Page 17 of Lemon Pound Cake Club

“And Miss Evelyn feeds everybody like we’re still growing.”

“Speaking of…” Tasha nodded toward a white cottage-style home tucked beneath enormous magnolia trees.

The front yard was different from the others. It wasn’t fancier, just older, more lived in, and obviously cared for. The lemon tree there was the biggest I’d seen all morning, with thick branches reaching over almost half the yard.

An older woman wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat stood beneath it with pruning shears in one hand and a wicker basket in the other.

She looked up before anyone called her name.

“I wondered when y’all were coming.”

“Miss Evelyn!” Nia called.

“We brought the new neighbor.”

“I can see that.”

She set the basket down and walked over, moving with the calm confidence of someone who never seemed to be in a hurry.

She was no taller than five foot three, but her presence made everyone stand up a bit straighter.

She wore a crisp white linen dress, pearl earrings, and gardening gloves. She looked effortlessly elegant.

“Hello, sweetheart.”

Her smile brightened her entire face.

“I’m Evelyn Harper.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

She held both my hands in hers.

“They’re finally filling that house.”

She spoke so softly I almost didn’t hear her.

“Finally?” I asked.

She blinked, surprised that she had said it out loud.

“It stayed empty longer than most homes around here.”

“Oh.”

“Well…” She smiled again. “I’m glad it’s yours now.”

Something about her put me at ease. She reminded me of grandmothers who always had hard candy in their purses and told stories after dinner.

“You’ll have to forgive these girls,” Miss Evelyn said. “They probably haven’t let you get a word in today.”

“We’re welcoming her,” Nia defended.

“You’re interrogating her.”

“We’re gathering information.”

“We’re being nosy,” Jade corrected.