TinyBamett or her daughter Tammy.
Evidently a reply wasn't necessary, though. 'She died because she went home from the hospital early'
'Mom,' Daisy said on a sigh, 'Lily isn't going to die.'
'That's what Tammy thought too. Left behind a little boy about Pippen's age. Left a husband too. He was aYankee fella from one of those eastern states, and when Tammy made her heavenly journey, he packed up thatbaby and left. Tiny hasn't seen hide nor hair of him since. And my is a good woman. She's stuck with HoraceBarnett all these years. And everyone knows that man was born tired and raised lazy. I don't think he ever didwork a job for more than a month straight.'
She paused and it all came back to Jack in a flash. The reason he and Steven usually waited on the porch forDaisy. Fifteen years, and she hadn't changed. Louella Brooks could still talk water up hill.
'And he had that mentally retarded sister, bless her heart. She used to come by the diner and other gizzards,every now and again. I used to think that...'
Jack felt a pressure in the back of his skull and looked behind Louella to Daisy and Nathan. They stood inprofile, Nathan a few inches taller than his mother. He stared down at Daisy, his narrowed gaze communicatingsomething. Daisy shrugged as if to say, 'What do you want me to do?' While Louella rambled on aboutgizzards and chicken filed steak, Daisy and Nathan carried on a whole conversation without saying a word.
Mother and son.
Nathan rocked back on his heels and slashed his finger across his throat. Daisy covered her mouth with her handand started shaking her head. They were a family. Just the two of them. Comfortable with each other. Relaxed.
He wasn't a part of it.
As if she felt his gaze on her, Daisy looked at Jack, then she burst into laughter.
'Goodness, Daisy. What's gotten into you?' Louella asked as she turned to look at her daughter.
'Just thought of something that happened today.' She brushed her hair behind her ears and said, 'Jack cameover to talk to Nathan, so maybe we should leave them to it.'
'Actually, I was hoping that you and Nathan could walk me out to my car.'
'Cool.'
'Sure.'
He turned his attention to Louella. 'Good evening, ma'am. Give Lily my best the next time you see her.'
'I will.'
The three of them walked through the living room and out the front door, with Jack bringing up the rear.
'Why didn't you stop her?' Nathan asked as soon as the door was shut behind them.
They moved from the porch and down the sidewalk. The setting sun filled the night sky with blazing reds andoranges, fading in the distance to pink and purple. It seemed to catch in strands of Daisy's hair, turning it gold.
'No one can stop your grandmother once she gets started,' Daisy answered.
'All the way home from Lily's she would not stop talking about someone named Cyrus.'
'Cyrus is your great uncle who died when he was fourteen, bless his heart.'
'And I give a crap because why?'
'Nathan!'
Jack chuckled.
'Don't encourage his bad behavior, Jack,' she said as they came to the end of the sidewalk.
'Wouldn't dream of it.' He turned to his son. 'How do you feel about fishing?'
He shrugged. 'My dad and I used to fish all the time.'
Jack forced a smile. 'I'm going bass fishing this weekend, and I wanted you to come along. I thought we'd leaveSaturday morning and come back sometime Sunday.'
Nathan looked at Jack then turned to his mother.
'We don't have plans this weekend. Go ahead. You'll have fun.'
Nathan didn't say anything and Jack spoke to cover the silence. He opened his mouth and heard himself say,'Daisy why don't you come along too?' And he couldn't believe it. The pressure in the back of his skull movedup and squeezed his brain. He'd just done the one thing that he'd gotten mad at Billy for even suggesting.
All he could do now was hope like hell she refused.
Chapter Fifteen
A slight breeze rippled across the surface of Lake Meredith while sunlight reflected off the water like bits oftinfoil. Birds circled overhead, fish jumped, and the heavy bass guitar and hard drum beats of Godsmackpounded the air like a fist.
Daisy sat cross-legged in the front of Jack's boat and gazed at Nathan through the lens of the Fuji digital camerashe'd brought with her when she'd returned from Seattle. She wore her white one-piece swimsuit beneath a redtank top and jean shorts. A big straw hat shielded her face from the sun.
Nathan brought his pole back to cast and she snapped his picture. He wore a ball cap, the bill curved low on hisforehead and just above his silver and black Oakley sunglasses. His khaki shorts rode low on his behind andshowed his red and white striped boxers. He wore skater shoes without socks.
His cheeks were very pink, and he'd taken off his T-shirt although she'd warned him against it.
'You treat me like a baby,' he'd complained like a baby. But he gave in and allowed her to rub him down withsun screen.
She turned her camera on Jack, who stood across the stern from Nathan fishing from the opposite side of theboat. He'd pushed his straw cowboy hat low on his forehead and wore a pair of sunglasses with mirrored bluelenses. His old green T-shirt was worn around the neck and the short sleeves fit loose around the hard moundsof his biceps. Earlier he'd caught her staring at the little hole in the shoulder, and he'd told her it was his luckyfishing shirt. A pair of faded Levi's hugged his hips and thighs. The edge of the waistband was slightly frayed,and the five-button fly cupped his package in soft faded denim. She wondered how much luck those pantsbrought hint Probably a lot. On his feet he wore cowboy boots. What else?
He glanced across his shoulder at her and she snapped his picture. Irritation wrinkled his brow before he turnedhis attention back to his line. She didn't know if he was irritated because she was taking his picture or becauseGodsmack had just said the F-word again. Although, she'd certainly heard him throw that word around. I'mgoing to fuck you till you faint came to mind.
He'd picked her and Nathan up that morning driving a white Dodge Ram truck. To her surprise, it wasn't'vintage.' It was fairly new and pulling a twenty-one-foot bass boat. When he'd asked her and Nathan the otherday if they wanted to go fishing, she'd envisioned an aluminum boat with a little putt-putt motor. She shouldhave known better. Jack wasn't the kind of guy to have a putt-putt anything.
The gray-and-red boat had dual consoles with seats that looked better suited for a race car. A third fishing chairwas perched in the back by the huge outboard engine. Below the clock on the wood-grain console was the CDplayer. Earlier as they'd set up camp, Nathan and Jack made a deal. They would alternate music. Jack went firstand then Nathan. The problem was that Jack had a human-sized CD case, while Nathan had a case about thesize of the New York phone book. They were in for a ground-thumping few days.
Nathan caught the first fish. A twelve-inch Walleye that brought the first real joy she'd seen on his face in a longtime. Jack netted it for him and helped him remove the hook. With their head bent over the fish, Daisy snappeda few pictures. She was too far away and the music was too loud for her to hear what they said to each other, butwhen Nathan tipped back his head and laughed, Daisy felt it in her chest. The pang in her heart wasn't solelydue to the pleasure of her son's laughter, though. It was Jack too. He was reaching out to Nathan. Trying tomake a connection with his son, and for some reason that Daisy didn't understand, she felt herself fall a littlemore in love with him. Not the fast wham-bam love of adolescence. Not the flash of heat and fire like alightning bolt, which she'd once tried and failed to grasp in the palm of her hand. This was easier. A gentle beatagainst her heart, a soothing ahh in her chest, which scared her more than the first time she'd fallen for him. Thislove was more mature. She was more mature, and she knew exactly what to do about it.
Absolutely nothing.
Mali Flegel had called her the other night and asked her to dinner. It had been so long since a man had asked
