Riverbend Reunion(92)

“Aww, that’s so sweet.” Daisy pushed back her chair, rounded the table, and gave Risa a hug. “Are you going to walk us to the porch and wave as I drive away?”

“I’ll be the one driving,” Lily said.

“I’m the oldest,” Daisy argued.

“Only by two minutes,” Lily countered.

“Daisy drives today, and you drive tomorrow.” Risa settled the argument. “And if you can’t agree or forget whose turn it is, then I’ll take you to school and hold both your hands all the way to the door like I did when you started kindergarten.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Lily didn’t waste a second in disagreement.

“And you better thank Jessica and Haley for saying that I could use their vehicles if I need something so that you can have the truck for school,” Risa told them.

“Thank you!” the two of them chorused at the same time.

“It’s time to go if we’re going to pick Melissa and Ginger up on the way,” Lily said. “I’m sure glad we’ve got a back seat in the truck. We’ll see y’all as soon as school is over.”

The moment Risa heard the truck leave, she covered her eyes with her hands and began to weep. “Don’t any of y’all look at me. I’m ugly when I cry.”

“I can’t let you cry alone.” Jessica left her chair beside Wade and hugged Risa. “We’ve got this whole year with them. We won’t waste a minute of it, and we’re all grateful to you for sharing them with us.”

“I can’t even imagine sending this baby”—Haley touched her stomach—“off to preschool, much less think about him or her going to their senior year.”

“Time passes so quickly. Just look at this summer,” Oscar told them. “Don’t take a minute of it for granted. Y’all have got a wonderful friendship among you, and Jessica and Wade, you’ve got something beyond that. Cherish it.”

“You’ll get no argument from me, but how did you know about me and Jessica?” Wade asked.

“We all know,” Risa said. “Right now, I don’t want to think about how empty my life will be when I can’t see my girls every day. They’ve been my lifeline to sanity all these years.”

“Just keep the lines of communication open. You’ve got all this wonderful technology these days.” Oscar swiped a tear from his eye. “Now, let’s get busy before we get even more maudlin. Zach called last night. He’s bringing the two church pews home this morning. Have y’all decided whether you are gonna rent the barn out to him or what? I noticed you took the ‘For Sale’ sign off the RV.”

“I sold it to him,” Jessica said. “He’s going to take it today and get the AC fixed or replaced.”

“I thought it best that we all make a decision about letting him park it on the property.” Wade shrugged. “What do you think?”

“No problem here,” Oscar answered.

“Like he said, he’ll be working in the day when we’re all sleeping, and sleeping at night when we’re all working,” Mary Nell reminded them. “I don’t have a problem with him being here. Haley?”

“He seems like a nice guy,” Haley replied. “If Oscar and Wade vouch for him, I don’t care if he lives on the property.”

“Me either.” Risa was glad for something to think about other than her girls leaving for their senior year.

“What kind of rent do you think we should charge for letting him work out of the barn?” Wade asked.

“How about we ask him to get his license to sell liquor and beer and fill in behind the bar for us when we’re shorthanded?” Oscar suggested. “My wine and moonshine business has suffered this summer with all this remodeling, and I’d like to get back to it. Zach could be a real asset to the team if he’s willing.”

Risa got up and refilled all their coffee mugs, then sat back down. “I like that idea a lot. That way, maybe one of you can leave the bar and take over for me in the kitchen if I need to be at the school for something the girls are involved in.”

“Then I’ll ask him if that would work for him,” Wade said, “and if no one is going to eat those last two pancakes, I’ll have them.”

Risa shoved the platter over closer to him. “Do any of you realize how much I love all this? Being asked for my opinion, and us all discussing things? I had decisions made for me my whole life until now, and it’s sure a good feeling.”

“I sure do.” Mary Nell put two spoonfuls of sugar in her coffee. “It makes me feel like I matter.”

“We’re all good for each other,” Haley agreed. “I’m glad that my baby is going to have this particular village to help raise him or her.”



Jessica stood in the middle of the foyer with everyone else and stared at the coat and hat rack Oscar had made by cutting the old steeple down. He’d used the wood from the bottom to make fancy little hooks to hang things on.

“That is awesome,” she said.

Oscar smiled and nodded. “Thanks, but it’s just a hat rack. We needed to use the thing for something other than firewood to roast hot dogs and wieners, and one day I really looked at it. It was too tall to use all of it, and that six-sided shape wouldn’t let us put it out on the road to use for a sign of any kind.”