CHAPTER 5
Ruth bustled about the noisy kitchen, getting out flour and other ingredients for the biscuits. But her mind lingered on Christina. Meeting everyone had gone okay, hadn’t it? Christina was a beautiful girl. Ben was clearly proud of her.
All right now, Ruthie, stop.
Time to think about supper.
Sy and the men would grill the ribs outside. But there was still corn on the cob to fix, and buttermilk biscuits, and fried potatoes with onions and mushrooms—a Dearing favorite. Ruth had made two apple pies early that morning. She took them out of the refrigerator to start warming, thinking she’d stick them in a low oven when they sat down to eat.
Maddy was slicing the potatoes, and Jess was setting the dining room table. Ruth could hear the plates and silverware clinking.
“What do you want me to do, Mama?” Sarah asked.
“Start shuckin’ the corn.”
Christina hung at the outskirts of the kitchen, close to the nearest family room chair, in which Ben sat. Lacey had been her constant companion for the last hour but had now drifted off toward the play room with Alex and Pogey. Penny had trotted after them. Ben was already in a bantering discussion with Sy, Don, and Jake about the golf game he’d missed. “Yeah, well, we’re goin’ back out tomorrow.” Ben sounded so sure of himself. “And none of y’all’s winnin’ now that I’m here.”
Ruth smiled at Christina. Girl looked like she didn’t quite know what to do with herself, bless her heart. Although she was clearly trying to hide her discomfort. “Is there something I can do, Mrs. Dearing?” she asked.
“Oh, mercy, don’t call me that.” Ruth grinned. “You make me sound so old.” At sixty-one, she probably did look ancient to Christina. “Just call me Mama Ruth. That’s what a lot of people do.”
Christina nodded, her palms rubbing against each other.
Ruth pointed toward the refrigerator. “Anyway, how ’bout cuttin’ some onions? I keep ’em in the fridge so they won’t make your eyes water. Maddy will show you what size we need.”
“Okay.”
Two plates clinked loudly in the dining room. Ruth called toward the sound. “Jess, what’re you doin’ in there, settin’ my plates or breakin’ ’em?”
“Breakin’ ’em. Four down, eight to go.”
Smart aleck.
Ruth turned back to the bag of flour on the counter.
Oh, wait.
“Jess.” She spoke over her shoulder. “You need to set an extra plate. Tamel’s comin’.”
Maddy snickered. “Oh, boy.”
Silence in the dining room. Then—
“What?”
Ruth reached in a drawer for the measuring cup. “He wanted to come so I said sure.”
Jess appeared in the doorway, hands full of silverware. “So you invited him, just like that? Just ’cause he wanted to come?”
“Why not? He’s a good friend of yours, has been since grade school.”
“We are
not
friends.”
“What? Of course you are. He thinks you hung the moon.”
“Apparently not anymore. And I don’t think too much of him either.”
Oh, dear. Ruth could guess what this was about.
Christina kept her head down, cutting onions.
“Tamel Curd’s comin’ for diiiinner!” Ben singsonged. He looked to Christina. “He’s Jess’s boyfriend.”
“Will you quit with that?” Jess pointed silverware at her brother. “He is
not
my boyfriend! I don’t even
like
him.”
Maddy reached for another potato. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”
Sarah laughed.
“And furthermore, I
do not
want him here tonight.” Jess glowered.
“Miss I-don’t-need-a-man-in-my-life.” Maddy muttered to the potato.
Jess threw her a look to kill.
Ruth faced her youngest daughter. “Come on now, Jess, you haven’t seen Tamel since you were down for Easter.”
“So?”
Jess lived only about four hours away in Memphis, but she worked so many hours in that law firm she hardly ever had a full weekend off to drive home.
“What am I supposed to do? I’ve already invited him.”
“So uninvite him.”
“I’m not goin’ to do that.”
Jess snorted. “Stupid Camel T—”
“
Stop
callin’ him that.” Poor Tamel. He’d been teased unmercifully all through school because of his name. He certainly didn’t need Jessica teasing him now.
Jess huffed. “I can’t even come into town without him honin’ in on the family.”
“He’s practically part of the family.”
“No. He’s. Not!”
Jess turned on her heel back into the dining room. The dishes clinked louder.
“Don’t you break my plates!”
Sarah chuckled. “She’s likely to throw ’em all across the room now.”
Ruth glanced at Christina. The young woman was cutting onions as if her life depended on it. What must she think of Jess’s tirade? Being so new to the family and all, she might wonder if they’d talk about
her
like that when she wasn’t around.
“Don’t you mind Jess.” Ruth kept her tone mild as she measured flour. “She and Tamel grew up together—”
“They dated some in high school,” Maddy put in. “But Jess’ll never admit to it.”
“We did
not
date!” Jess called from the dining room. “He just chased me all over tarnation is all
.”
“Oh, yeah? Did you or did you not go to the prom with him? That same year you tried to hem your dress?”
No answer.
“As I was sayin’”—Maddy turned to Christina—“they dated some in high school—”
“Goin’ to the prom once is
not
datin’.” Jess was in the doorway again, her face red. “And I only went with him ’cause my real date got sick at the last minute.” She pivoted and stomped back to her work.
“Then they both went off to different colleges and law schools.” Maddy didn’t miss a beat in her slicing. “Now Tamel’s back livin’ in Justus. Took over his father’s funeral home business—the only one in town. You die, you go see Tamel.”
That bit of information pulled Christina’s head up. She looked from Maddy to Ruth, as if wondering if she was being strung along.
“It’s true.” Ben sidled up to her. “Curd Funeral Home.” He laughed. “Doesn’t sound so appealin’, huh.”
“Yeah,” Jess called, “it’s even worse if you call him Camel Tu—.”
“For heaven’s sake, stop callin’ him that.” Ruth reached for the salt. “One of these days you’re gonna slip up and say it to his face.”
“Good. Maybe he’ll quit comin’ around.”
Christina’s knife still hung in the air. She gazed questioningly from Ben to Ruth. Tiny drops of moisture stood out on her forehead.
Oh, dear, poor thing. They were overwhelming her. Ruth shot Christina an encouraging smile.
“And really.” Jess stalked back into the kitchen, her chore in the dining room done. “A funeral home? When he has a law degree and passed the bar? What a total waste of three years, not to mention a ton of money.”
Sy got up from his chair. “It’s his father’s business, Jess. Henry’s sick. He needed his son to come home. Surely you can understand that.”
Jess just shook her head, a sound rattling in her throat. “Well, good for him. Hope he’s happy haulin’ corpses.”
Don and Jake laughed.
“So did you set a plate for him?” Ruth looked her daughter in the eye.
“Yes, mother.” Jess sounded none too happy about it.
“Good.” Ben dipped his chin. “We’ll make sure he sits next to you.”
“Yeah.” Don slapped his hands on his knees and stood. His blue eyes twinkled. “He’ll be all over Jess like white on rice.”
Jess flicked a look at the ceiling, her hands planting on her hips. “Honestly, y’all.” She stalked through the family room and disappeared down the hall.
Ruth glanced at Christina and stilled. The young woman’s face had paled.
Ben patted her on the shoulder. “It’s okay, babe, everybody’s just teasin’.” His voice held that same lightheartedness Ruth had heard over the phone.
Christina gazed at him, as if trying to believe it was true.
“He’s right.” Ruth’s hands were messy from mixing dough. She rested them on the sides of the glass bowl. “This family’s always carryin’ on. Shows we love each other.”
Christina’s eyes slid to Ruth. She tried to smile, but it came out shaky. Pressing her lips together, she bent her head over the onions and concentrated on chopping.
Goodness. Even Ruth hadn’t expected her to be that sensitive.
“There, done!” Maddy put down her knife. A huge bowl of sliced potatoes sat before her.
“I’m thirsty,” Ben said to no one in particular. “Whatcha got to drink around here?”
“Go sit down, Ben, I’ll get it for you.” Maddy moved to the sink to wash her hands.
“That’s what I like—a woman who waits on me.” Ben winked at Christina and moved toward the family room.
Christina didn’t seem to like the comment. Ruth watched as her eyes followed Maddy’s movements—pulling a Dr. Pepper out of the fridge, pouring it into a glass. Maddy presented it to Ben.
“Thank you, dear sister.”
“You’re welcome.”
Christina turned back to the counter and stared at the cutting board, frowning. After a moment she bit her lip, then went back to cutting.
Now
what? Ruth glanced at Ben. He took a drink of the Dr. Pepper and smacked his lips, oblivious to Christina’s reaction. A cold dread rolled through Ruth’s stomach. Things weren’t going well here, but Ben was so much in love he couldn’t see it.
Ruth shot a silent prayer to heaven.
Please, Lord, help us through this reunion—without my Ben’s heart gettin’ broken again.