Page 55 of The Deadly Candies

Janey grinned, throwing her arms around her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

Big Mama pretended to be irritated, but shesmiled.

“I mean it, Janey,” she warned. “You starttroubleand?—”

“I’m on mybestbehavior!” Janey swore, raising her hand. But behind her back, Kathy saw it—her fingers crossed.

Kathy’s eyes stretched.

Debbiehad always pushed back against boundaries… but Janey?

Janey was something else entirely.

Things were about to getinteresting.

* * *

“Hi, fellas!”Kathy called out, halfway up the dirt path.

Janey strolled beside her, spinning a lace-trimmed umbrella to shield herself from the sun. Kathy carried two heavy picnic baskets, her arms aching from the long walk. Janey, of course, carried nothing but her air of ease and elegance.

She had changed into a crisp white blouse tucked into a pair of blue shorts, her legs long and smooth, her flats the same ones Kathy had seen in Ebony Magazine last month. But what drew attention most were the sunglasses perched on her face, adding an untouchable quality to her beauty.

The moment the men saw them, their chatter died down.

Several of them smiled, shifting their stances. But soon, all eyes were on Janey.

Kathy had convinced her aunt to make the three-mile trek to surprise Ely and the work crew with lunch. Janey had only agreed when she heard Ely had a truck and could drive them back. She told Kathy stories of Parisian nights and champagne breakfasts the entire way, making her blush more than once.

“Ely!” an older man, Milton, called out. “Come out here, boy! You gotta see this!”

Ely came running, along with a few other men, wiping sweat from their brows as they approached. But as Kathy watched the way they stared at Janey, her stomach twisted.

The men barely noticed the food she had lugged all this way. Their eyes were all on Janey.

And worst of all?

Most of them were married.

Ely stepped down from the platform, flashing a smile. “Hi, Janey. You back in town?”

Janey grinned. “Look at you—all grown up! Give your Aunt Janey a hug.”

Ely hesitated, glancing at Kathy for permission.

Kathy shrugged.

Ely stepped forward, and Janey wrapped her arms around him, pressing him close. The men snickered under their breaths.

“What are you ladies doing here?” Ely asked, clearing his throat.

“Big Mama made you boys a late lunch,” Kathy said, lifting the heavy baskets. “I got everything in here—fried chicken, biscuits, and sweet tea.”

“Well, damn,” Ely muttered, eyes turning back to the men.

Janey had drifted toward the other men, starting conversations with a few, her smile warm as she recognized some of them.

Kathy swallowed hard.

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