Page 37 of The Party Line

“Ain’t dang likely.” He grinned. “Most of the folks that might drop by here are in the cemetery. I’ve outlived all my friends.”

“Hey, now!” I protested. “I’m still kicking.”

“You are family,” he declared and threw the tennis ball for Sassy to go fetch. For a man who was over ninety years old, he had a pretty good arm. Sassy took off after it and caught it midair just before it hit the fence.

“If I was still able to go duck huntin’, she’d be a good one to fetch.” His voice held a bit of wistfulness. “Me and Davis used to go out huntin’ ever chance we got. Granny could fix up a duck or some venison real good.”

“Did Gracie ever go with you?” I asked.

“She didn’t like the idea of killin’ anything.” Jasper took the ball from Sassy’s mouth and hurled it out through the air again. “But she would come out here and eat with us when Granny cooked, and she did like to go fishin’. Granny taught her how to mix cayenne pepper in the cornmeal to give the bass a little extra spice. She and I went out to the pond last spring and caught us a five-pounder. I cleaned it and she fried it up with hush puppies.”

I thought I heard a noise but couldn’t be sure if it was the doorbell or the wind chimes hanging on the front porch. “Did you hear that?”

“I’d say it was the doorbell. You going to answer it?”

Sassy brought the ball back to Jasper, laid it at his feet, and growled.

“Don’t worry, sweetie,” I assured her. “Very few folks use the front door or ring the bell. It’s most likely a delivery person. If it’s anyone who knows us, they’ll come around to this side.”

“You been shopping online again?” Jasper asked.

“It’s called retail therapy. I’m trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, and poring through online sales helps me escape.”

Jasper picked up the ball and threw it again. “You could go to town and buy what you need. That way you would see people. Kids today are losin’ the ability to have decent conversations.”

“Yep, they are, but that would require that I put on shoes. I already did that with Mama, and that’s enough shopping for a while.” I held my foot up and wiggled my toes. “I bought a new trash can for the kitchen and a new nonstick skillet. I don’t reckon there would be many conversations around that, now would there?”

“Gracie has good cast-iron cookware. That’s all you need, Lila.” His tone was only a notch above scolding.

“Hey, is anybody home?” a feminine voice yelled. “Lila, are you back here?”

“What’s Gina Lou coming around here for?” Jasper asked.

“Who?” I asked.

“Gina Lou, the waitress at Annie’s,” Jasper said. “I’d recognize that nasal twang of hers anywhere.”

“Don’t know.” I shrugged and then called back, raising my voice, “Come on around to the backyard.”

She had barely made it to the gate when the headlights of more vehicles lit up the space between the house and the garage.

“Looks like we’re going to have a party,” Jasper chuckled. “You got plenty of beer, or do I need to borrow Gracie’s car and make a run into Poteet?”

“You aren’t driving anywhere!” I fussed at him.

“Afraid I might find me another dog?” he teased.

“Afraid that you might wreck the car,” I shot right back.

Sassy started for the gate when she heard the hinges squeak. I grabbed her collar just as she was about to run past me and held her back. “Hey, Gina Lou. Be sure the latch is tight when you shut the gate. What brings you out this evening?” I wondered if she’d brought friends. At least two more cars had pulled in.

“I didn’t know if you’d recognize me away from the café.” Her blonde hair flowed down around her shoulders, and that evening she was wearing a cute little sundress with strawberries printed on it. “I was in the neighborhood ...” She rattled the gate to be sure it was firmly closed. “No, that’s not right. I wanted to talk to you about Derrick and ask—”

“Did I hear my name?” Derrick put a hand on the fence and hopped over it without dropping a huge bouquet of lilies. When he realized Gina Lou was standing on Jasper’s front porch, he stopped in his tracks and glared at her. “What the hell are you doing here?”

She popped her hands on that tiny waist and locked eyes with him. “Warning Lila about scumbags like you.”

“Leave, right now!” he demanded, raising his voice.

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