. Let her make up her own mind.”

That sounded about right, but still she feared upsetting her sister. “Okay, we can do it after we eat, when things settle down a bit.”

“I like the way you’re thinking.” They walked back to rejoin the group. “Hey, Daddy. You about finished giving sugar to those grandkids?”

“You looking for some sugar, son?” he asked, making them all laugh.

Hampton Hollins looked as regal and elegant as ever with his white hair, pink polo shirt, and cream slacks. He’d moved his world to be closer to them, and it never failed to bring tears to her eyes to watch Rye and their daddy hug after so many years of painful separation.

“Hey, darlin’,” Daddy said, turning to her. “You’re looking beautiful as ever.”

She kissed his cheek and then simply lingered there for a moment longer, inhaling his familiar and comforting cologne of citrus and nutmeg. “You’re looking pretty good yourself. But what’s this I hear about you buying your own furniture…and liking it?”

Annabelle was still wrapped around her granddaddy’s leg with him stroking her soft blond curls. “I know it’s a shock, but honestly, it’s rather enjoyable to pick out my own things. I’ve never had the chance before.”

No, the tradition in their family was for the house to be treated as the sanctuary of the woman in charge, and for all decorating decisions to be made by her. Daddy had gone from a home designed and curated by his mama to one arranged by his wife.

“You know you can call if you ever need anything, right, Daddy?” Rye asked. “I don’t want you tuckering yourself out by taking on too much.”

“Good heavens, Rye, I had a heart attack well over a year ago, and the doctor says I’m fit as a fiddle. There’s no need to fuss.”

“Still…”

“When can we come visit your place, Granddaddy?” Annabelle asked. “Do you think we can have a sleepover and everything?”

“Annabelle had her first sleepover last week, and it’s all she can talk about,” Rory informed them in an adult tone.

His sister only shot her tongue out.

“Now, missy,” Amelia Ann warned.

“Oh, good heavens, Aunt Amelia, I didn’t mean anything by it. Right, Rory?”

He placed his hands on his little hips. “I know you didn’t, honey, but you’d best only do it at the house. Other kids might get their feelings hurt.”

Rye’s mouth twitched. “You’re right about that, bubba. It’s okay for you to have some sass, Annabelle, just mind who you share it with.”

Her niece jumped up and down, swinging her head from side to side at the same time—an action Amelia Ann suspected required a fair bit of coordination.

“I have plenty of sass!” the girl sang.

“You sure do,” Tammy said, coming out the back door. “Y’all come inside for a while. I have the appetizers laid out.”

Everyone went inside to snack, and soon they were clustered around the massive dining room table for supper. Reverend Louisa led them in grace, and then everyone dug into the feast. Ribs and grilled onions, cheese muffins, collard greens, and macaroni and cheese were gobbled up in short order.

After dinner, J.P. persuaded the adults to play croquet in the backyard, giving Rye and Amelia Ann the time to take Tammy aside.

“Come on, honey,” Rye said, drawing their sister around the house to the front porch. “You’ve done enough today.”

“Why do I have the feeling the two of you are up to something?” Tammy asked, but she sank down into one of the white rocking chairs with a sigh. “You’re right. Other than dinner, I think this is the first time I’ve sat down all day.”

“You’ve been busy,” Rye said. “Jake Lassiter told me he’s afraid he’s running you ragged with all his pestering about your new designs.”

Tammy rested her head against the back of the rocking chair, and Amelia Ann sat in the matching chair beside her.

“He’s a real sweetheart. It’s his first house, so he wants everything to be perfect.”

“You’ll do a wonderful job, sugar,” Rye said. “Look how much you transformed my place and J.P.’s here.”

She brushed back a lock of blond hair from her forehead. “Okay, y’all can dispense with the sweet talk. What did you want to talk to me about? Is it Mama?”

Rye jerked back in surprise from his position leaning against the porch railing. “Mama? What’s going on with Mama?”

An edge of suspicion was in his voice, and Amelia Ann felt her muscles tensing. Tammy and Mama had reached a new understanding. She’d finally taken Tammy’s side against her sister’s ex-husband, the one she herself had hand-picked and believed incapable of domestic abuse. It couldn’t properly be called a reunion, but it was something more than the frosty truce she and Rye had made when Mama came to Dare River to celebrate Tammy’s gardening business.