“Jessica.” Bodine draped her arm around Jessica’s shoulder. “I hit perfection on this, and you boosted me up a full rung over that. She’s going to be thrilled. Just thrilled. I’m buying the pizza.”
Over the years, Bodine had enjoyed shopping—occasionally—with her mother, with the grannies. Together or one at a time, even though it seemed her mother, on a hunt for a black purse, for instance, felt obligated to look at the universe of same before making a decision.
But she had to admit that an excursion with Jessica, and the exceptional success, topped all. She loaded up on gag gifts—she especially liked the boot socks with cowboys clad only in boots, hats, and tighty-whities.
Flushed with the fun of it, she was primed for Jessica’s expert wheedling, and ended up buying herself a red leather vest—a color she usually bypassed—a white shirt with fancy cuffs to go under it, and a new lipstick she’d forget to put on more than half the time.
Plus, anytime she could down a couple slices of Biga pizza equaled a very good day.
Bodine bit into hers, watching Jessica. “Well?”
“It’s good.” Jessica took a second bite, considered, savored. “It’s really good.”
“Rest my case. Though I don’t know why you’d want spinach all over your half.”
“Healthy and delicious. And your case doesn’t rest. It’s really excellent pizza, but—”
Chewing, Bodine wagged a finger in the air. “That’s just New York stubbornness.”
“One of these days, we’re going to do some shopping in New York, you and I.”
Biting into her slice, Bodine snickered. “Yeah, that’s going to happen.”
“I’ll find a way to see it does. And when it does, I’m taking you to Lombardi’s. Although…” Jessica ate a little more. “I will admit, knowing this place is here makes me miss New York a lot less.”
“You still do?”
“Off and on. I may never get used to the quiet. I still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes because it’s so quiet. Or I’ll glance out the window expecting to see buildings, traffic, and there’s space and fields and mountains.”
“Seems odd things to miss. Noise and traffic.”
“And yet.” On a laugh, Jessica sipped some wine. “Some days I miss the pace, the sheer force of energy—and the Thai place around the corner. But then I’m struck by those mountains, and the air, the work I really, really love, and the people I’ve gotten to know. And now I’m learning to ride a horse.”
“How’s that going? I wanted to come down, but I thought for now you might not want an audience.”
“You’ve got that right. Your grandmother’s amazing, and she’s a very patient teacher. I’ve stopped feeling like I’m taking my life in my hands every time I get up on Maybelle. That right there isn’t bad for three lessons.”
“We’ll have you out on a cattle drive in no time.”
“Let me take a page from your book.” Jessica toasted her. “Yeah, that’s going to happen.”
“You’re going to surprise yourself. I don’t want to get into business too much, but I want to say you’ve become, in a short time, a vital member of the resort family. I’ve come to depend on you, to know I can, and that makes me better at my job.”
“That means a lot. I love working for you, for the family. God, I really love coordinating with Rory. He’s so smart and creative, and he makes me laugh every single day.”
“He’s flirting with Chelsea, isn’t he?”
Jessica tried to poker up, but her lips curved as she lifted her pizza. “Maybe. It’s hard to blame him. She’s adorable, on top of being bright and energetic. She shines on big-picture concepts, and knows how to handle details when I toss them at her. She’s become another reason I love the work. I wasn’t sure I would.”
“It’s hard to believe you were unsure of anything, moving across the country the way you did.”
“I took this leap at a difficult time in my life, and told myself it was better to take the leap and make a mistake than to stand still and be unhappy. I’m glad I took the leap and learned it wasn’t a mistake but exactly the right thing.”
Studying Bodine, Jessica sipped more wine. “I think it’s safe now for me to ask why you hired me. The woman from New York who’d never been west of the Mississippi.”
“Well, your résumé made my eyes pop. Your résumé and your references made me do a butt jiggle in my chair. I didn’t know if you’d stick. You were sad.”
“I was.”
“But you could say I decided to take a leap, too. I had a good feeling all along. The first phone interviews, the face-to-face when you flew out. I’ve got a lot of Irish in me, and Chippewa. It sort of negates the more practical French blood that’s in there. I believe in feelings, and following them when you can.”
“So here we are.”
“And here’s to us.” Bodine tapped her glass to Jessica’s.
The sun dipped toward the white peaks, giving them a gloss of pale gold, as Bodine drove toward home.
With her Christmas list complete—and the painting even now in the hands of the jubilant artist for that last, sentimental touch—she foresaw clear sailing in these last two weeks before the big day.
“I’m so glad you talked me into this. Even if I do think that red vest is a mistake.”
“It looked amazing on you. You can pull off vivid colors. I don’t know why you don’t wear red and more jewel tones.”
The absent tone had Bodine glancing over. With every mile Jessica had grown quieter, more subdued.
“You okay?”
“Hmm? Yes. Yes, I’m fine.” But she lapsed into silence again, seemed content to stare out the window as the light went soft with dusk.
Then she straightened in her seat. “We’re friends.”
“Sure.”
On a frustrated sound, Jessica shook her head. “I’ve been careful about making friends nearly all my life. I make exceptionally good acquaintances, interesting casual friends—the sort you have a drink with every couple months. I’ve had work friends, but I’ve been careful about making friends who don’t have all those qualifications, those limitations.”
“Why is that?”
“Child of divorce maybe. I barely remember my parents being together, and honestly didn’t spend that much time with either one of them. My grandparents raised me. At first there was this illusion. You’re staying with us because your mother’s taking a trip or because your father’s working. After a while the illusion was obvious even to a child. My parents didn’t want me.”
“I’m sorry. That’s—” Bodine couldn’t find words. “I’m just sorry.”
“My grandparents did want me, loved me, and they showed me every day. But it’s a hard thing to shake. Your own parents don’t want you. Anyway, that’s probably the foundation for being careful about making friends. But we’re friends, and I really, really don’t want to screw that up.”
“Why would you?”
“I kissed Chase. Or he kissed me. I’d say we kissed each other by the time we were finished.”