Chapter 30
30
Jewel
By the end of her third painting day, Jewel had made very little progress on the house. This was partly due to her dad’s need for help and direction as he worked on the backside of the house, and partly because where she was painting in front got more sunshine and weather and consequently needed more attention. So she’d mostly been sanding, scraping, and priming to get it ready for paint. Despite her eagerness to get the honey-gold paint on the front, she’d heeded the paint guy’s advice to do the prep work first. But at this rate, with just her and Dad, it was going to take forever. Mom had offered to help today, but the whole point of engaging Dad was to give Mom some time to herself. And, not surprisingly, Dad was working at a snail’s pace and spending most of his time in his lawn chair.
As Jewel washed brushes in the laundry sink on the back porch, Cooper came out. “Hey, Mom, whatcha up to?” she asked pleasantly.
Jewel’s first response was to act like a martyr and growl at her daughter, who’d been occupied with sorting the barn sale the past few days. Then she and Anna had taken today off to go swimming. “Got the painting started.” Jewel stood straight with a weary sigh. “It’s a little more involved than I expected.”
“Is Grandpa helping?”
“Helping?” Jewel rolled her eyes. “Yeah.”
“Cool. And guess what Miguel wants to help with?”
Jewel looked up from shaking the wet brush. “What?”
“He wants to build us a produce stand. Grandma said we can sell stuff from her garden and fruit trees since she doesn’t want to do any canning. And we can do eggs and honey too. And later on, we can sell pumpkins. We’ll be rich.”
“I doubt you’ll get rich, but it does sound fun.”
“I told Miguel I might get you to draw up a design for the stand. You know, since you’re the artiste.” Cooper smirked.
“I could do that.”
“Tomorrow, Anna and I will be making barn sale signs and getting everything set for the big sale. But when that’s done, I’ll help paint.”
Jewel felt like crying. “Oh, thank you, Cooper. I wanted to ask, but you’ve already been doing so much already.”
“I could ask Anna to help too,” Cooper suggested.
“Wonderful.”
“I bet Miguel could too. He’s a really good painter.”
“Oh, I doubt he’ll have time.” Or that he’d want to see Jewel after their last misunderstanding over Aaron. “But do tell Anna I’ll pay you girls for your work.”
“Cool.” Cooper pulled out her phone. “I’ll text her right now.”
“Thanks.” Jewel felt a small flicker of hope as she rinsed the last brush. She hadn’t been too eager to get up on a tall ladder, which would be necessary for some parts of the house, but those two agile teens might enjoy the challenge. She laid the brushes on paper towels, then kicked off her paint-speckled Converse and went into her fully remodeled kitchen, pausing to admire how pretty and efficient it now looked with its upgraded appliances, recently installed gray quartz countertops, and gleaming-white farmhouse apron sink. She’d replaced her mom’s old dining set with a hefty harvest table she’d found in a local antiques mall and placed a couple of stools around it. It not only looked perfect but was handy for extra food prep space.
She’d considered doing yellow and black in there, to make it compatible to the whole bee theme, but not wanting to get too juvenile, she stuck with her original linen walls and green cabinets, adding in a few more classic touches of her own style, including some original paintings that felt appropriate to a farmy but sophisticated kitchen. Country meets art. It had only been finished for a couple of days now but still made her happy just to look at it.
Despite being tired, she decided that instead of ordering pizza like she’d planned, she would fix a homemade meal for her and Cooper tonight. She actually enjoyed cooking when she had the time and ingredients. And cooking in this lovely kitchen would be a reward in itself. Before long, she had chicken breasts on the industrial stove’s big grill, making enough for leftovers tomorrow. And with her favorite jazz station playing on her XM radio, she was partly dancing and partly working on a generous green salad with the abundant produce she’d gathered from the garden this morning when she heard someone tapping on the back screen door.
“Come in,” she yelled, thinking it was one of her parents, although they usually were relaxing after their own early dinner by now.
“Hey there.”
She looked up from slicing a cucumber to see Miguel coming inside, dressed in faded jeans and a pale gray T-shirt. His straw cowboy hat was in hand as he stood in the doorway. “Oh, Miguel.” She laid down her knife and waved him in. “Welcome. Come see my new kitchen.”
“Nice.” He stepped in, pausing to look around with what seemed genuine appreciation. “Very nice.”
“Thanks.” She wiped her hands on a dish towel. “It actually inspires me to cook.”
“Even better.” He sniffed. “Smells good.”
“There’s plenty if you want to join us.” She smiled brightly.
“Well, I mostly came over to talk.” He sounded uneasy.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you too.” She opened the new wine cooler, then removed a bottle of an Oregon rosé and held it up. “Interested? I was just wishing for a grown-up to share a celebratory glass with me.”
“Sounds good.” He pulled a stool up to the harvest table and sat. “I see you started painting the house. Looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
She tugged to remove the cork. “I guess so.”
“Anna just told me that she’s going to help you.”
“Oh, good. Coop said she was going to ask. I hope that’s okay with you. I know Anna’s been doing a lot over here, but I plan to pay her.”
“No, that’s fine. I just thought maybe I could lend a hand too.”
She poured a glass. “Do you have time? I mean, I know how busy farming can get in August.”
“Well, it’s really kind of in between seasons right now. It’s not harvest time yet, and I just moved the cattle yesterday. Other than daily chores, I’m not that busy.”
She took the glasses to the table, then sat across from him and lifted her glass. “Toast with me over my new kitchen?”
“Here’s to a beautiful kitchen that will prepare beautiful food for all who visit this house.” He scooted her flower arrangement of lavender, poppies, and daisies aside to clink his glass against hers.
“Thank you.” She smiled as they both took a sip. It was so good to see him. She’d almost forgotten how handsome he was, or how just being with him sent a schoolgirl sort of thrill through her.
“So I wanted to talk to you about my, uh, brother-in-law.”
“Aaron.” She nodded as she set down her glass.
“Yes. Well, I took your advice and tried to reach out to him again.” He frowned. “But I got a pretty chilly response.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “I guess I’m not that surprised.”
“Well, at least you tried.” She got up to check on the chicken. Flipping the pieces over, she turned down the flame. “I wanted to talk to you about Aaron too,” she said with her back still turned.
“Yeah?”
She tried to remember how she’d planned to explain, but her mind was blank as she sat back down across from him. “Well, that day, when you helped with the escaped bees—”
“How are they?”
“Oh, just fine. Walter helped Cooper get them back into their original hives, told her a few things she should be doing, you know, since Dad forgets.”
“That’s good.” He sipped his wine. “So is this. Thanks.”
“Uh-huh. Anyway, I know you saw Aaron sort of putting a move on me on the front porch. I only wanted to talk business, but he always seems to want to push things further. But I, uh, I just wanted you to understand that there is absolutely nothing between him and me. In fact, I will be so relieved when the heat pump gets installed next week. Then I’ll be all finished with Aaron.” She sighed and took another sip of her wine.
“All finished?” Miguel eyed her curiously.
“All finished,” she assured him. “Well, mostly...” She told him about the agreement she’d made with Aaron. “I told Mom all about it, and we both agree we have no intention of turning this into a building lot. Ever.”
Miguel gave a slightly knowing nod. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“That we would never sell?”
“No, that Aaron had something like that in mind.”
“Well, it surprised me.” She heard footsteps and turned to see Cooper coming down the stairs. “Dinner will be ready in about fifteen, okay?”
Cooper looked from Miguel to her mom and then bit her lip. “Well, I was just going to tell you I wanted to go over to Anna’s. I didn’t know you were fixing dinner here, Mom. Marta made enchiladas.”
“They did smell good,” Miguel said.
“Well, if that’s what you want, Coop.” Jewel concealed her disappointment. “Miguel probably wants to go back too.”
“Oh, I can have enchiladas anytime,” he said casually. “I’d rather stay here and celebrate the grand opening of the Honey Bee and Bee kitchen.” He tipped the salad bowl toward him. “And my mom’s idea of green salad is iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. This looks great.”
“Okay then.” Cooper grinned. “See ya later.”
After Cooper left, they both sat quietly at the table, and Jewel couldn’t quite remember what they’d been talking about, so she improvised. “Well, I’d really appreciate your help with painting, Miguel. You’re such a good painter. But please know I’d understand if you get too busy. Your farm has to come first.”
“Right. But with you and me and the girls all working, I bet we can get this house done in no time. Hopefully before the fair.”
“Fair?”
“The county fair,” he told her. “4-H.”
“Oh, yeah. I hear Anna has a calf to show.”
“Yeah. So we have to take time out for that. She’s been selling one every year, building up her college fund.”
“That’s wonderful. I wish Cooper could get interested in something like that.”
“She already is. She wants to go to the fair with us. I just haven’t, uh, had the chance to ask you if she could join yet. If she likes it, maybe she’ll have a calf of her own next year.”
“That would be something.” Jewel shook her head in wonder. “Living here has been so good for Cooper. I don’t think I’ll ever regret making this move. Even if the B&B flops, my barn gallery is a bust, and I never sell another piece of art, I would be willing to flip burgers at Dairy King just to stay on here.”
He laughed. “Well, I can’t imagine it’ll come to that.” He sniffed. “If this chicken tastes as good as it smells, you might consider the restaurant business.”
“Speaking of which, dinner must be about done.” She got up to check, turned off the grill, and gathered up two place settings. “We’ll have to eat in here because I’m still waiting for the dining set I ordered a few weeks ago.”
“Why wouldn’t we eat in here? We’re celebrating the kitchen’s grand opening.” He stood up. “Can I help you with anything?”
“No, there’s really not much to do.”
“Then do you mind if I look around? I’m curious to see all your improvements in the house.”
“Sure. Make yourself at home. Mostly it’s just been paint and clearing things out, bringing a few sparse pieces in, and hanging some of my paintings.”
As he went to check out the stripped-down house, Jewel puttered around happily in her new kitchen. It was like playing house. To the sounds of smooth jazz, she artfully arranged the new placemats and napkins, the flower arrangement in the center, her pretty salad on one side, and the wine bottle on the other. Picture-perfect. Which reminded her, she’d need to start getting photos for the website she’d already started to build.
“I can’t believe how changed it all looks,” Miguel said as he rejoined her. “Anna said you’d taken everything out, but it’s like a totally different house now.”
“Pretty spartan, eh?”
“Room to breathe. I wouldn’t criticize your parents’ taste, but it seemed a bit cluttered before. My mom is the same way. If there’s a space to put something, she likes to fill it up.”
“Well, my mom inherited a lot from her grandparents. I guess it was hard to let it go.”
“And the paintings you’ve hung all around—wow, they’re really good. Who is J. Benedict?”
“That’s me. I did those paintings when I was still married to Cooper’s dad.” She set the plate of chicken on the table. “I only switched back to McKerry last year.”
“Well, they’re beautiful. I had no idea you were so talented.”
She smiled and sat. “Why, thank you.”
He reached for her hand. “Mind if I ask a blessing?”
“Not in the least.” She bowed her head and, instead of enjoying the warm rush of his hand holding hers, tried to concentrate on his words.
“Dear heavenly Father, please bless this delicious-looking food. But even more than that, bless this house. Bless Jewel and Cooper as they create new lives here. Bless all who grace their doorstep. Bring your sweet goodness to this lovely place. Amen.”
She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Thank you for that. That was beautiful.”
He still held her hand. “And so are you.”
She felt herself blushing as his fingers slipped from hers, and he reached for the wine. “Care for more?”
“We are celebrating, aren’t we?” She picked up her napkin with a festive wave. “Of course!”
And there, sitting in the new farmhouse kitchen, she and Miguel enjoyed a simple meal and each other’s company. Just like old friends. And perhaps a little something more someday. She hoped so.