Page 28 of Spilling the Tea

Zoey lifted a brow. “Names and looks?”

“Yes, both were named after important women in our family. Christy, whose real name is Christina, was named after the first Madaris wife, who settled on our family land in the eighteen hundreds. And Vic was named after our great-grandfather Milton’s sister, Victoria Madaris. She was also Mama Laverne’s best friend. Aunt Victoria introduced Mama Laverne to her brother, Milton Madaris. Milton married Felicia Laverne, and they had seven sons who produced a slew of kids, grandkids, great-grands, and now even great-great-grands.”

He rounded a corner to enter a community of stately-­looking Victorian-style homes on massive lots. “Regarding their looks, Christy and Vic also favor each other. They look more like sisters than cousins. If it wasn’t for the red hair, it would be hard to tell them apart.”

“Red hair?” she asked curiously.

“Yes. The original Christina Madaris had natural red hair, and so does Christy. I’m told my grandaunt Victoria had red hair as well. They claim Christy is the spitting image of Victoria. Vic inherited the looks but not the hair color.”

Zoey nodded. “Is your aunt Victoria still living?”

“No, she died before I was born. To my great-grandmother’s seven sons, she was their favorite aunt, and I understand that they took her death hard.”

“How did she die?”

“A robbery. She lived in town and worked as a nurse at a Houston hospital. She was planning to catch the bus to work one morning because her car was in the shop when she was robbed and killed.”

“How tragic and senseless,” Zoey said softly.

“Yes, it was.”

“Did she have any kids?”

“No. Aunt Victoria never married.”

Zoey enjoyed what he shared about his family. It certainly made her feel less nervous. “What about your other sister?”

“Lindsay is attending law school at Harvard with plans to one day become a corporate attorney. She gets annoyed whenever her brothers and cousins remind her that she’s the baby in the group and gives us hell about it when we do.”

Corbin pulled into the driveway of an attractive home with an immaculately landscaped yard. “We are here,” he said, stopping the car.

She scanned her surroundings. “What a nice yard, and those flowers are so pretty.”

“They are my grandparents’ pride and joy. All their grandsons take turns and keep the grass mowed, but Grampa Nolan and Gramma Bessie won’t let you touch their flower gardens.”

He exited the car and came around to open the door for her. “I can’t wait to introduce you to my great-grandmother, Mama Laverne.”

“And I can’t wait to meet her.”

***

Felicia Laverne heard the car outside and drew a deep breath to prepare herself for the young woman she was about to meet. Hopefully, Miss Pritchard only wanted to know about her grandmother, Arabella Martin.

“Mama Laverne?”

She turned her face toward the entrance to the screened patio and met the gazes of her great-grandson and the beautiful woman by his side. Chance had been right. She bore a striking resemblance to not only her mother and grandmother, but she also favored her great-grandmother, Deedra. She looked simply beautiful in the sundress she was wearing, a floral dress of giant yellow daffodils.

Holding the woman’s arm in the crook of his, Corbin crossed the room to kiss his great-grandmother’s cheek before makingan introduction. “Mama Laverne, I’d like you to meet Zoey Pritchard. Chance set up a meeting with the two of you.”

“He most certainly did,” Felicia Laverne said, smiling at the woman and extending her hand. She tried not to show any reaction when she saw the necklace the young woman was wearing. She forced the thoughts from her mind about the importance of that jewelry. “It’s nice to meet you, dear.”

“And it’s nice meeting you as well.”

While holding the woman’s hand, Felicia Laverne realized she was feeling good and not at all threatened by her presence. At that moment, she knew she could not lose sight of Waylon Satterfield’s blood flowing through Zoey Pritchard’s veins. And Waylon had been an honorable man.

Releasing Zoey’s hand, she said, “I hope you didn’t mind my invitation to lunch, but I wanted to meet and speak with you in person. Although I didn’t see much of Arabella once she moved away, I remember her well. Chance told me you were in a car accident that killed your parents. I was sorry to hear that. It was a blessing that you survived.”

“Yes, but one of the prices I had to pay, in addition to all my physical injuries, was the loss of my memory.”

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