Page 43 of One Southern Summer

Harper joined Avery at the table in the dining room. Maribelle longed to be a part of that conversation. The fried chicken and potato salad had been especially delicious today. She’d even scored a slice of chocolate chess pie. This sofa probably cost a fortune, but it was quite comfortable. Her eyelids grew heavy. She let her chin dip to her chest.

“I don’t know, Harper. A documentary is a big deal. That might mean doing an interview, being on camera and answering a whole lot of questions that I’m not ready to answer.” Avery’s soft voice broke through Maribelle’s hazy thoughts. A documentary? Cole hadn’t mentioned a word about that.

“Cole must value your perspective or he wouldn’t have asked you to be a part of this,” Julene said. “I think it’s sweet that he asked for your permission before committing to anything.”

Maribelle silently agreed. He was so smart, that Cole. All he’d needed was a little incentive.

“A documentary can bring a lot of positive attention to an important cause,” Harper said. “Did you look up the production company to see what other films they’ve made?”

“I didn’t get that far yet,” Avery said. “I’m leaning toward saying yes, but I need to think about it some more. We meet again on Friday and I’ll decide by then.”

“I think you should go for it,” Harper chimed in.

“Yes, indeed,” Maribelle mumbled.

The ladies laughed.

Maribelle sat up with a start. She glanced around the room. The girls were all looking at her and smiling. Had she said something out loud? Greer’s newspaper crinkled as he gave her the side-eye. “We thought you were asleep.”

“This old bird’s always listening, dear.” Maribelle smiled sweetly. This conversation was just getting good. She had to stay awake. At least for a few more minutes. She pinched the tender skin between her thumb and her index finger to keep from nodding off. Maybe she could talk her body into cooperating and moving to an empty seat at the table.

“Did I tell you that Cole asked me about our napkin pledge?” Avery asked.

“What are you talking about?” Julene moved closer to Maribelle, studying her. “Nana, are you all right?”

“I’m a bit thirsty, sweetie. Could you help me sit at the table and perhaps bring me a glass of tea?”

Julene nodded. “Um, sure. Greer? Can you help, please?”

“Absolutely.” Greer set his paper aside and stood. “Maribelle, let’s bring you over to join the ladies.”

Normally she wasn’t a fan of being handled like a sack of rice but her legs just weren’t interested in obeying any reasonable commands today. “Thank you, Greer.”

“Oh, yes, I remember the napkin pledge,” Harper said. “I can’t believe you brought that up.”

Maribelle concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Greer braced her elbow and gently guided her toward an empty upholstered chair at the dining room table. She sank into the armless chair with a sigh of relief.

“I’ll get you that glass of tea.” Greer patted her shoulder then strode into the kitchen.

“Now, what’s all this talk about a napkin?” Maribelle scanned the girls’ faces. This sounded like something she needed to be aware of.

“If Cole and I are going to be working together, we’re probably going to talk about all kinds of things. We have quite a history,” Avery said, flipping open her notebook.

Maribelle studied her. Was she blushing?

“He came by the other night and brought ice cream. He felt terrible about the way he handled Addison’s bee sting.” Avery pulled a cocktail napkin from a pocket inside the notebook’s cover. “Here it is.”

“Oh, can I see it?” Harper held out her hand. “This is quite the relic.”

Maribelle’s head was spinning. She was so tired she could hardly keep up, but this was a development she’d never anticipated.

“Aren’t you glad you skipped your nap?” Julene teased. “This is breaking news.”

“Well, I can’t miss out on my girl time now, can I?” She leaned closer, itching to get her fingers on that wrinkled napkin. “Oh, by golly. Would you look at that? It’s almost like the two of you were meant to be.”

Silence blanketed the table. Avery’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. “I wouldn’t go that far, Nana. We’d both been disappointed by our dates. It was a rough night. We made a joke to make ourselves feel better. I don’t know why I’ve kept this all these years.”

“But here you are both single and interested in similar things.” Julene sighed. “Sometimes timing is everything.”

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