Home At Last Chance (Last Chance #2)(18)
Author: Hope Ramsay

Haley spooned the last bit of cookie dough onto the sheet, and Miz Miriam handed it to Miz Polk, who put it in the oven.

Haley watched the Sorrowful Angel, who was sitting in her place by the broom closet. The Sorrowful Angel wasn’t bawling today, but she was sad.

Everyone was sad, on account of the fact that Uncle Pete had died.

But didn’t that mean Uncle Pete was up in Heaven with Jesus? Haley just couldn’t quite understand what was so sad about that.

She reckoned it was just that folks would miss Uncle Pete. And she would, too. But Uncle Pete had been really sick for a long time. He hadn’t been very happy lately.

So, all in all, maybe it was better for Uncle Pete to be with Jesus now.

“Miz Miriam?” she asked.

“What, child?” Miriam gave her a little hug. The old woman’s arms were kind of bony, but Haley liked the way Miz Miriam smelled. She used lavender water, and Haley decided that when she grew up she would use lavender water, too.

“Do you think I could get Miss Sarah to let me help Uncle Tulane with his idea about car seats?”

“Well… I think maybe you should ask your daddy first. We talked about this before, didn’t we?”

Haley had already tried once to get Miz Miriam to help her on the whole car seat thing, but she’d turned out to be a whole lot like Granny and Daddy. Of course, Dr. Newsome was kind of interested. They had spent several sessions talking about car seats and how Haley felt about them, especially since a car seat had kept her safe when she and her momma had been in that car wreck.

Miz Miriam patted her knee with one age-spotted hand and then turned her eyes toward the broom closet, as if she could truly see the Sorrowful Angel. “Sugar Beet, I don’t think your angel really wants you to help Uncle Tulane with that car seat program.”

“No?”

“No, child. I think she wants you to work on something much closer to home. Didn’t you say she stays in your daddy’s room at night?”

“Yes’m, she does. Do you think she wants me to help Daddy because Momma died, like Uncle Pete?”

Miz Miriam gave her a squeeze. “You are a wise child, Haley Rhodes.”

“But how?”

“I don’t know how. I truly don’t. But your daddy changed after your momma died in that wreck.”

“Everyone says that. Is the same thing gonna happen to Aunt Arlene? She’s so sad.”

“I hope not. But we’ll have to be extra kind to your aunt the next few weeks. And we’ll just have to keep thinking about what to do with your daddy.”

Haley sat back against Miz Miriam’s warmth and studied the angel for a long moment. “Miz Miriam, couldn’t you find my daddy a new wife? Wouldn’t that solve his problem? I’m thinking maybe that would help to get the angel back to Heaven where she belongs.”

“Ooooh, child, that’s a hard one. You see, near as I can tell, your momma and daddy were meant to be together. I felt that from the time they were both just small children. And, truth be told, your momma and daddy were great friends before it ever even occurred to them to fall in love.”

“So when Momma went to be with Jesus, Daddy got left all alone?”

“Well, no, you and your sister are here, aren’t you?”

Haley nodded, but she understood the truth. She had been listening to Dr. Newsome go on about Daddy and Momma, and she knew what the grown-ups all said.

Daddy was lonely, even though he was surrounded by people who loved him.

Even though an angel stood over him in his room every night.

That’s why the angel was sorrowful.

“Miz Miriam, everyone says you have a knack for matching people up.”

Miriam chuckled. “Well, that’s because they’re fools, Haley. Don’t you believe what folks say about me. I don’t make matches. I just find them. The Lord makes the matches.”

“So you’re saying that the Lord made a match between my momma and daddy, and now that she’s with Jesus, he has to be alone until it’s his time to go to Heaven?”

Miriam gave her another squeeze. “Oh, baby, I surely do hope that’s not what I’m saying. But sometimes I’m afraid it is.”

Haley nodded, a deep hollow place inside her chest opening up. “If that’s the truth, then I guess the angel has a really big reason to be sorrowful, doesn’t she?”

Chapter 8

Sarah and Jane, Clay’s wife, sat quietly in Ruby’s kitchen after having cleaned up the dishes and put away what seemed like three tons of macaroni-and-cheese casserole. Jane was knitting on a messy tangle of army-green yarn that was supposed to be a sweater for her husband. Ruby and Arlene had gone off to bed. Clay, Rocky, and Tulane had disappeared about two hours ago.

“Wherever they are, I’m sure they’re crying like little kids,” Jane said. She turned back to the mess in her carefully manicured hands with an expression as placid as a Madonna.

Sarah checked her watch. It was almost eleven, and she was exhausted. “Well, I guess I can walk over to Miriam’s house. She gave me a key, but I’ll bet the door isn’t locked. Last Chance is small enough that I could find my way.”

“Don’t be too mad at Tulane and Rocky for abandoning you.”

“I’m not mad. Just tired.”

Jane dropped the knitting onto her lap and looked up, mischief sparking her brown eyes to life. “We could call the law out on them if you want.”

“Why would I want to do that?”

“Because it will probably happen anyway. And maybe we can make sure Tulane doesn’t get blamed this time.”

“What?”

“I know it’s not my place to say, seeing as I’m a new member of the family, but it seems to me that it’s open season on Tulane whenever he comes back home. In this instance, I’m pretty sure Rocky is the main instigator of any trouble that’s going to happen tonight. I heard her say she was getting the beer.”

“Well, Tulane doesn’t have to drink it, does he?”

Jane shook her head. “He’s grieving. He’ll drink it. And then the trouble will happen, even though he didn’t go looking for it. And when the trouble happens, Stone will step right up to the plate and offer up a sermon about how Tulane needs to grow up. This is a cycle of very negative affirmations.”

“Uh, that’s insightful, but see, it’s my job to keep Tulane out of trouble.”

Jane leaned over the tangle in her hand. “So I’ve heard. How’s that going?”

“We haven’t been sued in the last three weeks.”

“Well, that’s a positive sign.”

Sarah pushed up from the table. “I’m going to go see if I can find Miriam’s house.”

“Don’t do that. Stone will take you. I’ll just give him a buzz.”

“But—”

Before Sarah could stop Jane, she had whipped out her cell phone and reached Stone on her speed dial. “He’ll be here to pick you up in a minute.”

“You didn’t need to do that.”

“Oh, yes I did, because Stone is dealing with his grief by throwing himself into his work. He’s out there patrolling the town, keeping everyone safe. And if he saw you walking alone to Miriam’s, he would be furious with Tulane for making you walk home alone, and then Tulane would have his head handed to him on that score, too.”

“But Tulane is not my keeper.”

“Doesn’t matter. Stone approves of you.”

“He approves of me? Really? I’ve said like five words to him.”

“Yeah, I think it’s the whole keeping-Tulane-out-of-trouble thing. It’s like the two of you are both enforcers or something.” She gave Sarah a speculative look. “Too bad Miriam didn’t tell you to be searching for a tall, dark guy wearing a gun.”

“How did you know Miriam told me anything?”

Jane smiled. “Because you’re not from around here. Whenever someone who isn’t from Allenberg County shows up, the old girl immediately starts with her predictions. I only wish you were destined for Stone, because if you ask me, the grump needs to get laid.”

Sarah’s face burned.

Jane leaned back in her chair and stretched. “But, alas, you are not destined for Stone. The holy rollers around here have bigger game in mind. I swear those church ladies have been talking about you solid for the last three weeks.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Especially after what Miriam told you to be looking out for.”

“You know what she told me?”

“Of course I do. Everyone does. They are pretty sure you and Bill are a match made in Heaven.”

“Bill? What are you talking about?”

“C’mon, Sarah, you’ve been here long enough to know that Miriam Randall is considered some strange combination of a matchmaker and a fortune-teller. And, as near as I can tell, the woman is connected to the larger powers of the universe. I mean, it’s uncanny the way she can predict the future.” Jane leaned in with an avid look in her brown eyes. “So, have you met Bill yet?”

“No.”

Jane smiled broadly. “Sarah, I’m sorry to tell you, but you’re in serious danger of losing your heart. Probably tomorrow.”

“I am?” Sarah wasn’t sure how she felt about that, having never had even one satisfactory sexual encounter in her life. Losing her heart seemed like a pretty bold next step.

“The good news is that he’s not your average preacher.”

“Preacher?” Sarah’s voice cracked, and she sank back down into one of the kitchen chairs.

Jane frowned. “I take it the idea of you and a preacher is scary?”

“You have no idea.”

“How come?”

“Because I promised myself a long, long time ago that I would never, ever, ever grow up to be my mother.”

Jane cocked her head. “Your father’s a preacher?”

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and then dropped her head to the table, so she could rest her forehead against the cool Formica.

Jane howled with laughter.

Sarah raised her head. “It’s not funny. Please don’t tell anyone. Mother is not only married to a minister, she’s a librarian at a theological seminary in Boston. You have no idea what my life was like when I was in college and living in Boston. Mom trotted out a steady stream of theological students for my benefit.” Sarah paused for a long moment as she rested her chin on her fists, elbows planted on the tabletop.

“You know, it’s worse than that,” she continued. “My grandfather was a minister, and my great-grandfather was a missionary, and, well, it goes all the way back for generations. I am not going to marry a minister. Period. You understand me? So please don’t tell Miriam or anyone else.”

Jane’s face sobered. “Sarah, I promise I won’t tell a soul. But the thing is, if Miriam told you that a minister is in your future, well, a minister is in your future. When he crosses your path, something wacky is going to happen to your brain, and it will all be all right. Trust me on this.”