The Liar

“Why don’t we go to the movies, then back to my place for a while?”

She smiled, thinking she had this, too. A movie date with a man who made her belly flutter. “Why don’t we? Callie, if you don’t eat your picnic lunch, there won’t be a cupcake in your future.”

Shelby marked it as a perfect Sunday afternoon, and driving back with Callie fighting sleep in the back, wondered how she could prolong it.

Maybe she’d see if Griff wanted to sit out on the porch while Callie napped. Or she could see if Emma Kate and Matt wanted to come over, and they could do up some burgers on the grill for supper later.

“I guess you’ve got things to do at your house.”

“There’s never a lack of things to do at my place. Why? Do you have something else in mind?”

“I was thinking, if you wanted to stay awhile, I’d see if Emma Kate and Matt wanted to come by later on. Have some wine, and grill some burgers.”

“More food? How could I say no?”

“I’ll see if it’s all right with Mama and Daddy, then . . .”

She trailed off as she pulled up to the house, saw her mother already running out.

“Oh God, what could’ve happened now?” She shoved out of the van. “Mama.”

“I was just about to text you. Gilly went into labor.”

“Oh, just now?”

“It’s been a few hours, but they didn’t say until they were heading in to the hospital. Daddy—my daddy’s got Jackson already. Daddy—your daddy—and I are heading into Gatlinburg to the hospital right now, and Forrest is bringing your granny. Clay says she’s moving fast. Oh, I don’t know why babies always put me in a tailspin.”

“It’s exciting, and it’s happy.”

“You should go,” Griff said. “You should be there.”

“Oh, I don’t want to put two preschoolers on my grandfather on his own.”

“I’ll take her. I’ve got Callie.”

“Oh, well, I—”

“I wanna go with Griff! Please, Mama, please. Griff, I wanna go to your house. Can I go to your house and play?”

“That would be the nicest thing,” Ada Mae said. “Shelby couldn’t be here when Jackson was born. It would sure mean a lot to us, Griff.”

“Done.”

“Yay! Yay!”

Shelby looked at her daughter’s shining face. “But it could be hours.”

“Not if Clay’s any judge. Clayton, you come on now!” Ada Mae shouted. “I’m not going to miss my grandbaby’s birth because you’re dawdling. Griff, thank you so much. Callie, you be good for Griff now, or I’ll know the reason why. Clayton Zachariah Pomeroy!” Ada Mae marched back toward the house.

“Are you sure? Because—”

“We’re sure, right, Callie?”

“Right! Let’s go, Griff.” Thrilled, she rubbed both her hands over his cheeks. “Let’s go to your house now.”

“Let me just . . .” Think what to do, Shelby mused. “I’ll just run in, get some things for her to play with.”

“I’ve got scissors and sticks for her to run with, and all those matches.”

“Aren’t you the funny one? Give me two minutes. And, well, you’d best just take my van in case you have to go somewhere with her. If I can borrow this truck.”

“It’s a rental. What do I care?”

“All right, then, all right. Two minutes. No, it’ll take me five. Five minutes.”

She raced toward the house as her mother came out dragging her father.

“Ada Mae, I’m a doctor, and I’m telling you, there’s plenty of time.”

“Oh, don’t doctor me. You tell me about plenty of time when you’ve given birth. We’re going, Shelby!”

“I’ll be behind you in five minutes. I know how to get there.”

Griff leaned back against the van beside Callie’s window. “We’re going to have some fun, Little Red.”

20

They did have fun.

Griff fashioned a monster face out of cardboard and, donning it, chased a thrilled Callie around the front yard. She brought him down with the magic wand he cobbled together from some tubing and more cardboard.

As the restored prince, he answered the first text from Shelby.

At the hospital now—everything’s going well. Okay there?

He considered for a moment.

We’re great. We’re heading out now to find some traffic to play in.

He took Callie in for a Coke, and judged by her wide, shiny eyes Coke wasn’t something on her usual beverage menu. It took a solid half hour to run off her Coke high. Breathless and wiser, he loaded the kid back in the van and took her for a quick drive for a pack of juice boxes.

That had to be a better option.

He spotted the sign Pups For Sale, decided a stop there would entertain her for a while, and pulled up in front of the compact rancher next to the little market.

Following the arrow on the sign, he took the gravel path around the back.

In a kennel, clean and dry, three cream-colored pups and one brown pup came instantly to life, yipping, racing toward the fencing, wagging chubby bodies.

Callie didn’t squeal and rush toward them as he’d expected.

She gasped, then pressed both hands to her mouth.

Then she turned her head, tipped her face up to Griff’s. And her eyes were full of wonder and love and immeasurable joy.

He thought, Oh shit, what have I done?