Page 25 of Redemption

“Add ours,” Rip spoke up. “I had Sofia’s ring for a year and I finally asked her.”

“Yes! That’s right,” Bea replied with a clap of her hands. “So let me count…”

“Three?” Sofia spoke up.

“Well, Lord help me over the fence!” Ma exclaimed with glee in her eyes. “We’ve got to have some dates. This will be me planning the weddings of the century. Plus…” She looked over at Cinnamon. “We have a fashion designer for your dresses.”

Cinnamon sucked in a stunned breath and turned her head to stare at Bea.

Nodding her head, Bea chuckled. “It is fate I am tellin ya. I can cook and bake till the cows are too fat to come home, but dressmaking. Just can’t…never could. So Cinnamon here can put them together.”

Everyone at the table? all twenty two of us? turned our heads to stare at Cinnamon.

She stared back with wide eyes as she looked entirely bewildered. “Oh, Ma… I’m…”

“That’s a lot to ask, I know.” Bea nodded. “But these hitchings won’t all happen at once.” Then she paused. “Or will they?”

I chuckled.

Cinnamon looked over at me with a glare.

I bit at my lip.

She then turned her head to look back over at Bea. “I mean, you need to…weneed to make sure the ladies want that.”

“We can all discuss it.” Bea nodded.

“Well, I do have sketches?” Cinnamon offered. “So they can see my work?”

“Well, that is just peachy. We’ll get together and do that. I am so excited that I even have to check my garters!”

Jarret laughed as he shook his head at her.

We all stared. I mean we…STARED at him. Then my brothers and I all looked at each other.

Cinnamon leaned in close to ask me, “What’s the matter?”

I shook my head slowly. “Dad…”

“Yeah?” She nodded at me.

“I don’t know who this man is,” I answered.

She tucked her head back and looked over at a smiling Jarret Walker as he talked with Bea Walker.

“Do they still use the old time talk around town?” Dad asked Bea.

She shrugged and took a sip of her tea. “I’m not sure but I suppose I keep it alive here at least.” She looked over at Liv. “Like when Livvy here went undercover at that strip club and I saw her strutting across my living room dressed like a tart?” She rolled her eyes. “I said, girl, that dress is so tight I can see your religion. I swear she went from being cute as a teacup to a flouncing martini!”

Dad again laughed.

I wondered as my brothers probably did…How could it be that our father had changed overnight?

Cinnamon leaned in close to me again. “She makes him happy and that is so sweet.” Then she cleared her throat and said in a deep southern drawl, “Why he’s grinin’ like a possum eatin' a sweet tater.”

I blinked my eyes and stared at her. “What?”

Cinnamon laughed.