CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“A man of few words. I can respect that,” Jessie said from her perch in Oinks’ pen. She’d been clocked in for a whopping thirty minutes before she found herself face-to-face with the pig. She stared down at the hog, clocking how he blinked in time with his breaths, snout moving with each exhale.
“I think we’ll have more fun together if you give me something here, Oinks.” Jessie picked up the slop bucket she’d carried from the main house. Gladys had met her on the porch that morning with a travel mug of coffee, a slop bucket, and a list of instructions.
“We’ll start you at five hours a day this week,” Gladys had said, scratching her chin. “We’ll get you up to full time, but Richard and I need to look at the books and our plans for next season.”
Any income was better than no income, so Jessie merely nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
Gladys waggled the list in front of Jessie. “This goes over the logistics of who needs what feed, but I also included our social media logins.” She glanced over her shoulder and added, “I know this is hardly secure, but all our passwords are HogHollow123.”
Jessie smothered her smirk with her fist as she coughed. “All right. What type of pictures do you want me to post?”
Head falling back as she cackled, it took Gladys nearly a full minute to catch her breath.
“Bless your heart, Jessie. Feel free to look at our pages, but you’ll see nothing but blurry photos and a few with Richard’s thumb over half the frame.
You could post a picture of your shoes in a pile of hog shit and it’d be an improvement. ”
This time Jessie couldn’t contain her snort. “Noted.” She took the paper, shoved it in her jean shorts pocket, and saluted her new boss. “I’ll report back here in a few hours.”
Gladys waved her off, the corner of her lips quirking. “I got a good feeling about you,” she said before turning and walking back into the old farmhouse. Just as she crossed the threshold, she said, “You’ve come a long way since you used to fool around on my property.”
Jessie’s cheeks bloomed crimson at the mention of her old times with Malcolm. “How did you ...?” but she didn’t get to finish her question, the old woman was already gone.
Deciding it was better to get to work instead of reminiscing about her trespassing days, she marched down to the barn to start her day with her new BFF, Oinks.
Per Glady’s instructions, Jessie would start her day feeding the pigs in the hog house, then she’d check on the gardens and take pictures for the website and social media.
Jessie had already snapped a dozen pictures of Oinks and his colleagues around the pens, catching the morning sun as it reflected off their dark eyes and wet noses.
Finally, after the stare-down of the century, Oinks tilted his head and sneezed. Jessie took that as a greeting and emptied the slop bucket into the trough. “Bon Appétit!” she exclaimed as she hopped over the railing.
Once the pigs were fed, Jessie washed up in the outhouse by the barn and headed into the vegetable gardens.
There was about an acre of grounds dedicated to the vegetables that were the staple of the Farmer’s Market.
Rows of carrots, beets, and other root vegetables took up the far side of the garden.
Closest to Jessie stood stalks of asparagus, chard, and fennel.
The lettuce patches were starting to fill out, turning the garden into nature’s salad bar.
As Jessie wound her way through the space, she checked on what items were ready to harvest and which needed more water.
Strolling through the garden, she stopped by a tomato plant nearly as big as Oinks.
The plump orbs were as red as a fire engine and just as shiny.
Jessie plucked one of the smaller tomatoes and took a bite, the warm juices sliding down her chin.
The clean taste of summer exploded on her tongue, and Jessie bit back a groan.
“Maybe we should do harvest tours?” she asked herself, padding around in her pockets until she found her phone.
She took notes about where everything was, what looked ready to pull, and what processes could be part of events.
Above her, the sun hung high and bright.
The light was perfect for some close-ups, so Jessie squatted low and snapped a few more pictures in the noontime sun.
She was midway through scrolling through her photos when a text came through from Whitney.
Want to pick me up at Kim’s Creations after 1? We can check out this photoshoot.
Jessie grinned, loving that Whitney wanted to spend time with her. Jessie had never been popular like her brother, constantly surrounded by friends. She had her people, but the circle was small. Adding Whitney felt like a gift, especially as Jessie got reacquainted with Pinegrove.
Absolutely! I promised Momma I’d bring Gus along. I’ll swing by after I clean up from the farm.
Whitney’s response came almost instantly: Can’t wait!
Jessie tucked her phone back into her pocket and retrieved a hair tie from her wrist. She tugged her chestnut hair up into a messy bun and surveyed the area.
It was still hot, summer heat clinging to the Georgia soil.
She made a mental note to check the watering schedule with Gladys for the gardens, because nothing would be sadder than watching these lettuces wilt before harvest time.
On her walk back toward the hog house, Gladys waved her down from the porch of her house. “Jessie! C’mon on up, girl! It’s lunchtime.”
There was a smushed PB&J Jessie had packed, and Gus had tried to steal, sitting in her car, likely melted from the heat.
When she approached the porch steps, Jessie was delighted to find she wouldn’t be needing that sandwich.
“Oh wow”—she gasped—“I feel like I stumbled into a photoshoot for House and Garden.”
Before Gladys disturbed the scene, Jessie took a few pictures. A glass pitcher of lemonade sat on a tray brimming with treats. There were cucumber sandwiches, an array of cheeses and sliced deli meats, and a bowl of fresh fruit that made Jessie’s mouth water.
“Hope you’re hungry,” Gladys said, shrugging like this wasn’t the most gorgeous sight to behold.
“I hope you aren’t, Gladys. I don’t plan on sharing.” Jessie winked, popping a strawberry into her mouth. The fresh berry was still warm from the sun, with a sweetness that brought tears to her eyes. “I’ll gladly take a cut in pay if lunch is part of my day on the farm.” She was only half-kidding.
Gladys chuckled, gesturing to a rocking chair next to the table. “You’re a card, Jessie.” She eased down onto her chair as Jessie made a plate of food.
The pair settled into their rockers and munched away in companionable silence for a moment.
In the distance, the chickens were clucking and running around each other in the coop.
Far off in the pasture, a cow munched on grass as a few goats scampered nearby.
A tabby cat strolled in front of the house, tail in the air and completely uninterested in the duo.
Despite the temperatures, sitting out of the sun felt as refreshing as a dip in the creek. Jessie could get used to this.
“This place is gorgeous. More so than I remember.”
Ice clinked in Gladys’s glass as she refilled her lemonade. “Thank you. It’s nice to share it with someone new. Richard and I sometimes get so bogged down with the day-to-day, we don’t sit back and enjoy the splendor of this place.” She swept her arm in front of her, as if capturing the moment.
“Thank you so much for giving me this job. I really appreciate it.”
“Please, Jessie. You’re the one saving me.
Our son, Davey, keeps telling us to get the farm online and start drumming up business.
But that’s easier said than done when you’re in your sixties.
Frankly, I’d rather muck out the stalls five times a day than learn what a hashtag is.
” Jessie opened her mouth to explain, but Gladys waved her off.
“And I don’t need you to tell me. As long as you know what it is, I’m happy. ”
Jessie brandished her phone. “I’ve taken some gorgeous shots already. If you don’t mind, I can get them up before I leave. What kind of business would you like me to focus on? The animals for the petting zoo, the gardens for the farmer’s market, or something else?”
Gladys stabbed a cube of honeydew with her fork and chewed thoughtfully. “I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t thought about it much. We’d like to increase foot traffic in general, so right now why don’t you do a mix of everything?”
Nodding, Jessie dabbed at her lips with a gingham napkin. As she placed the fabric on the arm of her rocker, she had an idea. “Gladys?”
“Hmm?” Gladys asked, her attention focused on a rogue berry that kept rolling around her plate.
“Have you ever thought about hosting events here?”
Gladys raised an eyebrow. “At Hog Hollow?”
Jessie waffled her hand back and forth in front of her. “Sort of. Maybe station an area for events over by the pond. With the rolling hills and that willow tree, it’d make for some stunning pictures. The meadow is gorgeous any time of day.” She leaned closer and added, “Which you already know.”
Gladys snickered. “You and that Smith boy weren’t the only ones using our acreage for shenanigans.
Lordy, if I had a nickel for every couple we had to shoo off our property”—she sighed, doing the math in her head—“well, we would have retired a decade ago.” Lowering her voice, she teased, “I’m glad you two weren’t troublemakers. A least not with our grounds.”
For the first time since being back in Pinegrove, Jessie didn’t bristle at the mention of her and Malcolm. Sitting here chatting with Gladys felt comfortable, felt right.
Turning to face the rear of the property, Gladys took in the space with fresh eyes. “You know, Richard and I were married by that pond nearly forty years ago. It’s one of my favorite memories, yet I never thought about sharing the experience.”