CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Sugar,” Daisy said over her shoulder, adding a spoonful of sweetener to her coffee. Jessie knew this tone. It was the tone her mother preferred when she was going to deliver bad news, or ask a question Jessie didn’t have an answer to.
Jessie squared her shoulders, heaving a forkful of hotcakes in her mouth to stall for time. “Yesh?” she asked, her cheeks plumping like a chipmunk.
Daisy grimaced but rallied quickly. “Table manners are still a thing in Pinegrove,” she said.
Ever the dutiful daughter, Jessie wiped her mouth with her napkin and stifled an eyeroll. “Yes, ma’am?”
Daisy smirked. “What I was going to ask,” she said, dabbing at her lips. She took a moment to fold the napkin and place it on the table next to her empty plate. Jessie’s pulse kicked up at the measured movements. “Did something happen with your job?”
Jessie’s fork paused halfway to her mouth, a piece of pancake flopping back onto her plate with the saddest sound. Gus perked up, sauntering over and curling up at Jessie’s feet, ready for a fallen treat. “What do you mean?”
Daisy arched an eyebrow. “That answers my question.”
“No, it doesn’t!” Jessie was too eager to correct herself, but her mother saw through her like her favorite lace curtains.
“Jessica June, please. Not only am I your mother, but I ain’t blind.
You’re usually on the phone or emailing until your fingers bleed to get back to your next assignment.
Now Malcolm is settled and you should be halfway around the planet by now.
” She held up a hand to stop Jessie’s interruption.
“Obviously I don’t want you to go anywhere, sugar, but something is up. ”
Jessie picked up a piece of bacon, tearing off half of it before tossing the rest to Gus, who woofed his appreciation before snarfing the treat down in one bite. “I don’t want you to make this a whole thing,” she started, willing her nerves to take a hike. “I, um, don’t have a job right now.”
To her credit, Daisy hardly reacted. She blinked a few times, the vein in her temple throbbing. “You don’t have a job?”
Jessie scrubbed a hand down her face, her breakfast forgotten.
“I spoke with Noel the other day, and that promotion I told you about fell through.” She flapped a hand in the air, saying, “Budget cuts and such. I can apply for another placement elsewhere, at my level, but honestly ...” The truth tickled her tongue, begging to be released. “I don’t think I want to go back.”
Any restraint Daisy had melted faster than a pat of butter in a cast-iron pan. Her eyes welled, her smile grew, and she clasped her hands in front of her in prayer. “Lordy be, sugar. I never thought this day would come.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Momma. This is hardly a time to celebrate. I’m nearing thirty, unemployed, single, and kind of broke.”
Daisy jumped to her feet, retrieving her cell phone and a pad of paper from the counter. “I’ve got an idea,” she said as she started clicking away and jotting down notes. Her mother’s hand flew across the screen.
Jessie craned her neck to see what she was doing, but Daisy swatted her away. “What are you up to?”
“Hang on a second, I want to confirm something before I make any promises.” Daisy squinted for another moment before adding a few more notes to the pad. She wrapped her knuckles on the table, clearly pleased with whatever she’d found.
“Anyway. I have a plan, or at least the beginnings of a plan.” Daisy began collecting their dirty dishes, a silent invitation for Jessie to join her at the sink.
Jessie drained the last of her orange juice, wishing there had been a shot of vodka in it.
“And I’m assuming I’m going to love this plan?
” She followed her mother to the sink, already rolling up her sleeves.
She pulled a tea towel from the hook on the wall and helped dry the dishes.
Truthfully, Jessie loved this old routine.
From as long as she could remember, this had been a bonding chore for the Mays women.
While her father would show Trevor how to mow the lawn or trim the hedges, she and her mother would do the dishes, staring out through the picture window at the sun or the stars.
There was something about not facing each other while talking and having their hands busy that allowed for honest conversations that didn’t take as much of an emotional toll.
Her mother handed her a plate to dry. “Now I’m not saying my plan will make you a millionaire.” She laughed to herself. “But I think I have the perfect job for you.”
Jessie snorted. “Geez, Momma. I’m back home a few days and already you’ve solved all my problems.” Except for Malcolm, but a girl couldn’t expect everything.
Daisy sighed. “Hush up, I can’t solve all your problems.”
Unable to handle the suspense another moment, Jessie asked, “What do you have in mind?” Jessie’s brain spun with potential suggestions.
Sell a kidney? Work with Whitney? Sell her other kidney?
“The Hansons need some help on the farm, and I thought you could swing by this afternoon.”
“The Hanson farm? As in Hog Hollow?” A million and one memories with Malcolm rocked her back on her heels, knocking the air from her lungs.
“What on earth do I know about farming?” Even as she asked, Jessie knew it was a useless question.
Over her tenure with the Peace Corps, she’d learned a lot about farming.
Hell, she was damn-near an expert on certain agricultural practices.
Daisy’s grip loosened as a bowl clattered into the sink. “Heaven’s above, I’m sure they have a training program. But I thought you’d like it. You said you were working on some farms out there.” Her mother flipped her hand toward the window, as if Costa Rica was on the other side of Main Street.
Jessie chewed on the inside of her cheek.
The Hanson farm, specifically Hog Hollow, held some of her favorite memories of not only her childhood, but her times with Malcolm.
The meadows should probably be named in their honor for all the times they lay out stargazing .
.. and doing other things she wouldn’t admit to her momma.
Daisy wiped down the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “Sugar, listen. I won’t pretend to know what you want to do. But you know what I do know?”
Now Jessie was intrigued. “No, what?”
“You aren’t meant for a traditional job. No desks, no cubicles, nothing like that. You’re good with your hands, you like working outdoors, and you love a challenge. Why not go over to the farm and see what they have available? The season’s not done yet.”
A smile tugged at Jessie’s lips. “Those are all actually good reasons.”
“Thank you. You know, I am due a victory.” She winked and whistled for Gus. “While you’re over there, why not pick up a few things for dinner?”
Jessie snickered. “So this trip has multiple purposes?”
Daisy pulled Gus’s leash off the hook by the back door and tossed it to Jessie. “Technically, there’s three reasons. You need a job, I’d like some tomatoes, and Gussy needs a W-A-L-K.”
Not about to argue, Jessie bent down to clip on the leash. Gus was already very excited for this plan and practically knocked Jessie to the floor. “What are you going to do while I’m running errands and filling out job applications?”
Plopping down on the couch, Daisy opened up a romance book and laughed. “Oh, I’ve got a full day planned. I need to finish this book and meet Paul for lunch. I’ll be busy until dinner time.”
Jessie schooled her features, always charmed by her mother’s shenanigans. “Tell the chief I said hi.”
“You can tell him yourself over dinner tonight. He’ll be joining us, Trevor and Whitney too if I can swing it.”
Jessie found a tote bag for the groceries and slapped a ballcap over her bedhead. She knew she should try harder since employment was involved, but she also thought there wasn’t much point in fussing. If she got a job on the farm, she’d be no more dressed up than she was right now.
“Sounds good. See you later.”
“Good luck, sugar!” Daisy said behind the cover of her latest book, which didn’t fool Jessie. After their book club discussion, she knew that cutesy cover didn’t change the fact that something smutty was going on. Oh well, at least it made her momma happy.
Enjoying the walk, Jessie steered Gus toward a walking trail that cut through the neighborhood and headed toward the outskirts of Pinegrove.
When she’d meet Malcolm there in high school, she’d ridden her bike through these trails.
By foot it would take her and the hound about thirty minutes, but she wasn’t in a hurry.
With every step she took, Jessie thought about everything that was up in the air with her life.
If this little sojourn led to meaningful employment, Jessie was all for it.
This was the first time she’d have a choice to make that didn’t involve a plane ride or leaving her friends and family behind.
Yet for as much as she was excited to try something new, she feared that getting a job in Pinegrove was pointless if Malcolm wasn’t her other half.
Was staying for a man who wasn’t interested a fool’s errand? And if so, did Jessie really care?
Gus pulled on the leash as they approached the entrance to the farm. “All right, calm down, you crazy hound,” she chastised Gus as he sniffed a questionable pile of dirt.
The Pinegrove Farmer’s Market was held at the edge of the Hog Hollow farm.
It was a farm and petting zoo that kept the locals fed and children entertained.
Their petting zoo boasted some of the cutest animals this side of the Mississippi, especially their pigs.
Jessie always had a soft spot for their curly tails and wide eyes.