Every Girl Gets Confused

by Janice Thompson

  Before I could say, “Of course!” she opened her purse.

  “It’s in here somewhere.” She pulled out a pacifier and a sippy cup, then a wrinkled piece of paper, which she unfolded. “Mariela painted this for you, by the way.” She passed the artwork my way and continued to pull items out of her purse: tissues, diaper wipes, a random pink sock, and a headband. Finally, she gave up. “Sorry. I thought I had it.” She pulled out an electronic tablet and passed it to Mariela. Seconds later the girls were squabbling over who got to use it first.

  “It’s okay. You can show me next time.” I opened the painting from Mariela and a photo fell out. The ultrasound photo.

  “Ooh, there it is!” Lori-Lou picked it up and groaned. “Wait, let me wipe it off. It’s sticky. I think it has grape jelly on it. Joshie had jelly this morning.”

  When she finally got the picture clean, she passed it my way and pointed. “See there? Those are her girl parts, plain as day.”

  Hmm. What I was looking at certainly didn’t look like a baby, and I’d be hard-pressed to label anything girl parts. I just nodded and smiled, which I often did.

  On either side of me, Mariela and Gilly still fought over the tablet. This put me squarely in the middle of their argument. The tone of Lori-Lou’s voice changed as the turned to the girls. “Gilly, stop fighting with your sister or you won’t get your turn.” She turned back to me and sighed. “I just can’t wait to have a sweet little baby girl. I’m sure she’ll be adorable.”

  Mariela reached across me to smack Gilly on the arm and the youngster started wailing. “She hit me!”

  Lori-Lou was so distracted by the ultrasound photo that she didn’t seem to notice any of this. She carried on and on about the baby, about how precious little girls were.

  Mariela yanked the tablet from Gilly’s hands, causing a screaming fit to ensue. At this point an elderly man in the booth behind us got up and left, glaring all the while. Not that Lori-Lou noticed. She just kept staring at that picture in my hands.

  “So, did you want me to keep this?” I asked.

  “Yep. We have one just like it on the fridge.”

  Perfect place to put something that looked like a work of abstract art. I pressed it into my purse and glanced up at the register where Alva stood gabbing with the manager.

  “Who else is coming to this meeting?” I asked.

  “Bessie May and Ophelia. Prissy Moyer was going to come, but she’s got grandchildren in town.” Lori-Lou reached out and grabbed the tablet from Mariela and threatened to put it away for good if they didn’t stop fighting. That slowed things down—for a moment.

  “That should be fun.” I did my best not to roll my eyes. “Are we the only young ones?”

  “No. Joni Milford is the wedding coordinator at the Baptist church now. Did you know?”

  “That’s right. Queenie did tell me that. Am I the only one who’s surprised that she’s . . . well . . . planning weddings?”

  “I was a little shocked, if you want my opinion, but stranger things have happened. And hey, it’ll be good to have a friend who knows a little something about wedding planning. Won’t be long before we’re doing this for you and Brady.”

  I cleared my throat.

  Lori-Lou shoved her items back in her purse. “Oh, you know what I mean, Katie. You’re dating someone, so you’re well on your way to the altar.”

  “Katie Sue’s headed to the altar?” Aunt Alva appeared at the table. “Well, praise the Lord! I’ve prayed every day that Brady would pop the question. How did he do it, Katie? And why wasn’t I the first to know? I’m your roommate, after all.”

  I put my hand up. “No, no, no. Brady hasn’t proposed.”

  “Eh? What’s that you say? Brady proposed?”

  I turned to discover that Bessie May and Ophelia had entered.

  “Who’s Brady, anyway?” Bessie May added. “That football fella?”

  “Basketball, Bessie May.” Lori-Lou closed her purse and shoved it onto the bench. “He plays basketball.”

  “Brady is Katie’s fiancé.” Alva scooted back into her spot across from me. “But I had no idea they were engaged. That calls for double Blizzards all the way around.”

  “No. He has not proposed.”

  I must’ve said it too loudly because Mariela piped up with, “Don’t worry, Aunt Katie. You’ll get married someday. I’ll be your flower girl.” Her little nose wrinkled as she added, “If I’m not too old by then.”

  I groaned.

  “I thought you were marrying that Lawson boy.” Ophelia looked more than a little perplexed. “Did you break it off?”

  “They broke it off ages ago, Ophelia.” Bessie May rolled her eyes. “Honestly. No one pays attention to anything around here.”

  “Today is supposed to be about Queenie, not me,” I said.

  “Speaking of Queenie, where is she?” Lori-Lou glanced toward the door.

  “She’s up at the church, talking to Joni about the ceremony,” Bessie May said. “But she’ll be here shortly. I just talked to Joni a few minutes ago. She’ll be driving Queenie over just as soon as they’ve gone over the to-do list.”

  “Where’s a person supposed to sit for this meeting anyway?” Ophelia looked down at our messy table.

  “You kids scoot to the next table,” Lori-Lou said. “Take the tablet with you.” She reached into her purse and came out with a coloring book and crayons. “Here, take these too.”

  The girls scooted into the booth the elderly man had vacated, and Mariela started eating the French fries he’d left behind. Lovely. Bessie May and Ophelia squeezed in next to me.

  “Now we’re ready to roll,” Alva said.

  “Hardly.” Bessie May grumbled about the sticky table, so Lori-Lou pulled out a wipe and went to town cleaning it.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about Joni, former star softball player on the Fairfield girls’ team. We’d never been terribly close, but that had more to do with the fact that she’d been busy playing ball and I’d been a cheerleader. And Fairfield Peach Queen. And Casey’s date to the prom. And I hated to state the obvious, but she hadn’t really been the sort of girl to gravitate toward my group of friends. We were more the giddy sleepover types. She was the athletic type. Seemed strange that she would be coordinating my grandmother’s wedding. The rumors that had followed her in school were, well, not terribly flattering.

  Rumors.

  “What about rumors, Katie?” Ophelia asked.

  “Oh, sorry.” I startled to attention. “Didn’t realize I’d said that out loud.”

  “If you’re asking for the latest on Joni, you’ve come to the right place.” Bessie May squeezed some hand sanitizer into her palms, then passed the bottle to Ophelia. “But I’ll have to lower my voice. Norah Harrison is sitting just three booths behind us and the woman couldn’t keep her lips shut if her life depended on it. Now, what was I going to tell you again?”

  “Bessie May, you are the worship leader at the Baptist church now.” I clucked my tongue at her. “You can’t go around spreading rumors. It’s not godly.”

  She leaned in close as she rubbed the sanitizer into her hands. “I’m not spreading anything. What I’m about to tell you is common knowledge.”

  “Then why are we whispering?” Lori-Lou responded in hushed tones.

  “Because it’s a surprise.” Bessie May gave us a wink. “Top secret.”

  “Just like Queenie’s lingerie shower?” Alva quirked a brow.

  Bessie May glared at her. “Anyway, most folks still don’t know. Did you hear that Levi Nash and Joni are dating?”

  This certainly got my attention. “Oh, wow. Levi and Joni?” Well, if that wasn’t a strange match.

  “Yep.” Bessie May nodded. “Well, I guess it’s not verifiable. No one’s caught ’em smooching or anything like that, so it wouldn’t hold up in a court of law.”

  “Yet,” Ophelia added.

  “Yet.” Bessie May’s face turned pink. “But they spend a lot of time
together. Thick as thieves, those two. Just thought you’d want to know. But whatever you do, don’t mention it. I don’t think anyone is supposed to know.”

  “You said it was common knowledge.”

  “Common knowledge to me. And the other WOP-pers. You know how we are, Katie Sue.”

  Yes, I knew all right.

  “We’re tight with the Lord and we have a spiritual sense about these things. So you can take what I’ve said to the bank. But don’t try to cash the check just yet. Not until they make it public.”

  “I won’t say a word, I promise.” The idea of Joni and Levi as a couple seemed strange at best. They didn’t seem to have much in common. Interesting.

  “All this talk about folks falling in love is making me hungry.” Alva glanced at the register. “I’m going to eat my weight in chicken strips, fries, and ice cream. If they ever get my order filled, I mean. I’d better go find out what’s keeping them.”

  “Might as well order, myself.” Bessie May scooted to the edge of the bench and attempted to stand. Alva tried to give her a hand but nearly took a tumble in the process. Then Ophelia joined them and they all headed over to the register.

  “I’m sorry about all of that, Katie,” Lori-Lou said.

  “All of what?”

  “That misunderstanding about Brady proposing.”

  “Oh, no biggie.” With a wave of my hand I did my best to dismiss any concerns.

  She gave me a sympathetic look. “You and Brady are a match made in heaven. He’ll pop the question soon.”

  “You think?” I considered her words. “You used to say that about Casey too, remember? In fact, it was less than six months ago. I was sitting in my car, right out there . . .” I pointed out the plate-glass window to the parking lot beyond.

  At that very moment the door of Dairy Queen opened and a man stepped inside.

  A familiar man.

  Casey Lawson.

  9

  Anyone Can Fall in Love

  If it’s true that men are such beasts, this must account for the fact that most women are animal lovers.

  Doris Day

  Katie?” Casey approached our booth and stared at me, a smile curling up the edges of his lips—those same lips I’d kissed a thousand times. “You’re back in town?”

  I could’ve asked him the very same question. Instead, I nodded. “Yeah. We’re planning Queenie’s bridal shower.” Didn’t I just tell you all of this when we talked on the phone?

  “Ah.” He glanced down at our table. The table where we’d talked about our hopes, our dreams, our aspirations. The table where we’d held hands, dipped French fries in ketchup, and talked about what we wanted to be when we grew up.

  Only, now we were grown up. And he was no longer at the table. That idea should’ve suited me just fine, especially since I had the best guy in the world waiting for me back in Dallas, but for some reason I couldn’t seem to see past the familiar boyfriend—er, ex-boyfriend—standing right in front of me.

  Alva walked up with my basket of food in her hand, which she plopped on the table in front of me. It looked and smelled amazing, the crispy fries tantalizing me at once and the chicken strips the perfect shade of golden brown. Behind her, Bessie May and Ophelia arrived with food in hand as well. They all took their seats and dove right in.

  Casey glanced down and smiled. “You’re eating the chicken strips. Might’ve guessed.”

  “I ordered you an M&M Blizzard too, Katie.” Alva gave me a knowing look. “It’ll be ready as soon as you’re done with the chicken.”

  “M&M?” Casey looked shocked. “You always had the Oreo.”

  “Things change, Casey.” I gave him a piercing look and hoped he would take the hint. “Preferences change.”

  “Ah. Got it. Well, you ladies have a nice day. I need to go order my Blizzard and burger. I’m in town for the whole weekend.” He paused as if waiting for me to respond in some way. I didn’t. I just offered him a polite smile and got busy eating my chicken strips.

  I couldn’t help but watch as he sauntered to the register and ordered the Oreo Blizzard. I knew he would, of course. He’d always had the Oreo. His tastes obviously hadn’t changed. I tried not to read too much into that notion.

  Even after Queenie arrived, my thoughts kept traveling back to Casey. I did my best to push them aside as I greeted my grandmother.

  Now, I’d obviously known Queenie all my life, but I had never seen her this happy. Truly, the past few months had transformed her, not just internally but externally as well. For a woman of eighty-two, she looked blissfully young.

  For that matter, so did the young woman who’d come with her. Joni. The once-tough softball player had apparently softened around the edges. She looked downright feminine. And peaceful. I’d rarely seen her looking this at ease.

  Alva pulled baby Joshie out of the high chair and nudged it away from the table. Queenie and Joni pulled a couple of chairs into the spot and settled into place. Alva bounced the baby up and down on her knee and spoke in baby talk to him. Until he slobbered all over her blouse. Then she passed him to his mother.

  Yep. We were definitely ready for our meeting. And with so many women seated at the end of our table, I could barely see past them to Casey. Not that I wanted to see Casey, exactly.

  “Okay, let’s get this show on the road. I’ve got a long day ahead of me.” Queenie put her hands on the table. “Lots of work to get done.”

  Joni pulled an iPad out of her bag and fired it up. “Everything’s under control. No worries.” She’d condensed everything into a spreadsheet, which she handled with grace and ease. All the while she kept us laughing and smiling, not an easy task with Ophelia hollering, “Eh? What’d you say? I left my hearing aid at home, girl!”

  “Queenie and I have worked out the logistics of the event, and invitations have gone out,” Joni explained. “The ceremony will be at ten in the morning. Bridesmaids will be Alva, Bessie May, Ophelia, and Prissy Moyer—who, by the way, is sorry she couldn’t be with us today.”

  “All WOP-pers but Alva,” Bessie May said, the pride in her voice evident. “And we’re making her an honorary WOP-per.”

  “Gee, thanks.” Alva continued to wipe the spit-up off her blouse. “I feel so special.”

  I flinched a little when my name wasn’t listed as a bridesmaid, until I realized all of the bridesmaids were over the age of seventy. Perhaps it was a blessing not to be added to that group just yet, though I did feel myself aging as Bessie May went off on a tangent about how she hoped her irritable bowel syndrome wouldn’t prove to be problematic on the big day. Lovely. At the next table Gilly and Mariela took to fighting over the colors. They both wanted red.

  “I’ll be seeing red if those two keep it up,” Ophelia muttered. “Could someone please do something about them?”

  Naturally, this offended Lori-Lou, who snapped at the kids and then focused on her phone instead of the meeting.

  Joni finally managed to pull the conversation back on track. I gave her an admiring look, pausing to gaze at her lovely makeup job. The Joni I’d known hadn’t worn makeup. Or smelled like perfume. Sure, she was still taller than most of the other girls I knew. And yes, her shoulders were broader too, possibly from all of that softball playing. But I was looking at a woman transformed. Fascinating.

  Joni’s face lit into a smile as she noticed Casey across the room. “Hey, look who’s back in town.”

  I glanced over and sighed as I realized his eyes were still on me. Ack. “Yeah. I’ve already talked to him.” I kept my attention on the to-do list, unwilling to let myself get caught in Casey’s gaze once more.

  “I haven’t yet. If you ladies don’t mind, I’m going to order some food and say hello.”

  “Don’t mind a bit,” I said. I watched as she walked over to Casey’s table and stood next to him.

  “Isn’t she the sweetest thing?” Queenie gave her an admiring look. “I daresay she’s one of the most talented girls in town. And kindhearted
too. Sweeter than peaches.”

  “I say we nominate her for Peach Queen this spring,” Ophelia said. “What do you think of them apples?”

  “I’d say you’re a few years too late, Ophelia,” Bessie May said. “You have obviously forgotten that Ms. Peach has to be no older than nineteen years of age. Joni is older than that.”

  “She graduated the year before me,” I said. “So she’s probably a little too old. But other than that she sure seems like a shoo-in.” I watched her easygoing conversation with Casey. “Looks like she’s won Casey over, and that’s not easy these days.”

  “She’s got a way about her.” Queenie smiled. “It just goes to show you a little love goes a long, long way. It wasn’t that long ago—a few months, really—when Joni was on the fringes. No friends. No social life. I believe she was in a depression, if you want the truth of it. But thanks to Levi Nash—God bless that sweet boy—she found her place. And there’s no turning back.”

  “Right.”

  Laughter rang out from Joni and Casey, who appeared to be sharing some sort of joke. I watched them with interest. I realized I’d judged her unfairly in the past, mostly because of physical appearance and mannerisms. She might be a little, er, manly. A little rough around the edges. But something had softened her. As I saw her with Casey, watching the crinkles around her eyes when she laughed, she looked beautiful.

  “So, tell me what we’re lacking, Queenie.” I turned my attention back to my grandmother. “How can I help with the wedding?”

  “I can’t think of a thing, sweet girl. The whole town has swept in around me to fill every need, right down to the chicken finger appetizers at the reception.” She gave a nod to the Dairy Queen manager, who tipped his hat at her.

  “Is he providing Blizzards too?” I asked.

  My grandmother chuckled. “Well, no, but that’s a lovely idea. Do you think I should ask him?”

  “Nah, that wasn’t my point.” I laughed. “But you are truly the most loved woman I’ve ever known. Everyone wants your day to be special, and that does my heart good.”