around Lily, telling her those awful people had no right to treat her that way and that they’d live to regretthe day they crossed a McGilly. Their support made Lily feel reassured and guilty at the same time —
guilty because she knew the McGillys would feel differently if they found out her and Ben’s marriage wasa fraud.
“Mimi definitely needs all the help she can get,” Lily said. “Buzz Dobson’s working on setting upa date for the hearing. I’m a nervous wreck about the whole thing.”
“Don’t you worry,” Granny McGilly said. “There ain’t never been a McGilly to lose in court inthis county.” She nodded toward the door. “I got somethin’ else for you out in the truck, but I don’t knowhow excited you’ll be to see it.”
Lily picked up Mimi and followed Granny outside. There, in the bed of the green Chevy truck,was Mordecai, panting and wagging his stump of a tail.
“Mookie!” Mimi exclaimed.
“Uh ... what’s Mordecai doing here?” Lily asked. It was a question she feared she already knewthe answer to.
“Well, I stopped by the big house on the way over here. Jeanie said that ever since you moved out,Mordecai’s stayed up all night howling for you. He won’t eat, neither. Just sleeps all day and howls allnight. Big Ben said he reckoned if Mordecai loved you that much, he orta go live with you. He’s too oldto be much of a guard dog anyway.”
Lily looked into the big dog’s adoring, chocolate-brown eyes. “Well, I don’t know what Ben willthink of this —”
“Benny Jack’s mother and daddy write him a check for five thousand dollars every month eventhough he don’t do a lick of work for the company. I figure five thousand a month’s enough to cover thecare and feeding of a dog.”
“Well, I guess it is,” Lily said. “Come on, Mordecai. The backyard’s fenced in. I guess we can putyou out there for the time being.”
Mordecai jumped out of the bed of the truck, delighted.
“So, Mimi,” Lily asked, “do you want Mordecai to be your doggie?”
Mimi wrapped her arms around Mordecai’s bull neck and cooed, “Big doggie. My doggie.”
Well, they were cute together. Lily didn’t know how she and Mimi would handle having such abig dog when they moved back to the city, but then a terrifying but familiar image flashed in her mind:She might not have Mimi when she moved back to the city.
“You okay, honey?” Granny McGilly asked.
“Yeah... just kinda stressed out.”
Granny patted her shoulder. “You’re a high-strung little thing, ain’tcha? I told you not to worryabout nothin’. This ugliness in court’ll be settled soon enough, and then you and Benny Jack can get back