That had been the closest call she’d had in a long time. And they’d fired on her car, which not only rattled her nerves, it made her angry. She loosened her grip on the large steering wheel and realized that her hands were shaking.
Since when did a little car chase rattle her so badly? She’d been feeling distracted all day with thoughts of Lovey. Maybe she was starting to think she had a future. Having a future was making her rethink risky behavior. Was this what it felt like to have something in your life that mattered? Someone you wanted to come home to? Or was it just because Ned was in the car?
She left her taillights off for a while longer as she hit the gas pedal and rocketed into the dark night.
Chapter Nineteen
Another day had slogged slowly by for Lovey. She’d not seen Royal and had no way to reach her. It seemed that if she was going to see Royal she’d have to take matters into her own hands. It was still early in the day when Lovey decided to walk over to Royal’s house. She was curious to see Royal’s home. After all, Royal had been to her house more than once, although not in the light of day.
As it turned out, Cal knew where Royal’s family lived and so she’d gotten directions. She thought she’d just walk over. She was headed that way when Cal showed up with groceries. Today was one of the days she did laundry and cooked dinner for them.
“Are you sure you should be goin’ over there, Miss Lovey?” Cal had a concerned look across her face when Lovey told her of her intentions.
“You think it’s bad if I walk over without an invitation?”
“No, it ain’t that, Miss Lovey. It’s just that, well…”
“I know that the Duvals make moonshine, if that’s what worries you.” Lovey wasn’t sure the reason for Cal’s concern. It had to be about the moonshine, given her father’s abhorrence of the stuff.
“Well, that, among other things.”
“It’ll be fine, Cal. And it’s a beautiful summer day for a walk.” She trusted Cal not to say more to her father than she’d gone for a walk if he asked.
Her father was fairly distracted this week preparing for an overnight revival that was to start on Friday, culminating with Decoration Day on the church lawn Sunday. At least that’s what the locals called it. She’d always heard it referred to as Homecoming, but the event seemed to have the same components—decorating the graves at the church and hosting a large covered dish lunch on the lawn after the Sunday service.
Lovey had a long shot of a plan to spend Friday night with Royal. That had been the last request Royal had made, and this might be a rare opportunity to actually make that happen. But first, she needed to find Royal and reconnect.
It was a three-mile leisurely walk to Royal’s place, a cluster of wood-sided structures on a large piece of open property. The three buildings were spread out and punctuated by at least one large barn, a corn crib, and a low chicken coop built of what looked like hand-sawed lumber that Lovey could see from the wooded lane that skirted the property. The first house was painted white but worn in spots. That was the structure she had the clearest view of from the driveway. There was another house up a hill set farther off the road, and she could just make out the roofline of a third house camouflaged by a scattering of hardwoods thick with foliage.
As Lovey drew near the first house, she saw a woman wearing an apron that covered most of a floral shirtwaist and her skirt. She seemed to be spreading corn for a random assortment of free roaming chickens in the front yard. The woman looked up with a questioning gaze as Lovey headed toward her. She knew she was taking a large chance just showing up like this, but she didn’t think she could tolerate one more day without seeing Royal.
“Hello.” Lovey stopped several feet away and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She felt nervous, but wasn’t sure if it was due to the intense once-over the woman was giving her or if it was the anticipation of seeing Royal on her home turf.
“Hello.”
“I’m sorry to stop by unannounced, but I was hoping that Royal might be here.”
“She is. Can I ask who’s callin’?”
“Of, course, sorry. My name is Lovey Porter. I’m a friend of Royal’s.” Lovey smoothed the sides of her calico broomstick skirt. She felt as if she were under astute inspection.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Royal’s mother. Let me just get her for you.” Without further delay, she turned and shouted at an open second-story window. “Royal, you have a visitor!”
The two of them stood in awkward silence for a moment waiting for some sort of response. When none came, the plump, matronly woman yelled again.
“Lillian Royal Duval! I know you can hear me.”
Royal’s blond head appeared in the open window, her hair mussed. She had a shocked look on her face when she saw Lovey standing next to her mother. She held up her hand. “Just a minute. I’ll be right down.”
“Why don’t you go on in and wait for her in the kitchen?” Royal’s mother rested the shallow pan of loose corn on her hip.
“Thank you, Mrs. Duval.”
The worn boards of the long front porch creaked as she crossed them and pulled open the screen door. Lovey could see the kitchen through the doorway as she passed through a small living room set around a brick fireplace. The room paneled with board-and-batten-style white pine, darkened from exposure to the sun
