pool, revealing most of her tanned, taut butt.
“She’s just showing off,” Granny whispered to Lily. “She had that thing done where they take avacuum cleaner and suck all the fat outta your butt — what’s that called?”
“Liposuction?”
“Yeah, that’s it.” Granny grinned. “Of course, she didn’t have that much fat in her butt in the firstplace. If she’d had the fat sucked outta her head, that doctor woulda had a real job to do.”
Lily laughed and looked down at Mimi, who started laughing, too.
“You know,” Granny said, “you’re the first woman I’ve ever seen drinking a beer at a McGillybarbecue. I think I just might have me one, too.”
Granny grabbed a beer from the cooler while Lily watched Sheila and Tracee in the pool. Theywere staying at the shallow end — no doubt so they could avoid wetting their carefully coiffed hair. Ofcourse, given Lily’s recent conversation with the other McGilly wives, she thought the shallow end wasan appropriate place for them.
“What’s your baby’s name?” Granny asked.
“Mimi — it’s short for Artemesia.”
Granny looked down at Mimi. “That’s an awful big name for such a little-bitty girl. Benny Jackher daddy?”
“Uh-huh.” Maybe she’d have another beer. The alcohol seemed to make lying easier — and it alsoeased the awkwardness of social interaction. Before her normal life had been interrupted, Lily had been areclusive sort, content to spend her days bent over her drawing board, rising only to see to Mimi’s needs,until Charlotte came home from work. Lily had probably talked to more people in the past two weeksthan she had in the past two years.
“Benny Jack’s the only one that’s been able to make a baby girl,” Granny said. “His brothers isjust too all-boy, I reckon. I always did love me a little girl, though. You care if I hold her?”
“Go right ahead.” Lily helped herself to a second beer.
Granny knelt down and made eye contact with Mimi. “Hey, Mimi, you care to come sit in an oldwoman’s lap?”
Mimi smiled and raised her arms in the universal “pick-me-up” symbol.
“What’s all this about?” a male voice boomed.
Lily looked up to see a middle-aged man, balding, bearded, and broad-shouldered, with a sizablepaunch beneath his plain white T-shirt. She knew immediately that he was “Benny Jack’s” father, BigBen.
Jeanie ran over to stand at his side. “I thought about calling you at work to tell you, but I thoughtit’d be more exciting to surprise you at home.” She looked across the pool. “Benny Jack! Come tellDaddy your news!”
Lily considered joining Ben but decided to stay put until she was told otherwise. From her safe