Chapter 93
“What made you choose Myrtle Beach?”
“It kind of chose us. We were just heading north. You remember that heap I used to drive?”
“Yeah.” Jack’s smile was reminiscent. “You’d take me in it down to the soda shop for ice cream cones. I always hoped my friends would see me with you in that car. It was the coolest thing on four wheels.”
“Well, Myrtle Beach is where the coolest thing on four wheelsgave up the ghost. By that time, we were flat broke, so there we were, with not even a high school diploma and no chance of a job.”
“And I was pregnant.”
“Pregnant? I’ve got nieces and nephews?”
“Four of ‘em, and except for the oldest, they all have their momma’s green eyes.”
“What did you do?” He knew how tough it was to raise a family, but to be unwed and have no job skills and little education…
“I did the only thing I could think of.” Andy’s mouth tightened.
Eve slid her arm around Andy’s waist and leaned into him. “Andy found a genuine man of God.”
“An Episcopalian, and as Evie said, Father Peter was truly a man of God. He was assistant vicar of St. Luke’s at the time, and he persuaded Father Paul to take us in. We thought it would only be until I could find a job, but Father Peter kept finding odd jobs around the vicarage, and then around the community. After young Thaddeus was born—”
“Ah, Andy. Thank you!”
“Who else would we name our baby blue-eyed boy after? And incidentally, we call him Jack, too.”
Jack burst into giddy laughter. “This is going to be confusing.”
Tom slid an arm around his waist and rubbed his cheek against Jack’s shoulder. “We’ll find a way, buddy.”
Yeah, they would.
“Anyway,” Andy continued, “both Father Peter and Father Paul insisted Evie and I go back to school. Evie’s a nurse-midwife. And I’m…”
Jack was surprised at the color in his brother’s cheeks. “You’re…?” he encouraged.
“I’m the deacon of St. Luke’s.”
“Oh, lordy! And wouldn’t Daddy pitch a world-class hissy fit if he found out!”
“How he reacts doesn’t matter squat. He made it more than clear that I was no longer his son, so he has no say in how my wife and I and our children choose to live our lives.” Andy hunched a shoulder. “Are you going to tell him?”
“Daddy and I haven’t exactly seen eye to eye in a long time. As a matter of fact, we don’t see each other very often.” The last time it had degenerated into a shouting match, with his father saying things Jack wouldn’t soon forget, let alone forgive in spite of Jesus’s “turn the other cheek” dictum.
“Seriously? You were always his favorite. How could he not—”
“Obviously you don’t remember what he can be like.” Jack didn’t want to go into that right now. Granted his brother was liberal enough to marry a black woman, but would he be liberal enough to accept the fact that his little brother was gay? “And you’re happy, Andy?”
“Yes, more than I’d ever hoped.”
“Then that’s the most important thing. How long can you stay?” He grinned. “I need to know how many more fatted calves I’ll have to take out of the freezer.”
“Well, Evie and I haven’t had a vacation in years, and we thought we’d like to spend some time here in Savannah.”
“How long?”
“In a hurry to get rid of us already?”
For a second Jack was tempted to call him by the name he’d used when they’d been young kids, but “doo doo head” was too childish, so he settled for, “Ass. My son’s getting married in two weeks, and I’d love it if you could stay for the wedding.”
“We’d love to.” Like most women, Evie seemed to be thrilled at the thought of white lace and promises.
“Oh, wait a second. I forgot all about your kids. Is it a good idea to leave them home alone for that long?”
Andy and Eve both burst into laughter this time. “They’re all grown and pretty much on their own. Our youngest is twenty.”
“In that case, will they be able to come down also?” Tom asked. “They’d be more than welcome to stay here at the ranch. God knows we’ve got plenty of room.”
“No, that’s okay, we wouldn’t want to put you out. We’ll get a hotel room.”
Jack scowled, and in spite of his best intentions, found himself reverting to his four-year-old self. “Andy, don’t be a doo doo head. We do have lots of room. Right now things are a little crowded because of the storm, but once that clears up—”
“Who’s staying?” Tom asked.