Church
Mari and I prepared our hair care products in an unused commercial kitchen at the lodge.
I was so thankful that Mrs. Strong believed in my dreams enough to offer us the space.
At the same time, creating the products was a strain.
Having to lug the apples from my mini-orchard to the lodge for production.
Then having to lug the finished product back to my house.
I was truly looking forward to the day the production room at my house was completed.
That was why I was so excited when I stepped out of the door that led from my kitchen to the new space on Friday afternoon.
“Check it out.” Jones’ grin let me know that he was obviously pleased with himself.
I squealed with glee, plus jumped up and down when I saw that the garage door I requested had been added to the structure.
Having a garage door instead of a standard door would allow me to load the cases on an industrial cart and roll it out to load up my truck.
“Thank you. Thank you.” I included Jonah and his assistants in my appreciation. The three of them had really locked in after they missed that day due to weather. They had finished framing out the structure, put on the roof, and now the garage door had been added. “It’s coming along.”
“It is,” he agreed. “We’re on schedule to finish a little bit before we originally projected.”
I clapped happily, and the smile on my face practically cracked my cheeks. “Don’t tell me that, Jonah. I’ma be forced to give you a hug.”
He eyed me hungrily for a split second before schooling his expression. “Say, full disclosure,” he began. I braced myself for some bullshit. “Bright invited me to your mom’s house for Sunday dinner.”
I widened my eyes because it was usually just the Strongs and the Kingsleys in attendance. Even Mari had never attended. “Okay.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I just didn’t want you to see me there, and I don’t know, . . . feel some type of way.”
“Nah.” I felt the creases in my forehead form a semi-frown.
“Who am I to gatekeep Sunday dinner? If Bright extended the invitation, he has his reasons.” My frown morphed into a small smile.
“Besides, I would never deny a single man the pleasure of a home-cooked meal. The Kingsley women are beasts in the kitchen. You’re about to eat some really good food. ”
He grinned, which made him look boyish and even more handsome. “Cool. Let me get back to work.”
You do that, I thought to myself. “Okay,” I said aloud, then made my way back into the house. “Damn!” I muttered. “Why his fine ass gotta have community dick? The fine ones always have some unappealing ass character flaw.”
Sunday dinner didn’t have a specific start time, though the food typically hit the table between 6:00 and 6:30 p.m. I arrived about an hour before, carrying a big bouquet of flowers for the table and a large pan of Apple Brown Betty.
Perkins opened the door for me. She took the flowers then gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She was the oldest Kingsley sister, and I was the youngest. She had a tendency to mother me. Both she and Collins had that tendency, but Perkins was more overt with it. I let her make it.
Without my permission, my eyes scanned the room for Jonah.
I spotted him sitting at the dining table with the elder Mr. Strong, and my mother’s husband, Bayliss.
I purposely went in the opposite direction and headed for the kitchen where the ladies were holding court.
My mom and Mrs. Strong called themselves whispering about Jonah.
“I know Bradford is probably over there telling him to keep it in his pants,” Mrs. Strong said with a chuckle.
“I know he’s just being young, but—” my mother began.
“He ain’t all that young, Ma,” Bailey said. “He’s only a year or two younger than Bright.”
“Right,” Mrs. Strong agreed. “I remember when his mother was expecting him. He’ll be thirty-five in November.”
“Wow. By the time I was his age, I had four girls, and two of them were in high school.” My mother shook her head at the thought.
“I had four boys myself,” Mrs. Strong agreed. “I guess he’s enjoying his freedom until he settles down.”
“You think he’ll settle down?” Perkins asked.
“Bright said they talked about the damage his behavior was doing to his reputation. I think he told Bright he wants to be on something different.”
“I hope so,” Mrs. Strong said. “He’s always had so much potential but a lack of discipline.”
“Good for him,” my mother added. “It takes some of us longer than others to catch on to life’s lessons. We spend too much time waiting for things to change instead of being the change.”
My sisters added their positive and supportive feedback. Me? The only thing running through my mind was, I’ll believe it when I see it.
“Well, don’t look now, but your boy keeps sneaking glances over here at one of your daughters, Alisha,” Collins teased.
“Which one? Perkins or Church? Because the other two are spoken for.”
“Uh, that’s somebody’s baby boy, and more than that, he’s clearly a YN. He’d better not be looking at me or Church.” Perkins didn’t even bother looking up from her task of preparing the broccoli florets for roasting.
“You’re about to be mad then because he’s definitely looking at Church.” Bailey giggled.
I waved her off. “You know we kinda know each other. He’s the foreman on my production room project.”
“That’s not all he wants to be the foreman of.” Collins looked pointedly at me.
“Cut it out, Coll,” I told her.
“Right. Because the last thing Church needs in her life is a YN. We want her to do better than me and Mama, . . . not the same.”
“Church is a grown woman, and she’s standing right here,” I reminded my oldest sister.
“But have you heard what they’re sayin’ about him?” she asked me.
If the rumors had made it to Perkins, they were definitely far-reaching because she spent all her time either at Collins’ salon or raising her three little girls.
“About what happened behind the barn?” I clarified.
“Wait! What happened behind the barn?” Mrs. Strong questioned, the knife she was using stopping mid-chop.
“Nothin’,” I said.
Collins shot me a look and gave me an expression that clearly read, “Aww.” I wasn’t going there with her, so I rolled my eyes in return. Since she didn’t take me seriously, she giggled.
“Why’re you taking up for him, Churchy?” Perkins probed.
“I’m not,” I lied, kind of. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to discuss him when he’s in the next room? Aren’t we supposed to be making him feel welcome? I mean, he’s a guest . . . and family.”
Perkins eyed me. She liked to act like she was my mother, but she wasn’t my mother. I eyed her right back, respectfully, of course, though.
“Church is right,” Mrs. Strong said, picking up her chopping where she left off.
“He’s spent a lot of time hopping from place to place.
If he’s thinking about making Jackson Falls his permanent home, I want him to feel loved and supported, not gossiped about.
” She paused. “But I will be pumping Bright for any information he might have.”
We all laughed.
The following Saturday, Mari and I stopped at Butterscotch Café for breakfast before we headed to the lodge to finish up production on some products. The last of the outstanding orders needed to be filled before Jackson Falls’ Fall Festival started, and we received even more orders.
Saturday mornings were busy at the café.
We had just been shown to an available booth when Jones and Lex walked in.
They spotted us and motioned to the hostess that they would sit with us—without asking our permission.
Lex slid in next to me. Jones slid in beside Mari.
We had barely exchanged a good morning greeting when Jenna walked into the café.
We must’ve been at the most popular table or something because she spotted us, too, and walked right on over.
Her eyes fell briefly on each of us, but I was the only one she graced with a sneer.
I ignored her, choosing instead to concentrate on one of the menus the hostess had left on the table.
“Hey, y’all,” she spoke.
“Hey, girl,” Mari said with a small smile, while Lex barely grunted.
“What’s up?” Jones asked, grabbing a menu.
“Slide over, Jonesy,” she cooed. “I don’t want to eat alone.”
“But you were gonna eat alone if we weren’t here,” Lex reminded her.
“Right. And now I don’t have to.”
Jones slid over.
“Did y’all order yet?”
“Not yet,” Mari said.
Jenna swiped the menu from Jones’ hands in a too familiar manner.
He mugged her for a second or two but apparently decided to let her make it.
He grabbed a different menu from the table.
“It’s funny, seeing y’all here together.
I mean, especially after hearing that y’all were riding around Red Leaf together. ”
“What are you talking about?” Mari asked.
Jenna leaned up so that she could look around Jones and address Mari. “Let me find out that your bestie is keeping secrets from you.” Jenna’s eyes cut toward me.
I stared her down. No blinking. No hesitation.
I guess my silence gave her the go-ahead to talk her shit. “Church was cruising around Red Leaf the other day, in the passenger seat of Jones’ truck.” She sounded like she was tattling on me or something, like Mari was going to give me a whupping or something. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What about it?” Jones asked her. “We were over there doing business, . . . and minding our business. What about it?”
Jenna huffed. “Well, everybody knows that you’ve been . . . doin’ business with me. She needs to watch herself before—”