The Devine Doughnut Shop(15)

“Give me five minutes to pull on some pajama pants,” Sarah said after a long sigh. “We’ll talk after we have dinner—and it’s got to be somewhere that Audrey can’t eavesdrop.”

“You are scaring me. Did you have an accident and hurt someone?” Grace asked. “That’s the only thing I can think of that would make you look like a ghost.”

“Nope, but let’s have dinner and then take a drive.” Sarah pulled a pair of sweatpants from a dresser drawer and stepped into them.

“Maybe a hint?” Grace asked on her way to the door.

“Don’t ever fall in love,” Sarah answered as she led the way down the hall to the kitchen. Her own heart was breaking, but she would get over it. She wasn’t sure that Macy—with her sweet nature—ever would.

When Sarah sat down at the table, Raelene raised her eyes and smiled. Audrey looked like she could chew up railroad ties and spit out toothpicks.

Grace settled into her normal place at the other end and said, “Audrey, you can say grace today.”

“I’d rather not,” Audrey said.

“I’ll do it, if that’s okay,” Raelene offered.

“Thank you,” Grace said with a nod.

Raelene said a short prayer and thanked God for giving her a roof over her head and new friends, and asked that the hands that prepared the food be blessed.

“That was sweet,” Sarah said, her voice cracking a little. She’d been wallowing in her own misery so much that she’d forgotten all the blessings in her life—family, a new friend, and a chance to live another day. Poor little Raelene hadn’t had any of those things, and now Audrey was treating her like she had the plague.

“So how did church go this morning?” Sarah didn’t care about the sermon or even the hymns, which were her favorite part of the service, but she did want to talk about something—anything—to get her mind off Joel and Neal.

“The preacher talked about how important it is to forgive like Joseph did his brothers, and we discussed the different attitudes of his brothers in Sunday school,” Raelene said. “I enjoyed being in that church. If I was staying in Devine, I might even change my membership.”

Audrey’s head raised a little, and she shot a look across the table. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I have a full two-year scholarship to this little junior college in Oklahoma.” Raelene took the platter from Grace and loaded her plate with pot roast, potatoes, and carrots. “I get to live in the dorm, and I’ll have enough grant money to even pay for my cafeteria-meal ticket.”

“How did you get that?” Audrey’s tone had changed very little.

“Lose the attitude or pay the price. You really are acting like a mean girl, and that’s not acceptable in this house,” Grace said in a low voice.

“I applied for it and sent them a demo tape. The choir director helped me make it,” Raelene answered.

Audrey took the platter when it came her way and scooped a few potatoes and some pot roast onto her plate. “What if I don’t care about living in this house, Mama?”

Raelene blushed. “Maybe it would be best if I moved out.”

“You will not,” Sarah said. “Audrey, you’re being a mean little snot. This girl was your friend until last fall, and she’s done nothing to warrant you treating her like dirt.”

“You’re not my mama,” Audrey countered.

“Yes, but I am,” Grace said, “and this is going to stop. You can be civil, or you can suffer the consequences.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Audrey said, but her tone was far from sweet.

“What kind of demo tape?” Sarah asked.

“Songs. I will be singing in the choir,” Raelene said. “In addition to my scholarship, I get a small stipend for living expenses, and I get to travel with the choir on out-of-state trips. I’ve never been anywhere outside of Texas, so that’s pretty exciting.”

Sarah’s heart felt a little lighter just thinking that this kid was finally getting a lucky break. She would get out of the small town where she’d been branded as weird—a tech weenie, as Audrey had called her.

“But the nursing program is what I’ll be enrolled into. In two years, if I pass my state tests, I will be an RN,” Raelene said. “It’s the only place I know that I can finish in that time and be able to get a job and support myself.”

“That’s fantastic,” Grace said. “I hope that someday Audrey can get a good scholarship like that. Right now, she’s failing algebra.”

“I’d be glad to help you, Audrey,” Raelene said. “Math and science are my strong points. If you want, I might be able to catch you up over spring break.”

“Not in a million years,” Audrey said with a sneer. “I’d rather flunk.”

“If you do, you get to repeat all the classes that you’ve failed, and it might even keep you from having enough credits to graduate,” Sarah said.

“Raelene’s offered you free tutoring lessons,” Grace added. “You should take her up on that.”

“Well, maybe,” Audrey agreed, “but that doesn’t mean we’re friends. I don’t know why I have to take algebra, anyway. When I inherit the doughnut shop and this house and all the land we own, I’m going to sell it to the highest bidder. Then I’m going to travel the world. I’ll shop in Paris and Rome and London, and send gifts to Crystal and Kelsey.”