“God is a hell of a lot farther away than the ceiling, so you might as well not be lookin’ up there expecting him to leave important work to settle your fight.” Irene went to the cabinet, poured a cup of coffee, and took it to the table. “Is Allie cooking this morning? If she is, I want pancakes.”
Allie began to gather the ingredients from the refrigerator and pantry. “I’m tired of this fight, Mama. And yes, Granny, we are having pancakes if that’s what you want.”
“We need to get this settled,” Lizzy said.
“Sounds to me like it is settled,” Irene said. “Lizzy, you need to stop your whining and carryin’ on like a two-year-old. Allie don’t like that rascal Grady and neither do I. He’s got wandering eyes and probably hands that match.”
“Granny, he’s a youth minister!” Lizzy protested.
“That don’t mean shit, girl. There have been men since the beginnin’ of time that wasn’t worth a damn and Grady is one of them. His ancestors probably spent a lot of time in this very house back when Audrey was doin’ what she could to keep soul and body together,” Irene declared with a frown. “And you can wipe that grin off your face, Allie. Ain’t no good ever come from the Lucky Penny so you need to be careful, too.”
Lizzy exhaled so loudly it bordered on a snort. “I thought you’d want her to be involved with a decent man rather than someone who’ll just run off and break her heart again.”
Irene scratched her temple. “If you two want to fight, then take two butcher knives to the backyard but remember, the one who comes back in the house had better have the strength to dig a six-foot hole because I’m not helping you. And remember, too, that the ground is cold and harder than a mother-in-law’s heart.”
Lizzy pushed her chair back. “I’m going to the store. I don’t want pancakes.”
Irene grabbed Lizzy’s arm. “You are not going anywhere. You are going to sit down and behave yourself and when Allie has breakfast ready, you are going to ask the blessing on it this morning. God needs to soften up your spirit or you’ll never make a preacher’s wife.” Irene blew on her coffee and then sipped it loudly. “And it wouldn’t hurt you to learn how to make decent pancakes. Allie’s are light and fluffy. Yours are like shoe leather. If your marriage depends on your pancakes, Mitch will throw your ass out in the cold within a week.”
Lizzy threw up both palms defensively. “Hey, why is this pick-on-Lizzy Friday? I don’t think Mitch is going to leave me because my pancakes aren’t perfect.”
Allie pulled a cast iron skillet down from the hooks in the utility room and set it on the stove to heat while she mixed up the batter. “I remember when you used to make pancakes for us girls at breakfast. And in the hot summer you let us pretend the big tub upstairs was our swimming pool and you let us take our Barbie dolls swimming.”
Irene’s thin mouth broke into a lovely smile. “Remember when you played beauty shop and cut all their hair off, Allie?”
Lizzy raised a hand. “I do. I hated her for weeks for making my dolls look like boys.”
“Boys?” The light went out of Irene’s eyes as suddenly as if someone had flipped a switch. “I hear there’s a new boy over at the Lucky Penny.”
Allie crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her grandmother. Maybe a hug would bring her back for a little while. “Yes, there is, Granny. His name is Blake Dawson. You’ve met him.”
Irene shook her head. “His name is Walter, not Blake. That’s not a first name. It’s a last name.”
“Let’s talk about my wedding. I think you’d look lovely in a dark purple dress since the bridesmaids are all wearing orchid,” Lizzy said.
Katy wore her robe and slippers to the kitchen that morning. She poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the head of the table. “I think you’d look lovely in a dark purple dress, Mama.”
“I thought you picked out pink for your wedding. When did you change your mind to purple? I’ve already bought my dress. Now what are we going to do? Besides you know I hate purple. Always have,” Irene said.
Katy patted her mother’s shoulder. “Lizzy is mixed up. Of course she’s using pink for her wedding.”
“Good. I’m going to the bathroom to wash my hands. Will my pancakes be ready when I get back?”
“Yes, Granny,” Allie answered.
“It was good to have her for a few minutes.” Katy sighed.
Allie stacked three pancakes on the side of a plate and added as many sausage patties on the other side. “Mama, I’ve figured out the triggers that send her backward in time so fast these past few days. It’s when we talk about Lizzy’s wedding and the Lucky Penny. She keeps thinking about this Walter guy who lived there when you were planning your wedding and getting times all jumbled up in her mind.”
“Makes sense,” Lizzy said. “You shouldn’t mention the Lucky Penny in front of her and you shouldn’t take that job. Which is more important? Having the money from the job, which you don’t even need, or having Granny lucid for a little bit each day?”