Small Town Rumors(28)

“And what’re they sayin’ about us?” Rick asked.

“That y’all dated on the sly in high school and that you are the reason her husband left her. She’s run home to you.” Amos grinned.

“Bullshit!” Rick sputtered.

Amos raised a hand. “Truth. That’s just the way I heard it. So?”

“It’s just talk,” Rick said. “It isn’t even reasonable, but then gossip seldom is.”

“Amen,” Amos said. “But you better be careful, son. If they catch you holding hands with her, they’ll start polishing up the silver punch bowl at the church for a wedding reception.”

Rick threw a hand over his heart in mock horror. “Now that would be horrible, wouldn’t it?”

“For the ladies at the church, it would.” Amos nodded. “They’d be real upset if they was to go to all that work for nothing.”

Rick patted him on the shoulder. “Seriously, thanks for the advice. I like Jennie Sue and we might be friends, but you and I both know that’s as far as it could ever go.”

“Stranger things have happened. It’s closin’ time. Give me a minute to turn off the lights and I’ll walk out with you,” Amos said. “I also heard that Jennie Sue was seen out at the cemetery visitin’ her Baker grandparents’ graves. She didn’t go to the Wilshires’, though. I wonder what’s going on with that.”

“Guess she didn’t have the time.” Rick really did like Jennie Sue, and he’d felt more alive with her than he had in years. Maybe it was because he didn’t see pity in her eyes when she saw him walk with a limp or noticed the scar on his chin, or maybe it was a mutual love for gardening. Whatever it was—well, he enjoyed being with her.

He walked a couple of blocks up the road to the café. The truck was parked behind the building, so he went in the back door to see if Cricket was finished or if he needed to wait on her. His eyes took a minute to adjust from the blaring sunlight to the dimmer café, but when they did, he noticed that Jennie Sue was sitting alone in a booth toward the back.

The place was almost empty, but Cricket still had her hands full, so he took a seat in the next booth down from where Jennie Sue was sitting.

“Hello,” she said.

“Evenin’. What brings you to town?” Though he faced her, a bench and two tables separated them. Surely that was enough that it wouldn’t create more problems.

“I’m still full from dinner with Nadine, so I decided that a strawberry shake would make a wonderful supper,” she said.

“And here it is.” Cricket set it in front of her. “I’ll be another ten minutes, Rick. If you want to come sit at the bar, I’ll make you a shake, too.”

“I’m fine right here,” he said.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that was not the answer she wanted, but dammit, he was a grown man and didn’t need her constant meddling.

“So how’s your first day on the job?” he asked.

“Fine. I like working for the sisters.” Jennie Sue unwrapped a straw and stuck it down in her milkshake. “But I’ve told them that it’s temporary. I didn’t work to get my degree so I could clean houses. I want a job in a firm with benefits. So how was your day?”

“Did some weedin’ and harvestin’ this morning for tomorrow’s deliveries and for the farmers’ market in Sweetwater. Then drove the bookmobile up to Longworth this afternoon.” He wondered what folks did with false rumors. Did they go into a recycling bin? Change the names and the places and use them all again?

“What are you thinkin’ about?” Jennie Sue asked.

“Rumors.” He shared his recycling idea.

Her blue eyes twinkled with amusement, and his heart actually skipped a beat. “Think we could start a business reselling them? I could run the office and man the phones, bringing them to my attention. You could sort through them and decide what was real and what was false and then we could sell the untrue ones to other towns.”

Cricket brought an order of french fries and a tall glass of sweet tea with a wedge of lemon and set it down in front of Rick. “I’ve got to stick around a little longer. Elaine had to make a run home to see about her mother. You might as well have something to eat.”

“Thank you,” Rick said.

“What were y’all laughing about?” she asked.

“Gossip and rumors. We may go into business together recycling them. Want to partner up with us?” Jennie Sue asked.

“You are both crazy, and I wouldn’t go into any kind of business with you, not ever.” Cricket flounced off.

“Never say never,” Rick called after her.

“How long have you been home?” she asked.

“Two years. I was on the West Coast in a hospital and rehab center for nine months before they discharged me on a medical with full disability. My dad died right after I got home, so I just picked up the shovel and hoe and kept things going.”

“I admire anyone who goes into the service and who makes a livin’ working with his own two hands in the dirt,” she said.

“Well, thank you. I wish you weren’t leaving Bloom. I think we could be really good friends,” he said.

“I’m sure we could.” She hoped that their friendship would endure long-distance when she left Bloom.