Bring on the Rain (21 page)

Feeling guilty for cussing at a
funeral, Madeline looked around for Brook and saw Ruby
instead.

“
How long you been
here?”

“
The whole time, I stayed in
the back.” Ruby smiled and they hugged.

“
You look
pretty.”

“
You mean normal.” Ruby
laughed having worn a 1920’s low waist black dress and small black
hat with a half net over her eyes. Her shoes were vintage, lace up
and thick heeled.

“
I’m not staying too long,”
Madeline, sighed, calming down a bit.

Ruby nodded. “I’ve got to get back too.
Hey, you never told me what was up?”

“
I can’t here.” Madeline
promised, “Soon.”

Ruby asked with a dry grin. “Did you
hear Nick might be working at the Tavern?”

Madeline nodded. “I’m supposed to train
him. Is he ready for it?”

Ruby shrugged. “He’s more upbeat. I
didn’t even know he’d applied.” Ruby eyed the group behind him.
“It’s odd because he’s got all that money, and he could open
something. I don't know what the hell to think.”

“
Well. He probably does know
what he‘s doing. We’ll hope for the best. It’s a good
sign.”

“
I saw Jenna this
morning.”

“
How was she?” Madeline
swatted at a horsefly.

“
Stressed, restrained. She
said they were going to Dollywood." Ruby snorted, “’S’cuse me, but
he don't seem like the amusement park type.”

“
No, he doesn’t. And I don't
like her going off with him.”

“
Yeah well, I asked her what
she was doing with Karla. She’s going to ask you to keep
her.”

“
That’s no problem,
but—”

“
Yeah, I know.” Ruby sighed
and pulled the net further over her brow. She saw Jude coming the
same time Madeline did, and muttered it to her. He was carrying
soda and talking to a gorgeous young woman.

“
I’ll go,” Ruby murmured
under her breath.

“
Bye.” Madeline hugged her,
and then stepped back. ”Call me.”

Ruby waved and headed out of the yard
toward the line of cars. Madeline witnessed Jude turn and watch
Ruby walk, all the way to her van. It seemed odd he would, she
mused, narrowing her eyes to try to catch his expression. He seemed
to completely forget the woman he was talking to.

Interesting…

“
Can I get you a
plate?”

Madeline turned and smiled at Jason.
“No thank you. Coffee though?”

“
Sure.” He walked back up
the steps. He had taken off his tie and rolled up his
sleeves.

She watched him tease a few youngsters;
razz a couple of young men who were sitting on the
banisters.

Some of the cars thinned as folks
departed by the time Jason returned. He handed her the Styrofoam
cup, and led her to a picnic table under a big pine. “See those
twins?”

Madeline saw two boys he pointed out,
about fifteen years old.

“
That’s Deena’s boys, Carmon
and Chris.” He pointed out a girl about seventeen in a short black
skirt, lace blouse, and black pumps. “That’s Renee, the oldest. She
ran off and got married and Deena had it annulled. They’re oil and
water.” He pointed out next a cluster of younger kids. “That
curly-headed thing, is Lilly, the baby one.”

“
How old?”

“
Ten.”

She glanced down a moment, and then
looked him straight in the eye. “Your aunt hates me, Jason. We had
words. I told her not to speak to Brook.” Among other
things.

“
Yeah I figured it. She
tried to run her mouth when she got in last night. I think Dad and
Jude cussed her out. That’s her husband over there. The guy‘s not
bad; he’s like twenty years older than she is. I feel sorry for
him, Aunt Deena’s not much of a bargain.”

“
Did your dad…say anything
last night?”

He glanced at her dryly. “I was at his
house when he came in. He didn’t have to.”

“
He…stopped by.”

Jason flashed her a white smile. “Yeah.
I figured that too.”

“
No…it…You can’t go back
where you started. I like you, Jason. I don't want to hurt anybody.
I know what it feels like. Please, don't get expectations.” Darn
it, Madeline thought, she did like him. He was simply too young to
understand all the obstacles. She knew hope when she saw it, and he
was hoping there was more going on than there was.

“
I like you too.” He sighed
and rubbed the back of his neck. “The only thing I expect is for
you to give Dad a break. He’s trying. You two should get to know
each other again.”

Madeline murmured something offhanded
when he excused himself to help unload a bunch of chairs after
having his name called out by a cousin. She kept looking for Brook
thinking she could leave before Mitch returned.

Madeline made a trip to one of the
restrooms, checking other rooms, as she went, not finding her. She
spent a few moments longer in the bathroom, putting a cool cloth to
her eyes. She hadn’t worn any make up, and they still looked tired,
dark circles and not enough sleep.

When Madeline came outside again, Mitch
was watching and signaled her. She went down the steps and met him
at the same picnic table. He sat on the top of it, and rolled up
his sleeves, his tie was gone now. She thought maybe he’d taken a
quick shower because his hair was damp. It looked more silver
because of the all black he wore, and when he glanced at her, his
eyes were soft blue.

He scanned her outfit. “That’s
attractive.”

“
Thank you.”

He asked if she was going to sit down.
Madeline sat away from, though facing him.

She had to look upward and Mitch down
to converse.

“
Have you seen
Brook?”

Mitch nodded. “She went to get her
bass. People will play music after they eat. Coy done bragged on
her talent. She’ll have to play now.” He grinned. “It’s like that
here.”

Madeline chewed her lip then suggested,
“I guess Coy could bring her home.”

“
He will. I’m glad you came.
I would understand if you didn’t. I know you and Dovie cleared
things. Hell, Jude was thinking you wouldn’t.”

“
You and he fought, didn’t
you?”

“
Yep.” Mitch looked away.
“But it was a long time coming. Jude’s been an ass since he broke
up with Amy. I don't know why, they couldn’t stand each other. They
separated a dozen times. But I’ve had to pick up some slack for
him, because of his attitude. I won’t lie, it’s to do with you too,
but Jude needed his head knocked on straight.”

“
He looked up to you,”
Madeline said quietly.

“
I reckon,” he muttered.
Then, “Still, he’s got to snap out of it. It’s not about Amy Brown.
He and Coy cannot find a way to get along yet. He half wants Coy
here, half wanting him to go on to college. If you ask me, Jude
doesn’t want to start his life. He doesn’t want to face a lot of
his bad choices. When Dovie made the choice for him, he didn’t have
to. He could lump it all in together. Now Amy is out of the
picture. He’s got some other shit to clear up.”

She decided to confess. “Deena and I
had words.”

Mitch looked at her. “What did she
say?”

Madeline told him.

He looked angry. “Don't worry; she’s
not going to say anything to Brook. She is pissed because Dovie
only left her antiques. Deena got her share of things years ago.
She took it to put her kids in private school and buy a big house
and a couple of fancy cars to impress her friends. The antiques are
worth a lot. To Deena, it’s all about competing. She’s the most
selfish and spoiled bitch alive. I’ll have another word with her
later.”

Oh hell, she should have kept her mouth
shut. “No, I don't want to start anything.”

“
Hell, we got into it this
morning at breakfast. But apparently, she didn’t hear me
right.”

“
I don't care what she
thinks of me now.”

“
I do,” he ground out. “In
so far as my gossip is concerned. She’s a miserable—”

“
Oh, shit.” Madeline felt
bad. “You guys should work all of this out. You’re family.” All she
needed was to be the subject of a fight at a funeral. Wouldn’t that
just cause some town talk, not to mention make her look like a
troublemaker.

“
It’s fifty-fifty with the
rest of us. We fight and argue but everyone works it out, because
they are willing to. She’s never liked anything but chaos. Don’t
think she targets you. Half the cousins and in-laws can’t stand
her. She’s got to have something going all the time.”

Madeline let it go. She didn’t want to
talk about Deena.

Mitch waved at someone who called his
name. He yelled out to another who called out, teasing him, from
the porch.

“
I should go. You need to do
your thing here.”

He said, “I wish you wouldn’t.
“

“
I don't want to bring you
down today. I am sorry for your loss, honestly. I would rather not
even bring this up, but Mitch, we can’t act as if time stood still.
It didn’t. Life happened to us. We aren’t the same. We don't know
each other.”

Mitch eyed her steady and said quietly,
“I know that. Now everything is cleared up. I get the feeling if I
let you walk off, you won’t let me in.”

She didn’t say anything. She would
rather not add to his sadness today.

He whispered, “Is there someone
else?”

“
No.” Madeline shook her
head.

“
You got a thing for Bud
still?”

Madeline felt his gaze on her profile.
“No, Mitch.”

“
Is it too weird because of
Coy and Brook?”

“
No.”

“
I get too old on
you?”

That brought her gaze back to him.
Madeline looked him over and her eyes told him the
answer.

Damn him, he smiled, slow and sexy.
“Okay, it’s physical or what?”

“
Don't you consider that
what we had…is what you’re attracted to…or looking for? Nothing can
be that intense or real again.”

“
Says you,” he husked
seriously, “I felt pretty damned intense last night.”

“
It was a time of grief for
you. And with all we’ve found out…”

“
You're right about one
thing, maybe I don't know you very well now. But you could let me.
‘Because I can’t figure why you won’t even admit there's nothing to
keep us from dating again.”

Madeline laughed and muttered. “What's
a date?”

“
You dated Bud.
Right?”

“
No, I met him at the
funeral, my mom’s. He rented my aunt a car.”

Mitch frowned. “I didn’t know your
family, other than Adell.”

“
Yes, in
Kentucky.”

“
You never mentioned
them.”

“
Aunt Gee Gee wasn’t...she
didn’t understand Mom. She wrote me and sent me little things, and
we didn’t meet but once, before Mom died. But we got to know each
other. She was Dad’s sister. She’s a pediatric surgeon, she and my
uncle.”

“
How come she didn’t help
you out? With school clothes and bills…?”

Madeline flushed. “I didn’t ask her to.
God—” She knew she had worn the same two dresses and thrift store
shoes around Mitch. She had owned two pairs of Levi’s and some
T-shirts, a pair of boots, not much else besides unattractive
undies. But shit, she didn’t think she’d looked obviously
needy.

~*~

Mitch grunted, probably looking as if
he wanted to kick his own ass. “Hey, I wasn’t putting you down. I
never thought you looked or acted poor, I just knew.”

He shrugged, wishing he hadn’t said
anything.

Mitch had noticed, and he’d tried to
buy her things. She had never allowed him to. She had said it was
because her mom would find out. He suspected now, it was her pride.
Madeline was a damn hard worker, she didn’t own what she couldn’t
afford, and she didn’t ask people for anything.

She was saying, “—Mom had a lot of
bills. We…she got a state check, but was house bound. She ran up
the electric bills because she couldn’t stand the dark, and she
would only eat certain foods.”

“
Madeline, “Mitch cut in
softly, “You don't have to explain to me. I thought your aunt
should have helped you. You had it damn rough, and sister-in-law or
not, you could have used some help.”

“
I did. Later.” She nodded.
“I did when it counted most.”

“
After your mom died, you
got married?”

“
A year or so,” Madeline
evaded. “Aunt Gee Gee put the wedding on and,
everything.”

He could tell she didn’t want to
encourage that subject. “Bud was an asshole.”

She laughed faintly. “Let’s
not.”

Mitch obviously wanted to, but let it
go for now. He looked around and then leaned down and gazed over
her face. “I want to see you. I want to be around you some. Maybe
you don't trust me still, or need to talk about Ronda and me? I
don't care. I’ll be as honest as I can be.”