Page 62 of The Way Back Home

“Hi. Is this a bad time?” Jude says in his smooth southern drawl, and a grin splits Ellie’s face practically in two. Jude stares at my face with a furrowed brow. I put a pound of cover-up on, my hair’s hiding most of the damage and he’s standing a few feet away, but I guess he’s noticed that something’s a little off.

“Not at all,” she says. “The more the merrier.”

He shuffles his loot and extends his hand to Ellie. “Jude du Pont, town veterinarian.”

“Ellie Tucker, supposed best friend.”

Jude laughs—somewhat nervously—and I give mybest frienda tight smile before daring a glance at August, who I know must be angrier than a cut snake right about now. “I just wanted to be the first to wish you good luck on opening day, but it looks like I’m too late.”

“Looks like,” August says sharply.

Jude glares at him before turning his attention back to me. “Here. I got you these.”

“Thank you, that’s really sweet,” I say, taking the gifts from him and turning to set them down on the shelf beside me. My hair falls in my eyes, so I tuck it back behind my ear.

“What the hell happened to your face?” Doc demands. His eyes narrow and he cups my chin and gently angles my head to get a better look.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” I say, quickly covering his hand and drawing it away from me. I should have applied a third layer of concealer. “Spence, honey, why don’t you run along outside with the other kids? Bettina’s nursing my pet piglet if you want to take a look?”

“You got a piglet?” Ellie asks, as her son and Nutters run outside.

“That’s not nothing, Olivia,” Jude says sternly.

August laughs and folds his arms across his huge chest. “What? You think I did that to her?”

“I don’t know, Cotton,” he says through clenched teeth. “Did you?”

August steels his jaw, and I can hear his teeth grinding from here. “You know me better than that.”

“I did once; I don’t know who the hell you are now or what you’re capable of,” Jude says. August takes a step toward him but Jude doesn’t back down. I can’t decide if that’s brave, or really stupid.

“August didn’t do this,” I say impatiently, wedging myself between the two men.

“Then how come you’re both sporting war wounds?”

“Josiah’s dad hit me.”

“What?” Jude looks at me incredulously. “What do you mean?”

“I dropped him off last night and his daddy threw some nasty words around. Josiah should have just ignored it, but he stood up for me, and I couldn’t walk away when a kid was getting his face rearranged so, voilà.” I make a lazy hand gesture toward my face. The doc looks dubious, glancing between August and myself. “Josiah was there, Doc. He got pretty badly beat up too.”

“Okay, I’m lost,” Ellie says. “Who’s Josiah?”

I grimace, knowing I am going to be in all kinds of trouble where my best friend is concerned. “That’s another long story.”

“And how did you get beat up?” Doc says to August.

“I paid Josiah’s daddy a little visit.”

“He still breathin’?” Jude asks, mimicking my words from last night.

“I reckon he’s having some trouble with that this morning, but he ain’t dead, if that’s what you mean.”

“I thought Fairhope was full of drama, but y’all need your own TV show down here,” Ellie says and I sigh, exasperated.

I turn to Doc. “Thank you for the flowers, and for being here, it means a lot.”

He nods. “It’s my pleasure. I gotta get to the clinic, but if you need anything, you just holler at me. I’ll see myself out.”

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