Done in Fifteen Years novel · Chapter 19 of 32
Chapter 19: Fourth of July
I tore the flyer off the cork board and took it home on the Buick's dashboard, between the church fans.
Vernie read it at the counter.
"Returning champion," she said. "Of my county."
"Of my brisket," I said.
The night pitman took it from her and read it twice.
"Entry fee's a hundred and fifty," he said. "Grand champion pays five thousand."
Everybody looked at the TAX can.
Macey had it in her arms before anyone could say a word.
"Five thousand is thirteen percent," she said. "We're entering."
The Fourth of July cook-off was on the courthouse lawn in Leakey, a block from the Frio.
We pulled in at six the night before.
Deke's truck towed the propane smoker with VERNIE'S painted down the side and the S going around the end.
Vernie rode up front in a red, white and blue blouse she'd bought in 1976.
Thirty teams were already set up under the pecan trees.
Kilgore's had the spot by the gazebo.
They had a forty-foot trailer with Darrell's face painted on the side, four times life size.
They had a hired pitman from Fort Worth in a black chef coat.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–16 of Done in Fifteen Years are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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