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“I’ll take it under advisement,” she said. “Can we drop the subject?”
“Yes, gladly.”
Mortified, Justin knew his sarcasm had gotten out of control, and now one of the biggest gossips in Cypress Cove, even bigger than he was, had heard him say things they could surmise he was glad Maggie wasn’t pregnant.What an asshole.Now he had to charm her and the only thing he could think of was to ask her out on a date.
“I’m in the mood to dance tonight. What do you think?”
“I can dance.”
Dancing at the roadhouse on a Sunday night might actually help her move beyond the slights of the day. They arrived at Bayou Cottage and unloaded Spooky and Dale and then returned the trailer to Doc Chastain’s.
After they got Brulee in the truck, they made the return trip home. Maggie rested her head against the seat, and forced her hand over to Justin’s lap to take his.
“You’re making me crazy, Justy.”
“I know, babe, I’m so sorry. My mouth opens, and this crap just comes out. If you had said you were pregnant, I would have had a heart attack because it made me happy, not disappointed, okay? I’ll make sure Amber and Grace know that the next time I see them.”
She just snickered. It was too late to do anything about that, but she wasn’t going there with him. Justin was an adult who didn’t like to be told what to do, and she was working on letting him make his own mistakes and having to clean up after himself.
The roller coaster continued. “Remember last night we said we just wanted to leave things as they are for a while?” she asked. “Now we start all over again.”
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. His whiskers picked her, and it was so him, it melted her heart.
“I love you, Justin.”
“I love you, too. We should have stayed home today.”
“Ha! Too late. And I wanted to ride Dale. We’re doing the right thing. One foot in front of the other.”
“All the foot clichés apply. Two feet forward, one back, or something like that.”
He pulled up to the gate. “I’ll get it,” Maggie said, pushing the door open. Everything was taking so much effort. A dull ache across her lower back reminded her that her monthly visitor had arrived. No wonder.
That night, they danced like they hadn’t danced before, lost in the music's beat, with eyes only for each other.
***
Sunday morning usually meant a trip to church alone for Alphé and then going out to fish, sometimes with his kids, sometimes with Pierre. However, on this Sunday, he went to church with Katrina and the kids. Sitting in the pew with his family, listening to the priest, moved him. Memories of attending mass with his mother and father and siblings had been strongholds against depression in the previous years. Today, he was making new memories, however fleeting.
Filing out of church, the younger children grasped the hands of the adults, further unifying the picture of the solid, secure family. It was what he had always wanted. Then his phone beeped.
“Uh-oh. It’s Maw Maw, wanting us to come for breakfast.” He looked at Katrina, concerned.
“Do you want to go?” she asked.
“You don’t get it, Kat,” Angela said. “My grandmother lives in a house up on stilts in the marsh. She has a neon sign in her window advertising palm reading.”
Laughter cascaded down the ages of the children. Even Rumor giggled.
“Mommy says Maw Maw’s a witch.”
“I’m okay with that,” Katrina replied. “I love this culture.”
“Okay, we’ll take the pickup and let the kids sit in the back.”
“A beat-up truck filled with hillbilly kids fits right in with the whole scenario,” Noel said, laughing out loud. “The food will be great though; that’s one thing we can count on.”
“She must have heard I wasn’t going out today. We haven’t been to my mother’s for breakfast in a long time.”
