It will look better on her than it does on me, anyway.”
“Why’s that?” Noah asked.
“Why is what?” Teresa answered with a question.
“Why would it look better on her?” Noah asked.
“Because it’s green. I was always a little jealous of her eyes. Mine are plain old dull brown.” Admitting that she liked anything about her foster sister, even now that they were grown women, wasn’t easy.
“You were jealous of me?” Kayla’s eyes popped open as round as pancakes. “I was always envious of you for your good hair and gorgeous complexion. I always felt like a misfit with freckles.”
“You fit here.” Miss Janie turned away from the television. “Both of my babies grew up to be lovely women. You got your daddy’s skin and my freckles. Your eyes are the same color as Aunt Ruthie’s, and she had curly hair. I wish I could have kept you and watched you grow up.”
Kayla squeezed her hand. “You used to tell us that everything happens for a reason.”
“I did?” Miss Janie frowned. “I don’t remember too well some days. What were we talking about? Have the babies been good?”
“Yes, they’ve been really good all day, and they slept through the night,” Teresa answered.
“I’m so glad.” Miss Janie smiled. “We were talking about dresses, weren’t we?”
“Yes, we were,” Kayla answered. “Thank you, Teresa, for the offer of your dress. I would definitely like to try it on.”
“Bet that hurt.” Teresa grinned.
“Why would you say that?” Sam asked.
“She’s never thanked me for anything in her life,” Teresa answered.
“Never needed to.” Kayla let go of Miss Janie’s hand and stood up. “But if I borrow your dress, I can always back out of going. If money was spent on one, I’d feel obligated to go. One question, though? Are you going to be mad at me if I get blood on it?”
“Why would you get blood on it?” Noah asked.
“The juniors and seniors had art class together, and Prissy Wilson was downright mean to me,” Kayla explained. “I’m not takin’ bull crap off her. If she says an ugly word to me, I intend to use her blonde hair to mop up the floor.”
“That’s my girl.” Miss Janie clapped her hands. “Prissy always was a bitch.”
“Miss Janie, I can’t believe you said that,” Teresa gasped.
Miss Janie crossed her arms over her chest. “Truth is truth. Prissy was a smart-ass little girl, and she grew into a first-rate bitch who controlled her friends. I never did like that kid. If her mama left her in a ditch, I wouldn’t have taken her in. Bullying other kids made her the queen of Sulphur Springs. Well, mark my words: her comeuppance will arrive one of these days, and it ain’t goin’ to be pretty.”
Teresa hadn’t realized that Prissy had been mean to Kayla. She had thought she was the only one that Prissy and her posse picked on. She had thought of dozens of questions she’d written down that she wanted to put to Miss Janie if and when she was lucid, but she was so shocked she couldn’t think of a single one after what Miss Janie had said.
“I read in the newspaper that she’s the president of the alumni association,” Sam said. “I sure wish I was a fly on the wall to see Kayla put her in her place.”
Kayla started toward the door and then turned back. “Noah, do you want to be my plus-one?”
“Nope, but if you need someone to bail you out of jail, just call me.” He grinned.
Teresa didn’t even realize she was holding her breath until Noah turned down the invitation. Lord, what a mess it could turn out to be if Kayla liked Noah. Teresa had just begun to get along with her foster sister, and they were dreaming about starting a little business together. Both of them liking the same guy could be catastrophic.
Noah turned his attention to Miss Janie. “I thought you might like to go sit on the porch and get some fresh air this morning. The girls will get you in your wheelchair. We can have a cup of coffee and have a visit.”
“I’d love that. Teresa, you can get me up. Sam, you and Noah go wait on the porch,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am.” Sam pushed up out of the chair with a groan. “These old bones are about worn out.”
“Mine, too, but they were good to us for a lot of years,” Miss Janie agreed.
Teresa had no problem getting her into the wheelchair, but when she