“I really like workin’ for you and havin’ you for friends, too, but I told you in the beginnin’ that I was going to look for another job,” Jennie Sue said.
“Listen to her, Nadine,” Lettie said. “Only been in God’s country for a week, and she’s already gettin’ her Texas accent back.”
“Wonderful, ain’t it? Let’s get on inside and get the discussion done with so we can get down to the serious business. I’ve got a couple of juicy tidbits, and I ain’t talkin’ about whiskey bacon and that delicious-smellin’ cake in the back of this van.” Nadine undid her seat belt. “Y’all hurry up and get in out of this god-awful heat before we all melt.”
Jennie Sue held the door open and then followed the two ladies into the used-book store. She set her cake with the other food and sat down at the discussion table beside Cricket. Rick, Lettie, and Nadine were all across the table from them, with Amos taking his place at the head.
“Okay, this meeting is officially in order,” Amos said. “For your information, Jennie Sue, we usually have about five or six more, but they called in today with one excuse or another. We really should make a rule that says if a person misses more than two discussions a year, they’re on probation, but we can decide on that later. Everyone welcomes you, Jennie Sue.”
“Thank you. I’m excited to be here. I love books and I love to read.” She shot a sideways glance at Cricket, and the look on her face said that Amos hadn’t taken a poll before he spoke.
“And here’s the first question on my discussion list. Do you think that Scarlett is a good sequel to Gone with the Wind? Did it bring closure to you when you read it?”
“Yes, I love a happy ending,” Jennie Sue said.
“I liked it, but I liked Scarlett better in the original book,” Cricket said. “She was her own person in both books, but in the first one she had more grit and sass.”
“Which brings me to the next question,” Amos said. “Do you think that having that child tamed her wild spirit? I realize that none of us here has a child, but we all know Scarlett O’Hara pretty good. What do you think?”
Jennie Sue couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat, so she let Lettie and Rick take that question. She focused on keeping the tears at bay as their unheard responses washed over her. She couldn’t answer, not when she didn’t have the power to even get out of the truck and go visit Emily’s grave.
Jennie Sue had tried her best to make her mother happy, and that always meant things had to be perfect. She didn’t know why her mother had wanted to keep the baby a secret. After all, she was married when she got pregnant, and there was no shame in having a stillborn baby, but Charlotte always had her reasons. Jennie Sue vowed that the next time she went home or saw her mother, she would make her explain why Emily Grace had to be such a big secret.
“Okay, next one,” Amos said. “How many of you have read Gone with the Wind more than once, and would you reread Scarlett?”
Jennie Sue’s hand shot up in the air. Anything to get her mind off her inability to touch the ground where Emily was buried. “I’ve read them both multiple times already.” She didn’t tell them that both books and Rhett Butler’s People had helped her keep her sanity when she lost her baby.
“Got anything to add, Jennie Sue, before we go on to the next question?” Amos asked.
“I’m so sorry. I was woolgatherin’. What was the question?”
“Did Scarlett change because she’d lost Bonnie Blue and she wanted to be a good mother to her daughter Cat?”
“I would think that maybe Scarlett must have felt an extra strong bond with her new daughter after losing Bonnie Blue.” Hopefully, she’d answered it well enough without going into detail.
Rick nodded.
“Agreed,” Amos said. “It’s been a great discussion. Anyone got anything to add?”
“Yes, when are we eatin’ the snacks?” Nadine said. “I saw that whiskey bacon over there, so let’s get to it.”
Cricket pushed back her chair and led the way to the refreshment table. “Good discussion, everyone. Did y’all hear that Belinda, one of the Belles, almost didn’t go on that spa trip because she’s been sick? I wonder what’s wrong with her.”
Rick stepped up behind Jennie Sue and whispered, “If we’re going into business together, we need to know the gossip rules. Number one is that you don’t discuss the people who are within hearing distance. Belinda is a safe topic because she’s not here.”
His warm breath on her neck caused tingles to chase down her spine. “What’s the number-two rule?”
“I can see that you aren’t up on the rumor protocol.” He took a couple of steps to the side so he was facing her. “The second rule is to never write anything down or send a text. Phones are fine since no one has a party line anymore, but the best way to spread it is word of mouth. You want plausible deniability.”
“Thanks for explaining it to me. I’ll need to be up on all the regulations.” She kept a serious expression, but it wasn’t easy.
“And the last rule is that whatever comes in must be spread real quick. If you sit on it more than a day, you are committing a sin,” he drawled. “When it comes back to us, we can sugar it up and resell it.”
“Is that a little like reissuing a book? Put a new cover on it and change the title and it becomes new?” she asked.
“What’s been reissued?” Cricket asked. “I wish they’d make a law that all reissued books had to have a little sticker on the front cover so us readers wouldn’t buy something we’ve already got.”
“We’re talkin’ about our rumor business,” Rick said.
“That again? Y’all are crazy.” Cricket turned her back on them.
“Now that you know the rules, you will be held accountable.” His eyes sparkled. “This cake looks really good. I love pralines.”
Cricket’s phone rang, and she fished it from her purse. “Sure I can. Be glad to. See you in the morning.” She turned around. “Elaine needs me to work tomorrow. The high school girl who usually picks up a shift on Saturday has that stomach bug that’s going around.”
“What about the farmers’ market?” Rick asked.
“You’ll have to run it by yourself, brother. We need the money too bad for me to turn down shifts, and besides, Elaine has been so good to us. I can’t turn her down,” Cricket said.
“I love farmers markets. If you want me to, I can help,” Jennie Sue said.
The whole place went silent. Finally, Lettie spoke up. “You think that’s a good idea with all that’s bein’ said?”
“I can’t afford to hire help,” Rick said.
“If we show everyone that we are just friends, then maybe the rumors will stop. And I’ll take out my pay in food. How about another bag of pecans and a watermelon?” Jennie Sue said.
“Girl, you are gettin’ good at this barterin’,” Nadine said. “Clean a house for your rent and now workin’ for produce. I like it. We used to do a lot of that when I was a girl.”
“Don’t get started on the old days, Nadine,” Lettie scolded. “We’ll be here all night if you transport her and Amos back in time.”
“Well, pardon me.” Nadine wiggled her skinny neck better than any teenager that Jennie Sue had ever seen.
Rick moved over to the table with Amos, and they started talking about something called Little Free Libraries. She’d seen pictures of them on Pinterest. Folks put little boxes on posts in front of their houses and filled them with used books. The idea was to take a book and leave a book so there was always something to read. She thought it was a wonderful notion, even with a library in town. The Little Free Libraries were open twenty-four-seven, and folks could always find something to read that way.
“Do you have one of those in your front yard?” Jennie Sue asked, sitting down beside Cricket.
“Yes, we do. It’s Rick’s dream to have them at every house in the whole town. He has this vision of even tourists stoppin’ to use them,” Cricket said, and then leaned over and whispered, “I’m tellin’ you up front, I don’t like the idea of you going to the market with Rick, but he needs help, and I’ve got to do that double shift.”