Abby smiles. “You said it. Not me.”
She is wearing a pretty blue summer dress and has done something new with her hair, though I’m not quite sure exactly what. Shortened it maybe or lightened it up or something. But it makesher even prettier, all in all, which is saying—or thinking—a lot in her case.
“Did I mention how nice your hair looks tonight?”
“Don’t try and change the subject.”
“Tell us more,” EJ says, and to my embarrassment, Abby does, including how it wasn’t really a blister that had made me miss one of my last starts for the baseball team that spring, it was the cut on my index finger from when I’d tried to pin her corsage the night of the junior prom.
“You promised you’d never tell that one,” I say to her.
She reaches over and puts her hand on top of mine, as if that’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Figured the statute of limitations had run out, big guy.”
I laugh again. And after the day I’ve had and that the town has had, it feels really good.
“Miz Tucker,” Abby says now, “you havegotto give me your recipe for this steak.”
“No mystery there, dear, it’s all in the breading,” my grandmother says. “And if you don’t call me EJ, no dessert.”
“Am I allowed to ask whatisfor dessert?” Vince says.
“Strawberry rhubarb pie.”
“Oh, God,” he says, his voice full of emotion.
“I’m sorry,” EJ says. “Did God do the cooking tonight?”
I’d truly hoped we could get all the way through the dinner without discussing what feels like the Civil War going on in our town, even though it’s the elephant in the room. But that’s where we go now, as if the dinner conversation is like one of those self-driven cars and that’s been the destination all along.
“I don’t want to go all serious here,” Abby says. “But with all that’s going on, what do you think is going to happen, Silas? How do you think it all ends, I guess is what I’m asking?”
“I’ll handle that one,” Vince says. “Silas is going to win, like he always has.”
“Whoa,” I say. “You know this isn’t just my fight. Or war, whatever you choose to call it. We all know that by now.”
“You don’t talk to people around town as much as I do,” Vince says, “because that was never your way even when we were growing up. But the reason so many peoplearefired up to finally fight back against the Crocketts isn’t because Burt is as fired up asheis, or because Helene Mayes has brought in reinforcements like she has. It’s because of you, Silas. It’s because you’re willing to put yourself out there. And people are just as willing to get behind you as they would have been if it was your dad leading the charge.”
EJ sips some of her wine and quietly says, “Where do you think he got his stubborn gene?”
Abby smiles again. “Hold on, Miz… EJ,” she says. “I’d always assumed he got it from you.”
“I’m liking this young woman more and more,” EJ says.
“Same,” I say, surprising myself when I hear that come out of my mouth.
I look around the table.
“The last thing I’m going to say about everything, without going all serious myself, is that something may be about to pop,” I say. “Burt told me he might possibly have found a way to tie the Crocketts to these girls.”
“Really?” Abby says.
“Really.”
“Found what?” Abby asks. “Did he tell you?”
“He did not,” I say. “But I don’t think he would’ve mentioned anything to me if he didn’t have something solid to go on.”
