Rescue Me

Sadie stilled and waited for the jab about her infrequent visits with her father.

“She works for the park service and probably has a good health plan.”

Sadie relaxed. This was her mother’s side of the family, and they’d never cared a great deal for Clive Hollowell. They’d made no secret that they’d found him too cold and unfeeling for their Johanna Mae. “Dental, do you think?” she asked to be a total smart aleck.

“I would imagine.” Before Nelma could ask, Ivella cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Sadie Jo wants to know if Gene Tanner has a dental plan!”

“A girl could do worse than a lesbian with a dental plan,” she mumbled, and took a bite of potato. “Too bad I’m leaving in the morning.”

Sarah Louise looked a bit horrified that she might possibly be sitting next to a lesbian, but who was she to judge? She was married to “that murderin’ man” who wasn’t even up for parole for ten years.

After dinner, everyone followed the bride and groom into the ballroom and Sadie escaped the aunts. Beneath the room-glittering chandeliers, the newlyweds took their first turn on the dance floor to “I Won’t Let Go” by Rascal Flatts. It was really a beautiful moment of young love on the brink of a wide-open future, and again, it made Sadie feel old.

She was only thirty-three. She took a glass of wine from a passing tray and stood beside a ficus tree draped in pink and white ribbon. She was old and alone at thirty-three.

Next, Tally Lynn danced with Uncle Jim to “All-American Girl.” They smiled and laughed and Uncle Jim looked at his daughter with undeniable love and approval. Sadie didn’t ever recall her own daddy looking at her that way. She liked to think that he had and she just didn’t remember.

She turned down a dance with Rusty, mostly because she didn’t want to fall out of her dress, but also because he looked to be really into his girlfriend.

“Hey, Sadie Jo.”

Sadie turned and looked into a pair of deep brown eyes. Over the sound of the band she said, “Flick?”

Her tenth grade boyfriend spread his arms wide and showed his slight paunch beneath his American flag dress shirt. “How are you, girl?”

“Good.” She offered her hand but of course he grabbed her in a hug that sloshed her wine. She felt his hand on her butt and remembered why she’d dated Flick Stewart for only a short time. He was a groper. Thank God she’d never slept with him. “What have you been up to?”

“Got married and had a couple of kids,” he answered next to her ear. “Got divorced last year.”

Married and divorced? She extracted herself from his arms.

“Wanna dance?” he asked above the music.

With Flick the groper? Suddenly, hanging with her aunts sounded like a great time. “Maybe later. It was good to see you again.” She moved out into the foyer and found Nelma and Ivella chatting at a table with Aunt Bess. Bess was her mother’s youngest sister by ten years, which put her in her midsixties.

She sat down to take a load off her four-inch pumps, and within seconds, the three aunts started quizzing her again about her life and lack of a relationship. She took a drink of her wine and wondered how much longer she had to stay before she could go home and get out of her tight dress and shoes. Pack her bags, wait for her father to get home, and go to bed. She wanted to hit the road at daybreak.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Sadie Jo,” Aunt Bess said as a sad smile pulled at her lips. “It’s like having a piece of Johanna Mae back.”

At least it was a change of topic, but Sadie never knew what to say to that. She’d always felt like she should know, but she didn’t. Like she should just naturally know how to comfort her mother’s family for their loss, but she was clueless.

“I remember the night she won Miss Texas. It was in Dallas and she sang ‘Tennessee Waltz’ for her talent.”

Ivella nodded. “She sang like an angel. Miss Patti Page couldn’t have done a better job.”

“Well, that’s where the similarities between my mother and me end. I can’t sing.”

“Huh! What’d she say?”

“She said she can’t carry a tune in a bucket! Bless her heart.”

Aunt Bess rolled her eyes and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Where are your hearing aids, Nelma?”

“On my nightstand! I took my ears out so I wouldn’t have to listen to Velma Patterson’s yappy dog, Hector, all damn day, and I forgot to put ’em back in! I hate that dog! Velma makes it bark on purpose ’cause she’s mean as a box of rattlers at a revival!”

A dull pain thumped Sadie’s temples as the aunts bickered about hearing aids and evil dogs, but at least they’d moved off her lack of love life. For the moment, anyway.

Five more minutes, she told herself, and drained the last of her wine. She felt a warm hand on her bare shoulder and looked up past the end of her glass. Past a pair of pressed khaki pants, and blue dress shirt covering big shoulders. The collar was open around his wide neck, and she had to force herself to swallow the wine in her mouth. Her gaze continued over his square jaw and lips, to his nose, and into a pair of light green eyes.

“Sorry I’m late.” His deep, mellow voice put an end to all conversation.

Sadie put her glass on the table and stood. She didn’t know which she felt most. Shock or relief. Shock that he was actually at the wedding or relief that his unexpected appearance had put an end to her familial torture. All three aunts stared, wide-eyed, at the big hunk of hot male in front of them.

“I didn’t think you were coming.”

“Neither did I, but I guess I can’t let you leave town knowing I still owed you. We wouldn’t be square.” He let his own gaze travel down the length of her. Over her bare throat and her breasts pushed together and encased in tight taffeta. Past her hips and down her legs to her feet. “And I had to get a good look at your Bubble Yum dress.”

“What do you think?”

“About?” His gaze traveled back up her body to her eyes.

“The dress.”

He laughed, a deep, rich sound that tingled her spine, for no reason other than she liked the sound. “Like you’re going to a prom and need a date.”

“Funny, that’s how I feel.”

“Who’s your gentleman, Sadie Jo?”

She glanced over her shoulder and into the interested eyes of her three aunts. “This is Vince Haven. He’s in town visiting his aunt Luraleen Jinks.” She motioned to the three women staring back. “Vince, these are my aunts, Ivella, Nelma, and Bess.”

“You’re Luraleen’s nephew?” Ivella struggled to her feet. “She said you were comin’ to see her. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Vince.”

He moved around the table. “Please don’t get up, ma’am.” He bent over slightly and shook each aunt’s hand like his mama had raised him right. Gone was his five o’clock shadow, and his cheeks were smooth and tan.

“Who is Sadie Jo’s young man?” Nelma hollered.

“He’s not mine. He’s—”

“Luraleen’s nephew, Vince!” Bess answered close to Nelma’s deaf ear.

“I thought she said she liked women! Bless her heart!”

Sadie closed her eyes. Just kill me now. There was nothing wrong with being lesbian, but she just happened to be straight, and Nelma yelling that she liked women was as embarrassing as if she’d hollered that she liked men. It made her appear desperate. She opened her eyes and looked up into the dark, handsome face of the stranger in front of her, amusement adding a slight tilt to the corners of his mouth and creases to the corners of his eyes.

“Rescue me,” she said just above a whisper.

Chapter Six