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“A
“Me, too,” A
And then they were wheeling her into surgery.
When they got back to the waiting area, Pokey was there. She’d changed out of her wedding attire and was wearing jeans, te
Mason nodded tersely. “Did you go by the club? How’s Celia?”
“Fine, I guess,” Pokey reported. “Pete took Letha to help out with the boys. She made me promise to call her as soon as we know something. I talked to him a little while ago. He said people were a little shocked at first, just kinda standing around, staring at each other, but then Mama took charge, got the waiters passing appetizers and the bar up and ru
She pulled her cell phone from her back pocket. “Mama has ordered me to make sure you call her with an update on Sophie.”
He exhaled loudly. “I can’t deal with her right now.” He looked at A
A
“Thank you for calling, A
“Sophie is a little trouper,” A
“I meant the wedding,” Sallie said.
A
“Of course,” Sallie said. Her tone said otherwise.
When she rejoined the others, Mason was thumbing through e-mails on his BlackBerry, and his sister was staring at the television with a blank expression on her face.
“Hey,” Pokey said, standing up quickly. “C’mon, let’s go raid the vending machines. I’m starved. Mase? Can we bring you anything?”
“Nothing,” he said without looking up.
A
Pokey dug in the pocket of her jeans and came up with a handful of coins. She studied the candy machine. “Hmm. Almond Joy or Butterfinger?”
“Nothing for me,” A
“Hangover?” Pokey gave her a surprised look. A
Her friend sighed. “I dosed myself with bourbon before leaving for the church this afternoon. Should have known it would come back later and bite me in the butt.”
Pokey fed coins into the soda machine and bought bottled water for both of them, then, moving over to the next machine, bought a packet of Aleve for A
“Let’s sit in here,” she said, gesturing to the half-darkened cafeteria.
They found a table near the door, and A
“Something I need to ask you,” Pokey said, leaning across the table. “And don’t bullshit me, okay? We’ve known each other too long for that.”
“Oh God,” A
“I saw the look on your face in church today, when Celia came down the aisle. I saw the look on Mason’s face, too. And I know him just as well as I know you.”
“And?” A
“And I got the distinct feeling, right before Sophie got sick, that you were about to make a big move.”
“That’s crazy,” A
“Sure you do,” Pokey said. “You shoved me into the aisle. I don’t care what you say. I know you, A
“Absolutely not,” A
“You are so not over Mason. And I’ve got a news flash for you. He’s not over you, either.”
“You’re delusional,” A
“Skim milk. Straight up. Iron supplement chaser.” Pokey said. “I’m pregnant.”
A
Pokey took a big bite of her Butterfinger and chewed for a moment. “The fourth time around, you tend to know these things. And the EPT test I took Monday confirmed it. Yup. Just call me Fertile Myrtle. Knocked up again.”
A
Pokey laughed. “I’m fine with popping ’em out one, two, three. And four. As for Pete, he did allow that he wouldn’t mind having a girl this time around. I pointed out to him that he’s the one shooting all the blue bullets so far. Anyway, don’t try to change the subject. We were talking about how you and my brother are still stupid in love with each other.”
A
“Stop!” Pokey exclaimed. “I will never believe Mason ever loved anybody but you. So maybe he screwed up, maybe he slipped up. He’s a man, and gawd knows none of ’em are perfect. Especially the Bayless men.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” A
Pokey shrugged. “What it sounds like. Look at Davis. What a man whore! He sleeps with any and every girl that comes along, single or married, and he gets away with it because he’s Davis. He behaves like a goat in rut and we all just roll our eyes and laugh. And my daddy? A
A
Still, this was not a topic she had ever discussed with anybody in the family. “You really believe all those old stories?”
“I just know, okay?” Pokey said. “The crazy thing is, I don’t think it affected their marriage. Daddy worshipped the ground Mama walked on. I think he just, you know, liked the ladies. And they liked him back. But I am here to tell you that Mason isn’t like that.”
“And what makes Mason so different?” A
“Because he knew Daddy screwed around on Mama,” Pokey said flatly. “And it wasn’t just a rumor. If you must know, Mason and I caught him at it. Red-handed. And Mason never forgave him for it.”