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Everyone fell silent, because Bessie never got upset.At least not with her friends.
“Now, I made a nice dinner, and it’s all my favorite things that testify of Texas, that my gran used to make.”
“All right,” Joy said, stepping forward too.“Bessie’s right.”
Part of her wanted to call out Joy and Lauren for not evenseeingher standing inside her own house, but she didn’t.Bessie stuffed the hurt and humiliation away to deal with later.
The timer on the oven went off, and she got out of the spotlight to attend to the food.“Sage,” she said.“Would you help with the Texas bibb salad?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sage said, probably the only one unaffected by Bessie’s outburst.Bea came to help with the dipping sauces for the beef bundles, and Joy finally left Lauren’s side to get out the fizzy drinks and sweet tea.
Everything lightened with food, and they ate, laughed, drank, and talked.After an hour, Bea got up to finish the banana pudding jars, and Bessie took that moment to send a text.Her mouth turned as dry as the dessert they’d been talking about visiting at Big Bend National Park, because her secret was about to come out.
The stand mixer switched off, and Bessie got up to help with the wafers.
“Thank you, Bessie,” Bea said quietly, the conversation still happening at the table covering up theirs in the kitchen.
“Sure.”Bessie hoped she’d still be thanking her once everything came to light.She and Bea got a couple of jars done, and Bea picked them up to take over to the table.
The doorbell rang, and Bessie froze.
“Bess, should I get it?”Joy asked, rising to her feet.
She wouldn’t need to, but Bessie managed to nod.The door opened before Joy left the kitchen area, and Bessie held very still.She could see the front door from her position in the kitchen, and a tall, handsome man entered her house.
“Ah,” he said, his smile wide but fleeting.“Looks like I found the right place.”
Bea gasped and turned around.She dropped one of the jars of banana pudding she hadn’t passed out yet.“Grant?”she asked, loud enough for everyone to hear.
His name rippled through the house.Grant—grant—grant.Gr-grant?
He looked at Bessie, their eyes meeting for only the briefest of moments before he focused on Bea again.Still, it felt like that single flick had caused everyone in the Supper Club to focus on Bessie again.They’d all know she’d known about this.Had helped facilitate it even.
Bea took two quick, small steps toward him before she could stop herself.“What are you doing here?”
