Page 30 of The Wedding Gift

“Good mornin’, sis,” she said but her voice sounded hollow in her own ears.

“Don’t you good-mornin’ me.” Abigail lit into her in her best older-sister mode, and her voice oozed with self-righteousness. “I called Granny this morning to see how she was doing, and she told me what you’ve done and where you are.I expect that you aren’t even coming home for the holidays, are you? You won’t even be here to see your nieces and nephews playing parts in the Christmas play this year, and…”

Jorja butted in. “Do Mama and Daddy know?”

“No, and I’m not telling them either. That burden is on you, but you best let the cat out of the bag soon. They’ve invited Eli to Christmas dinner in hopes that y’all will get back together. Can’t you bring your new co-owner of that horrible place home with you, even if it’s just for a day? We’ll do our best to make her real welcome.” Abigail’s voice turned as soft as butter, like it always did when she wanted something.

“Cameron is not a girl. Cameron is a guy,” Jorja said.

“Lord have mercy!” The buttery voice turned hard as concrete. “Are you trying to kill Mama and Daddy both?”

“Nope. And right now, we’re sharing an efficiency apartment in the back of the bar until we can figure out other living arrangements.” Jorja knew Abigail could never keep all that juicy information to herself. “He just made breakfast and my food is getting cold. Maybe I can come home next summer for the family reunion.”

Her sister hung up on her, and Jorja went back to the table.

“That sounded like an interesting conversation,”Cameron grinned.

“Yep,” Jorja agreed and ate faster than she ever had. She figured it would take ten minutes for Abigail to tell all the dirt on her sister and for the three of them to come up with a plan. They must’ve talked fast enough to fry the cell towers because her phone rang after only five minutes.

“Want me to leave the room?” Cameron asked.

“Nope,” she said as she hit the Answer button. “Good mornin’, Mama.”

“Is what Abigail just told us a big joke, and are you on your way home for the holidays like always? If it is, I don’t consider it a bit funny,” Paula said in a stern tone.

“It’s not a joke.” Jorja was glad that the whole thing was out in the open.

“Then I’ll have the Prayer Angels at church pray that you see the error in your decision and come home,” Paula told her.

“To what? I’ve quit my job in Nashville.” Jorja held the phone with one hand and carried her dirty plate to the sink with the other. The whole time she wondered if there were two Prayer Angels that would be praying for her.

“To Eli. Come home to Eli. He still loves you.” Her mother sighed. “You just have to realize…”

“Mama, I don’t love Eli, and what he loves is the idea hehas in his head of what I would be if I changed everything about myself and became the woman he wants his wife to be. I’m not willing to do that.” Jorja crossed the room and spread the bed up with her spare hand.

The phone went dead, and she held it out to look at the screen. “She’s really pissed. She hung up on me.”

“Eli didn’t like your red hair?” Cameron asked. “I wasn’t eavesdropping, but I couldn’t help but hear what you said.”

“Eli is the youth director at a big church in Nashville. He takes the scripture very literally and wants a submissive little wife who never questions his decisions. I’m not that woman,” she answered. “It has nothing to do with my hair or my looks, and everything to do with my attitude.”

“How long did y’all date?” Cameron drew his dark brows down.

“Almost a year.” She refilled both their coffee cups.

“Is he slow-witted?” Cameron asked.

“No, he has a degree from seminary, and he’s very smart.” She popped her hands on her hips. “Do you think I can only go out with dumb guys?”

Cameron shrugged. “Evidently so. I knew you were full of spit and vinegar when I met you. Maybe you should’ve methimat the door with that pistol in your hands on your very first date. Eli must have rocks for brains if he thinks you’d lethim have control over your life.”

She tried to keep a poker face but couldn’t hold back the grin. “You’re absolutely right. Let’s get these dishes done and go clean up the bar, and then we’ll see what damage we can do to the office.”

“I’ll wash,” he said. “You can dry.”

“What if I want to wash?” She cut her eyes around at him.

He put up both palms defensively. “If you want to wash, then have at it. They can sit in the drainer for all I care. I’ll go on out to the bar and start putting the chairs on the tables so we can mop the floor.”

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