by Sharon Sala
Retta immediately caught the “were friends.” It was the only warning she was going to get that this might not go as smoothly as planned.
Jake stared them down without comment.
Don offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, but unfortunate it’s under these circumstances.”
Jake didn’t move and left it up to his sister to cut them down. Belle didn’t disappoint.
“There are many unfortunate things in life, one of which is the betrayal of people you thought were your friends,” Belle drawled.
Retta blinked. Had Barb told them about the words they’d traded? That comment sure felt like it, but she wasn’t the kind to let a catty woman scare her off.
“I’m sure that’s true,” Retta said, and then pointed to Belle’s necklace. “That is a beautiful necklace.”
“Thank you,” Belle said. “I got it on the Riviera.”
“Oh, the Mexican Riviera! Don and I love it there,” Retta said.
“The French Riviera,” Belle said. “Bless your heart.”
Retta’s face turned red. She was Southern to the core, so she knew exactly what that meant, and that she could take it either of two ways. That diamond-studded bitch had either called her stupid or told her to go to hell. And all the while, Barb kept introducing her family as if that old biddy hadn’t just insulted her.
Retta’s chin went up, and her eyes were blazing. She just couldn’t figure out who to be mad at, because they were standing beside a coffin with Niles’s dead body in it, and his widow and family were looking holes through her and Don, and Barb just kept introducing family.
“This is my aunt Belle Austin, my brother Bobby Austin, and his wife, Wynona. And these are cousins from the Houston side of the family, Frank, Eddie, and Waylon.”
“So, you live in Houston,” Don said.
“No,” Waylon said. “We’re direct descendants of Sam Houston, the man for whom Houston is named. Our cousin Barb comes from the Austin side of the family…Stephen A. Austin, for whom the city of Austin was named. Where might you be from?”
“I, uh, I’m a native of Blessings.”
Don knew when he said it that he’d just lowered himself to the status of hick, and the only semifamous people in the history of his family had been hanged for horse thieving. He knew when he’d been bested and put his hand under Retta’s elbow.
“Barb, we’ll be going now. I see more people are coming in, and we just wanted to pay our respects.”
Barb lowered her voice, for the first time speaking directly to them.
“Don’t pretend with me, Don Durrett. I know what you and all of Niles’s friends were saying about him at the club…and on the day he died. Please feel free to leave.”
When her brother Bobby shifted his stance, Don squeezed Retta’s arm, and out the door they went.
After that, people began arriving in a steady stream, most showing surprise that the casket wasn’t open as befitting tradition, but having the manners not to ask why.
They were alternately kind or curious, but all in awe of Barb Holland’s family. The ones who didn’t know her well were impressed, and the ones who thought they’d known her were in shock.
But there were many who were kind, sympathetic, and truly sorry for Niles’s passing. When Peanut and Ruby Butterman came in behaving like the decent people they were, Barb introduced them to her family.
“Y’all, this is our local lawyer, Peanut Butterman, and his wife, Ruby. Aunt Belle and Wy already met her when we went to her salon. It’s a wonderful place.”
“Thank you, Barb,” Ruby said. “We’re just so sorry for your loss.”
Jake Austin eyed Peanut and smiled. “I have to say, you have a most memorable name.”
Peanut rolled his eyes. “The actual name on my birth certificate is a capital P, all by itself. Then my second name is Nutt, with two t’s. I had to beat up the school bully when I was in first grade for calling me Pee.”
“Sweet baby Jesus,” Wy said.
“Exactly, but not even the good Lord could help. After two black eyes and both of us getting a whipping for fighting at school, the kids wisely switched to Peanut and it took. Add Butterman, and my whole existence has been one of explanation. My parents were hippies. Mostly I just tell people my mama was stoned on weed when they named me. It used to really tick her off when I said it, but I told her it’s no less than what she deserved for tacking that dang name to me.”
The story was a great moment of levity in a hard evening, and Barb was grateful for it, because every time she glanced at the casket, she remembered Niles’s body was in it. It was a continuing nightmare that seemed to have no end.
When the chief of police and his wife appeared at the door, it was Barb’s family that stared in awe at her beauty.
“Who in the world are they?” Belle whispered.
“That’s Lon Pittman and his wife, Mercy. He’s the police chief here in Blessings, and Mercy is the baker for the local restaurant. Her baking is off the charts, and her biscuits are to die for,” Barb said.
Wy gasped. “She’s a cook? I have never seen anyone that stunning in my entire life. Is she classically trained?”
“The story goes she was raised in foster homes all her life,” Barb said. “But they’re very nice people. Chief Pittman is the one who came to the house to tell me what had happened to Niles. He was so very kind,” she added, and took a deep, shaky breath, willing herself not to cry.
When one of Barb’s girlfriends came to pay her respects, she was so impressed by the ostentatious show of wealth Barb’s family exhibited that she completely forgot to offer her condolences, or even acknowledge Niles’s casket, and started talking about Barb’s hair.
“Girl, I love what you’ve done with your hair. You need to wear it like that at the Christmas ball at the club.”
Barb stared at the woman as if she’d lost her mind.
“Shirley, see that casket you’re leaning on?”
Shirley gasped. “Oh, I’m so—”
“No, you’re not sorry Niles is dead. None of you are sorry, and Christmas balls are obviously the last thing on my mind today,” Barb said.
Shirley’s eyes narrowed angrily, but before she could voice what she was thinking, Wynona slipped her arm through Shirley’s elbow and smiled.
“Your welcome just ran out, honey. Let me show you to the door,” Wynona said, then proceeded to walk the woman out as if they were old friends, talking as they went. Except Wy was the only one talking, and Shirley was too humiliated to make a scene.
And all through the visitation, if one of the people who’d betrayed Barb arrived, her family stepped up and stepped in.
Barb was numb, exhausted, and struggling hard not to cry as the evening was coming to an end. There was less than thirty minutes left, and fewer than ten people in the room.
But outside in the parking lot, Melissa and Sully were just getting out of the car.
“You sure you want to do this?” Sully asked.
“I have to, Sully. Just thank you for coming with me.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said, and reached for her hand.
They were still holding hands when they walked in. Melissa breathed a sigh of relief that the casket was closed as they headed straight for Barb.
A hush went through the room when everyone saw them walk in.
Barb gasped, her shock evident.
“Is this bad?” Wy whispered.
“Not like you mean. That’s Melissa Dean, the woman Niles nearly killed.”
At that point, her family turned to watch the tall, dark-haired woman coming toward them. The bruising on her face was obvious. They waited, not knowing what this meant.
But the moment Melissa walked up, she reached for Barb’s hands with tears in her eyes.
“Barb, my deepest sympa
thies,” Melissa said softly, then addressed the family with her. “To all of you. I am so sorry for your loss.” She put her hand on Sully’s arm. “This is my friend, Sully Raines. He’s the man who saved me. I asked him to come because I wanted him to meet you. Ever since this happened, I’ve been heartbroken. Up until I inherited Mr. Mathis’s house, Niles was my landlord.”
Barb frowned. “I don’t think I knew that. He did all the business for the properties, and I didn’t know who the renters were.”
“One of them was me. I lived in the same little house for twenty years, and rain or shine, no matter what went wrong, one call to Niles and he was immediately on-site, making sure whatever had gone wrong was corrected. When I had hard times, he let me carry my rent over until I had enough money to catch up, and never a word from him of being late. I just wanted you to know how much he was appreciated. This is a tragedy. He will be missed.”
Barb was shaking, but her daddy’s hand was at her back.
“Miss Melissa, I’m Jake Austin, Barb’s daddy. We are so sorry you were hurt, but thank the Lord Mr. Raines was there to save you. Sir, you have our sincere gratitude for that.”
“Yes, sir,” Sully said.
Barb sighed. “This must have been hard for you to come tonight, but the blessing you have given me is more than I could have ever expected. Thank you, Melissa. Thank you for this.”
“Of course, and we waited on purpose, hoping most of your visitors would be gone. We want you to know we will purposefully not be at the service tomorrow. Tomorrow is to honor Niles. Not call attention to how he died, which is what would happen once we showed up. I just wanted you to know that my memories of Niles will always be good ones.”
Then one by one, Barb’s family stepped up to shake her hand and to thank both of them for coming.
Melissa was on the verge of tears as she and Sully left, and as soon as they exited the funeral home, she started crying.
“Oh, honey,” Sully said, and took her in his arms.
“I didn’t expect it would hit me like this. I just want to go home.”
The moment they walked out the door, Barb’s family began talking about the guts it must have taken for Melissa Dean to come, and the genuine kindness she’d shown the whole family.
When the visitation was finally over, Barb was numb. She didn’t say a word all the way back to her house, or even argue when Belle and Wy took her up to bed. They were concerned. If the visitation had taken this much out of her, the funeral tomorrow could easily break her. She needed to rest, but all she could do was sit there and cry.
* * *
As soon as Sully and Melissa got home, they went upstairs to change. Melissa paused in the hallway and hugged Sully once again.
“That was hard. Thank you again for going with me.”
“We go together like bread and jam,” he said, then gave her hair a gentle tug. “How about a pajama party? Movies, popcorn?”
She sighed. “I think that sounds perfect.”
“Your bed or mine?” he asked.
“Mine. That way if I fall asleep in the middle of the movie, which I have been known to do, I’ll already be in bed, and you can turn out the lights when you leave.”
He grinned. “You have a practical side, too. I don’t remember that.”
She poked him on the arm. “As soon as I get in my pj’s, I’ll make popcorn.”
“And I’ll get the drinks. What floats your boat tonight? Coke or Mountain Dew?”
“Coke,” Melissa said. They parted in the hall to go change, then came out into the hall almost at the same time.
Sully admired her pink pajamas with little white sheep on them. And she wore socks, not house shoes. Something new to note about her.
“Nice pj’s,” he said. “If you can’t sleep, you can count sheep.”
“So you go the sweatpants and old T-shirt route,” she said.
“No, I don’t sleep in anything, but I chose this fine ensemble just for you.”
She laughed. “Good move. Let’s go get our stuff.”
Once they reached the kitchen, Melissa put a bag of popcorn in the microwave, while Sully took the cold drinks from the refrigerator.
“I don’t know what movies are on,” Melissa said.
“It won’t matter to me what we watch, as long as we’re watching it together,” Sully said.
“You know what, Sully Raines? You’re still fun to be with. That was always the best part of being your girl.”
He grinned. “The best part of being your boyfriend was the kisses, but that’s just me.”
Melissa laughed out loud just as the timer on the microwave dinged.
“It’s done,” she said, then opened the bag and dumped the hot, buttery popcorn in a bowl.
Sully grabbed the two bottles of pop and a handful of napkins from the table, and followed her out of the kitchen.
Melissa had already propped multiple pillows against the headboard for them to lean against, and as soon as they were in her bedroom, she crawled into the middle of the king-size sleigh bed and put the popcorn between them.
Sully handed her a Coke and put his on the bedside table; then she handed him the remote.
“You pick the movie. I’ll watch anything,” she said as she put some popcorn in her mouth and started chewing.
She didn’t comment on his choice, but after the steady sound of bar fights and gunfire for the first twenty minutes of the movie, Melissa finally glanced at Sully. He looked like he was in a trance. She could hardly believe they were sitting together in bed watching a really old, really loud movie.
“I can’t believe we’re watching this,” Melissa said.
Sully looked surprised. “You don’t like John Wayne?”
“This movie was made before we were born,” she said.
“So we’re watching a classic,” he said, and threw a piece of popcorn at her. “I thought you said you’d watch anything.”
She picked up the popcorn and put it in her mouth, then eyed him suspiciously.
“So, what is this? A test of my veracity?” she asked.
“Come on, Missy. It’s John Wayne.”
“You’re cute when you whine,” Melissa said.
Sully calmly removed the bowl of popcorn, and when he turned around, he grabbed her.
She was laughing as he pulled her down on top of him.
“I don’t whine. Take that back,” he said.
Still giggling, she shook her head.
“You’re going to be sorry,” Sully said as he slipped his hands beneath her pajama top, then ran the tips of his fingers against the soft skin at her waist. “I seem to remember you were ticklish. Am I right?”
Melissa gasped and started trying to get away from him. “Don’t tickle, don’t tickle. I give! You didn’t whine. You never whine. You are a beast of a man and man-beasts never whine.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” he said, and then rolled her over onto her back and kissed her senseless.
Just when she thought there was going to be more, he turned her loose, straightened up the covers, and put the popcorn bowl back between them. He’d just left her flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She raised up on both elbows.
“What the hell just happened?”
“John Wayne,” he said, just as the sound of more gunfire filled the room.
She looked at him, then at the movie.
“He’s my favorite,” she said, then replaced her pillows, scooted back against them, and took a drink of Coke.
After that, the only sound in the room was more of John Wayne. Just as the movie was coming to an end, Sully glanced at her and then smiled. She was asleep, as predicted, and she looked so darn cute in her pink pajamas, all squished down into the pillows.
He turned off the TV and moved all of their stuff, t
hen pulled back the covers and eased her down into bed.
When he leaned over to kiss her forehead, she murmured something he couldn’t understand as he pulled up.
“I am so falling in love with you, girl. Please love me back,” he whispered.
He turned off the lights as he went, leaving the night-light on in the adjoining bath, and carried the remnants of their party back to the kitchen and cleaned it up.
The house was quiet as he walked through the rooms. He paused in the living room and pulled back the drapes to look out.
The streetlights illuminated.
The shadows hid what was within them.
He thought back to his meeting with Elliot Graham.
“Okay, Janie. I got the message. I’m supposed to stay in Blessings, so here I am. If I’m not supposed to search for you anymore, then come find me.”
He let the drapes fall shut and went upstairs, pausing again outside Melissa’s door.
“Sleep well, sweetheart. There won’t always be a door between us.”
Once in his own bedroom, he checked his phone before putting it on the charger. No calls. No texts. Nobody back home missed him, which made the decision to stay here even easier. He would have to go back to tie up the loose ends of his old life, but in his heart he was already gone.
* * *
The next day at noon, Granny’s Country Kitchen was inundated with people in their Sunday best, all planning to attend Niles Holland’s funeral but grabbing some food before the two o’clock service began.
The conversations were mostly focused on the spectacular showing the widow’s family had made last night, without noticing there were no comments on the passing of Niles. No one knew anything about his personal life. They’d only known the public side of him.
It was just after 1:30 p.m. when the dining room began to clear out. All of the waitresses were exhausted and sitting together at a back table eating lunch.
Lovey was too tired to eat as she went into the kitchen. Her hair was in a frazzled halo around her face, and she was dragging her feet.
There were beads of sweat across Mercy’s brow, the fry cook’s apron looked like he was wearing a little bit of everything he’d cooked, and there wasn’t a dry thread on the dishwasher’s clothes, but the commercial dishwasher was humming right along.
