Chapter Eight
Josie spent her days learning to cook and bake, and her nights learning about her new husband. What shocked her more than anything was the fact that Jack didn’t seem to have a temper at all.
She’d never even seen him annoyed with anything, and she realized she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. By the time the snow melted, Josie and Myrtle had a real plan for the bakery, and the men began building their dream.
While Myrtle worked on a menu and ordered what she would need for the bakery, Josie helped with foraging in the mornings, and she helped Sally with planting in the afternoons.
It wasn’t work she particularly enjoyed, but she knew it was needed.
Thankfully, there was news of at least one more woman joining them in late spring, and possibly another.
Once they were there, tasks would once again be shifted.
It was late May when the bakery was finally built, Myrtle and Josie were able to go inside and decorate as well as put things away. They’d decided on three stoves for the bakery, but thankfully, Myrtle was able to move one of the stoves from her house into the new building.
Josie had put the long winter months to good use as she had made tablecloths for every table and matching curtains for the windows. She’d also carefully painted a large sign to hang in front that simply read “Bakery”.
They opened within a week of the last nail being pounded in, and there was a line out the door on the Saturday morning they chose for their grand opening.
Josie ran all day, filling coffee cups, bringing pie and soup, as well as bread. They planned to only be open Monday through Friday, but they wanted the men to be off work for their grand opening, and it worked well for them.
When Josie finally locked the door at the end of the day, she and Myrtle collapsed into chairs at one of the tables. “I can’t believe today was such a success!” Myrtle said.
“We both knew it would go well. With all the men who used to meet you in this exact spot to buy your baked goods, it’s not surprising at all that they would be here to buy everything they could when we opened.
” Josie shook her head. “You could not have done this alone. Aaron was right to make you wait for a partner.”
Myrtle nodded. “He was. How are you feeling? Was this too much?”
Josie shook her head. “My mother worked up until she went into labor with all of her children. I have seven months to go!”
“I don’t know how I’ll manage when you have to take some time off.”
“Someone else will be here by then, and they’ll take my place. Simple.”
“You can’t be replaced that easily!” Myrtle said.
“I think we did well money-wise,” Josie said. “Is there soup left for me to take home for supper?” With as badly as her feet hurt, she really didn’t want to have to cook that evening.
“There isn’t. They ate it all!” Toward the end of the day, Myrtle had started ladling the soup into bowls to make things go faster.
“I’ll figure something out for Jack then,” Josie rubbed her hand over her eyes. “I wish there was time for a nap, but I’m sure Jack expects supper any minute. Is there bread for sandwiches?”
Myrtle shook her head. “There isn’t a speck of food left.”
“All right.” Josie got to her feet. “I’ll see you at Bible study tomorrow.” Thankfully, Josie had cleaned as the day progressed, so the only thing left to do was take the soiled tablecloths home to wash.
When Josie got home, Jack was sitting at the table reading. “I expected you home an hour ago!” he said.
“I’m sorry! We were busier than we thought we’d be. We had to wait for the last table to finish eating before we could close. I’ll find something for supper.”
Jack watched the slow way she moved. “I’m not sure I want you to keep working in the bakery. You look tired.”
“I am tired, but I worked just as hard at the hotel.”
“But you came here so you wouldn’t have to work at the hotel anymore!” Jack got to his feet and walked to her. “You’re expecting. You shouldn’t be working so hard.”
“I came here so I could start a new life. My problem with the hotel wasn’t how hard I worked. I wanted to work hard for myself, not for someone else.”
“Still,” he said. “I don’t like it.”
“You agreed to it months ago,” she said, surprising herself as she dared to argue with him.
He frowned, reaching for her. Josie ducked away from him, backing all the way into the stove to get away from him. Thankfully, it wasn’t on.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I was just going to hold you for a minute.” Jack was hurt at her reaction. Surely, she knew him well enough by now to know he wouldn’t hit her.
“I—” The words stuck in her throat. She closed her eyes, trying to get past the terror, but it was there, and it wouldn’t go away.
Jack wanted to hold her, to see the calm enter her eyes when she realized he wasn’t going to get violent, but he could see that she wouldn’t handle him getting that close to her.
“I’m going to step outside for a bit to give you time to get calm.
Don’t worry about supper. We’ll just have hardtack and jerky. ”
She heard the door close behind him, and she collapsed into one of the chairs at the table, burying her face in her hands. She didn’t know if she was more frightened or embarrassed. Jack wouldn’t hit her. Deep down, she knew that to be true. But how could she be completely certain?
When Jack came back inside a few minutes later, Josie was breathing normally again. “I’m sorry,” she said as soon as he had closed the door behind him. “I know you’re not like my stepfather.”
“No, I’m not, but it’s understandable that you’d be afraid. I’m sorry to have caused that.” Deep down, though, he was disappointed. They’d been married for six months, and he had never laid a hand on her in anger. How could she think he would hit her? Especially since she was pregnant!
“Did your stepfather hit your mother when she was expecting?” he asked.
Josie nodded. “After the first time, he did. He was always afraid she’d have another girl, and he tried to beat it out of her. At least that’s what he yelled while he was hitting her.”
“I would be just as happy with a girl as I would with a boy,” Jack said softly. “I like the idea of a little girl who could wrap me around her little finger.”
She smiled. “I don’t think it matters if it’s a boy or a girl. They’ll wrap you around their little finger no matter what.”
“Very true.” Jack hugged her tightly. “We’re going to get past your fears. We’ll do it together.”
“I never saw you angry before tonight.” Josie closed her eyes. “It startled me.”
“I know. It’ll be fine. You keep working with Myrtle, and I’ll trust you to know your limits.”
“That sounds very fair.” She rested her forehead against his shoulder. “I’m tired of drinking spruce tea. I don’t like the taste. How much longer do we have to drink it?”
“What I’ve always heard is we drink it until the river runs clear...so no more ice.”
“Are you sure it’s good for me?”
“It is supposed to prevent scurvy, which is not good for you, so yes, I’m sure.”
“All right. Spruce tea with breakfast every day. How about muffins for breakfast in the morning? Myrtle taught me how to make them with dried berries.”
“Sounds good to me.” He kissed her softly. “I’m sorry I frightened you.”
“You did nothing wrong. I’m sorry, I was frightened!”
*****
The bakery had been open for a month before Josie and Myrtle got into a good rhythm. Myrtle hid two desserts and two loaves of bread before they opened every day to make sure they each had a dessert and bread for their suppers.
One morning, Myrtle was late, and Josie started the soup.
It was the one thing she felt competent doing while waiting for her friend.
When Myrtle arrived and saw that the huge pot was already filled with soup, she smiled.
“Thank you! I overslept this morning. I don’t think I’ve ever overslept in my life!
” Myrtle shook her head. “I’ll start the bread now.
Hopefully, we’ll have enough food ready before we open at eleven. ”
Josie helped with the baking for the first time that morning, taking over the dessert-making. Thankfully, Myrtle had planned cobbler and pie for the day. They were the only desserts Josie felt she could make, even with Myrtle right there giving advice.
When they opened, there was the usual rush of men into the bakery. Josie watched as the first customer took a big bite of the soup she’d made. When he didn’t spit it out and took another bite, she knew she’d done something right.
When there was a short lull between customers, Josie cleaned the tables and put one more pot of soup on. They usually went through at least four pots per day. One would cook while another was served, and when the first was emptied, they would start a third. It worked well for them.
To Josie’s surprise, Katie came by for lunch that day. “Katie! What can I get for you?” Josie asked.
“I’ve been hearing about your delicious soup all day, so I thought I’d stop in and try some.” Katie grinned. “And I need a loaf of bread, of course. What desserts do you have today?”
“We have mixed berry cobbler and blueberry pie. Any preference?” Josie asked.
“I’ll take a cobbler. Is it the kind with the sugar cookie crust?” Katie asked.
“It’s the only kind I know how to make!”
“You made it? Well, I’m glad I’ll get to try it.”
“Believe it or not, I made the soup as well,” Josie said, lowering her voice. “I’ve never cooked here before. I do the cleaning and serving, and Myrtle does the cooking. I guess I did all right if you’re hearing the soup is delicious.”
“I’ll let you know,” Katie said with a smile. “I’m excited to try it!”
Since there were no other customers, Josie got a bowl of soup and a dinner roll to have with Katie. She called back to Myrtle, who took the opportunity to eat her lunch as well.
“You do good business here,” Katie said when they were all seated.
“We do,” Myrtle said. “Better than I ever expected.”
Katie took a bite of her soup. “This is really good, Josie. You need to cook more often!”
“Well, it’s not as good as Myrtle would have done.”
Myrtle shook her head. “I don’t know that I would have put these ingredients together, but this soup is wonderful.”
Josie looked between her two friends. “Really?”
“Really!” Myrtle said. “It’s good!”
Josie took a bite herself and smiled. “It’s not bad at all!”
When she got home that night, Josie couldn’t wait to tell Jack that she’d made the soup for the bakery that day, and not only did no one get sick, people liked it.
Jack laughed when she told him. “Of course, they liked it. I keep telling you what a good cook you are. You just don’t listen to me!”
“I listen to you! I just think you’re sweet on me so you fib a little about things I don’t feel comfortable doing.”
He shook his head. “You don’t know me at all, do you?”
She shrugged. “We’re having soup tonight. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all. Did you do a lot of business today?”
“We did! And I made the soup and desserts. I kept expecting someone to hate it...” She knew she was talking about how well her food went over too much, but it felt so good.
It was what she needed to gain some confidence in her cooking.
“Sorry I keep talking about it. I just...I never believed I could cook or bake, and suddenly, I can!”
He chuckled. “You were never as bad as you thought you were. I don’t recall spitting out what you cooked even once.”
She started to throw different ingredients into a large pot to make another soup. “I hope you’re hungry!” she said.
“I am. How long do you think it will be before we eat?”
“Less than an hour, I hope.” She moved quickly, and he watched, surprised at how comfortable she suddenly looked in the kitchen.
“Is there anyone foraging?” he asked.
“Yes, everyone but Maggie, Myrtle, and I are foraging for an hour every day. Well, I don’t think Sally is either. She has enough to do with her enormous garden.”
“I love the arctic raspberries—or nagoonberries—that are ripe now. I hope we’ll get enough for you to make me a cobbler from them.”
“Tomorrow’s Saturday. Why don’t we go and forage for some ourselves? I’m happy to make a cobbler as soon as I get my hands on the berries.” Josie was still excited that she could bake things that people would ask to have again.
“That sounds lovely. Maybe we can make a picnic of it!”
“I’d like that a lot.”
Later, after they’d eaten, he reached for her hand. “Do you enjoy working at the bakery now that it’s been open for a while?”
She nodded. “I do wish I could cook more, but I don’t want to change things just as we’re getting used to our routine.”
He smiled. “You enjoy cooking now, don’t you?”
Josie shrugged. “I guess I do. But I enjoy it when people compliment my cooking more than I enjoy cooking.”
Jack chuckled. “Probably because it’s something you never thought would happen.”
“Probably.” Josie looked at him with wide eyes. “I just remembered that there should be a pig harvest soon. I cannot wait to get my hands on some ham and some bacon. I can make ham sandwiches for your lunch!”
“That does sound good. It took a long time!”
“It feels like forever. I think it’s happening this weekend. We may be asked to help with the process, but I sure hope not. I don’t want to have to help with the butchering process.”
He tilted his head to one side and studied her. “Why not?”
“For the same reason I didn’t want to raise bunnies. Because I don’t want to think of my food as animals. Someone else can deal with that part of things.”
He nodded. He should have known it was her soft heart that made her feel that way.