Fancy Pants (Wynette, Texas #1)(131)

“Hey, Teddy.” Holly Grace caught him against her and cupped his small head gently to her chest. Then she gave him a comforting rub across his narrow shoulders. “You did real good there, honey. Dallie's big, but you held your own just fine.”

Francesca and Dallie exploded in unison.

“What the hell's wrong with you, tellin' him something like that?”

“Really, Holly Grace!”

Holly Grace gazed at them over the top of Teddy's head, taking in their rumpled clothes and flushed, stricken faces. Then she shook her head. “Damn. It looks to me like I just missed the best reunion since Sherman got together with Atlanta.”





Chapter

27



Francesca pulled Teddy away from Holly Grace. With her son clasped to her side, she led him out of the hallway and toward the front of the house, intent on taking him upstairs, packing her things, and getting out of Wynette forever. But as she walked through the archway into the living room, she came to a dead stop.

The entire world seemed to have gathered to watch her life fall apart. Skeet Cooper stood by the window eating a piece of chocolate cake. Miss Sybil sat next to Doralee on the couch. The cleaning lady hired to help Miss Sybil had just come in through the front door. And Gerry Jaffe paced back and forth across the carpet.

Francesca turned to confront Holly Grace with Gerry's presence only to see that her best friend was preoccupied with wrapping her arm around Dallie's waist. If there had ever been any question in her mind about where Holly Grace's loyalties lay, her protective attitude toward Dallie had just answered it. “Did you have to bring the entire world down here with you?” Francesca snapped.

Holly Grace looked past Francesca and, spotting Gerry for the first time, uttered an oath that Francesca would just as soon Teddy had not overheard.

Gerry looked like a man who could use a good night's sleep, and he immediately walked toward Holly Grace. “Couldn't you have called me and told me what was going on?”

“Called you?” Holly Grace shouted. “Why should I have called you, and what in the hell are you doing here?”

The cleaning lady took her time hanging up her coat while she regarded them all with ill-concealed curiosity. Dallie studied Gerry with a combination of hostility and interest. This was the only man besides himself who had been able to send the beauteous Holly Grace Beaudine into a tailspin.

Francesca felt a nagging ache start up at her temples.

“What do you mean, what the hell am I doing here?” Gerry said. “I called Naomi from Washington and found out that Teddy had been kidnapped and that you were all upset. What did you expect me to do? Stay in Washington and pretend nothing was wrong?”

The argument between Holly Grace and Gerry accelerated and then the telephone rang. Everyone, including the cleaning woman, ignored it. Francesca felt as if she was suffocating. All she could think about was that she had to get Teddy out of here. The telephone continued to ring and the cleaning lady finally began to move toward the kitchen to answer it. Holly Grace and Gerry abruptly lapsed into angry silence.

At that moment, Dallie looked over at Doralee. “Who's that?” he asked, his tone displaying little more than mild curiosity:

Skeet shook his head and shrugged.

Miss Sybil rummaged through her needlepoint bag for her canvas.

Holly Grace shot Francesca a disgusted glare.

Following the direction of his ex-wife's gaze, Dallie turned his head toward Francesca for an explanation.

“Her name is Doralee,” Francesca informed him stiffly. “She needs a place to stay temporarily.”

Dallie thought for a moment, and then nodded pleasantly. “Howdy, Doralee.”

Sparks flashed in Holly Grace's eyes and her lips pursed ominously. “I don't believe the two of you! Haven't you got enough trouble without looking for more?”

The cleaning lady stuck her head back in the living room from the kitchen. “There's a phone call for Miss Day.”

Francesca ignored her. Although her head had begun to pound in earnest, she decided she'd taken enough abuse from Holly Grace. “You just be quiet, Holly Grace Beaudine. I want to know what you're doing here. All of this is awful enough without you showing up to flap your wings around Dallie like some sort of ridiculous mother hen. He's a grown man! He doesn't need you to fight his battles. And he certainly doesn't need you to protect him from me.”

“Maybe I didn't just come here for him, did you ever think of that?” Holly Grace retorted. “Maybe I didn't trust either one of you to have enough common sense to handle this situation.”

“I've heard enough about your common sense,” Francesca answered just as angrily. “I'm sick of hearing about—”

“What should I do about this telephone call?” the cleaning lady asked. “The man says he's a prince.”

“Mom!” Teddy wailed, scratching the rash on his stomach and glaring daggers at Dallie.

Holly Grace thrust her pointed finger toward Doralee. “There's a perfect example of what I'm talking about! You never think. You just—”

Doralee jumped up. “I don't have to listen to this shit!”

“This is really none of your business, Holly Grace,” Gerry interrupted.

“Mom!” Teddy wailed again. “Mom, my rash itches! I want to go home!”