Hang Tough(104)
“Your son never threatened to lock you away in Cheyenne, did he?”
“No. I kinda feel . . . bad about him bein’ the patsy on that.”
“You didn’t consider me the patsy?” Tobin said tightly. “Because I was more than a little nasty to Jade about it.”
“And I didn’t trust him and his charming ways from the start,” Jade inserted.
“Because he wasn’t using his charms on you, girlie. He was being himself—not the Boy Scout or the ‘nice kid’ everyone’s made him out to be.”
Jade sensed Tobin’s surprise—and maybe his relief—that GG had picked up on that.
“So the whole . . . ‘you two can’t be in the same room together’ rule?” Tobin asked.
“It worked, didn’t it?” A smug expression settled on GG’s face. “Lordy, was it ever entertaining watching you two try and get around that rule every gol-durn time I had my back turned! If I would’ve insisted you buck up and figure out a way to get along . . . you would’ve resisted. But insisting you keep away from each other at all times. Pretty smart idea, if I do say so myself.”
Tobin laughed. “I will grant you that one, Miz G. It drove me crazy that every time I had this gorgeous woman to myself, you interrupted.”
GG buffed her nails on her shirt.
“I will say the lie detector test went over the top, though.”
GG blinked at Tobin. “What lie detector test?”
Jade elbowed him again. “Just some fun and games that backfired on me. Trust me; you don’t want to know the details.” Evidently not all of the Mud Lilies were part of this matchmaking operation. No wonder they grilled her about GG’s plans. They believed everything she’d been telling them.
“This next part? Let’s keep it PG, kiddos. You two hitting the sheets was inevitable. The last thing you lovebirds needed was an old woman around all the time cooling your ardor.”
Jade grinned at the lovely phrasing—so different than Tobin’s self-declared “sex-fest.”
“Pretty amazing that you became this”—she gestured between them—“in such a short amount of time. I’m plumb tickled. And maybe feelin’ like a hotshot because I was right. You both love me, and I love both of you, so how can you not love each other?”
“You do have a point.” Tobin looked at Jade. “I don’t care how this came about. I only care that we’re together from here on out.”
“We are. We’ll make this life work, no matter where we end up.”
“Oh. That’s so . . .” GG sniffled. Then she frowned. “What do you mean ‘no matter where you end up’? You’re where you belong. That’s why I cleared out.”
Their heads swiveled toward her.
“Run that by us again,” Tobin said.
“This house and the land? Are yours. Well, as soon as you get married and both your names can be transferred to the deed. I’m old-fashioned that way.”
“What? GG. That’s so”—crazy pants—“insanely generous, but you don’t have to move out and give us your house. We’d be happy if you lived with us. Heck, we’d just be happy to have a place to live because everything is so up in the air right now.”
“What Jade said, Miz G. I wouldn’t feel right booting you out of your house.”
“I’m thankful you’d even offer, honey. Both of you. You’re not booting me out. I’m bailing out. It is a lot of work for an old broad like me to take care of this place. It needs new memories. A family that make it more than just a house. It’ll become a home. Your home. Your place to set down roots.”
“But GG . . . it’s so much . . .” She could hardly speak.
“Jade doll, you’re my only grandchild. I can be generous to you if I want and you just have to suck it up and take it.”
She laughed, even through her tears. “What about you?”
“Me’n Pearl and Tilda and Maybelle bought that piece of land across from Bernice’s that’s been for sale forever. We’ve all got these family homes out in the country and it’s time for us to have a swingin’ bachelorette pad in the city.”
“If one can even call Muddy Gap a city,” Tobin said wryly.
“Oh hush, you. Anyway Holt is building us a fourplex, ranch-style spread out all on one level. We’ll each have our own space. In the middle it’ll have one of them shared courtyard thingies like in New Orleans. There are two spots to add on for when Vivien is ready to make a change and for Bernice if she ever divorces Bob. Holt has promised we’ll be roasting chestnuts and drinking eggnog on Christmas Eve in our new digs.”