Jody was not an impulsive person. She’d lain awake at night agonizing over moving in with Lyle for two solid weeks. When Mitzi invited her to be a partner in The Perfect Dress, that was the only spur-of-the-minute decision she could remember making. But seeing Hazel so sad turned her heart into a big blob of mush.
“I’ve got the whole day free. I’d love to read to Hazel if you don’t mind. Where do you live?” Jody said.
“I won’t turn that offer down,” Quincy said. “The directions are complicated. Why not just follow me? That would be easier,” he said. “And thank you, Jody.”
She wiped away Hazel’s tears with a tissue she pulled from her purse and said, “Don’t cry, sweetheart. I’ll go home with you and read as many books as you want me to, then your daddy can read to you after that.”
Hazel ducked her head and grinned. “ABC?”
“Whichever ones you want.” Jody hoped she wasn’t making a huge mistake.
Quincy had been right about the directions to his place. She followed him all the way to the Celeste city limits sign. At the next section-line road, he made a sharp left. In less than a quarter of a mile, the pavement turned to gravel. She was glad that she had the windows rolled up, because she drove the rest of the way to a dead end in a cloud of dust.
He might be a big oil man, but the house was far from a mansion. A rather small, long, low ranch house with a wide porch around three sides, it was painted pale yellow. Lantana and petunias bloomed in the flower beds on either side of the walkway, and the lawn looked soft and green. That meant there was a sprinkling system, because in July the unrelenting heat had already turned most of the town’s grass brown. Jody slung the door open and stepped out.
“Welcome to my home,” Quincy said as he set Hazel on the ground.
A big yellow cat came out to greet them, rubbing around Hazel’s legs and causing her to sit down with a thud on the grass. She wrapped both arms around the cat and kissed it on each ear.
“Meet Ophelia.” He reached into the back seat of the truck and picked up two bags of groceries. “She likes the cat better than me or her mother.”
Hazel shook her head. “Filly can’t read.”
“She can’t say Ophelia so she calls her Filly. Crazy thing is that I’ve got to doing the same thing. And the cat doesn’t mind. I’ve had her for ten years. Might be the only cat that’s ever been in divorce court,” he chuckled.
“I want to play outside,” Hazel said.
“You mind?” Quincy asked Jody.
“Not a bit. We can read later.” Jody sat down on the porch steps.
“It’s almost dinnertime, sweetheart. Want to help me cook?”
Hazel shook her head and carried Filly to the porch, where she sat down beside Jody. “No. Can Jody eat with us?”
“Of course she can.” Quincy bent to kiss her on the top of her head.
“She’s really articulate for a four-year-old.” Jody stroked Filly’s fur.
Quincy set the bags beside the door, then sat down beside Jody and Hazel on the porch. “She’s been like that from her first words. Sometimes she gets things a little mixed up but not often. And she’s never met a stranger, which is why I never let her out of my sight.”
Hazel smiled up at her dad. “Daddy, can we keep Jody?”
“For a little while today. How about we go make dinner and then Jody might read to you until you fall asleep for your nap?”
Hazel nodded and then held out her hand to Jody. “Mac and cheese and hot dogs?”
“Sounds great to me.” Jody got to her feet and allowed Hazel to lead her into the house.
“Make yourself at home,” Quincy said. “Hazel’s room is the first door on the right down the hallway. I’m not much of a cook, but I do a fine job with what she always wants for dinner. But maybe for supper we can take you out for something a little better, like pizza.”
“We’ll see. I might need to get back to the shop,” Jody said, just in case she decided to leave before too long. She kept going through the small foyer, the living room, and down the hall to where Hazel took her into a pretty room all done up in pink and lace. The child patted the cushion