PART 2
8
Lost Lake
Suley, Georgia
Present day Eby didn’t show up for lunch. The guests ate without her, assuming she was just too busy with her inventory. Lisette set out browned chicken, warm butternut squash salad, blue potatoes, and blackberry bread with a crust of sugar that looked like ice crystals.
When the phone in the foyer rang, everyone’s forks froze halfway to their mouths. They sat motionless, startled, not only because this was the first time the phone had rung since they all had arrived at Lost Lake, but also because Eby wasn’t there to answer it. When it rang again, they looked at each other curiously, like jungle natives marveling at technology. Even Lisette walked out of the kitchen and stood there as if wondering what to do.
“I’ll get it,” Kate said, taking her napkin out of her lap. She got up and walked to the foyer. She reached over the desk and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Hello?” A female voice said. “Is this Lost Lake?”
“Yes.”
“But this isn’t Eby.”
“No, I’m Kate. Eby’s niece.”
“Oh, good! You might be able to help me. I’m Lara Larkworthy from the Ladies League. We heard about Eby’s farewell party and we wanted to know what we could bring. I know Grady is bringing chicken wings. And I heard Mavis Baker is bringing her famous chowchow.”
Kate hesitated. “All I know is that Lisette is making a cake.”
“So you don’t need dessert. Good. I’ll tell the ladies. One more thing. My husband wants to know if his bluegrass band can play at the party. When they were boys, Eby used to hire them to play for her guests on the weekends. He wanted to play one last time for her.”
“Sure,” Kate said, though she wasn’t really sure at all. “I guess that will be okay.”
“He’ll be so happy! Thank you for your time. I hope to meet you on Saturday!”
Lara Larkworthy of the Ladies League hung up.
Kate put the receiver back in the cradle, then walked back to the dining room.
“I think we have a problem,” she said.
“Who was that?” Bulahdeen asked.
“Someone from town. She asked what her ladies group could bring to the party. She also asked if her husband’s band could play. I think this party is going to be a lot bigger than we thought.”
Lisette immediately wrote something on her notepad and showed it to Jack.
“Lisette says she’ll need someone to go to the grocery store for her again,” Jack said. “And she’ll need someone to help her make a bigger cake.”
“I’ll go to the store for you,” Kate said.
“And I’ll help with the cake,” Jack offered. He even stood up, as if volunteering for military duty.
“I knew it!” Bulahdeen said with a cackle. She slapped the table’s surface with the palm of her hand, making the silverware jump. “Just when you think you know the ending, it changes.”
Selma patted her mouth with her napkin, leaving a smear of lipstick. “No, really, you should look into getting that medication.”
Bulahdeen ignored her. “I taught literature for nearly forty years. The books I read when I was twenty completely changed when I read them when I was sixty. You know why? Because the endings changed. After you finish a book, the story still goes on in your mind. You can never change the beginning. But you can always change the end. That’s what’s happening here.”
No one responded. She looked frustrated that they didn’t understand.
“Kate,” Bulahdeen said, “Eby’s not really doing inventory, is she?”
Kate reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. “Not really. No.”
“Eby doesn’t want to leave. We all know that.”
“I don’t think it’s within our power to stop her,” Jack said. “Is it?”
“Of course it is!” Bulahdeen said. “We’ve been coming back year after year, but have we ever truly let Eby know how much this place means to us? Does she really know how much we appreciate her? What have we been doing? We’ve just been hanging around, like we were waiting for this to happen, for Eby to finally give up. No more! I bet the whole town is coming here to tell her how much they love her. This isn’t a farewell party anymore. This is a make-Eby-stay party!”
Selma stood. “You can put a tuxedo on a goat, but it’s still a goat.”
“No, it’s not,” Bulahdeen said. “It’s a completely different goat when you put a tuxedo on it.”
“You’re feeling your oats today,” Selma said as she walked out.
“You bet I am. This is going to be great. There’s a lot more to do. I need to make another list.” Bulahdeen dove into her purse and began to rummage around in it, murmuring things to herself.
Confused, Devin turned to Kate and whispered, “Is there going to be a goat at this party?”