Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Jessica was picking peaches with her neighbour Teja. The trees behind the farmhouse were heavy with fruit. It was ripening by the day, and according to Teja, if they didn’t pick it soon, it would fall to the ground and rot.
She climbed down the ladder Teja had brought over and set her full bucket on the ground. Then she wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.
“There’s no way I’m ever gonna be able to eat this many peaches.
” She sighed and stared at the wheelbarrow she’d pulled from the overgrown garden shed.
She had washed it out that morning, and now it was filling up with fruit.
Soon it would be too heavy for her to wheel back to the house.
She’d have to empty it and start again, or it would be stuck forever in this spot.
Teja set her own bucket on the ground with a grunt. “I’ll take some, but you’re going to have to make preserves, cakes, pies, cobblers… anything you can think of.” She laughed. “I hope you like to bake.”
“I love baking, but I still don’t think I have a chance of getting through all this fruit. I might set some out in bags near the road and put up a sign for people to take them.”
“Good idea. I’m sure folks would love that. But you know, sometimes people appreciate things more if they have to spend a little money.”
“You think I should sell them?”
Teja shrugged. “Why not? You could make a little cash on the side.”
Jessica considered it. “I’d considered selling them, but I wasn’t sure people would go for it. Still, if you think it’s a good idea?”
“It’s worth a try.”
Moon, the little grey kitten, pranced across the lawn chasing a small white butterfly. She swatted at the butterfly, missed, and rolled a somersault in the long grass.
Jessica watched her. “Careful there, Moonie. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”
Teja glanced at the kitten. “I’m a dog person, but even I can admit she’s pretty cute.”
“At first, I thought there was no way I could keep her, but now I don’t know how I’d do without her, and it’s only been a few days. It’s been so nice to have someone to come home to. The house seems big and empty without her.”
“You should come over for dinner,” Teja said as she picked up her bucket of peaches. “Robbie isn’t home—he’s got poker night with the boys. But I’ll be serving peaches with ice cream for dessert… or maybe the main course. But who’s judging? Right?”
Jessica grimaced and sang, “Millions of peaches…”
“Peaches for me…”
They both chuckled together. “I can’t believe you know that song.”
“My mom used to play it sometimes, when she was in a mood.”
“She sounds like a vibe.”
“She’s a whole vibe.” Jessica laughed, suddenly missing her mother even more than usual.
“Dinner?” Teja asked.
“I’d love that,” Jessica replied. “Thanks. I’ll wash up and be over soon.”
By the time Jessica brought the wheelbarrow back up to the house and to the door of the mud room, she was puffing hard. The peaches could wait. She’d bring them in later. She’d already put Moon into her crate, and she needed to grab a shower and get over to Teja's house.
Now that she was teaching full-time, she didn’t have the energy for late nights.
She had to get to bed at a reasonable hour or she’d never make it through the day tomorrow.
The other teachers told her she’d get used to it, that it wouldn’t exhaust her as much once she’d been doing it for a while, but she couldn’t even imagine that right now.
She took a shower and slipped into a floral dress and flip-flops, then padded over to Teja’s with a bottle of rosé under her arm.
Teja called out for her to come in over the sound of Keith Urban’s The Fighter as it blasted through the house.
Teja’s house was much more modern than Jessica’s rental.
It looked as though it’d been built sometime in the past twenty years, like the rest of the neighbourhood.
It was a single-story home with a brick front and uneven peaked roof with cute white-trimmed gables.
Inside, the décor was light and neutral, with splashes of yellow and blue.
“Come on in, honey,” Teja said as she stirred something on the stove. She wore a blue-and-yellow flowered apron around her waist and offered a broad smile.
“Wine?” Jessica asked, holding the bottle aloft.
“Perfect. I’d love some. The glasses are in there.” Teja pointed to a cabinet overhead.
Jessica poured them each an oversized glass. “No one is driving tonight!”
Teja dished up some grilled buffalo chicken tenders with a baked potato and corn on the cob slathered in butter. Then they sat out on the deck overlooking the large backyard.
“Thanks so much for this. I’ve been in panic mode ever since I got here and haven’t had much of a chance to do any cooking.”
“Panic mode?” Teja asked before taking a sip of wine.
Jessica sighed. “I got the job really last minute after someone backed out. At first, I was going to turn it down because there was no way I could find a place to live and get here in time to start the new school year. But my parents convinced me this was the best way to go rather than signing up for substitute teaching.”
“That sounds sensible.”
“Yeah, but then I had to find this rental last minute and travel down here in a rush. I still feel like I’ve forgotten something.
School has been a disaster so far this week, but it was a little better today.
I think I’m getting the hang of it and the kids are settling down, but I’m exhausted all the time. ”
“I’d say that’s probably normal, although I’m not a teacher.”
“Yeah, I think it is. This is the first time I’ve had a classroom of my own, and it’s like the kids can sense it.”
“Kids are hard that way. How’s the food?”
Jessica took a bite of chicken. “Mmm, delicious.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I know you told me, but I’ve forgotten what you do for work.”
“I’m an accountant at a local insurance company.”
“Do you like it?” Jessica asked.
“I love it. I know it doesn’t sound like a very exciting job, but I like the people I work with. I enjoy managing finances, I’m pretty good at it too. And the boss treats me well. Plus, I have a twenty-minute commute, which is basically a miracle in Atlanta.”
“That’s true. I’m finding out all about the traffic here… Ugh.” Jessica groaned. “Sometimes I sit for half an hour just to get through a four-way stop.”
“I know, it’s bad. But that’s Atlanta. When it rains, the entire city grinds to a halt.”
“And this heat… When does it get better?”
Teja laughed. “You’ll have to wait a while for that. But it’s never gonna get as cold as where you’re from.”
“That’s fine by me. I’ve had enough snow to last me a lifetime. My college campus was real pretty in the winter, though.”
“So, you recently graduated?” Teja asked.
“In May. I thought for sure I’d get a job in Oklahoma, then I missed out on the few I interviewed for. I’m grateful for this job but I never wanted to leave my home state. I’m close with my family…”
“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine that, since I see my folks all the time and generally wish I had a bit more space. Especially from the in-laws. Don’t tell.” She pressed a finger to her lips and grinned.
“Your secret is safe with me. I don’t have in-laws, but I can imagine it’s challenging at times.”
“I’m mostly joking, although my mother-in-law loves to drop in without so much as a phone call. So, you don’t have a husband, but is there a man somewhere with a ring in his pocket waiting to pop the question?”
Jessica shook her head. “Definitely not. There’s no ring on the horizon anywhere for me. I had a boyfriend in college, but… let’s just say it didn’t end well.”
“Colour me intrigued.”
Jessica wasn’t sure how much to tell. She’d kept this story to herself, guarding it carefully. She hated to be vulnerable, or let people in. It had cost her so much already. But Teja seemed like a trustworthy person, and maybe it would help to talk about it.
“His name is Hilton. He was in love. I was… smitten, I guess. For a while, at least. But it wasn’t too long before I realised it probably wasn’t going to last, and I decided we should part ways about two years ago.
I was young, and I didn’t see the warning signs.
He seemed passionate, and I hated to hurt his feelings.
So, I tried to break it off gently, but he didn’t get the hint. ”
“You were too gentle,” Teja said.
Jessica gave a quick nod. “Too subtle. So, I sat him down and told him plainly that I wanted to break up. After that came the constant phone calls, begging, pleading, threats that he’d harm himself if I didn’t take him back.
He started stalking me, harassing me, following me to class and home again. It was awful.”
Teja’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry that happened.”
“Thanks. I really didn’t know what to do. At first, I didn’t tell anyone because I was so embarrassed and thought maybe I was imagining things or overreacting. I felt bad for breaking his heart, so I wanted to give him time to heal. But it just didn’t stop.”
“What did your parents say when you told them?”
“I didn’t really… I said that we’d broken up and he was taking it badly. But I kept the rest of it to myself.”
“Do you think he’s dangerous?”
“I don’t know. He scares me—I’ll be honest. Anyway, I tell people there was a mix-up with the paperwork in my state, but really, I tanked my interviews.
I was so unfocused and anxious, and in the end, I decided I didn’t want to get a job close to home after all.
It was my dream, but I couldn’t stay there with him acting that way.
I was afraid. I worried he’d hurt my family.
If I told Dad about him, he might confront him, and then what would happen?
I didn’t want to find out. So, I took this job last minute to get away from him and have a fresh start. ”
Teja reached for her hand across the table and squeezed it, her eyes glistening. “It’ll be good for you… You’ll love it here. I promise. And I’m only a quick walk or phone call away if you need me.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. I feel safe. I changed my phone number and told my family not to give it out to anyone, so he has no idea where I am. I hope he forgets about me and moves on.”
“I hope so too.”