height. “My car got hurt, but I’m okay. Uncle J.T. just wants me to be safe.”
“’Cause that’s his job. A police ocifer keeps people safe. He’ll catch the bad guys and throw them in jail.”
His little face was so serious in his belief of right and wrong, Nadya had to bite back a grin. “I’m sure he will.”
“Did you have breakfast yet?” Mary Ellen asked. “I’m making cheese grits, eggs and sausage.”
“I haven’t had grits in years. But I had breakfast with J.T., so I’m good. I will not eat any more carbs today. I will not eat grits and sausage, no matter how good it smells. I will be strong and fit into my clothes.”
“Honey, you worry too much. I’m sure you burned off plenty of calories last night.”
Either Nadya was getting used to Mary Ellen’s bawdy talk or she was too satisfied to blush, because for once she was immune to the taunt. “And I plan to burn off many more tonight, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to gorge myself on fat and carbs.”
“We’ll see about that. My mama’s making lemon meringue pie for tomorrow’s dinner, and I’m making my famous twice-baked potatoes.”
“And everyone always said I was the bad influence on you.” Nadya picked Billy up and headed into the kitchen.
Bill read the paper next to Hunter who sat in a booster seat. Bits of toast were scattered around the toddler like confetti. Sydney sat patiently under the table, eagerly awaiting the next fallen morsel. The radio was on a country station, and the familiar cadence brought Nadya back to the days when Mr. Farley sat in that same spot and Mrs. Farley bustled around the kitchen humming to the radio. Memories and longing washed over her, choking her with emotion.
She put little Billy down on the bench seat and helped herself to a mug of coffee. “I think I’ll take this and sit on the patio so I don’t give in to temptation. Y’all eat your breakfast and let me know when the coast is clear.”
“Coward,” Mary Ellen called after her.
It was early enough in the morning that the heat wasn’t overwhelming. Butterflies fluttered over the potted flowers on the edge of the patio. A small, gray bird splashed in the bird bath and others chirped in the bushes. Nadya tried to let the calm wash over her tumultuous emotions and soothe her frazzled thoughts, but it wasn’t really working.
This whole week she’d been pushing thoughts of her father away, telling herself she’d deal with them later. She’d skirted around the issues she hadn’t wanted to face and focused instead on the moment. At some point she’d have to confront all the crap circling around in her brain or it would come back to bite her in the ass.
Okay, she was a professional, she knew how to organize and deal with emotional issues objectively. First, she knew who her father was. How did she feel about that?
Angry. He was a selfish bastard. Just because he left her some money and some land didn’t absolve him of his guilt. He’d used and abandoned her mother, and she hoped he rotted in hell for it.
Okay, so much for being objective. Moving on. How did she feel about being back in Dale?
Conflicted. On the one hand, seeing Mary Ellen and spending time with her and her family had been great. She was head over heels in love with those boys, and she and Mary Ellen had picked up their friendship as if the ensuing years had never happened. She’d been surprised both at how sad she felt to see the town in decline and how much she enjoyed spending time with Opal and Jemma.
On the other hand, certain aspects of the town brought back a cold fury that wasn’t hidden as deeply as she’d thought. Much of her anger at the town had been for her mother. The absolute unfairness of Dale’s treatment of her mama infuriated her. When J.T. suggested her mama brought some of it on herself, Nadya thought she might have to kill him right then and there.
But was there a kernel of truth in his otherwise idiotic statement? Tala had encouraged the townspeople to view her as mysterious and foreign. Part of that was because she was a foreign entity in this white-bread town. But another part of it could have been a defense mechanism. Growing up, she’d been taught to distrust Outsiders. The gadzé were to be taken advantage of, or to make