Royal thoughtfully studied Lovey’s reaction as she took a cracker with cheese. She reckoned she might as well get the truth out in the open. There was no point in spending time together if the notion of moonshining was going to be a deal breaker. She’d delivered the news, but Royal was having a hard time reading Lovey’s expression. Was she surprised? Or was she upset? She didn’t seem to be either.
“So that’s why you were driving so fast?”
“I was just testing the car and the road. I don’t usually drive this way, but Ned thought it might be a quicker route to the Atlanta Highway now that the road’s been graded.” Royal watched Lovey take another sip, while never breaking eye contact. Royal was paying particular attention to Lovey’s mouth on the lip of the green glass bottle, and the distraction caused her to lose her train of thought momentarily. Lovey ran her tongue over her lips, which caused Royal’s cheeks to suddenly feel hot. She cleared her throat and looked away. “I guess as long as I coordinate my drives with your late night walks it’ll be a safe route.”
Lovey laughed softly. “I am sorry about that. But I’m not sorry we met.”
She turned back to face Lovey. “Me either.”
“So, do you work on cars too or is that Ned’s purview?”
“That’s all, Ned. I just drive.” Royal leaned back on an elbow, feeling oddly relaxed and excited at the same time. “Luckily, I was braking when I came into that curve so I had slowed down before I went into that rollover.”
“Is that what you call that upside down move?”
“Yeah, I like to avoid rollovers. At least when I’m behind the wheel of a car.”
“So in other instances a rollover might be advantageous?”
Royal didn’t think she was imagining it. Something was happening between them. Something unexpected. She couldn’t quite figure Lovey out. She was the daughter of a minister. A very conservative Baptist minister. And she’d been married. But unless Royal was way off her game, Lovey was definitely flirting with her. The way Lovey held direct eye contact with her. The way she’d licked her lips just now when she knew Royal was watching. Truth be told, Lovey probably had more experience than she did. She seemed a little bit older and more confident. Maybe Royal was out of her league, but what the hell?
“I can think of a few instances where a rollover is quite nice.” Royal took a swig of the tartly sweet cordial and watched Lovey smile slyly back at her. Oh yeah, this was definitely flirtation.
Royal liked the fact that Lovey was taking her at face value. She’d asked hardly any of the usual get-to-know-you questions. She seemed to be interested in coming to her own conclusions. And it seemed like they’d moved past the mention of moonshine without incident.
“Would you go out with me Saturday night?” Royal tried to ask the question with more confidence than she was feeling.
Lovey didn’t respond right away, and for a minute Royal thought she’d pushed her luck, but then she answered.
“Yes. I’d like that.”
Royal settled back, folding her arms behind her head. Lovey lay down on her side, propped up on one elbow. They were comfortably quiet with each other as they lay in the warm breeze, the smell of grass and damp earth surrounding them. After a minute, Lovey rolled onto her back so that they were lying side by side, inches away but not making contact. Electricity seemed to hum in the space between their bodies. Royal could feel it deep down in her core. She’d only spent a short time with Lovey, but she already knew she had a terrible crush.
“What was your husband’s name?” Royal remembered what Lovey had said about losing her husband. She wanted to know more about Lovey’s life and the sadness that seemed to register sometimes on her pretty face. Like when Lovey had tucked the quilt around her the night before.
“His name was George.”
“Do you miss him?”
“Yes.”
Royal couldn’t tell from Lovey’s voice if she was bothered by the questions or not, so she pushed on. “How did he die?” She watched Lovey take a deep breath and exhale before she spoke.
“The doctors called it pulmonary tuberculosis. Most people call it consumption. Probably because it slowly consumes a person.” Lovey was silent for a moment. Royal lay quietly, allowing her to reveal details of her life at her own pace. “It came on him gradually. At first, it seemed like nothing worse than a persistent cold.” Royal handed Lovey the bottle. She leaned up a little and took a long pull. “He’d be fatigued in the morning and then run a fever at night. He lost weight and had a cough that bothered him for weeks.”
“I’m so sorry.” Royal didn’t really know what else to say. Lovey sat up, pulling her knees toward her chest. Royal sat up too, mirroring her pose.
“By the time he was coughing up blood, we moved him to a sanitarium outside of Chicago. I was the only one allowed to see him. His breathing was shallow and labored.” Royal thought Lovey might start to cry, but she didn’t. Tentatively, she reached over and placed a comforting hand on Lovey’s back. “You know what question haunts me?” Lovey turned to face her. “Why him and not me?”
“Oh, Lovey,” whispered Royal. “You can’t think like that.”
“I watched over him for months. Do you know what it’s like to watch someone slowly suffocate?” A tear spilled over her lashes and slid slowly down her cheek. Then another. “And all I keep thinking is why him and not me? He was so kind, so good. I’m not nearly as worthy of living.”
“Don’t say that.” She pulled at Lovey’s arm so that she was forced to look at her. “Hey, things happen that we don’t understand. And it has nothing to do with who’s more worthy or who deserves something and who
