Page 57 of Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Book
Isaac shook his head. “We’ve been estranged lately.”
Beverly thought she knew why, but she didn’t dare ask.
“He likes dudes,” Elijah volunteered. “And our parents are Christians.”
“Really?” Isaac turned to his brother. “Was that necessary?”
“I’m a Christian and my daughter is gay,” Beverly told them. “Lindsay Underwood? Maybe you know her? She’s a few years older than you.”
“She’s friends with my best friend,” Isaac said. “Bella says she’s amazing.”
“She is. Watching Lindsay grow into the person she is today has been the highlight of my life. I know that girl is exactly who she was meant to be. If I did one thing right as a parent, it was staying out of her way.”
Elijah threw an arm around his brother’s shoulder. “So now we know where the gay DNA comes from. Dad can blame Augustus Wainwright.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Beverly told him.
“No,” Isaac said. “Because if a gay gene came from Augustus Wainwright, half the state of Georgia would be flying rainbow flags on their porches.”
“What do you mean?” Beverly asked the boy.
“When was the last time you were on the genealogy site?”
“It’s been a while,” Beverly confessed. “Things have gotten pretty crazy around here with the book banning and the mayor’s race.”
“Well, next time you log on, you’re in for a surprise,” Isaac said. “Looks like we have a lot of relatives in this part of the country.”
Beverly didn’t answer. Her eyes had been drawn to the statue in the center of the square. Someone was standing just out of sight in the darkness. She felt the hairs on her arms rise. Whoever it was had been watching them.
“How about I give you two a ride home?” She didn’t voice her hunch. There was no reason to scare the Wright boys. “I’d like to say hello to your parents if you don’t mind.”
“Just so you know, I’m not sure how our father will take this news,” Isaac warned her.
“Well, you’ve already told the rest of the town. Your dad’s going to find out whether we talk to him tonight or not.”
Betsy Wright hurried out on the porch to greet them as soon as they arrived. “How’s Bella?” she asked.
The Wright boys exchanged a loaded look. “She has a concussion, but she’ll recover,” Isaac said. Then he cleared his throat. “You were at the rally tonight?”
“Oh yes,” Betsy said. It was hard to tell just how angry she was. “You think your father and I would miss out on the big announcement? Even though we were the only people in town who weren’t invited?”
“I’m sorry, Mama—” Isaac started.
That was when Mrs. Wright’s eyes landed on Beverly.
“We’ll talk about this later,” she said. “How do you do, Mrs. Underwood?”
“Good evening, Mrs. Wright.” Beverly stepped forward. “I drove the boys home just now. Would you mind if I had a quick word with you and your husband?”
Betsy Wright immediately turned to her sons. “There’s more to the story? What else did you do?”
“Oh no,” Beverly jumped in. “Your boys are wonderful. They were very brave this evening.”
“You hear that, Mama?” Elijah said. “Brave and wonderful. We only just met, and yet she knows us so well.”
Betsy rolled her eyes. “I better not find out otherwise. Now go get your father for me.” When the boys were gone, she turned back to Beverly. “I heard they were planning something for Lula Dean’s rally, so James and I went. If I’d known the Cummings girl might get hurt, I’d have stopped the whole thing.”
“Your boys did a good job of looking after her. She’s with her great-grandma now, and—”
