12. Jenny
JENNY
Jenny was feeling so exhausted after looking at houses that she was relieved when Gael asked if they could stay in for the afternoon and watch a movie. It wasn’t that the day had been physically taxing, but the emotional side of the whole thing had taken a toll.
She called down to Trudy to see if they could eat lunch in their room, and of course, the sweet lady said that she and Ward would bring up a tray for them.
After a wonderful lunch of homemade meatloaf sandwiches with mashed potatoes and a spinach salad on the side, they settled on the sofa to watch Ghostbusters.
It was a favorite of Gael’s, but the boy was nodding off by the time the movie was half over. Jenny pulled a throw blanket over him and just watched him sleep for a little while.
It was strange to think that she only had nine more years or so with him living at home with her full time. Of course it was always possible he would commute to college instead of living in a dorm, but even that meant only a few more years. In any case, he would be a teenager soon.
I wish I could give him a house like the one we saw today, she couldn’t help thinking to herself.
Jenny had never been overly worried about money and material things, which was a good philosophy since she was a teacher.
But seeing Gael in that house had tugged at her heartstrings.
It wasn’t just about the house, a little voice whispered in her ear.
That didn’t bear thinking about though. It was bad enough that she’d lost her college years to pining for Erik and then so much of her adulthood missing Jason.
She needed to keep her thoughts on her son now.
He was the most important person in her life, and she had promised herself from the first moment she laid eyes on him that he would always be her priority over everything else.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, bracing herself for another call from her mom, but surprised to see that it was Erik.
Sliding her thumb across the screen, she hurried to the bedroom.
“Hey,” she said softly.
“Hey,” he said, his voice huskier than usual.
For a moment neither of them said anything more, and all Jenny could hear was her own heartbeat in her ears.
“Listen,” Erik said at last. “I know this is all supposed to be pretend. But it isn’t, not for me. I have feelings for you Jenny, real feelings.”
“Oh,” she managed, the single syllable coming out like a sigh.
“I don’t want to pressure you,” he said. “But would you consider going on a date with me? A real one?”
In spite of everything she had just promised herself, Jenny found herself dying to say yes.
I can’t say yes. I can’t.
“I… I’ll have to think about it,” she said instead.
“Fair enough,” Erik replied, his deep voice measured. “You think about it, Jenny. I’ll be waiting.”
She hung up and closed her eyes, holding the phone to her heart. Life was all about timing, and the timing of all this just wasn’t right.
“What was that about?” Gael said from right beside her.
She opened her eyes, glad she hadn’t actually jumped with surprise.
“Was that Erik?” Gael asked, a knowing smile on his lips. “Did he ask you out for real?”
“How did you know?” she said automatically, then wished she hadn’t given herself away.
“But you said you had to think about it,” Gael said, his brow furrowed. “That’s not what you’re supposed to say.”
“What am I supposed to say?” she asked.
“You’re supposed to say yes,” he said. “Obviously.”
“Gael,” she said carefully. “This has been so much fun, but you and I are just here for a nice vacation. We have to be back in Boston before your school starts up again…”
“They have schools here too,” Gael pointed out.
“Erik and I are just getting to know each other again,” she said carefully. “He and his fiancée only broke up a few days ago. Even if we already lived here, this wouldn’t be a good time.”
Gael sighed, his head dropping to his chest so dramatically he almost looked like a character from one of his comics.
“I’ll tell you what,” Jenny said. “Why don’t we do something fun tomorrow, just the two of us?”
“Okay,” Gael said, brightening a little.
“Amish country in the morning?” Jenny offered, knowing that had been a major draw.
“Yes,” Gael said. “Yes, yes. And then how about dinner out in a nice restaurant?”
“Dinner out, huh?” Jenny asked with a smile. Gael had literally never asked to eat out before. He never even asked for fast food. His grandmother had raised him on beautiful home-cooked meals. “Yes, sure. Why not?”
“Okay,” Gael said, brightening again and hugging her hard. “This is going to be amazing.”
Shaking her head with admiration for the boy and his ability to turn his lemons into lemonade so quickly, Jenny tousled his hair and decided she was the luckiest mom alive.
She tried not to think about the fact that she owed Erik Anderson an answer to his question.
The next morning, she and Gael were up early.
“We’re going to see horses today,” he told her. “Can we eat shoofly pie?”
“Of course,” Jenny told him. “I’m sure they’ll be selling it everywhere.”
When they were dressed, they headed downstairs for breakfast. Trudy was in the dining room already setting out toppings for oatmeal.
“Good morning, you two,” she said. “Where are you headed off to today?”
“We’re going to Amish country,” Gael told her happily. “I’m going to see a horse carriage. Maybe.”
“Isn’t that wonderful?” Trudy said. “You’ll have to visit Esh Farm. Several of the Esh brothers and their sons come to Trinity Falls regularly to help with carpentry projects. But the family sells all kinds of things on their farm too.”
“Pies?” Gael asked hopefully.
“Of course,” Trudy told him. “But you’d better have some oatmeal first, so you don’t get hungry on the way.”
She scooped him out a bowl of steaming oatmeal and showed him the little bowls of fruit and nuts and brown sugar to add.
As Gael fixed up his breakfast, Trudy jotted down the name of the farm and rough directions.
“You’ll probably just put that address in your phone,” she said with a smile as she handed the paper over to Jenny. “But my old habits die hard.”
“The phone doesn’t always work out in the countryside,” Jenny said. “But you can’t go out of range with a piece of paper.”
“I guess you can’t,” Trudy said with a smile.
“Coffee’s nice and hot,” Ward said, heading out of the kitchen with an insulated carafe.
“Oh, thank you,” Jenny said, grabbing a mug to fill. “I’d love some.”
“Help yourself,” Ward said, setting it down. “We’ve got fresh cream out too. Is your fella coming by to pick you up?”
“Oh, we’re, um…” Jenny began awkwardly.
“Just having a mother and son day today,” Gael finished for her. “Erik has stuff to do at the Center.”
“And things to do for the wedding too, I’m sure,” Trudy said, winking.
The four of them sat and enjoyed their breakfast, with Trudy telling them all about her plans for the garden in the coming spring.
“Will it be colder in Amish country?” Gael asked suddenly. “Do we need an extra sweater?”
“I don’t think it will be colder, but it can’t hurt to have one, just in case,” Jenny said. “Can you stay down here with Miss Trudy and Mr. Ward for a sec?”
Gael nodded gratefully and Jenny ran back up to the room to grab another sweater for each of them before they headed out.
The drive out to Amish country was lovely. Once they were out of Tarker County, the land spread out even more with snowy fields as far as the eye could see.
“Are you sure Amish country is here?” Gael asked when they had been driving for about half an hour.
But before Jenny could answer, the car in front of them slowed almost to a stop.
A few minutes later, there was a dotted yellow line, and the other car passed a horse and buggy.
“Wow,” Gael squared. “I can’t believe it.”
“We’re going to pass,” Jenny warned him. “So keep an eye on them and you’ll really get to see the horse on the way by.”
Once they passed the buggy, there were a few farmhouses a bit closer together, and the beginnings of a little town.
She turned off the main road, as Trudy had instructed, and on her next turn they found themselves in a sweet little village with clapboard shops, a big red barn that had been converted into a restaurant, and tall trees lining the streets.
“Should we stop here, or keep going to the farm?” she asked Gael.
“The farm, please,” he said. “I want to see the animals.”
“Okay,” she told him. “Maybe we’ll stop here on the way back.”
They continued on and soon there was a wooden sign for Esh Farm above a chalkboard listing baked goods and dairy products that were available, and a note that the animal barn was open for visiting.
“This is it,” Gael said, looking like he might start jumping up and down right in the car.
Jenny smiled and followed the dirt road back to a handprinted sign that said Parking.
Her rented car was the only one, so they parked close and hopped out, crunching through the snow until they reached a sort of detached porch beside a farmhouse.
One lady in a gown and bonnet was feeding her baby while another lady knitted. The big table in front of them was laid with baked goods. A very tiny girl sat under the table, pulling a dress onto her rag doll.
Gael ran right up, and the lady put down her knitting to greet him.
If Jenny had been nervous about interacting with women from a culture so different from their own, there was no reason. Gael seemed to form an instant bond as he exclaimed over the baked goods.
When the other lady finished feeding her baby and offered to bring them to visit with the animals in the barn Gael was so delighted that the ladies could only smile at him, charmed.
Later that afternoon, Jenny drove them back to the inn. It had been a beautiful day, with so much to see and so many kind people to talk with.
She suspected that Gael’s open-hearted nature had given them a more in-depth understanding of the Amish life. He had asked one question after another, and the women had kindly answered him, explaining about their clothing, the animals, and what their lives were like.