Page 37 of Inferno

“This is my brother’s army jacket,” Taylor shyly explained, pointing to theT. CHASTAINnameplate stamped across the front lapel. “He always called me his good luck charm, so I wear it every day to, um, bring him luck.”

Prissy’s heart melted. She smiled, gently clasping Taylor’s hands between hers. “We’ll pray for his safe return home.”

Taylor’s expression softened with gratitude. “Thank you.”

Prissy hugged her, then drew back to call over her shoulder, “Manny! There’s someone here to see you!”

Moments later Manning emerged from the kitchen wiping his hands on a dishtowel. His eyes widened with surprise when he saw who stood in the foyer. “Taylor?”

She smiled shyly. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself.”Manning grinned, tossing the dishtowel over his shoulder as he came forward. “What’re you doing here?”

Removing a bookbag strapped to her back, Taylor explained, “I asked my friend who works as an aide in the main office to give me a copy of your class schedule, then I went to all your teachers and got your classwork and homework assignments so you won’t fall behind while you’re on, um, suspension.”

“Really?”Manning was clearly touched as he accepted the handouts from her. “Thank you, Taylor. I really appreciate this.”

“Yes,” Prissy added warmly, “it wasverykind and thoughtful of you, Taylor.”

The girl waved off their gratitude, looking thoroughly embarrassed. “It was the least I could do, considering it was my fault that you got in trouble, Manning.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” he and Prissy assured her.

As Taylor opened her mouth to argue, Stan emerged from the basement trailed by the boys.

“I thought I heard voices up here,” Stan said, smiling easily at their guest. “Hello. You must be Taylor.”

The girl’s eyes widened behind the thick lenses on her glasses.She looked from Stan to Manning to the rest of the boys,thenblinked rapidly as if to clear her vision.

Prissy inwardly smiled. Taylor’s stunned reaction was the same one that most people had upon encountering the fellas, who were like those wooden Russian dolls of decreasing size that were stacked one inside the other.

Amused by his classmate’s dumbfounded silence, Manning smoothly interjected, “Taylor, I’d like you to meet my dad and my brothers Montana, Magnum, Maddox and Mason.”

Recovering her composure, Taylor smiled brightly and thrust her hand forward. “Nice to meet all of you,” she enthused, shaking their hands in turn. “I didn’t realize Manning had such a big family, not to mentionfiveidentical twins.”

Everyone laughed.

Everyone but Mason, who stared at Taylor as if she were an oddity his young mind couldn’t comprehend. Pointing at her, he leaned close to Montana and whispered loudly, “Look at her clothes. She looks like—”

Monty clapped a hand over his baby brother’s mouth.

Taylor blushed, uncomfortably shifting from one foot to another.

Prissy cleared her throat.“Manny, why don’t you take Taylor to the kitchen and offer her some of Mama Wolf’s pound cake?”

“Sure—”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Taylor quickly interjected. “I don’t want to impose—”

“You’re not imposing,” Prissy told her.

“Are you sure? I should probably go before it gets dark anyway.”

“Where do you live?” Prissy asked curiously.

Taylor hesitated, biting her full lower lip.“Cedar Creek.”

At the mention of the old subdivision populated by modest brick ramblers, Prissy exclaimed, “You mean you rode your bike from all the way over there?”