Secrets over Sweet Tea by Denise Hildreth Jones

the bedroom door ease open. She allowed the illuminated numbers on the alarm clock next to the bed to register. Almost two in the morning.
    Tyler spent a long time in the bathroom. Then she felt the mattress yield as his body finally made its way beside her.
    She rolled over and snuggled up against him, wrapping her arm around his waist. Somewhere past that disappointment lay the nagging hope that the kiss he’d given her tonight might actually have been an open door. “Did y’all have fun?”
    He placed his arm over hers and laid a hand on top of her own. “Yeah. It was great.” His words sounded only slightly slurred.
    She moved her nose up under his ear and lay there quietly for a while. Finally working up the nerve, she spoke. “Kiss me now, Tyler. Right here. Just the two of us. With no one else here.”
    He was quiet. Not a word.
    A lump climbed to her throat quicker than the pain could get to her heart. She raised her head. Light from the DVR cast a soft glow on Tyler’s sleeping face. The sound of snoring followed only a moment later.
    She lifted her body from the bed. She hated herself for asking. It was as if she loved to set herself up.
    A tear made its way down the side of her face before sheeven knew it was coming. She wiped it away quickly. Not now. She didn’t have time to cry now. It was time to go to work. She willed the tears to dry as she walked into the bathroom, turned the nozzle, and listened to the water rush from the showerhead. In two hours it would be lights, camera, action. And once again, the makeup, the pretty outfit, and the perfect smile would cover all the pain.

Scarlett Jo stood at the front entrance of the church, a stack of bulletins in her hand, eyes peeled for her new neighbor. She had visited Grace Shepherd three times this week. By the third visit she had mentioned the church. She hadn’t wanted to push too hard. But come to find out, Grace and her husband were looking for a church. So this morning, while passing out bulletins and greeting members and guests, she silently prayed that Grace wouldn’t back out.
    “Scarlett, I do think your outfit is as orange as my last pumpkin.”
    Scarlett Jo never let Sylvia Malone spoil her day, even if the woman refused to call her by her full name. She insisted that Scarlett Jo sounded juvenile for a grown woman.
    “Why, Sylvia, thank you. As I remember, that was a beautiful pumpkin.”
    Sylvia shifted her glasses to the top of her nose, rattling the dainty silver chain that held them around her neck. “It was orange .”
    Scarlett Jo scanned her orange sundress and matching orange shoes and confirmed to herself that she looked lovely today. Jackson had told her she did too. So that pretty much settled it for her. “Lucky for me, orange is one of my favorite—”
    “Did you see that?” Sylvia whirled around.
    “See what?”
    “That girl over there has tattoos all the way down her arm.” Sylvia pulled at the bottom edge of her yellow suit jacket and then straightened her matching skirt, her lips pressed together in disapproval. “My granddaughter Mary Kate has one on her ankle. It’s disgraceful.”
    Scarlett Jo still didn’t know why Sylvia came to their church. She complained about the music and the preaching. She didn’t like the old factory building where they worshiped. She fussed about allowing coffee in the sanctuary and believed that if you didn’t look like her, you pretty much shouldn’t be coming to church.
    “A lot of people have tattoos nowadays, Sylvia.” Scarlett Jo greeted a visitor and handed her a bulletin. Then she turned to look at Sylvia. “Please smile if you’re going to stand here at the door. We want to invite people in, not scare them away.”
    Sylvia huffed. “Did you know that they are planning a women’s event?”
    “Yes, it’s going to be wonderful.”
    “Did you know that they are having the women miss church on Sunday for it?”
    “It’s a weekend getaway, Sylvia. Every woman needs