Kate nodded agreement. “Sorry, Jess.”
“Okay.” Jessica raised her hands in mock-surrender. “But I get to choose the story. Tell Skyler about the dinner party Mom threw for Gram and her little group from the Daughters of the Confederacy.”
Kate groaned. “I’m afraid that moment has been wiped from my memory banks.”
“I’ll bet.” Jessica slapped her shoulder playfully before turning to Skyler. “Well, I was about four years old and I wanted to see what was going on that was so special.”
Kate interrupted. “Laura and I were on pins and needles. It was the first time our mothers had met, and we were hoping they would like each other.”
“I came downstairs,” Jessica said. “But it was a warm evening—”
“So, she shows up in the dining room when we’re in the middle of dessert,” Kate interjected. “She’s butt naked and telling these stuffy bluebloods that she wants ice cream.”
Skyler smiled. “Kids run around naked sometimes. I don’t know why anyone worries about it.”
“Oh, the crime wasn’t being naked. It was what I said when Gram asked me, ‘Jessie, honey, where are your pajamas?’” Jessica lifted her chin in imitation of her four-year-old self. “I simply told the ladies that if Mom and Kate didn’t have to wear pajamas, then I didn’t either.”
“No.” Skyler guffawed. “You didn’t!”
“Oh, she certainly did,” Kate growled. “I could see my life flashing before my eyes. You could have heard a pin drop as Little Miss Jessica strutted her naked self over to me, climbed in my lap and took a big drink from my water glass, then waved good night over her shoulder as she skipped back down the hallway to her bedroom.”
“Oh, my God. What did you do?”
“Well, we were stunned. We just sat there until we heard her bedroom door shut, then Laura said, ‘That child has the most vivid imagination.’”
“Gram was horrified,” Jessica said.
“My mom thought it was funny seeing me stuttering and trying to smooth things over,” Kate added. “She was used to me not giving a damn what other people thought.” She paused, and a soft note entered her voice. “I wanted to laugh, but Laura would have killed me later. She was trying to make everything so perfect.”
Skyler chuckled, but Kate’s wistful tone made her wonder again what had happened between her and Jessica’s mother. They were lovers and she’d said something recently about Laura pushing her away. It sounded like Kate still cared, and she and Jessica had remained close. So, what went wrong?
The sun had broken through a thick cloud cover only a bare hour before, so although the day was warm and the sun’s glare strong, the parking area, little more than a commandeered pasture, was still slick with mud.
“Good thing this truck has four-wheel drive,” Kate grumbled as she parked.
Skyler eyed the mud. “Jess, maybe you should grab your cane. This mud looks pretty slick.”
Jessica frowned. She hated that cane. She saw it as a sign of weakness. Secretly, in the back of her mind, she’d been looking forward to showing up at this event with Kate and Skyler in tow. Cherokee Falls was well known for producing winners. She relished the thought of showing off a bit and making the competition uneasy.
“I’m fine, Sky. Don’t worry about it. I don’t even think I brought the damned thing.”
Skyler fished around in the back of the vehicle and produced the cane. “There’s no point in taking chances. You could rip that knee out again with one slip in this crud.”
Jessica stood with her hands on her hips, refusing to accept the cane. She had a better idea. “That cane could get stuck in the mud and make things worse. Why don’t you just carry it for me, and I’ll hold on to you. I’m sure I’ll be safe hanging on to your arm.”
Kate snorted. Did she see Jessica just bat her eyes? When Skyler obediently offered her arm Kate’s mouth dropped open. Jessica looked like the proverbial cat about to eat the canary and Skyler was blushing. Shit. Kate wanted them to be friends, but the chemistry between them felt like dangerously more than that.