Jayden got herself a bottle of cold water and sat down at a table. “I thought they weren’t leaving until morning.”
“Henry is in a hurry to see Joe, and there’s lots of daylight left in today. They can be halfway to Dallas by dark and have a big jump on tomorrow’s leg of the trip.” Elijah pulled out a chair and sat down. “I want to thank you again for stepping up to do the cooking. The rest of the counselors are taking on more work, but you’re biting off the biggest chunk, so thanks.”
“You are welcome. Like I said before, I didn’t come here expecting to make friends, but I have, and I’d do about anything for Mary and Henry.” Jayden picked up her water and downed a third of it.
“I’ve known for months that this transition was coming, but I thought I’d have more time to interview help for the cook’s job and maybe hire someone to help with the outside work,” he said.
“Change is always scary,” Jayden said. “Didn’t it terrify you to enlist in the air force? I know it scared the bejesus right out of me when I went to college the first day, though I still got to go home when classes were over.”
“Yep, but not like this. I always had someone up higher than me in the chain of command to make the decisions. But I’m the boss now,” Elijah answered.
Jayden reached over and laid her hand on his. “Just like the air force has protocols to cover whatever might go wrong, or what goes right, for that matter, we have a handbook that pretty much outlines the same thing. You’re the boss, but that doesn’t mean you’re out on the end of a tree branch with someone throwing rocks at you. We’re all here to help you enforce what’s in the handbook, just like we did with Henry and Mary.”
“Thank you for that.” He laid his free hand over hers. “Now I’ve got another favor to ask of you. Would you help me interview some folks to help out around here? If I can’t talk you into staying on permanently, then I’ll need a cook. And they could step in and learn the ropes while you’re still here to help with the transition.”
“I’d be glad to help you interview.” Jayden wondered how a new mix in staff would affect the girls. A new cook and maybe Skyler back in the Daydream Cabin—would all that change turn their world upside down so much that they would lose the progress they’d made?
“Thanks. That means a lot,” Elijah said.
Carmella, Ashlyn, and Tiffany all pushed inside the dining room at the same time. Jayden jerked her hand away from Elijah’s and smiled at them to cover her nerves.
“We’re all done walking the horses,” Ashlyn said. “Carmella found a really ugly bug. We looked it up and it’s a fire ant. We’re going back to put it in the freezer so that she can pin it to the board tomorrow.”
“It’s not very big, but the book said that a sting from it can hurt real bad, and since it’s called a fire ant, I’m going to sketch it on the end of the devil’s tail,” Tiffany said.
“How did y’all get done so quick?” Jayden asked.
“We each walked a horse at the same time, and we brushed them for an extra half hour. They looked all pretty when we put them back in the stalls. Dynamite even smiled at us,” Carmella answered as they all three made their way to the kitchen. “I can look for bugs and lead a horse, and Tiffany sketches after the thing is frozen anyway.”
“So, you worked as a team?” Elijah smiled.
“Yep, but don’t expect us to act like sisters or any of that crap,” Ashlyn told him. “That ain’t about to happen.”
“Isn’t about to happen,” Jayden said.
“That’s what I said.” Ashlyn was the first one back from behind the buffet bar. “They ain’t my sisters, and I’m probably not going to use proper grammar. Us kids don’t talk like you old people do.”
“Ouch!” Elijah laid a hand over his heart.
“Well, we are trying to teach them honesty.” Jayden smiled.
“Where’s Mary?” Carmella grabbed two bottles of water and threw one across the room to Ashlyn.
“She and Henry have officially retired,” Elijah said.
Ashlyn caught the water but almost dropped it. “No! You mean they really just left? Who’s going to help us milk the two cows when it’s our turn? I never can get the hang of it, and Henry’s been giving me tips.”
“I’ll be there and so will Miz Diana,” Elijah assured her. “What’s your favorite job of all?”
Ashlyn twisted the cap off the water and took a long drink. “Walking Dynamite. I love that horse. You want to sell him? I’ll ask Daddy to buy him for my birthday if you’ll sell him to me.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t ever let him go. He’s going to live out the rest of his days right here at Piney Wood,” Elijah answered.
“If you change your mind, just tell me,” Ashlyn said.
“I figured you girls would like kitchen work better since it’s cool in here,” Elijah said.
Ashlyn shook her head. “I don’t like to cook, but me and Dynamite have us some long conversations when I’m walking him. I’ve whispered things to him that I wouldn’t even tell God or Jesus.”
Jayden wondered how many other girls during the sessions felt the same way about that big black horse. If they did, poor old Dynamite’s brain must be full of secrets, her own included.
“I like cooking best,” Carmella answered. “I really don’t like collecting bugs, but when I have to deal with them, I just think about not ever shoplifting again.”
Elijah glanced over at Tiffany. “What about you?”
“I like drawing best,” she answered, “and I don’t mind doing the laundry. It’s hot as hell in that building, but it kind of reminds me of a spa, and besides, when everything is all clean and folded, there’s a sense of accomplishment. Kind of like washing all those ugly things I did out of my past and starting off with a clean future.”
“That’s pretty deep thinking for a teenager,” Elijah said.
Tiffany glared at him. “Isn’t the whole reason we’re here to make us think about our sins and never do them again? I get that feeling when I’m talking to Karen. She’s not bad for a therapist. She doesn’t just listen—she makes me think.”
Elijah pushed his chair back. “I can’t wait to see your next picture. You are really good at art. My favorite one is the millipede on the devil’s pitchfork. In my opinion all those stinging bugs belong down there in hell.”
“Yep.” Tiffany nodded.
Jayden headed back to the kitchen. “Since y’all teamed up and got done with the horses early, then I reckon you can help out in here. Wash your hands, and get your hair tucked up under your caps.”
“Yes, ma’am,” they said at the same time.
If only I could get my own life in order as fast as they’re doing, Jayden thought as she watched Elijah put his glass in the dishwasher and then leave the dining room. Maybe I will as soon as Skyler gets home or comes here to work, and when I quit daydreaming about working here rather than teaching school. Do I need a few sessions with Karen, too?
You know giving up the career you worked so hard to have is not a good idea. Her mother’s voice was back in her head.
I know, Mama, she agreed, but it’s a sweet little daydream, because I love working here and making a difference in these girls’ lives.
Jayden took out the journal that night after the girls were in bed, opened it up, and wrote:
Dear Mama,
Tonight, I’m happy and sad at the same time, if that’s possible. I’m the official cook for the camp now. Mary and Henry have left to spend some time with his old Vietnam war buddy who is dying. I’m sad to see them go because Mary and I’ve become friends. She reminds me of a mix of you and Granny, and I’ve enjoyed working with her so very much. But now the kitchen is all mine, and I’m happy about that. I inherited your love of cooking, and getting to do this job makes this seem like a vacation.
Maybe it’s a good thing I’m only talking to you about these emotional feelings I have for Elijah. I have no one to talk to here about this, but I need to work through i
t.
You would like Diana and Novalene, Mama. I don’t think I’ve ever had friends like them. They are restoring my trust in people.
Good night, Mama . . .
She laid the journal aside, got into bed, and watched the patterns that clouds shifting over the moon made on the ceiling for a long time before she fell asleep. She had forgotten to mention in her journal entry that Elijah was a man who could be trusted. She’d have to go into more detail another time about that.
Chapter Twelve
In the middle of the afternoon on Thursday Jayden’s phone pinged. She stopped cutting up oranges for a fruit salad and pulled it out of her hip pocket to find a second selfie and text from Skyler. This picture showed her with a red-haired guy in what appeared to be an airport terminal. The man didn’t look much taller than Skyler, which was a surprise. Skyler usually went for the tall, dark, and handsome guys—like Ray Don, the bad boy she’d had a crush on in high school. The text said that she would be in Alpine on Friday and she had exciting news.
Jayden took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. “I was hoping that Mary was sending me a message,” she said out loud.
“Everything all right in here?” Elijah removed his cap and wiped sweat from his forehead as he entered the building. “Summer has arrived with a vengeance. It’s ninety-four degrees out there.”
“Have you heard from Skyler?” Jayden asked.
“Nope.” Elijah picked up a bottle of water and downed half of it. “Have you?”
“I just got a selfie and a text that said she’ll be in Alpine tomorrow,” she answered.
“That’s the first I’m hearing of it,” Elijah said. “I wonder if she’s coming to accept the offer that I left on her voice mail or just to visit you.”
“I guess we can see easily enough.” Jayden took another deep breath and called her sister, but she couldn’t imagine Skyler visiting the camp. After five rings it went straight to voice mail, and she didn’t even bother leaving a message. “I guess we’ll know when she shows up.”
“Are you okay with her being here? I’m pretty desperate for help right now.” Elijah finished off the bottle of water and poured himself a glass of lemonade.
“I’ll be fine,” she told him, and sincerely hoped she was telling the truth.
“I’m going back to plow another field. Karen is in Moonbeam Cabin now. She said of the six that she’s seen so far today, there’s some clear progress.” Elijah settled his cap back on his head. “See you at suppertime.”
“That’s good news about the girls.” Jayden really didn’t like giving up her job with her girls, but hiring more help was up to Elijah, not her.
“Yep,” Elijah threw up a hand and waved on his way out the door—then he stopped. “If she is coming to help us out, you can move over to Henry and Mary’s house.”
“Thank you,” Jayden said. “I’d like to still sit in on their counseling hour so that we don’t lose any ground. Too bad Skyler hates to cook and never learned how to do much more than open cans and microwave frozen dinners. As much as I like cooking, I’d give her this job so my girls wouldn’t be upset.”
“Maybe it’ll be a smooth transition,” Elijah said as the door closed behind him.
“Yeah, right,” Jayden said. “It’ll be about as smooth as a ride down a dirt road with a flat tire.”
“We’re here,” Keelan yelled as she and Bailey arrived in the kitchen to help with supper duties. “We’re finished with our therapy, and Novalene said for us to come out here and help with whatever you say for us to do. I wish I could take Karen home with me so she could be my therapist all the time.”
“Make the best of your time here with her and maybe when you go home, you’ll be ready to open up to your therapist there a little more,” Jayden told her. “You are all making great progress in learning to be comfortable in your own skin, and I’m proud of you.”
“Do you think it’s because we’re all away from our circle of friends?” Bailey asked.
“Could be. Do you think you’ll change that group when you leave here?” Jayden asked.
Keelan got two aprons from the hook on the wall and tossed one toward Bailey. “I’m going to change a lot of things when I get back. I don’t need drugs or to be around people who use them. I only used the money I got from them to buy stuff—bad stuff like liquor for parties—anyway.”
“Me either,” Bailey agreed.
Who would have thought they’d figure that out in such a short time? Jayden thought. But then I’m questioning my own job, my past, my future, and lots of things since I came here, so it shouldn’t be any big surprise that these kids picked that up so fast.
Jayden beat her pillow until there wasn’t a lump in it. She counted how many sounds came from crickets and how many from tree frogs until the noise of the air conditioner compressors kicking on blotted out both. Then she closed her eyes and tried to imagine sheep jumping over a white picket fence. When Elijah leaned his elbows on the top rail and smiled at her in the vision, she lost count. Finally, she threw back the sheet, pulled on a pair of jeans and her shoes, and headed for the barn.
When she arrived, she went right to Dynamite’s stall and stuck her hand over the top rail to pet him. “Did you sense that I needed to talk tonight? Is that why you’re still awake, too?”
The horse whinnied and nudged her hand.
“I thought so,” Jayden said. “My sister is coming tomorrow and quite possibly may be staying. I don’t want to work with her, but Elijah needs the help and it would be selfish of me to say anything to discourage her. And who knows, she might need the money after that trip to Europe. Living with her fancy ways until she went away to college wasn’t easy. Of course, Mama said it was both of our faults that we couldn’t get along. Did she think that giving Skyler some responsibility would help us to bond together when Skyler sold the house? Maybe she was right, and us working together will be a good thing. What do you think, Dynamite?”
Jayden could have sworn the horse sighed.
“Yep, that’s where I am, too,” she said. “I’ve always wanted her to like me, so maybe this is my opportunity to learn not to give a damn. Thanks for the advice.” She gave him a couple more pats and headed back to Daydream Cabin. She got out her journal and started to write in it, but she was way too sleepy, so she put it aside, fell right to sleep, and dreamed about putting up a Christmas tree in the dining hall.
“Like that would ever happen,” she said when her alarm went off. She got out of bed, stretched the kinks out of her back, and pulled a pair of faded jeans from the closet.
She stared at them for a moment, then hung them back up and got dressed in one of her nicer shirts and newer jeans. “I’m not really doing this for Elijah,” she muttered, but in her heart she knew better.
The aroma of brewing coffee met her when she entered the dining hall. Elijah was sitting at the table with a cup in his hands.
“This is a nice surprise,” she said.
Elijah smiled. “I had trouble sleeping last night. Are you going to be all right with Skyler working here? I should have asked you before I called her.”
“We don’t have much of a relationship.” Jayden poured herself a cup of coffee and joined him. “But I’ll do what’s best for the camp and the girls.”
“You two might not have been close as kids or even as adults, but you are blood kin. Like that old song says, ‘Love Can Build a Bridge,’ and it doesn’t have to be talking about between a man and a woman. It can be between sisters,” he said.
“I hope so. I really do.”
“Mary always says that everything works out for the best, but once y’all talk, if you’ve got any misgivings, I won’t hire her. Nothing has been signed,” Elijah said.
“Thank you, but again, we have to think of the girls, not me.” Jayden picked up her cup and carried it to the kitchen. “It’s not like it’s forever. Six more weeks and this session will be over. If I can live with her for fifteen years, I can make it t
hrough that short time.”
“Thanks go to you for caring more about the kids than yourself.” He pushed back his chair and stood up at the same time the siren went off. “See you at breakfast.”
“Bring a healthy appetite,” she told him.
“Always do.” He smiled as he left the building.
Jayden wasn’t sure what time to expect Skyler, and every time the dining hall door opened, she jerked her head around, expecting to see her sister toting in suitcases. By midafternoon she’d almost given up on Skyler even showing up and was coming out of the pantry with a bag of sugar in her hands when she saw her sister standing on the other side of the buffet line. Her long blonde hair framed her delicate face, and her makeup was flawless. She wore white capris, a red T-shirt, and matching red sandals.
“Surprise!” Skyler said.
“I’ve been looking for you all day,” Jayden said. “Did you already put your suitcases in the cabin?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Skyler said. “I’m not staying.”
“Didn’t you get the message from Elijah offering you a job? Henry and Mary have retired. I’ve taken over the cooking, and Elijah needs some help.” Jayden set the sugar down and poured two glasses of sweet tea.
“I didn’t even check my messages, and FYI, I definitely do not want a job here for the rest of the summer,” Skyler said. “David and I are on our way to Brownsville to spend a few days with his grandmother, and I thought I’d stop by and”—she held out her left hand and wiggled her fingers—“show you this and see Novalene and Diana. Seemed the right thing to do since we’re in the area.”
Jayden stared at the sparkling diamond—the thing had to be at least three carats—in an antique setting. “It’s gorgeous. Is this David you’re talking about the lucky guy?”
“Remember? I told you that he’s the music director at Glory Bound. I sent you a selfie of us from the trip.” Skyler couldn’t take her eyes off the ring. “He dropped me off, but he’ll be back for me in an hour, unless I call him to come back sooner. Where are Novalene and Diana? I want to show them my ring.”
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