“Nope, hopefully I’m leaving to get a start somewhere on the bottom rung of a corporate ladder if I’m lucky,” she answered.
“And if not?”
“Then as a glorified secretary in a used-car dealership,” Jennie Sue answered. “What about you, Cricket? If you could be anything in life, what would it be?”
“What I really want to be . . .” Cricket paused.
“She wants to be a gossip columnist. If you can make that happen, then I’d like for you to invent a time machine so I can go back and sidestep the bomb that turned me into a disabled veteran,” Rick said. “That way I’d still be a whole man doin’ what I love in the military.”
“I want to someday make cupcakes for my kids like my mama did for us. We always had something homemade for an after-school snack,” Cricket blurted out.
Jennie Sue was shocked that Cricket would admit that much in front of her. “I could go for one of your mama’s cupcakes right now, maybe even two or three.”
“To have kids, I’ll need a husband. Rick says I’ll never find anyone who can put up with my bluntness,” Cricket said.
Jennie Sue jerked her head around to face Cricket. “What’s the matter with that? At least people know where they stand with you and that you won’t turn your back on them.”
“Speakin’ from experience?” Cricket asked.
“More than once.” Jennie Sue nodded. “Now prop your foot up here on my knee and we’ll get this one done and go on to your fingernails.”
It was almost ten o’clock when Cricket said, “Thank you for everything, Jennie Sue. It’s past time for Rick to take you home. The news tomorrow will be that you’ve stayed out here later than usual and that he might have to make an honest woman out of you.”
Rick felt the heat start on his neck and climb all the way to his cheeks. “What a time to find out my sister has a sense of humor.”
“I reckon my reputation can handle another black mark,” Jennie Sue said.
“But mine can’t. Someone might think I was changing my mind about you,” Cricket said with her usual sarcasm as she tucked her crutches under her arms. “See you bright and early in the morning, Rick. I’m lookin’ forward to going to the market and seeing all the people.”
“Well, honey”—Jennie Sue’s tone was saccharine sweet—“when they find out that we spent the evening doing your nails, they’re going to know that we’re friends.”
“I’m not tellin’ anyone that, and if you do, I’ll take back the barely friends promotion,” Cricket said.
Rick couldn’t tell if she was teasing or not and didn’t want get into it with her. He turned to Jennie Sue and said, “Thanks for what you do for us. You ready to go home?”
“Not just yet. I’d like a glass of sweet tea.” Jennie Sue took down her ponytail and raked her fingers through her long, blonde hair.
Mesmerized by her actions, Rick wished that his hands were the ones tangled up in her hair. He blinked half a dozen times and finally got to his feet. “I’ll take care of the tea while you dump the water.”
She was sitting on the end of the sofa when he returned. He handed her a full glass of sweet tea and sat down on the other end. “I was surprised to hear Cricket admit that she wanted to be a wife and mother. She’s always told me that she wanted to be a gossip columnist.”
“Dreams change with age.” She took a long drink of her tea.
Rick set his glass on the end table, picked up her feet, and put them in his lap. He started massaging her left foot, digging deep into the heel.
“You’ve missed your callin’,” she groaned. “You should be a masseur.”
He finished with that foot and picked up the right one. “It was really nice of you to step back and let Cricket go to the market with me tomorrow after you’d already made plans to go. I’d offer to take both of you, but one would have to ride in the back of the truck with the produce.”
She nodded toward the other side of the room. “You could put that rockin’ chair over there in the bed of the truck, and everyone could say I was Granny Clampett from The Beverly Hillbillies.”
Rick laughed out loud. “Well, you do have the fancy house. Do you have possums and raccoons livin’ out there?”
“Yes, I do.” Her blue eyes glimmered. “But don’t tell Mama. Mabel and I’ve kept it a secret for years.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “I can just see Charlotte Baker if she found a possum in her living room.”
“We keep them in the garage.” Jennie Sue continued the joke as she laid her head back on the sofa and shut her eyes. “Frank feeds them.” She yawned and her eyes fluttered shut.
He stared at her for a long time, not wanting to wake her and yet knowing that he should. He wanted to look at her a little longer, so he moved to a recliner and carefully popped up the footrest. Several hours later he awoke to find Cricket glaring at him with a hand on her hip.
“What in the hell is going on in here? Don’t you have a lick of sense, Rick? People are going to see you takin’ her home at daybreak. She’s going to make a complete fool out of you.” Her voice was so shrill and loud that no one could ever sleep through it.
“That’s enough,” Rick said calmly. “Nothing happened. We fell asleep, and if you’ll stop worryin’ about what people think or talk about, you’d notice that we are both fully dressed and that she’s on the sofa and I’m in a chair.”
Jennie Sue sat up and put her hand over a yawn. “Is that sin so big it’ll keep me out of heaven? Is it really mornin’?”
“And if something did happen, which it didn’t”—Rick popped the footrest down on the recliner—“we are two consenting adults, and it wouldn’t be a bit of anyone’s business.”
Cricket tried to stomp her good foot and almost fell before she got her balance back. “It’s my business. I live here in this house, too. And for your information, brother, I was the one who stayed here and helped out while you went off to your precious military and secret missions. I picked beans with Daddy and kept house and held down a job,” she said.
Rick stood and headed toward the bathroom. “Yes, you did. Where shall I send the gold medal? Or would you prefer platinum?”
“Don’t you leave when I’m talkin’ to you,” Cricket shouted.
Jennie Sue sat up and put on her shoes.
Cricket turned on her. “Where are you going?”
“If I want to listen to bitchin’ and yellin’, I can move back in with my mother,” Jennie Sue answered. “I’m going out to the truck. When y’all get through with this fight, I’d appreciate a ride home.”
“Why did you have to drag us into your messy life? We were doin’ just fine without you in town,” Cricket groaned.
“Cricket, I’d love to be your friend, but it looks like that’s impossible. Since I’ve embarrassed you so badly that you rant at your brother like that, I won’t be coming back out here. I never want to be the cause of such mean things being said to Rick,” Jennie Sue said.
“I’m so sorry.” Rick came out of the bathroom. “I could hear everything. Let’s get you home. Thanks for all you’ve done. It would have been a tough week without you.”
He tried several times to start a conversation on the drive from the farm to Lettie’s place, but he had no idea how to even begin. Jennie Sue probably hated him for not waking her and for getting so personal with that foot massage. And if that wasn’t enough, Cricket had been horrible. When they finally arrived, and he’d parked outside the garage, he turned to face her.
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
“No need for you to apologize. You did nothing wrong.” She opened the door. “Let’s—” she started.
“Let’s not let my sister spoil what we have,” he finished for her. “I really like spending time with you.”
“I would never knowingly cause trouble between y’all,” she said.
He rested a hand on her shoulder. “I know that. You’ve got a good heart, Jennie Sue. I’ll call you this evening.”
She nodded and was gone before he could say anything else.