The Magnolia Inn(46)

Flossie nudged her on the arm. “You woolgatherin’, darlin’? You’ve been holding that basket of biscuits for a full minute.”

“I’m sorry. I was thinkin’ of my dad. He never planted a garden, but he had the prettiest flowers in the whole county.” Jolene hurriedly put a biscuit on her plate and passed the basket on to Tucker. “I like getting my hands dirty in flower beds. Maybe we’ll put some in at the inn this spring.”

“I like that idea, but right now I’m more interested in this corn,” Tucker said.

“Person gets used to good fresh food and then that canned stuff don’t taste good,” Flossie said.

Tucker took a biscuit and passed them on. “I’ve lived on takeout for so long that two Sundays of this good cookin’ makes me feel plumb spoiled.”

Jolene stole a glance at him and remembered what Aunt Sugar said about no one being truly bad or good. Tucker was a good man, in spite of his weekend binges. He worked hard, had a sense of humor and a kind heart. But could he ever forget Melanie? The drinking seemed to be tied tightly to his deceased wife, and that would make it difficult, if not impossible, for him to get over it if he couldn’t let go of the guilt surrounding her death.

She was still pondering those thoughts when Flossie bumped her on the knee and nodded toward Lucy.

“Having you around,” Lucy was saying, “makes us feel like we did when we had our Friday-night girls’ night.”

Dotty yawned. “I agree, but I’m in bad need of a nap. Jolene and I were up until three this mornin’.”

“I’ll help y’all with cleanup, and then we can all go find us a nice soft bed for a Sunday afternoon nap,” Jolene said.

“You don’t need to help us,” Flossie said. “Lucy’s got a good dishwasher, and we’ll have this done in no time. Don’t forget next week is at Flossie’s.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for anything, but please let us bring something,” Tucker said.

“You can bring a half gallon of ice cream,” Flossie said. “We’ll have ice cream sundaes for dessert. But I’m going to put some of this cobbler on a plate for you to take home for supper. There’s no way we can eat it all.”

“I won’t argue with you one bit. That was some fantastic cobbler.” Tucker grinned.

Like that little compliment, Jolene thought. It made the ladies feel special, and that was a good thing, so even a weekend drunk has good qualities.

Jolene gave them all a goodbye hug, just like she had when she was a little girl. “Thanks for a great day. I can’t wait to tell Aunt Sugar all about it.”

“Well, that was strange,” Tucker said when they were in the truck and headed down the highway toward the inn.

“What?” she asked. “Hasn’t anyone ever sent leftovers home with you?”

“No, my grandmother always sent food home with me. But I felt just like I did when I went home with Melanie the first time to meet her parents,” he answered. “Like I should be on my best behavior, and yet, it wasn’t hard to do because they’re so much fun to be around.”

“What kind of food did your granny make?” she asked.

“They lived on a ranch, so it was usually steaks. But my grandma made the best cheesecake in the whole world. Didn’t you notice all three of them making eye contact as if they were sharing an inside joke?” He turned down the lane to the inn and parked in front of the house.

It hit Jolene in a flash. Dotty had denied that she was playing matchmaker, but those old gals were up to something. “If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck . . . ,” she said.

Tucker’s eyes went to every window in the truck. “Where’s a duck?”

“I’m not talkin’ about a real one.” Jolene giggled. If he didn’t know that Dotty, Flossie, and Lucy had united to play matchmaker, then she wasn’t going to tell him.

“Oh, I see.” Tucker grinned. “So you noticed what they were doing, too?”

“I did.” She nodded.

“Well, honey, if it makes them happy and they make cobbler, then I don’t mind, do you?”

She smiled. “Then it is true. The way to your heart is through your stomach.”

“Today it is.” Tucker changed the subject. “Guess we’d better go on inside and do some laundry while we take our naps, right?”

Jolene got out of the car and bent against a cold wind sweeping down from the north. “Does it seem strange to you when we combine our clothes?”

“Yep.” He nodded. “But that’s because my tighty-whities haven’t been tossed in with a woman’s underbritches in a long time.”

She unlocked the door and led the way inside. “It’s been a long time since I was in a relationship that got to the stage where we did laundry together. Guess it’s a normal reaction, but it’s nice to save water.”

“Yes, it is.”

Sassy came out of the kitchen, rubbed around Tucker’s legs, and looked up at him with begging eyes.

Tucker set the cobbler on the cabinet and stooped down to pet her. “Sorry, darlin’. It’s people food. It’s not leftover steak, pizza, or even hamburger for you. We didn’t think to bring home a fried chicken leg. How about a handful of cat treats?”