Page 176 of Unexpected Redemption

“Mrs. Holt.” He tips his head as he shakes her hand gently.

Awkward tension simmers around us, adding to the mugginess of the south Georgia weather.

I wonder how long until she asks what happened to James—the man I was madly in love with the last time I saw her.

“Well,” she starts, glancing between us. “Will y’all be comin’ to supper tonight or tomorrow? How many place settings should I add?”

Impatience, thy name is Violet Anastasia Holt.

“When’s the next round of judgin’? If you have a few minutes, I’d rather talk now.”

She pats her hair down, nervously looking around. “Violet, this is not the time nor place to have an important discussion.” She glances up at Tomer, disdain floating behind her narrowed eyes. “This is a private, family matter.”

Poofgoes my plan to play it cool.

“It sure is. And Tomer’s gonna be familyrealsoon.”

She slants her head to the side, lowering her chin, and whispers, “Beg your pardon?”

“We’re gettin’ married,” I blurt out, going completely off script. “We also live together.”

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mama. Living in sin.

Side note: he still hasn’t officially proposed. But that fact changes nothing.

Mama blinks thirty-seven times in rapid succession. “Perhaps weshouldfind a quiet place to speak since you seem to be hellbent on makin’ a spectacle of this family.”

I flash a fake smile as bright and plastic as hers. “Lead the way.”

Stiffening her spine and tilting her chin northward, she inhales briskly, then strides confidently to the side of the tent.

Once she’s out of earshot, Tomer grumbles, “Lettie, what the hell was that?”

“It was me being me.” I shake my head and start trailing Mama, keeping hold of his hand. “You act like we’ve never met.”

His chuckle soothes my frayed nerves.

Before we exit the tent, we’re ambushed by Richard and Nichole McGrail.

“Lettie, you’re positively glowin’,” she gushes.

I make introductions. Again.

While they’re shaking hands, I add, “Richard and Nichole were Prom King and Queen my senior year.”

She tries to play it off, flouncing her hand at me. “Oh, stop. Don’t embarrass us.”

Tomer feigns being impressed before casually tossing, “That explains the crowns.”

After we say our goodbyes, I tell Tomer, “Never trust him to fix your car. He’s a horrible mechanic. Allie Bliss took her car to his shop once. From that day on, every time she turned off the ignition, it backfired. Twice.” I click my tongue. “Saddest part is she only took it in for an oil change.”

Laughing quietly, Tomer places his hand on the small of my back, reaching in front of us to pull back the tent’s thick fabric. We slip outside via the same path as Mama, who is now half a football field away from us.Lawd, she’s hauling herself through the crowd faster than a hot knife through butter.

As we scurry along, Tomer teases, “Will you be dropping the caterpillar news in much the same way? Or telling her I’m the man formerly known as James?”

I cock a brow and give him duck lips. “Bold of you to assume I have a plan.”

“Just trying to be prepared. Guess I’ll watch the show and see how it goes.”

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