“Never call me that. Half the reason I moved away from this damn place was so nobody wouldcall me that.”
Lily, with Mimi in her arms, followed Ben up the front porch steps. Ben opened the front door andhollered, “Mom!” There was no answer, so they went inside.
The living room was decorated in slate blue and mauve, with lots of geese, sheep, and other ersatz
“country” doodads. A TV with a theater-sized screen dominated the room. “Mom!” Ben yelled again, thensaid, “She must be out back.”
Lily followed Ben through the enormous kitchen, through the formal dining room with the fullystocked china cabinet and floral centerpiece on the table, through the sunroom with its white wickerfurniture. They went out the back door and down a stone path that led to a high wooden fence. Benopened the gate.
Mrs. McGilly was lying on a floating air mattress in the Olympic-size swimming pool, reading aglossy-covered romance novel and eating grapes. She was an attractive woman, with curly light brownhair that was highlighted with the occasional streak of silver. For the mother of three grown children, herbody was positively streamlined in her purple swimsuit.
Ben stood silently, waiting for her to notice him. Finally, she looked up and exclaimed, “BennyJack! You ’bout scared me to death. You didn’t tell me you was coming!”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Mrs. McGilly pulled down her sunglasses and regarded Lily and Mimi. “Well, hon, ain’t yougonna introduce me?”
“Uh...sure, Mom. This is Lily, my wife, and Mimi, my daughter.”
Mrs. McGilly sat bolt upright, upsetting the air mattress, and fell into the pool with a splash—sunglasses, grapes, romance novel, and all.
CHAPTER 5
“I didn’t mean to act so shocked,” Mrs. McGilly said, as they sipped lemonade in the living room.
“It’s just that from the time he was a little boy, we never thought Benny Jack was the marrying kind.”
“Well, I guess he just had to meet the right woman.” Trying to act extra-wifely, Lily reached forher husband’s clammy hand. She could tell that Ben was offended by his mother’s insinuation about hisproclivities. Despite Ben’s rather obsessive penchant for color coordination, he liked to think he couldpass for a hetero he-man.
“And I just can’t believe this precious little doll here is my grandbaby!” Mrs. McGilly bounced thegiggling Mimi on her knee. “Mamaw just can’t wait to take her little granddaughter shopping, no, shecan’t.” She looked up at Ben and Lily. “Of course, I’m absolutely scandalized that y’all got married at the