“Porter is my married name.” Lovey watched Grace’s eyes widen slightly as she reacted to this revelation.
“You’re married then? And your husband lets you run around with Royal?”
“Hey, I’m sittin’ right here.” Royal took another bite of pie as Ella gave her a wink.
“He, um, he passed away. A year ago.” The mood at the table suddenly shifted, and Ella reached over to place a comforting hand on Lovey’s.
“Oh, darlin’, I’m awful sorry. You’re so young. Was he as young as you?”
“He was only a year older.”
“Such a shame.”
“And no children?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Lovey moved back to live with her father, Rev. Edwards, you know, he’s pastor at the Baptist church.” Royal spared Lovey from having to say more by offering a bit more detail on her behalf.
“Well, we’re glad you’re with us, although we’re sorry for the circumstances.” Ella warmed up everyone’s coffee with a battered tin pot from the stove. “This is a good place to live. Good people. You’ll be happy here, Lovey.”
“I think you might be right, Mrs. Watkins.”
“Please, you eat at my table, you gotta call me Ella.”
Something caught Lovey’s eye. She leaned forward just enough to see a T-shirt clad youngster leaning shyly against the door frame from a side room off the kitchen. Lovey smiled at the child, and he obviously took that as an invitation. He slid up next to Royal, leaning against her chair.
“What’s this?” Royal reached around and playfully pulled the young boy into her lap. “Who’s tryin’ to sneak up on me?” The child giggled as Royal tickled his ribs lightly and he wiggled in her lap.
“Tyler Watkins, you are supposed to be in bed, young man.” Ella tried to give the boy a stern expression, but Lovey suspected from the motherly tone of her voice that it was easier for her to nurture than to discipline. The boy clearly wasn’t afraid of her, but leaned into Royal for protection nonetheless.
“Okay, Tyler, one taste and then back to bed.” Royal handed him her fork and watched him shovel two quick bites before he scurried back to bed.
❖
After another half hour at the Watkins place, they drove down the rutted path back to the graded county road. Royal hesitated before easing the car back on the roadway.
“Are you tired?” Royal leaned forward on the steering wheel and looked in Lovey’s direction.
“Not particularly.” The truth was, between the coffee and the encounter with meanness earlier, Lovey was rather wound up.
Royal rewarded her with a smile, and instead of turning toward town, they headed in the opposite direction.
“I thought you might like to see something before we drive back to town.” Royal volunteered before Lovey could ask the question about where they were going. She couldn’t imagine how they could squeeze much more into this night, but she was willing to give it a try. It was just past ten o’clock, and she knew her father wouldn’t be home from the revival until late the next morning.
Once the altar calls started, sometimes the event would then continue on into the wee hours. He’d be exhausted and emotionally spent when he finally returned home. He’d always told Lovey that the best time to do the Lord’s work was in the Devil’s hours, which she assumed, based on the hours the annual revival kept, was between ten at night and four in the morning.
Lovey regarded Royal’s strong profile from the passenger seat. She was fighting a strong desire to slide over so that she could place her hand on Royal’s thigh, but the raised stick shift seemed like a barrier, not to mention the fact that she was unsure of how Royal was feeling at the moment. They’d just gone through a tense standoff, and someone who was clearly close to Royal had been threatened. Maybe Royal would not welcome an advance from Lovey at the moment, despite the fact that the air between them seemed thick with desire. Did Royal feel it too? The moonlight highlighting Royal’s features made Lovey’s heart flutter like a hummingbird. She felt light-headed and had to force herself to turn and look out the window at the dark woods roving past the moving car.
After only a few more moments, they turned off the main road onto a narrow, rutted road that descended in gradual switchbacks until the trees around them opened up to reveal a small, smooth-surfaced lake.
Lovey leaned forward in her seat as the car slowed not too far from the edge of the lake. The moon was incredibly bright, and with the surface of the dark water so glassy, the glowing orb was reflected back at itself, doubling its enchanting luminosity.
“Oh, Royal. This is magical.”
“Come on. It’s even a better view from outside the car.”
Royal had pulled alongside the lake so that once they were out of the car she leaned back on its black lacquer surface, resting one boot on the footboard and sinking her hands in her pockets. Lovey walked down to the water’s edge and lingered for a moment, looking at the reflected celestial sphere before returning to stand near the car. The summer air, despite the late hour, was pleasantly warm.
“How do you know Grace?” Lovey had sublimated her curiosity as long as possible. She needed to know more about the woman they’d just rescued and how that woman was connected to Royal.
“Grace’s grandmother basically raised my father after my grandma passed. And after Grace’s grandmother passed and my dad was grown, her mother just kept taking care of my granddad.” Royal switched her stance, shifting so that her other foot now was on the footboard. “Ella always seemed to make an extra pie by accident, or extra cornbread or somethin’ that she’d bring by the house.”
“That’s very kind.”
“I guess over the years the Watkins women just sort of became like family. Grace and I spent a lot of time together as kids.” Royal put both feet on the ground and scuffed at the dirt with the toe of her
