Page 53 of Home Body
“It is! It’s a very good idea.”
“Okay. Well, we’ll see if maybe next time.” Kenyon grimaced at Dalia and Mamie over the girl’s head, signaling she didn’t know how to get out of this. Mother and grandmother were getting a kick out of it, not willing to step in to save Rose’s new idol.
“You could go get it if you want to,” Rose insisted, not willing to give up easily.
“Right now?”
“Sure. We’ll wait. Hey, how come you didn’t get married in your wedding dress?”
That did it. Dalia stepped in to get Kenyon off the hook. “Rose, honey, you know what?” Rose’s expression belied her annoyance. She’d been having a perfectly good conversationwith her new friend and her mother interrupted. “Grammy needs some help restocking. Would you please help her?”
Rose’s little head riveted from woman to woman. This was a ruse, and she knew it. It was Grammy’s glare and her hands on her hips that told the child she’d better obey. Her Grammy took her hand and led her away.
Dispensing with a preamble, Kenyon spilled her announcement excitedly. “I’m going back to see Nellie Franklin again, but this time I have backup. It’s a law professor from the college who’s investigated that Amberton case. We’re going tomorrow. Do you want to come with us?”
Stunned, Dalia agreed to go. She didn’t know why. Nothing would come of it. But something inside her, something so deep she couldn’t get ahold of it, impelled her to say yes.
“Oh, by the way,” Dalia said as Kenyon started to leave, “Chad Damon was here earlier. He’s not a farm market kind of guy, is he? He told me to tell you to lay off his signs.”
“You’re kidding me. That jerk. Why’d he come here and tell you?”
“He said nobody at your house will talk to him. He can’t get through to you.”
“Yeah, that’s true. Gee. I’ll have to pass that message along and see how it goes. It’s possible it’ll only encourage a couple of hooligans to do even more. Tootle-oo.” She waved and left Dalia shaking her head in amusement.
CHAPTER 32
“Boo, will you get the door?”
“Sure, Mama. Probably somebody wanting to buy something.”
Dalia wiped her hands on a kitchen towel, straightened her apron, and started to leave the kitchen. But she caught her mother and daughter tittering over some kind of secret.
“What is it?” she asked.
“More like ‘who’ is it.” Her mama looked like a Cheshire cat.
Rose jumped up and down, unable to contain her excitement.
“What are you up to?” Dalia shook her head, went through the living room, and flung open the door. There, in all his glory, stood Brody McIntyre all spiffed up in neat jeans and a tucked in button down shirt, open at the collar. He held a bouquet of pink roses.
“Hello, Dalia.”
The unexpected sight of him, the smell of his cologne, the look in his eyes – Dalia thought she might faint. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Well, hello. This is a surprise.”
“I believe that’s the way Rose planned it.”
“Rose?”
More tittering came from behind her, and she turned to find two conspirators holding hands in glee. Rose ran to their guest.
“Hello Mr. Mac-Tyre!”
“Hello, Rose. These are for you.” He handed her the flowers.
Her little mouth broke into a giant circle of delight. “Grammy! Look! They’re for me!”
“I see that,” Mamie said. “How about we invite our guest inside?”
