She drank a third of the beer, burped like a three-hundred-pound trucker, and grinned. “Pardon me, but that tasted so good that I’m not even sorry. I also heard that your mama and her Sweetwater Belles are going to some fancy spa out in Arizona for a week. And the last is that you and Rick Lawson had an affair in high school. You came home to pick up where y’all left off, and that could be the reason your husband left you.”
Jennie Sue had just taken a gulp of beer, so when she snorted, it came out her nose and ran down her face. Thank goodness a box of tissues was sitting on the coffee table, or she’d have been cleaning beer stains from Nadine’s cream-colored sofa for hours.
“That’s not true,” Jennie Sue gasped. “No wonder Mama is escaping to the spa for a week. Why would people say that? We might be friendly, but we didn’t have an affair, and that’s not why Percy left me.”
Scratch that great feeling of belonging she’d had the night before. With that kind of talk flying around, she couldn’t wait to get out of town. But before she did, she had to go to the grave where Emily Grace was buried. She had to have closure before she left Bloom, or she’d never be able to get a fresh start.
Next week, she would definitely get some résumés written up and make a trip down to the Abilene employment office to see if anyone was looking for a woman with a business degree. Maybe she could even borrow Lettie’s truck and drive over to Dallas to one of those job fairs that was always listed over there.
Nadine took another sip of beer and went on. “They say that you goin’ to work for us has aged Charlotte ten years. I just want you to know that we didn’t mean to cause trouble like this. It isn’t a secret that the Wilshires and the Cliffords haven’t spoken a kind word to each other in decades, but we sure wouldn’t want to do you no harm. We like you, Jennie Sue.”
“Well, I like you, too, and this is my decision. Mama will come around. It might take twenty years.” The poor old darlings weren’t at all how her mother had drawn them all these years. She already dreaded leaving the funny, kindhearted sisters.
Nadine finished off the beer. “Honey, I’m ninety. I won’t be here in twenty more years. Oh, and the last little tidbit says that Dill has broken it off with Darlene. She’s heartbroken, but he’s probably got another woman in his eye. No one knows who it is right now, but there’s lots of betting goin’ on. I put five bucks on the new chamber-of-commerce secretary that just moved here from Midland. Dill kind of goes for red-haired women.” Nadine clamped a hand over her mouth. “That’s your daddy. I shouldn’t have told you that. Blame it on the beer and the heat. My brain ain’t firin’ on all the cylinders today.”
Jennie Sue patted her on the arm. “It’s okay. I’ve known about his ladies for years. What I’ve never been able to understand is why, with Mama’s temper, she puts up with it.”
Nadine laid a hand on Jennie Sue’s arm. “Your mama was in love with a really poor kid in high school, darlin’. His name was James Martin, and his folks lived between here and Rotan in a trailer house. Your grandma put a stop to that as soon as she found out, and she picked out Dill Baker for your mama. Theirs was the biggest wedding in the whole county—right when your mama got out of high school.”
“What happened to James?” Jennie Sue asked.
“He went right into the army when they graduated and stayed away from Bloom for six years. She married Dill and was faithful during that time and doted on you when you were born, but right after James came back to this area, well, that’s when Dill started having affairs.”
“Where is James now?” she asked. Had she blamed her father for everything all these years when part of the problem might lie with her mother?
“Cancer got him about five years ago, but until then, he worked at the airport in Lubbock. Charlotte disappeared for six weeks after he died. We all figured that she went to a private place to settle her nerves,” Nadine answered. “And I shouldn’t tell you all this, but maybe it will help you understand both of your parents.”
“I remember when Mama went to a place in Colorado for more than a month. She said she needed some time to rest. She did that pretty often with her Belles, but that time she went alone. Now I know why.” Jennie Sue was on her feet in a flash and began to pace back and forth across the floor. “On one hand, I’ve hated my dad for his affairs. On the other, I loved him just as fiercely. I’ve never been able to sort it out in my mind, how I could both love and hate him with the same heart.”
“We’re only human, child, and you didn’t know the whole story,” Nadine said.
She made two more trips from one side of the room to the other. “How could my mother do this? She loved someone else, but she couldn’t let go of that precious Wilshire bloodline and let me love whoever I wanted. She pushed Percy and me together—lookin’ back, maybe I married him hoping she would finally be happy with me.”
“I’m so sorry that I even brought it up,” Nadine said. “Let’s forget about it and get out the brisket and make us some barbecue sandwiches. We got enough of your good potato salad to go with them, and then we’ll take a little rest for an hour and watch a Family Feud rerun on television before you finish up the cleaning.”
When Nadine fell asleep in her recliner five minutes into the television show, Jennie Sue eased off the sofa and started dusting the dining room. She couldn’t get what Nadine had told her off her mind. How could she have lived in that house all through her high school years and not questioned why her father was cheating? At least now she had a sense of why Charlotte didn’t give a damn. Talk about a twisted marriage.
“How could they even be civil in public and live in the same house?” she muttered as she finished the dining room.
What difference would it have made if you’d known? Would it have brought peace or more turmoil?
“I’ll never know now, will I?” She headed outside to gather the sheets in from the line. Lettie was right about them smelling fresh. No amount of dryer sheets could give them that scent. She’d remade both beds nice and tight without a single wrinkle and was on her way to the kitchen when Nadine awoke.
“Hey, Jennie Sue, where are you?” Nadine called out. “Are you still here?”
“On my way to the kitchen. Want a glass of sweet tea? I was about to get one for me.”
Nadine yawned loud enough that Jennie Sue could hear it. “It’s three o’clock. How about some ice cream instead of tea?”
“I ate far too much dinner for anything right now, but I’ll get you some. One scoop or two?” Jennie Sue called out.
“Two, and you can sit with me while I eat it. What all is left to do?”
“Vacuum.” Jennie Sue headed to the kitchen. “Then take out the trash and mop the kitchen and utility room, and we’ll have you all fixed up for another week.”
“Okay, then. But, honey, the refrigerator is like an open bar anytime you come to my house. If you’ll tell me what you like, I’ll have it in there and ready for you.” She eased up out of her recliner and worked the kinks out of her neck.
“Thank you, Nadine. I’m sure I won’t starve.” Jennie Sue turned on the vacuum and made sure every inch of carpet was gone over at least three times. She didn’t want to talk or hear any more gossip. She just wanted to get the job done and go home to her apartment and try to sort out everything.
Rick parked the bookmobile at the library that afternoon, made sure everything was shelved and that the doors were locked, and then whistled all the way into the small brick building.
“This abominable heat must have kept the folks up in Longworth from getting out today. Didn’t have a single customer.” He handed the keys to Amos.
“I hope we don’t have to cut that little town from the route because folks ain’t interested.” Amos hung the keys on a hook behind the checkout counter. “We had a great time last night, didn’t we? Did I see a little spark between you and Jennie Sue?”