The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop (Cadillac, Texas #3)(19)

Stella gulped several times before setting the glass back down on the small table between the two chairs. “Boone and his buddies are having a fish fry at the park. I haven’t run in several days and I thought the exercise would be good for me.”

“Well, this ain’t the day to start again. We’ve got our first real heat blast of the summer. Weatherman said it was up more than a hundred degrees, but the sumbitch lied. It’s only five degrees cooler than hell. Drink some more. If you die on my porch, Nancy will come huntin’ me down, thinkin’ that I done let you die before she got her grandbaby. I’d hate to have to kill your mama with my old shotgun in a showdown right out there in the street,” Agnes said.

“I’m not going to die,” Stella said.

Not now that she’d been rehydrated with sweet tea, bless Agnes’s heart.

“Of course you ain’t. I saved you. I told you, us redheads got to stick together,” Agnes said.

Stella looked at the two glasses on the table. “How did you know I’d be walkin’ past here today and need a glass of tea?”

Agnes smiled. “I didn’t. I always bring two glasses because Beulah has a sixth sense and knows when I come out for a breath of fresh air. I got tired of going back in the house to get a glass for her, so I just go on ahead and bring out two.”

Stella glanced over at the house across the street. “Why isn’t she here, then?”

“Jack and Carlene took her out for a snow cone up in Sherman. She don’t drive anymore and she loves snow cones. They invited me to go with them. I’m glad I didn’t since I had to save your hide this evening. Drink the rest of that and I’ll drive you on down to the park,” Agnes said.

“Miz Agnes, I can walk that far. It’s only five blocks,” Stella argued.

“Not on my watch. If you die, they’ll shut up the beauty shop until the funeral is over and I won’t get to see them women’s faces when they realize they done sweat through a bake sale for nothing. Besides, my black suit is too little and I ain’t buyin’ another one at my age so I’m not going to no more funerals and it would sure look bad if I didn’t attend yours since we’re both redheaded and all,” Agnes told her.

“You wouldn’t go to Violet’s funeral if she died? I thought y’all had a bet going as to who was going to outlive the other one,” Stella asked.

“Yes, I’d go to that old bat’s funeral, but I’d go in my overalls and my flip-flops just to see if I could get her to rise up out of that coffin.” Agnes giggled again. “Now you sit right here and I’ll get my truck keys. Piper or Charlotte can take you home. You got to take care of yourself, girl. We got us a war fixin’ to start come Wednesday mornin’ and I can’t wait for it to get going.”

“Only way I’ll let you take me to the park is if you stay with me and drive me back home when the fish fry is over,” Stella said.

“Well, hell, I thought you’d never ask. I ain’t been to a good outdoor fish fry in years. Fold up your lawn chair and mine and throw them in the back of the truck so we’ll have something to sit on. I’ll get the keys and my purse.” Agnes didn’t leave any room for argument.

“How about the tea and the glasses?”

“Let ’em set there. It’ll draw in a bunch of ants and mosquitoes and drown ’em. There’ll be less to pester me the rest of the summer. Meet me at the truck. I’ll come through the kitchen door,” Agnes said.

Stella had just tossed the chairs into the back of the truck when she heard rubber flip-flops slapping against the hot concrete driveway. She crawled into the passenger’s side and gasped.

“Leave the door open a minute to let the hot air out. Feels like a bake oven in here but there ain’t no need in turnin’ on the air-conditioning since it won’t kick in cool until we get there, so roll down the window. It’s still better than walkin’ or runnin’, for God’s sake.” Agnes threw her purse on the wide front seat and hopped up into the driver’s seat. “I’m tickled to get to go. Ain’t a damn thing on the television that I like on Sunday night. Don’t tell me that self-righteous Heather is coming or I’m going back home and watchin’ them flies drown.”

“I hope Heather isn’t there. I can’t imagine who’d invite her,” Stella answered.

“Well, Quinn does go fishin’ sometimes with Boone and Rhett, so I didn’t know. It’s a good thing she’s not coming. She’d probably die of heat exhaustion in them panty hose, anyway. I did offer to bring something to their bake sale tomorrow but she told me I wasn’t on the prayer committee and they didn’t want anything from me. I guess they’re afraid of my prayers.”

Stella smiled. “That might be a compliment. Have you ever heard of a marriage ministry before?”

“Hell, no! I heard of a singing ministry but not a marriage one. That’s the biggest crock of bullshit I ever heard.” Agnes giggled as she stopped at the only red light on Main Street, looked both ways, and went on.

Stella grabbed the armrest and held on until her fingers turned white. “That light wasn’t green yet.”

“Nothing was comin’ and I ain’t got time to sit there and wait for it to turn green when the fish is fryin’.”