“Dinner bell.” Luke stood up and took her hand in his. “Everyone gathers round the oldest child in the Colbert family, Aunt Mary Lou, to say grace, and then the feasting begins.”

He led her back through the door into the kitchen area, where everyone already had their heads bowed. Mary Lou had pushed her walker to the middle of the circle and waited until Luke and Diana had taken a place beside Tootsie.

“Let us pray,” Mary Lou said as she bowed her head. “Father in heaven, thank you for bringing us together one more time for this reunion. Bless our time together, and go with us as we all travel home for another year. Thank you for the hands that prepared this food and for giving our Luke a girlfriend. Amen.”

Now she felt horrible for tricking these good folks. It’s a wonder God didn’t send a lightning bolt right down from heaven to strike her graveyard-dead for what she was doing. But she couldn’t say a word, not when it would make Luke look like a fool. She cared too much for him to do that.

When the short prayer ended and everyone raised their heads, all eyes were on her and Luke. He just grinned, raised his and Diana’s clasped hands, and said, “Amen!”

Everyone joined in with a hearty “Amen!” and then Mary Lou shuffled to start the buffet line.

“Does it work from the oldest to the youngest for dinner, too?” Diana asked.

“Linda June will help Aunt Mary Lou get her food first, but after that, it’s every man for himself. You want to go back to the sanctuary and make out some more, or do you want to eat?”

Diana almost said that she’d rather make out just to wipe that devilish grin off Luke’s face. But instead she said, “Oh, darlin’, we used up so much energy with those hot kisses that we probably should eat hearty for the next session.”

“Smart girl,” Uncle Clarence said right behind them.

Diana fought the heat creeping up from her neck to her cheeks. She’d blushed more that morning than she had in her entire lifetime. These poor people were going to be so disappointed next year when Luke showed up again without a girlfriend. Or maybe he would have found a real someone by then.

How does that make you feel? Her mother’s voice popped into her head again.

Just a little jealous after those kisses, Diana admitted.

Did you think about the age difference when you were sitting on his lap?

Diana shook her head.

Has anyone in this room asked you if you were older than Luke?

No, but I know, Diana argued.

“Are you okay?” Luke asked. “You’re a little pale.”

“Just hungry.” Diana wasn’t going to admit that she had voices in her head, not with so many of his relatives hanging on every word and watching every move she and Luke made.

“We can fix that, sweetheart,” Uncle Clarence said. “Y’all just come with me.” He took Diana by the arm and led her right to the front of the line. “This pretty lady and Luke need to be next,” he said loudly. “She’s our guest of honor, after all.”

Diana was so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl under a table. When she had agreed to be Luke’s girlfriend for the reunion, she wasn’t thinking it would be such a big deal, and she felt horrible for duping all his relatives. But she was far too invested in the charade now to back out. It would break their hearts and make Luke look like an idiot.

“Thank you, sir,” she said.

“That’s Uncle Clarence to you, darlin’,” he drawled.

She smiled and nodded. “Then thank you, Uncle Clarence.”

She focused on all the food to keep from thinking about the pretense and loaded up her plate with little bits of everything until she scurried out of room. Then she carried her plate to a table on the other side of the room from Aunt Mary Lou. Luke sat down beside her with his food, and pretty soon Tootsie, Carmen, and Joanie joined them.

Joanie nudged her with an elbow the moment she sat down. “Where’d you two disappear to?”

“We checked out the church,” Diana answered.

“The lady with the walker was peeking in the door, too. What’s on the other side?”

Diana said, “Let’s talk later.”

“Hey, this is the best ham I’ve ever eaten,” Carmen said from across the table.

“Dr Pepper,” Tootsie said.

“What?”

“It’s Linda June’s recipe. All she does is pour a bottle of Dr Pepper on it and bake it slowly,” Tootsie answered. “She brings it every year. She and her husband raise their own hogs and chickens and a steer or two every year. She does her own sugar curing and always brings a ham to the reunion, but the secret is the soda pop.”

Diana was glad to talk recipes and food instead of what had gone on in the sanctuary. Her mother was right—when she was making out with Luke, she hadn’t thought one second about the age difference between them, and she needed some time to sort all that out before she talked about it.

Chapter Fourteen

Diana changed into her pajama pants and a tank top and was busy rubbing lotion on her feet when her door opened. Both Carmen and Joanie came in uninvited and crawled up in the middle of her bed.

“It’s later now, so talk,” Joanie said.

“About?” Diana played dumb.

“We’ve been patient and didn’t say a word about your date, but now we want to hear how you felt about being his girlfriend,” Carmen said.

“Don’t you dare start without me.” Tootsie came into the room huffing and puffing. “I forgot how much energy it takes to get up those stairs.”

“Start what?” Diana asked.

“Y’all may be empty nesters because your daughters all left, but I’m one because my husband is gone, so we’re in the same boat. That means I get to listen to Diana’s side of the story. Mary Lou told me that y’all were in the sanctuary making out like teenagers and that she prayed to God that He’d close his eyes and look the other way. She said losing Smokey was enough for one year, and she didn’t have the energy to go to another funeral, so God was to look the other way for a little while.” Tootsie kicked off her slippers and got on the bed with the others.

“You’ve heard it all, then, so there’s no reason for me to say anything,” Diana said.

“I want to know how it felt to kiss another man,” Carmen said. “I can’t imagine being even that intimate with anyone other than Eli, and yet, the thought of kissing him right now makes me nauseated.”