CHAPTER EIGHTEEN #2
They strode into the chaos, Gus’s snout down and inhaling all the new and strange aromas of the farm.
Jessie surveyed the crowd, seeing a lot of familiar faces but also some new ones.
There were the standard vendors from the local farms and gardens selling everything from sunflowers and roses to jams and greens.
A few tents even offered baked goods and doggie treats.
“Well, isn’t this a small world?” a familiar voice asked behind her.
Spinning on her heel, she came face-to-face with Estelle. Her blonde hair was tucked into a straw hat, her lips painted a shade of purple that did not appear in nature.
“Hiya.” Jessie’s greeting felt lame, even to her own ears, but she raised a hand anyway. “Is, uh ...” She couldn’t help it; her eyes scanned around Estelle for signs of Malcolm.
“Goodness, honey, my fool son isn’t here.”
Jessie’s cheeks turned the same shade of violet as Estelle’s lips as she stammered.
“O-oh, n-no. I mean—” but her statement was cut short when Craig joined them.
He wore a lavender shirt that almost matched his wife’s makeup—something Jessie assumed wasn’t a coincidence.
His stern expression morphed into a grin when he saw her and Gus.
“Jessie, always a pleasure.” She’d always liked Malcolm’s parents, which made this tense interaction even worse.
Before Jessie could reply, Estelle pulled her into a hug. Jessie was assaulted by the aroma of Estelle’s expensive department store perfume. She smelled like a mix of magnolias and apples. “I’m so glad to see you, honey. You’ve certainly been missed.”
“Well, you know. My nursing skills are no longer required.” She tried to smile, but it looked more like the grimace of someone sucking a lemon.
As if sensing her discomfort, Gus barked at a passing poodle. Craig chuckled, a deep laugh so reminiscent of his son that Jessie had to swallow a sob. “That dog is still a menace, I see.”
“More of a goober than a menace,” Jessie corrected. “But I should get what I need for Momma before Gus makes a scene.”
Estelle frowned. “Will you stop by this week for supper?” She pouted, her purple lip jutting out at an alarming angle.
Craig linked his arm through his wife’s and tugged her toward one of the bakery booths. “Let the poor girl go, Estelle. She has bigger things to do than hang out with us old folks.”
“I beg your pardon!” Estelle thwacked her husband in the chest before splaying her hand over her heart. “I am not an old person. I’ll have you know that The View said sixty is the new forty.”
Craig cleared his throat and muttered, “If you say so,” before his wife could react. “Jessie, excuse the bum’s rush, but I’m desperate to get home and out of this heat. Plus, Malcolm is home alone.”
“He’s alone?” Jessie was incredulous. She was sure he was still making a fine recovery, but she couldn’t help but worry.
“Just while we’ve been running errands. I believe he was going to check in with Javi on that calendar thing again.
” He paused his explanation to wave at someone passing by.
“Anyway, hopefully we’ll see you again soon.
Send our best to Daisy.” Craig steered Estelle toward the exit.
She didn’t miss how he winced at the tote bag brimming with beets hanging from his wife’s elbow.
“Of course.” Jessie smiled, but her heart wasn’t in it. She loved these two, nearly as much as her own parents.
“Don’t be a stranger!” Estelle begged as her husband tugged her back into the crowds.
Once they were out of sight, Jessie and Gus wandered out toward the barns. She needed to get things for her mother, but right now she needed the space to think and wrangle her feelings. Not since her father passed had she dealt with such a tangle of emotions.
Saying she missed Malcolm was a gross understatement. She wanted to hold his hand and trapse with him through town, through this market, anywhere he’d take her. She wanted countless nights of stargazing, days of laughter, and tender moments that stole her breath. She just wanted him ...
Yet, here she stood. With Gus, the hound sniffing around her like he’d won the lottery. In his ten years on this planet, she’d rarely seen his tail move so fast. In the far end of the barn, she heard a snuffling sound. Holding firm to Gus’s leash, Jessie strode further inside.
“Hello?” she called out, like one of the animals would answer her.
In the last pen, she stumbled upon a stall with a pig the size of a small golf cart.
He was pink with black patches, his nose buried deep in a slop bucket.
His belly was nestled in the dirt, his tail was as curly as an Arby’s French fry.
“Aren’t you the sweetest thing?” she asked, bending her knee to lean in for a closer look.
With a tentative hand, she patted the pig’s rump. “You might be the cutest pig I’ve ever seen.”
At her praise, the pig lifted his head and met her gaze. One of his ears was bent, giving him an adorable lopsided appearance. Gus barked once, but the pig didn’t seem to care. His eyes gazed back at her, little black orbs that gleamed in the dim light.
“I’m sorry, but the petting zoo isn’t open for tours today,” a woman’s voice echoed from the entrance.
Jessie whirled around, covering her heart with her hand. “I’m so sorry. I needed a break from those crowds.” Raising her hand, she flapped it in the general direction of the market. “We’ll leave. I didn’t mean to trespass.”
The older woman’s head fell back as she laughed.
She was clad in denim overalls, her graying hair pulled back in a bun.
“Trespass? Calm down, child. I meant we weren’t doing full tours today.
That’s about all this old hog is good for.
” Gesturing to the pig, he snorted before dipping his head back into his slop.
“He’s adorable,” Jessie said, watching his curly tail bounce as he inhaled his food.
“Who? Oinks? He’s a mess, but he’s our mess.” The woman smiled fondly.
“Oinks?” Jessie’s heart melted at the name. “I think I’m in love, what a great name!”
The older woman shoved her hands in her pockets, raising an eyebrow. “You look familiar.” She took a step closer, her boots squelching in the mud. “Have we met?”
Now it was Jessie’s turn to snort. “Probably. I’m Jessie Mays, Nick and Daisy’s daughter.” She waved, and Gus took the opportunity to mark his territory on a fence post. “And this rude fellow is Gus.”
“I thought you had to be a Mays,” the other woman said. She closed the distance between them and reached out to shake hands. “Gladys Hanson, owner of Hog Hollow. I haven’t seen you in an age. I think the last time I saw you, you were knee-high to a grasshopper.”
Jessie shrugged. “It’s still a great space. I remember coming out here with my parents,” her voice cracked slightly at the thought of her daddy, but Jessie was proud of herself for not bawling. She’d also trespassed with Malcolm, but she wasn’t going to admit that now ...
“It used to be.” Gladys huffed. She rocked back, gaze drifting out the window toward the crowds. “I hate to say it, Jessie, but this farm is getting away from us. My husband, Richard, and I can’t handle some of the chores like we used to. I fear the place is starting to show it.”
Jessie looked around her, taking in the stalls that needed a little cleaning, but otherwise not seeing an issue. “What’s the matter with the farm?”
Gladys laughed. “Nothing really, but we’re letting some things slide that I wish we had the energy for.
” She gestured toward Oinks and sighed. “Take this guy, for example. He should probably be a slab of bacon by now, but Richard and I don’t have the energy or heart to move him off with the other swine. ”
Jessie’s knees practically buckled at the mention of Oinks becoming her morning sausage. “No! You can’t kill Oinks! Look at him.” She hitched a thumb over her shoulder. “He’s adorable.”
Gladys really laughed now. “I won’t argue with that logic, Jessie, but this is a business.
We can’t keep up with everything, and I think instead of offering the petting zoo, perhaps it’s time to close up shop.
We can butcher our lot and sell the place.
” She clasped her hands in front of her, gaze unfocused in the distance.
“I’ve reached out to some friends in town, you know, to see if we could find qualified help. ”
Jessie bit back a smile, understanding Daisy’s covert note-taking. “I’m guessing my momma heard about this,” she offered.
Gladys giggled. “Oh, Daisy, she knows everything.”
No argument here ...
Despite only being back on the property for an hour, Jessie couldn’t stand the thought of losing the place.
The rolling hills, the adorable animals, it all combined to make a space that was too important for Pinegrove to lose.
Where would the future generations of stargazers go if the meadow was turned into a housing development?
“Gladys, I’m going to be straight with you,” Jessie said, licking her lips. “I came here for two reasons.” She paused, jostling her tote bag that brimmed with tomatoes and peppers. “I came for vegetables, and to see if you had any job openings.”
Gladys merely blinked at Jessie, jaw unhinged. “You ...you came here for a job?”
Holding up a hand, Jessie backpedaled. “I don’t want to make assumptions that you’re interested in interviewing me.
I’m home for a while,” she couldn’t bring herself to admit it could be forever, “and, frankly, I need a job that doesn’t require me to sit behind a desk all day.
I’ve been working in the Peace Corps for nearly a decade, including some agriculture work, and I’d like to lend a hand if you have the need. ”
Again, all Gladys could do was blink. Jessie was starting to fear she’d stunned the poor woman into a catatonic state. “Miss Gladys? I know it’s insane, me just wandering into your barn and asking for a job, but I want to help. I think I’d be good at it.”
“You’re hired!” Gladys practically shouted in Jessie’s face.
Now it was Jessie’s turn to blink. “I’m sorry?”
“I don’t know what we have to pay you, but we can figure that out. If you’re willing to work, Richard and I can find the scratch.” Gladys wiped her hand on her overalls before thrusting it toward Jessie. “You’re hired.”
Jessie glanced down at Gus, just to see what he thought of this insane idea. Unfortunately, she’d have to get a second opinion elsewhere. The basset hound was asleep at her feet, his ears splayed out in the dirt.
Oinks made a snorting sound and knocked his slop bucket over with his nose. He looked up at Jessie, and she could swear he smiled at her. “One condition,” she wagered, meeting the other woman’s eye. “Oinks doesn’t make it to the meat market.”
Gladys chuckled. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Jessie. Welcome aboard!”
And with that, Jessie shook Gladys’s hand.
She’d found a job. She found a new purpose ... and a paycheck!
One small step for Oinks, one giant step for Jessie.