Small Town Rumors(24)

“I’ve been inside all day, so I’d love to join you,” Jennie Sue said.

“I’ll go out with you ladies,” Rick said quickly.

Of course you will. Cricket frowned. Either you have a crush on Jennie Sue or you’re workin’ real hard to prove me wrong. “Then it looks like at least three of us don’t mind sweating.”

“I’ll go with y’all!” Amos raised his hand. “Me and Iris always liked to eat out under the shade tree.”

“It’s been years since I’ve been on a picnic.” Jennie Sue added a slice of smoked pork loin to her plate.

“I miss them,” Amos sighed as he carried his plate toward the door with the rest behind him. “Iris and I met at a church picnic. I like to think she’s lookin’ down on this one.”

“Maybe she is.” Rick grinned. “That’s the way I like to think about my mama and dad—lookin’ down and happy that we’re keepin’ the farm going. They would have enjoyed today.”

Jennie Sue picked up a beer with her free hand as she brought up the rear. Outside, she chose a place on one side of the table, and Rick set his plate right next to her. Cricket pulled out a chair across from them, with Amos settled in beside her.

“Jennie Sue, it’s good to see you makin’ friends other than folks with one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.” Amos laughed at his own joke.

“Age is just numbers on paper,” Jennie Sue said.

“You got that right.” Amos set about eating.

Rick turned to Jennie Sue. “So how was your mama’s party?”

“Don’t know,” she answered. “I was only there about fifteen minutes. But I’ve had a really good time here today. Lettie and Nadine should go onstage with a comedy act. They’ve had me in stitches most of the day.”

Cricket kicked Rick under the table and shook her head at him when she got his attention. He raised an eyebrow, and she shot daggers at him.

“So Cricket says that you liked to garden when you were a kid.” He moved his legs to the side.

“I loved getting my hands dirty.” She glanced at Rick. “When I get my own place someday, if it’s too small to have a garden, then I’ll plow up the whole backyard and plant vegetables. I love to cook with fresh stuff.”

Cricket caught the sly I-told-you-so look that her brother cast her way. Something wasn’t right here. Jennie Sue Baker was the next Wilshire in the long line of Bloom socialites. She should be worrying about chipping her nails, not digging in the dirt. What kind of game was this woman playing?



Even with Cricket’s mean looks, this is a better party than any I’ve ever been to at the house. I love all my new friends, Jennie Sue thought. It would be amazing if I could add Rick and Cricket to the list.

Why would you ever want that woman to be your friend? an aggravating voice in her head asked.

Because she’s got a big chip on her shoulder, and I’d like to see it gone. She glanced at Cricket, who had her head down, and kind of doubted that would ever be possible. Then she shifted her eyes over to Rick, who was staring right at her. Their gaze met halfway, and she could have sworn there was chemistry between them again. He was a fine-looking man, but even if he didn’t feel what she did, maybe they could be friends. They sure shared a love for gardening.

Hey, I wonder if he’d let me come out there and pick my own vegetables?

“This potato salad is amazing.”

“It’s because I had good fresh potatoes to work with.” Jennie Sue blinked and looked down at her food. “Besides, a little bacon makes anything better.”

What she didn’t say was that it had been Percy’s favorite, and she’d made it at least once a month. That brought back the final night they’d spent together. He’d gotten angry when she confronted him about his latest affair—with one of her friends, no less—and told him that she was six weeks pregnant. He’d thrown a whole bowlful of potato salad at the wall, shattering the glass and sending the mixture all over the carpet. Then he’d demanded that it be cleaned up before she went to bed, with not a single bit of stain left on the floor.

He’d slept in the spare bedroom, and when she awoke the next morning, he was gone without even leaving a note. A week later she was served with divorce papers. She’d signed them without benefit of a lawyer, since the alimony he’d set was reasonable, and she got to keep the apartment. It wasn’t until later that she realized how little she’d actually received for the years she’d been married to him.

“You okay?” Rick nudged her with his shoulder.

“I’m fine.” She blinked away the past and came back to the present.

“You looked like you’d seen a ghost,” he whispered.

“I did, but it’s gone now.” She looked up at him, noticed the scar on his jawline, and had to hold her hands in her lap to keep from touching it.

His hand went to it, and he said, “It’s the least of many.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”

“No problem, but I believe we were talking about bacon in the potato salad. I figure anything that has bacon or ham in it has to be good.” His pretty green eyes lit up when he smiled.

“Amen to that,” she agreed. “Have you ever made whiskey bacon?”