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house,” he said over his shoulder, staring once again at Doreen as if to let her know that her words hadn’t cut him deep at all. But they’d at least nicked him; that much she could tell.
    Doreen let out a sigh of relief as Mr. Tucker walked away. She’d never heard that he was the kind of man to put his hands on a woman in a rough manner, but there’s always a first time for everything. She silently thanked God she wasn’t his first casualty. Instantly she felt as if there was no relief in sight as now Mrs. Tucker strolled her way.
    When during Bible Study Doreen had gotten this funny feeling that something was going on with Willie, she had no idea it would erupt into all this. Now she wished she’d kept her behind planted right in that pew instead of sneaking out early and coming to the juke joint to investigate. Mr. Tucker may not have been the violent kind and resort to putting his hands on her, but the verdict was still out on Mrs. Tucker.
    â€œYou heard what my husband said,” Mrs. Tucker said with a smile as she put her arm around Doreen. “Drinks are on the house, gal. Come on and throw one back with your mother-in-law.”
    Doreen tried not to show her nervousness. Mrs. Tucker was being too nice to Doreen after the way she’d just talked to her husband. “Well, uh, thank you, uh, ma’am, but I don’t drink.”
    Mrs. Tucker leaned in and began talking to Doreen like she was telling her a top secret. “Do you see any of those good church folks of yours hanging around in this here juke joint?”
    Doreen looked around. “Well, uh, no, ma’am. I don’t think so.”
    â€œThen nobody will know. There’s nobody in here to go run back and tell your pappy that his good little Christian daughter had a drink or two.”
    â€œBut God will know,” Doreen was almost afraid to say. Her mother-in-law was being way too nice. She had no idea what she had up her sleeve.
    â€œOkay; then, I’ll have a hard drink and you can just sip on some of that wine God’s son, Jesus, whipped up.” She chuckled, and to be courteous, Doreen chuckled. That’s when Mrs. Tucker shuffled Doreen on over to a table in the back corner while Doreen looked at Willie and pleaded for him to save her. But she had no such luck. She’d come to the juke joint looking for answers. Well, Mrs. Tucker was not only about to school her, but hand the answer key to her on a silver platter.

Chapter Twelve
    â€œDoreen Nelly Mae Tucker! You left being fed at God’s house to come have drinks with Satan?” Mrs. Hamilton was furious as she cupped her Bible in her hands against her chest. An armor bearer stood on each side of her, warding off the invisible evil spirits that they just knew were lurking in a place like that.
    â€œMama, what are you doing here?” Doreen had been laughing it up and joking with her mother-in-law just seconds ago. Now she pushed her drink from in front of her and stood like a serious soldier on the front line. She did everything but salute her mother.
    â€œShouldn’t I be asking you that question?” Mrs. Hamilton replied, turning her nose up as she looked around. “Well, when you shot up out of the sanctuary like that right in the middle of Bible Study, I got this god-awful feeling in my spirit, so I came looking for you.”
    â€œWell, now that you’ve found her,” Willie’s mother stood, “can I offer you and your girls a drink?” she asked Mrs. Hamilton.
    â€œI rebuke that offer in the name of Jesus!” Mrs. Hamilton stated, appalled. “I am the wife of a pastor; the first lady of the most successful and thriving church here in town. And as for these women standing next to me,” she nodded to each of her armor bearers, “neither they nor myself are anybody’s ‘girls.’ Grown women of God is who we are.”
    â€œWell, do you grown women want a drink