is only for special days,” Holly said. “Like Easter and Fourth of July.”
“Today is a special day.” Lily draped her arm around Holly’s shoulders.
“I’m not going to argue. Banana pudding is my favorite.” Holly took a step back and followed her down to the kitchen.
Lily’s feet felt like they were floating on air rather than going down the stairs. It was wonderful—no, it went beyond that into fantastic—for Holly to ask her opinion about things these days.
After supper, Mack turned on the television and found a channel showing reruns of NCIS. He twisted the top off a bottle of beer and tipped it up for a long gulp. When he came up for air, Lily had slipped into the living room and was sitting on the other end of the sofa.
“Well, hello,” he said. “Did you figure out what was upsetting Holly?”
She nodded and proceeded to tell him the whole story. “But we can’t tell anyone, or else it’ll all come back on Holly and make things worse.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Mack chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Lily’s tone was downright chilly.
“The cops used to make a run to the river about once a month on a Saturday night. They’d round up the underage drinkers, and their parents would have to come get them at the jail. I’m friends with one of the deputies, and he was bragging last week that their busts had cleaned up the situation,” Mack explained.
The smile on Lily’s face started small, but soon she giggled. “The kids just changed it to Wednesday and Friday nights and used choir practice for an excuse to get out of the house. Wonder what they do on Saturday night?”
“Stay home. Get sober. Go to church on Sunday to make their parents think they have wings and a halo.” Mack offered her his beer.
To his surprise, she took it from his hands, took a drink, and handed it back. “Thanks. I rarely have a beer, but I do enjoy one now and then.”
“What’s your favorite drink? Piña colada? Daiquiri?”
“I’m not a mixed-drink or wine person. I like a beer sometimes, or a shot of whiskey on special occasions, but that’s only once or twice a year, if that often,” she told him.
“There’s a bottle of Knob Creek smoked maple in the cabinet. It was there when I moved in, and I’ve had a shot on the past five New Year’s Eves,” he admitted.
“That was Mama’s favorite. Daddy would hold up his beer bottle on New Year’s Eve, and Mama would touch her shot glass to it,” Lily told him. “When I got married, Mama and I had a shot just before I walked down the aisle. It might be the same bottle since she only had a drink once a year.”
“Well, then, I’d say it’s very well aged.” Mack took a drink from the bottle and offered her another one. He loved spending time with her and listening to her husky voice confide in him. He felt as if he was really part of a family.
She shook her head. “Fourteen is way too young to be drinking or having sex.”
“We have a sophomore who had a baby last year when she was just a freshman, and there are also two seniors who will be mothers before they graduate. It can’t be blamed on race, color, creed, or social standing. They come from all walks of life,” Mack said. “You’re a good mother. Holly talked to you rather than listening to her friends.”
“Most days I feel like the meanest mama in the whole state.” She pulled a quilt down from the back of the sofa, stretched her legs out, and wrapped the quilt around her body.
“You shouldn’t.” Mack tucked the quilt around her feet. “You’ve been tough on them for a reason, and it’s plain as the horns on a billy goat that it’s paying off.”
“I appreciate you saying that,” she said, and pointed toward the television. “I haven’t seen this episode. Ziva is still on the show. I missed her when she left.”
“If you leave this summer, I’ll miss you, Lily.” His drawl seemed even deeper than usual.
She looked up into his eyes. “I promised the kids that if they stayed out of trouble, we’d go back to Austin.”
“I understand that, but what if they decided they wanted to stay here?” he asked.
“Then I’d sure be willing to give up the Austin apartment,” she replied.
Lily woke to the sound of the NCIS theme song playing at the end of the episode. She