Raven pursed her lips. “And what do we tell them? That when we broke into the house we discovered someone living there?”
“My dad would kick my butt for even looking in a window.” Julie shook her head. “If he ever found out what I did …”
She let the thought trail off, but all three knew that the Good Reverend Cooper was capable of any number of horrible punishments, including splitting the three of them up. For good.
“We could say we heard music,” Andie offered, rolling her Coke can between her palms, staring at the grass. “We could say we thought we saw someone go into the—”
“Andie!” Julie grabbed her arm. “Look, it’s your dad.”
He was turning into the driveway. The way he had countless times before. He was coming home. “I knew it,” she whispered, turning to her friends. “I knew he couldn’t do it. He’s coming back, you guys.”
Raven and Julie exchanged glances. Raven cleared her throat. “Andie, don’t get your hopes up.”
“Why else would he be here? In the middle of the day?”
He opened the car door, and she jumped to her feet and ran toward him. “Hey, Dad!”
He turned and looked at her, his face white with rage. Andie stopped in her tracks, her pleasure evaporating. “Dad? What’s wrong?”
“Where’s your mother?” He slammed the car door. “Is she inside?”
“I think so. I—”
“You stay here, Andie. This is between me and your mother.”
Andie watched him head for the house, then scurried after him, despite his order that she not. He reached the front door and opened it without knocking. “Marge,” he called, stepping inside. Then louder, “Marge!”
She appeared at the kitchen doorway, her expression lifting at the sight of him. “Dan? What a surpri—”
“Save it,” he snapped. “What the hell are you trying to pull?”
Her face fell. “Pull? I don’t know what you—”
“Don’t hand me that bullshit. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Andie made a small sound of surprise, stopping only steps behind him. She could count on one hand the times she had heard her father swear. She looked at her mother, confused. If he had come to ask their forgiveness, why was he swearing? If he wanted to come home, why was he so mad?
He fisted his fingers and took a step toward his wife. “Leeza could have been killed, Marge. Killed. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? What kind of person are you?”
This was about Leeza, Andie realized, crushed. He had come here about her. Not because he loved and missed his family. Not because he wanted to come home. She inched backward, wishing she had done as her father had asked and stayed outside.
“A snake in her car?” he continued. “Couldn’t you have come up with something a little less obvious? Something that didn’t point directly at you?”
“A snake?” Her mother brought a hand to her throat. Andie saw that it trembled. “You’re not suggesting that I … that I had anything to do with that?”
“Are you saying you didn’t?” His voice dripped sarcasm. “Are you saying you didn’t slip a garter snake into her car, knowing what might happen while she was in traffic? Hoping the worst might happen?”
“Dad!” Andie burst out, shocked. “Mom wouldn’t do that! How could you even say that?”
He swung toward her, paling slightly. “I thought I told you to wait outside.”
Andie tipped up her chin, furious at him, a smart reply springing to her lips. Before she could utter it, her mother jumped in. “This is Andie’s home. Unlike you, she has a right to be here.”
He looked from one to the other, as if just realizing how his accusation made him look to his daughter. “She could have been killed,” he said again, voice shaking. “She’s in the hospital, for God’s sake. She’s—”
“Seems to me,” Raven said from behind them, “those are the chances you take when you decide to screw somebody else’s husband.”
Andie gasped and swung around. Raven stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed, mouth set. Julie stood a few paces behind her, her face bright with embarrassed color.
Dan Bennett turned, too, trembling with rage. “How dare you, young lady. You have no business here. You are not a member of this family.”
“Family?” Marge repeated, stepping forward. “You’re the one who’s no longer a member of this family. I’d like you to leave.” She crossed to the door and swung it open. “And don’t you ever enter this house without an invitation again.”
He opened his mouth as if to say something further, then closed it, turned on his heel and stalked past Raven and Julie. Moments later, he backed out of the driveway, tires squealing as he did.
For a full minute no one said anything, then, as if realizing everything that had occurred, Marge cleared her throat. “I’m sorry you girls had to see that.” She shifted her gaze to Raven, then hesitated, as if unsure what to say to her.
Raven beat her to it. “I’m sorry I said that, Mrs. B. It just makes me so mad, what he did to you.”
The woman’s expression softened. “Thank you for caring, Raven. But I can … and should, fight my own battles. All right?”
Raven nodded, and Julie reached out and touched Marge’s hand. “We think you’re the greatest, Mrs. B.”
“That’s right,” Raven added. “He’s the one who should be apologizing. We love you.”
Her friends’ words seemed to calm her mother. Once again Julie and Raven had come through for her and her family. And once again she wondered what she would do if she ever lost them.
“Thank you, girls,” Marge murmured, smiling, though not, Andie saw, without effort. “You’re all very sweet. And I … I—” She turned to Andie. “Go on now. I know there are things you girls are wanting to do, and hanging out with an old lady isn’t one of them.”
Andie’s chest tightened. “You’re not old, Mom.”
“Older than you three,” she said firmly. “You go. I have work to do around here, and you’re keeping me from it.” She gave Andie’s shoulders a quick squeeze. “I’m fine,” she whispered. “Really. Go on now. We’ll talk later.”
Andie nodded, turned and led her friends outside. They took their places under the maple tree, not speaking for long moments.
After a time, Julie leaned over and caught Andie’s hand. “I’m sorry, Andie.”
“Yeah,” Raven murmured. “Me, too.”
“Thanks.” She blinked against tears. “You guys are the best.”
Raven leaned back against the grass and smiled up at the blue sky. “At least the little slut learned a lesson.”
Andie turned and looked at Raven. “What?”
“The little slut. Leeza. She had it coming.”
She had it coming. Andie caught her breath, remembering. The three of them sitting on her bed and talking about ways they could get even with Leeza. Discussing the things they could do to her to make her pay. Discussing the kind of car Leeza drove and where she parked it.
But that had been just … talk. Just the three of them joking around.