The Covenant by Jeff Crook Read Free Book Online Page B

the Jell-O salad,” Holly said.
    â€œI wouldn’t eat it,” Nathan muttered with his mouth full. “It’s probably poisoned.”
    â€œThere is good in all of us. Even Mrs. Dye,” Deacon said as he took the plastic container and passed it to Jenny.
    â€œDoris is our neighbor next door,” Jenny explained. “She calls the police on us almost every weekend, accusing us of hosting loud parties at all hours of the night.” She still spoke about us and our as though her husband were still alive.
    Holly passed me a bowl of peas. “Doris is crazy. Daddy’s got her number blocked on his cell phone.”
    Jenny explained, “Holly’s father is Luther Vardry. He’s the president of the homeowners’ association.”
    â€œPastor Luther Vardry?” I asked.
    â€œYou’ve heard of him?”
    Luther Vardry was pastor of one of the largest Baptist churches in the state of Tennessee. They used to broadcast his Sunday-morning church services on local television, back when I was married and still went to church every other month or so.
    â€œOf course, Daddy’s unofficially retired now,” Holly said. “He doesn’t preach anymore, but he still does his Benedictions commercials on the radio.” Benedictions were these trite little one-minute sermonettes, basically infomercials that Stirling Baptist Church bought on all the top radio stations in Memphis. He was a gentle, soft-spoken man who reminded us that we may all be God’s children but only the Baptists were getting into heaven.
    I ate as much as I could stomach and remain ambulatory. Holly had already finished her bird’s portion and gone off to sniff some diet powder up her nose, but Deacon and Nathan were just getting their second wind. I pushed my plate away and set my wadded napkin beside it. “Are you sure you got enough to eat?” Jenny asked. I noticed she mostly just shifted the peas and mashed potatoes around on her plate without tasting any of it. “There’s enough to feed an army. If somebody doesn’t eat it all, I’m going to have to throw it away.”
    â€œI’m stuffed.” It wasn’t a lie. A half a sandwich would last me all day.
    â€œJackie has agreed to shoot my photographs for me,” Deacon announced.
    â€œI’m so glad!”
    â€œI’m just happy you were able to recommend her.”
    Jenny smiled and touched my hand across the table. “I believe these things happen for a reason. There’s a connection between us. God keeps bringing us together for a reason.” I smiled back as sincerely as I could manage, which wasn’t much, but she didn’t seem to notice. Whatever God had in mind for the two of us, He hadn’t bothered to pencil it into my calendar.
    I stood and pushed the chair back from the table. “I was hoping we’d have a chance to talk before you left,” Jenny said.
    â€œJust callin’ my mom.” I held up my cell phone as proof of my intentions.
    â€œOK. But you need to eat some dessert when you’re done. I hope you’ll take some of this home.”
    French doors in the dining room opened onto a deck big enough to hold a square dance. The deck had two levels that hugged the rear angles of the house, with the higher level overlooking the lake. I found a hot tub in one corner, glowing and bubbling like a witch’s cauldron. The last light of sunset was still bright on the lake. The levee was dark and empty, not even a ghost of a ghost. I lit a cigarette and blew the smoke at the sky.
    I hadn’t really intended to call my mother. I only wanted a chance to get away from everyone trying desperately to be brave in the face of death. I almost would have preferred some obnoxious display of grief to all this onward Christian soldiering and bold stiffening of the upper lip. But while I was sitting on the edge of the hot tub, Mom called me. I stubbed out my