“Yeah, it is. I’m glad we’re doing this, though.”
“Me too.”
Matty let go of her with one arm to hold the note up. “So, what do we do with this?”
“We’ll add it to the box.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Not ready to trash them yet?”
“No, not just yet.”
“Okay, we’ll add this piece of shit to the box, then go have dinner. Cheese dip will cheer you up. It cheers everyone up. Well, except lactose-intolerant people.”
Reese shook her head, laughing. “You’re silly. Yeah, cheese dip helps, and even more so because I’ll be having it with you.”
“God, we’re sappy,” Matty grinned. She leaned in, giving Reese a long kiss. “But I’m here for it.”
“Me too.”
And she meant it. She really did, even if it was scary.
Chapter twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-six
Matty brushed a piece of hair from her face as she tried to peer through the windshield. It was raining hard, the noise almost deafening against the roof of the cab. “Shit, I thought it was just supposed to be cloudy today. Not a downpour.”
“Yeah, I didn’t see this coming. The wipers are hardly keeping up. If I didn’t have to go to this suit fitting, I wouldn’t,” said Kerrie.
“Bette would kill you if you missed it.”
“She would, then revive me to do it again. This wedding is starting to get to her. I can’t wait for it to be over and we’re back to normal. Don’t get me wrong, I want her to be my wife, but if I never have to discuss color schemes or table runners again, I’ll be happy.”
Matty laughed. She could only imagine how much work went into a wedding. Her thoughts briefly went to Reese, who, without a doubt, would look fantastic in a wedding dress. And out of it, for that matter.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay at your grandmother’s without a car? I’m not sure how long it will take, and it’s in Florence, so it’ll take me forty minutes to get down there and forty back.”
“I should be fine. She promised it would just be us. I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t gotten to visit in a while.”
“Okay, well, I’ll text you when I’m headed back.”
By the time they arrived, the rain had been reduced to a drizzle, but there was a chill in the air. She popped the hood of her hoodie up over her head. “I’ll see you in a little while.”
She ran to the door, scuffed her boots against the welcome mat, and entered the home.
“Ooh, it smells so good in here,” she declared, inhaling the savory scent coming from the kitchen.
“I thought I’d cook us up a little lunch,” Grams said, holding her arm out, the one that wasn’t stirring a pot. “Give me a hug.”
She wrapped the older woman in a tight hug, inhaling the smell of Ivory soap and the rose lotion she used faithfully. She had smelled like that for the entirety of Matty’s life.
“What are we having?”
“Stewed potatoes, cream corn, cornbread, and white beans. You want me to cut up a little white onion?”
Matty rubbed her belly, her eyes darting over the pots and pans on the stove. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll get the plates.”
They moved around the little kitchen with decades of familiarity. It was nice to be back. She tried not to remember how defeated she felt the last time she was there.
