Page 102 of Feels Like Home

“Sorry, Melinda, it’s my fault,” Noble says. “Hattie warned me we were running behind, but there were a few things that needed my attention.”

I look around for a bucket of water to dive into because my face is on fire.

“Oh?” Rowe’s eyebrows shoot straight up.

“I was really slow on the lake this morning,” Noble says. “I was up late, and I couldn’t seem to get going today.”

“Oh, well, that’s okay,” Momma says, patting Noble on the shoulder. “I got you a donut.” She hands it over, and he grins a thank you.

“Where’s mine?” I ask.

“I gave yours to Boone because we had to wait so long,” Momma says.

“What?!”

“Now, let’s go. We have things to do.” She walks off.

My jaw goes slack at the blatant favoritism, but Noble breaks the donut in two and gives me half. “I’ll share.”

My eyes jump to his, and I huff out a laugh. “Did you see that? She practically told the world she likes you better than her own daughter.”

Noble grins. “What can I say—” he shoves his entire half of the donut in his mouth— “I’m irhuhsistabuhl.”

He grins and takes a few steps backwards before turning around and joining the rest of them, leaving me standing there with a half donut and a whole sister, who is, I now realize, glaring at me.

“What was that?” she asks.

I frown. “What was what?”

“Oh, no. No, no, no. Hattie Louella Rodrigo Giuseppe⁠—”

“That’s not my name.” I try to sound annoyed, but I’m trying not to laugh because this is a game Rowe and I have played since we were kids. We decided it was boring to have one middle name, and anytime we wanted to scold the other, we’d make up a whole string of nonsensical ones.

I mean, why be “Hattie Jean” when you could be “Hattie McChattycrinkle Bartamus Cheese?”

“Don’t you play dumb with me,” Rowe says.

“Girls!” Momma calls out. “Let’s go!”

I wave to her and start walking, shoving a bite of donut in my mouth. I can already tell Rowe is onto me. I’m a terrible liar, especially under even the tiniest bit of pressure, and if she starts poking, she’s going to get the truth.

“What happened?”

“With what?” I play dumb, but even I can tell it’s a little over the top.

Her eyebrows shoot up. “You and Noble.”

“Nothing,” I say around a bite. I grab her coffee and take a drink. I don’t have to look at her to know she’s staring at me.

“Hattie,” Rowe says. “Blink if something happened between you two.”

I screw my eyes shut. “Don’t do that, Rowena.”

“I knew it,” she says. “I knew it! What happened? Tell me the details. All of the details. The juicier the better.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I take another drink to try and hide at least some of my face from her.

She grabs my arm, and I stop moving. “You are a terrible liar.”