Page 31 of Talulah's Back in Town

He dropped the crowbar next to the sledgehammer. “It’s a long story, okay? Can’t we let it go? She didn’t do anything wrong, and I don’t want to make her stay here any more uncomfortable than it already is.”

Shock registered on Averil’s face, and she stepped back. “Oh my God. Youlikeher.”

He couldn’t deny it, so he kept his mouth shut.

“Are you kidding me?” she continued. “You’ve always hated her!”

“Hate’sfartoo strong a word.”

“Are you saying you were friends when we were in high school? Because that’s not the way I remember it. Neither of you had anything nice to say about the other.”

He shrugged. “That was then.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means there’s no reason to hold a grudge.”

“What about Charlie? What she did at the wedding is a reason.”

“That’s between the two of them. Charlie’s a big boy. He doesn’t need us taking up for him against an ex-girlfriend. Besides, what she and Charlie had has been over for a long time.”

She barked out a humorless laugh. “I can’t believe this. She’sthatgood in bed?”

He had no complaints, but he knew better than to say so. “You’re making too big a deal of it. That’s all.”

“Does that mean you’re not going to see her again?”

He couldn’t help glancing away. “We don’t have any plans, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“You’ve never had your heart broken, have you,” she said.

It was a statement, not a question. “Not really. I guess I’ve been lucky.”

“Yeah, well, let’s hope your luck isn’t about to run out,” she said and got back in the car, her tires spewing gravel as she whipped around and shot down the drive.

Brant took off his work gloves as he watched her go. He wasn’t getting anywhere with the dent in the bumper of his truck; he was only making it worse. And he had a feeling the conversation he’d just had with Charlie’s sister hadn’t gone his way, either.

On Sundays, almost everything was closed in Coyote Canyon, so Talulah had to wait until Monday morning to visit Terrell’s Market. She hated that she’d lost so much time; it was going to take every moment of the next few days to make enough food for the funeral. Almost the whole town had known Phoebe.

“Maybe I should’ve thought more carefully about this,” Talulah mumbled as she stared at the piles and piles of groceries she’d unloaded onto her aunt’s dining table, counters and every other horizontal surface. Unlike the commercial space she was privileged to work in at the dessert diner, with its giant ovens and refrigerators, she’d be limited to her aunt’s tiny kitchen. She’d have to store some of the food in the fridge at the church, in Sarah Carrier’s fridge and possibly Jane’s.

Besides that, she’d have to make everything during this terrible heat wave. She was already beginning to sweat. The air conditioner, which she’d requested Brant to put in the basement was too heavy for her to lift. She was afraid she’d drop it while coming up the stairs, so she didn’t dare try.

Too bad she hadn’t thought of making the mealbeforehe’d put it in the basement...

For a brief moment, she felt overwhelmed enough to regret her decision to tackle such a big endeavor. But then she remembered what had inspired her to do it in the first place. She wanted to be there for Phoebe as a member of the family, to prove she could deliver, even though everyone considered her their weakest link.

She wouldn’t renege on the commitment she’d made. She’d follow through and do her best.

After turning on some music, she scrubbed her hands and spent the next few hours making the rather unusual but delicious gelatin fruit salad her aunt had brought to almost every family function—one that, among other things, contained finely grated cheddar cheese, lots of heavy whipping cream and chopped walnuts. Talulah had decided she’d make all of Phoebe’s favorites—the dishes her aunt was known for, including lasagna, which she’d make with the tomato sauce Phoebe had canned. She’d also share the dill pickles, pickled beets, peaches and pears from her aunt’s cellar.

As she worked, her heart felt lighter and lighter. It made her happy to think Phoebe would be pleased with what she was doing, that her great aunt would like helping to provide one last meal to the loved ones she’d left behind.

Talulah had finished four double batches of the gelatin fruit salad, which filled eight large baking dishes. She was just trying to squeeze the last of those into the refrigerator when her phone went off.

Her heart jumped into her throat the second she saw that it was her sister. Was Debbie in labor?

“No. No, no, no,” she said. Debbie couldn’t have the baby while she had so much to do for the funeral!

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