In High Cotton

by Kelsey Browning

  Maggie tumbled out of the driver’s seat and raced to embrace her. “Lil!”

  Lil pushed her face into Maggie’s shoulder and cried. Tears of relief. Maggie had been her rock, as always. She would never be able to repay her.

  “Have you been waiting long? I’m so sorry. I came as soon as you called, and it took everything I had not to break the speed limit.”

  “You’re here now.”

  “And we can go home!”

  “Home. My sweet Summer Haven. I can’t wait.”

  Maggie picked up the box and placed it in the back of her truck, then unlocked the passenger door for Lil. “I can’t believe you’re coming home. It feels so good to be able to touch you again.” She grabbed for Lil’s hand and squeezed.

  Lil climbed into the passenger seat while Maggie jogged to the driver’s side. She’d never seen Maggie move with such zest. Not even back in college, and in comparison, Lil had never felt so numb.

  They pulled away from the curb and Maggie slowed down at the gate. The guard marked her license plate off the list and waved her on.

  Maggie said to Lil, “It’s over.”

  “It’s been like a weird dream.”

  “I can’t begin to imagine. I’ve missed you so much,” Maggie said. “I’m thrilled, but the timing was a little surprising.”

  Lil stared out the window. Things looked so vast, alive.

  “I can’t believe they let you out this early. It’s amazing. Sera said it’s very unusual for someone to get out before serving eighty-seven percent of their sentence. We’re so lucky.” Maggie’s voice was bright, but her words tumbled over each other, which usually meant she was talking fast to keep from revealing something she didn’t want to let out of the bag. “Wonderful.”

  The best part was Lil wouldn’t have to fake being an old decrepit woman any longer. That had been downright demeaning and, to be honest, her acting skills had been so good she really had started to feel sickly. That had been the scariest part.

  Lil cleared her throat. “Is there any talk on the street? Did Angelina spread the word?”

  “No,” Maggie said. “Haven’t heard a thing.”

  Lil prayed Angelina remained true to her word, but like any blackmailer, she wasn’t to be trusted. If Lil had learned anything being in prison, it was that honesty and the truth were very gray areas for people like Angelina Broussard.

  Chapter 15

  As they exited the interstate and made their way closer to Summer Shoals, Lil’s hands trembled. She twitched in the seat, causing the belt securing her half-zipped skirt to roll up her tummy to darned near under her bra. A swoosh of cool air tickled at the exposed skin of her lower back. She tugged on the jacket to hide the gap, feeling self-conscious about her weight gain in front of Maggie. She folded her arms across her chest to camouflage the gaping buttons and half listened to Maggie as she continued to rattle on about Abby Ruth and Sera. Lil had about enough of those stories, and she wasn’t even home yet.

  The carved wooden sign that read WELCOME TO SUMMER SHOALS, GEORGIA brought tears to her eyes. She was home. Just moments away from Summer Haven.

  With each revolution of the tires, Lil’s body seemed to twist another rotation, like a rubber band on one of those little balsa wood propeller airplanes kids used to play with. She felt as if when the truck door opened she might zoom out like one, crashing and breaking into a million pieces.

  As her beloved Summer Haven came into view, she had the unexpected urge to crouch in the floorboard. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt swollen to the point of choking off her breath.

  A long horse trailer was parked alongside the carriage house. Lil cringed at the thought of how the grass must have yellowed and died under that eyesore, and what was with the tree on the left side of the house in front of the garage? From here it looked like someone had run a guillotine down one whole side of it. Teague had warned her a few of the huge oaks around Summer Haven needed attention.

  “We’re home!” Maggie leapt out of the truck.

  Lil pushed her door open and slid out. She tugged the belt back down over the waist of her skirt and pulled on the zipper again. One sharp pull and her jacket hid the rigging. She opened the truck’s tailgate and picked up the box containing her belongings. It almost felt silly to be bringing those things home now, but when she’d packed them it had been heart wrenching to think of leaving them behind.

  She started toward the porch, but each step felt like an uphill climb, and she was having trouble catching her breath. She prayed it was just the excitement of being home. Lord, wouldn’t that be a kicker, if after all her playacting in prison she keeled over and died from a heart attack today?

  When she noticed the rockers on the porch, her mouth twisted. Normally, the chairs were placed symmetrically, three on one side of the door and three on the other. Someone had rearranged four of them in a half circle on the left. The other two lay scattered on the right at odd angles.

  She grabbed the handrail to steady herself. There was no flag in the flagpole. She’d always made sure the seasonal flags were changed, and everyone around town knew it. Hadn’t Maggie seen that on the list she left for her? How hard was it to put a flag up?

  Lil raised her hand to the railing. She slid her nail against the yellowing and flaking paint, sending it to the deck boards below. “Summer Haven is looking more tired than I remember.”

  “I did the best I could.” Maggie shoved her hands into her pockets. “The bathroom upstairs is renovated. New toilet and everything. I—”

  “I didn’t mean that quite the way it sounded. I’m sorry. I know you did your best. I’m just a little overwhelmed. I appreciate everything you’ve done. More than you’ll ever know.” But it hurt to see things this way. Had they looked this tired when she left and she was too close to it to notice, or had things deteriorated in the short time she was gone? Well, she was back now.

  Maggie lowered her head and Lil felt like a real toad for hurting her best friend.

  But before Lil could say another word, the front door opened and Serendipity and Abby Ruth stepped onto the porch cheering, “Welcome home!”

  Sera did something of a cheerleader leap in the air, then wrapped her arms around Lil’s neck. “We’re so glad you’re home.”

  Abby Ruth reached for the box in Lil’s arms. “Can I take that for you?”

  “I’ve got it.” Something about Abby Ruth’s question made Lil feel like a guest in her own home. Either that or a feeble old woman. She wasn’t incapable. That ruse may have gotten her out of jail, but that tale had ended when she stepped foot out of prison.

  “Come in.” Sera ushered her inside the foyer. “Maggie said you love shrimp and grits so I’m making it for dinner. I bet you’re starving.”

  Lillian was touched by the thoughtfulness of it, but she’d rather just be alone with Maggie.

  Maggie leaned in. “Don’t expect too much. Sera is one of those health food nuts. Not even a smidgen of butter in her recipe.” Maggie gave Lil a wink, and her smile had replaced the sullen look that had hung there a moment ago. “Seriously. I have no idea how she makes things taste good. It’s different, but you’ll get used to it.”

  Used to it? You’ve never eaten prison food. Anything fresh is a treat. I can’t wait to get back in the kitchen and whip up my special family recipes.

  Inside, things looked just as she’d left them. Well, pretty much. She glanced over at Maggie, but held her tongue at the long scrape outside the parlor. Clearly the floor had been damaged somehow. She poked her head inside the parlor to find a TV the size of Atlanta hanging over her beautiful sideboard. “Wha…what in the world is that?”

  Maggie grabbed her elbow and hustled her down the hallway toward the kitchen. “Why don’t we all sit down for some tea?”

  But Lil veered left into her bedroom and placed her box on the edge of her bed. The closet door was slightly askew, and Maggie’s hair ribbons hung from the lampshade on the dresser. She was tempted to take t
hem down and tuck them away, but Maggie walked in behind her. It had been her idea for Maggie to stay in her room rather than upstairs, so why did it eat at her to see her things disturbed?

  “I’m so happy I could bust.” Maggie’s voice nearly danced.

  “Me too, Mags.” Lil recognized the lackluster in her own tone.

  “You seem tired. Do you want to rest?”

  “No. No. I’m good.” But she wasn’t good. She felt out of place while the other three women moved about as if Summer Haven belonged to them. She didn’t have anything to unpack. Nothing to do. And her favorite suit didn’t fit. It wasn’t turning out to be as wonderful a day as she’d dreamed. Settling back in seemed unsettling at best. “I’ll be out in just a moment.”

  Maggie backed up, then stopped in the doorway. “I feel like someone should pinch me. Welcome home.”

  Lillian slipped out of her outfit and found a pair of her old fat pants with elastic-waist and a flowing top that hopefully hid her expanded midsection. Looked like she’d be rotating between three pairs of stretch knit pants because she sure wouldn’t be wearing any of her fitted clothes for a while. But then she spotted something she’d missed so much while she was gone. Her Passion Fruit Pink #46 lip color. For a moment, those extra pounds she was carrying fell away. She uncapped the lipstick and leaned close to the mirror, letting the color glide on. She plucked a tissue from the box and blotted, held the high-quality soft paper to her face. How she’d missed the little things. She pushed her feet into her favorite old house slippers and walked back out to the kitchen feeling somewhat more herself, confident and in control.

  “Can I pour you some coffee?” Sera asked.

  “I can get it.” Lil strolled to the counter, but the coffeepot wasn’t in its normal spot. A weird sense of disorientation struck her. Heck, maybe she did deserve compassionate release. Was her memory that bad? Her gaze darted around the room. Why in Pete’s sake had they moved the coffeemaker over by the fridge? She’d always kept the mugs in this cabinet. She opened the door to find those had disappeared as well. Instead, the cupboard held a bevy of assorted seeds and funky-smelling oddities. Sera’s doings, no doubt.

  Lil’s hands trembled so she held them close to her body and went to the opposite side of the room. She retrieved a mug from the cabinet above the coffeemaker and filled it to the brim. One sip of the brew and she made a desperate run for the sink, barely making it there before spitting out the woody-tasting mouthful. “What…what was that stuff?”

  “Sera switched us over to a chicory coffee,” Maggie said. “Says it helps digestion and reduces inflammation.”

  Only thing it had done for Lil was inflame her sense of disorientation. She poured the rest of her so-called coffee down the drain and rinsed out the cup.

  Lillian forced herself to sit down at the table with Abby Ruth and Sera. “Thank you, girls, for being here for Maggie while I’ve been away. You can’t know how much I appreciate you.”

  “To tell the truth,” Abby Ruth said, “it’s been awfully nice for me to be so close to Teague again. You know he and my daughter have been best friends since grade school. Should’ve been more than that, but you know how stupid college kids can be when it comes to love. But those two were meant to be, and a little Summer Haven Christmas magic seems to have done the trick.”

  “Sure did,” Maggie agreed. “Lil, the house looked beautiful over the holidays. I wish you could’ve seen it.”

  Abby Ruth snickered. “Well, the junk Colton gave us was a bit of an eyesore, but other than that it did look quite nice.”

  “What junk?” Lil asked.

  “Colton Ellerbee won the first Holiday Art Fest with this nativity scene sculpture.”

  “Made out of junk,” Abby Ruth sneered. “I’m talking bobbers for eyes and license plates for bodies. Even on the sweet baby Jesus. Eccentricity? Nah. That man’s flat-out weird, if you ask me.”

  “Well, it was an honor to accept the donation for the town and to house it here at Summer Haven. I mean this is the heart of Summer Shoals. Right, Lil?”

  “Certainly.” Lil nodded, but at the moment, she wasn’t sure what they were talking about, wasn’t sure if she even cared.

  “I knew you’d be thrilled.” Maggie smiled proudly.

  “That’s wonderful,” Lil offered. “About the sculpture, and Teague.” She was glad to hear Teague had found someone. Or reunited as the case may be. It would be nice for Summer Shoals to gain some younger residents. “Is everyone all settled in rooms upstairs? Have you been comfortable?”

  “Not me,” Sera said. “I’ve got camp set up down by the creek.”

  “Still? Dear, why won’t you stay inside?” Even as she asked the question, Lil wasn’t sure she wanted another person in her space.

  “I have everything I need out there,” Sera said. “I’d never impose on you like that.”

  “Yeah, and ever since she came careening through the second floor on the potty flume she’s been a little house-shy.” Abby Ruth chuckled, and Maggie started laughing so hard, tears were dripping from her eyes.

  Sera stuck her hands on her hips. “Hey, you’d have been freaked out too.”

  Lillian glanced from face to face. Obviously, this was some kind of inside joke, one she was squarely outside. “Is that what happened to the parlor floor?”

  Maggie put a hand on Lil’s arm. “Oh, Lil, I’ve had my hands full. I have to tell you. So, remember I mentioned I had to replace the toilet upstairs?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I didn’t really give you the whole story. Didn’t want to worry you, but not only did I have to replace the potty, but the flooring and the whole works. That porcelain toilet fell right through the ceiling one day…with Sera still sitting on it!”

  Sera smirked. “They’ve teased me that it was all the natural foods I eat making too much poop. I can assure you that was not the case.”

  “You say that,” Abby Ruth said, “but I’m not sure you’ve used an inside bathroom since then.”

  “There’s not one thing wrong with healthy eating,” Sera said.

  “She won’t fix anything with sugar or real butter for us, but she’d do anything to keep Mike & Ike to herself,” Abby Ruth teased.

  What in heaven’s name was going on in this place? Was it one big wild party? Strange men at Summer Haven might be worse than people knowing where Lil had been all this time. Surely they’d be talking.

  Maggie and Abby Ruth were still laughing and by now Sera had joined in.

  “Well, everyone needs a guilty pleasure,” Sera said.

  Lil held a hand to her thundering heart. “Two men. At one time?”

  The laughter stopped, and the others shared a look of confusion. Then, Abby Ruth snorted, Sera rolled in her lips, and Maggie snickered.

  Not only was Lil out of the loop, she wasn’t anywhere on this darned roller coaster.

  Sera shoved her hand into her pocket and pulled out a miniature box of Mike & Ike’s candy. She shook it like a maraca and danced around the table. “Oh goodness no, Lil. My guilty pleasure is this.”

  Lil smiled politely, suddenly feeling so tired. “Oh, I see.”

  “Okay, whew, that was fun,” Sera said. “We’ve had our little laugh, our auras are in a good place, but no more potty talk this close to dinner.” She flounced across the room and plopped into the empty chair. “Lil, I rummaged through your recipes for the shrimp and grits and will take my best stab at making you proud. I’ll even use real butter.”

  “Never did that for us,” Abby Ruth muttered.

  “Tonight is special.” Sera placed a hand on top of Lil’s. “We’re so happy you’re back home.”

  The doorbell rang and Sera’s chair made a loud groan as it scraped the original plank flooring, sending a chill up Lil’s spine.

  Where were the furniture pads she’d always used?

  Sera came flying back into the kitchen wide-eyed. “It’s Angelina. I left her waiting at the door. What should we do?”
>
  Lillian straightened in her chair. “You left her standing on the front porch?”

  “Yes!” Sera nodded. “I didn’t know what to do. I mean we have so much to catch you up on. We’ve been making up stories for months. That woman’s aura is unnaturally distributed. Her sexual chakras aren’t just bound up. Those suckers are totally blown out. She’s scary!”

  Lil got up and breezed past Sera. “I’ll handle this.” She took a deep breath before opening the door. She said to Angelina, “How on earth did you know I was home?”

  Angelina smiled so sweetly that for a moment Lil almost forgot all the hell and fury the woman caused on a regular basis. “I signed up to be alerted when you were released. It’s a citizen’s right to get an alert when a criminal is being put back out on the streets.”

  Along with Abby Ruth and Sera, Maggie pressed against the front window, trying to overhear Lil’s conversation with Angelina.

  “I am not a criminal,” Lil huffed.

  “The federal government says you are.”

  “I don’t think you subscribed to an alert because you were afraid I’d come straight to your house for a little B&E.”

  “Oh, B&E? You’ve even got the lingo down, Lil. Next thing you know, you’ll be running a halfway house around here.”

  “Maybe I will, but it won’t be any business of yours, thank you very much. Why are you here, Angelina?” Lil rubbed her forehead as though Angelina was giving her a migraine.

  Maggie rubbed her rear end in empathy.

  Sera collapsed to the floor and propped her chin on the windowsill. “This is not good karma.”

  Angelina’s voice rose. “Have you forgotten we have a deal?”

  Deal? Lil was making deals with Angelina?

  “Unless you have a purse full of hundred dollar bills,” Lil shot back, “then we don’t have a deal.”

  “Before I pay good money, I want another look at the Tucker.”

  Abby Ruth elbowed Maggie. “Did you hear that? Angelina just said something about the Torpedo.”