Be It Ever So Humble

by Jenifer Jenkins

  “This way, I can stay and help Kenny and Martha out. The farm has to change if they want it to be profitable, and I think this could be the solution. And since you won’t be around to help out with the heavier labor, I had to figure out a way to take care of things on my own.”

  John’s brow furrowed. “Why won’t I be around?”

  “Because you’re going back to school.”

  “Oh?” he asked, truly surprised now.

  “Yeah. Seems to me you need to take some classes to work on your conversational skills.” I blinked.

  “Where did you get that idea? That I’m going back to school?” He looked suspicious. “That’s news to me.”

  I clasped my hands together in front this time. “Well, I’ve started all the necessary steps to get you enrolled. Your mom has been helping me. I pulled a few strings, and you’re set to start in the fall.”

  “What?” he asked in disbelief. “That’s right around the corner. What do you mean you ‘pulled a few strings?’”

  “I just pulled an Aunt Becky,” I replied nonchalantly.

  “Who’s Aunt Becky?”

  He sure had some pop culture references to catch up on before he went to New York. “Never mind.” I shrugged. “I just bribed a few people.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  I cracked a smile. “No. I didn’t. I have connections in New York who also have connections, and I was able to make it happen. I put a deposit down for your first semester, so you don’t have a choice. It’s practically a done deal.”

  John was speechless. Any other time I would have taunted him about it, but I could tell he was processing. “I can’t do that,” he finally said, the eleven-lines peaking between his eyebrows.

  “Why not?”

  He started listing on his fingers, “I can’t leave you to do all the work on Ken’s farm alone, and he certainly can’t do much right now. I can’t leave my mom. She relies on me to do things around the house, and I don’t want her to be alone—”

  I interrupted him. “I already told you I’ve figured out a way to make it work at the farm. And I can help your mom out, too. She likes me better than she likes you anyway.”

  John guffawed. “Apparently so!” I thought he looked ready to accept, but then he shook his head. “I can’t let you do that—pay for me to go to school. It doesn’t seem right.”

  “Why not?” I asked. “They’re going to accept your previous credits, so that saves me money. And anyway, it’s an investment. I’m starting a business, and I’ll need a partner with strong business skills to help me run things. It’s strictly an investment.”

  “So, you’re saying I have to go back to business school? I can’t change my mind and play basketball instead?”

  I raised my shoulders. “I mean, you’re good, but...”

  John placed both of his hands on my hips and pulled me closer to him. “There’s another reason I can’t go.” He rested his forehead on mine. It was warm, and the sudden contact made my knees want to give out.

  “What’s that?”

  He sighed and admitted sheepishly, “I don’t want to be that far from you. I mean, we’ve been apart for two weeks, and that felt like torture.”

  “Well, we’re lucky we live in a great age of technology with things like phones and the Internet—when you can get a signal around here. We can talk every day, and I’m sure you’ll want to visit your mom for the holidays. And I can visit you, of course. I think we can make this work.” I took his face in my hands and gazed into his eyes, willing him to believe me.

  John’s eyes twinkled. “Well, then, I guess I have to accept.” He seemed on the verge of tears, and in my heart, I knew I’d done the right thing. John pulled me into his chest. “Thank you,” he whispered into my hair. He held me like that for a few minutes, and I wondered if he was trying to get his emotions in check. Then, he stepped back from me, grinning. “But I’ll only do it on one condition.”

  I smiled and leaned closer to him so that our lips were only a breath apart. “I’m listening.”

  “When I come back to visit... will you pick me up at the airport?” He had a mischievous look in his eye.

  “Oh, of course,” I murmured. “And, I’ll make the experience as pleasant for you as it was for me. In fact, I—”

  Then he kissed me.

  He kissed my lips, and we lingered like that for a while. Then, he kissed me on my forehead, and it sent a flutter through my stomach and up into my throat. That doesn’t sound like a good feeling, but it was. Forehead kisses, man. What was it about them?

  “I have something to show you,” John said, flashing his brilliant teeth.

  “All right,” I said. Then I remembered he’d said that before I left him that awful day I went to the grocery store. I had waited two weeks for whatever it was.

  He took me by the hand. “Come on.”

  We walked past the tree with the basketball hoop to a large flowerbed. “Those look familiar,” I said. They were the same types of flowers he’d added to the bouquet he’d given me. That felt like years ago.

  John nodded and pointed out a tree next to the flowers. “See that?”

  I did see it, and my breath caught in my throat.

  “Told you I’d do it.” He saw my reaction and chuckled softly.

  I blinked. “You carved our initials with a little heart? A random act of—”

  “Come on inside.” John pulled me close again and ran a hand through my hair. “My mom made pie,” he said seductively.

  I giggled, reveling in the feeling of being close to him again. “I know.”

  “Of course you do!”

  I felt so comfortable in his arms. I had missed this, and I knew I’d miss it again all too soon. Did I want to be apart from John? Of course I didn’t. But I knew it was right for him to go back to school, and I knew it was right for me to take some time to get to know myself.

  In all my soul searching, it had become abundantly clear that I needed to work on me first. And maybe John did too. It seemed we had always been too busy living for others and hadn’t truly lived for ourselves. Maybe that was what connected us. We were mirror images in that way. I didn’t know if we’d end up together after all was said and done. A lot can change in a short time. My life was proof of that. I only knew that this was right for right now. The rest would come, and we’d have to figure it out as it came. It opened up endless possibilities, and for the first time in my life, I felt ready to just go with it.

  “Chastity?” John waved a hand in front of my face. I must have had a far off look. “Are you there?”

  “No,” I smiled peacefully. “I’m here. I’m home.”

  Acknowledgements

  Writing my debut novel has been a long yet educational and rewarding process. In the countless hours of writing, re-writing, proofreading, and generally fretting over every detail, my husband has been my rock.

  Wes, none of this would have been possible without your daily support, advice, and compassion. From reading through early drafts to listening while I hashed out plot points to creating such a perfect cover, this book is yours, too. Thank you, my darling.

  To Alyssa and Jake, thank you for being my first readers in the beginning stages of this book. Your support gave me the courage to keep going.

  To Laura, thank you for being one of my first beta-readers and for acting as a consultant through the final stages of the publishing process. I am beyond grateful for your friendship.

  Another enormous thank you goes to the rest of my dream team of beta-readers who gave invaluable feedback and assistance: Gretchen, Julia, Shelby, and Carolyn.

  About the Author

  JENIFER JENKINS is a Missouri native and Florida transplant. She received her degree in Theatre and loves to put what she learned as a performer to use as a writer.

  An avid lover of books, Jenifer especially loves reading Jane Austen, YA, and witty commentaries on societal norms and the borderline absurd. When not reading and writing, she love
s cuddling with her husband and pups (Moondoggie and Luna), watching theatre and classic films, and playing muse to her artist and designer husband.

  Be It Ever So Humble is Jenifer’s debut novel. She is now busy working on the sequel.

  Read more at Jenifer Jenkins’s site.