“Hey, if I got up in the same mood every single day, you’d get bored.” Nadine winked. “Don’t worry, sister, when you get to be ninety-five, I won’t smother you with a pillow even if you act like a teenager. Unless I catch you making out on the sofa with some old bald, toothless man.”
“I could still catch a young guy.” Lettie fluffed up her dyed black hair with the palm of her hand. “I betcha I could even get one who has hair and teeth and doesn’t use a walker.”
“I’ve got ten bucks that says you can’t,” Nadine said.
“You’re on, but you can’t fuss at me for getting protection down at the drugstore. I don’t want to be catchin’ one of the STFs at my age, and besides, if the aliens ever do choose me to go up in the sky with them, I wouldn’t want to spread it around to them.” Lettie grinned. “And it could take a while, so let’s say you have to pay up on my ninety-fifth birthday.”
“It’s not STFs,” Cricket whispered. “It’s STDs.”
“Close enough,” Lettie said out the side of her mouth.
Bryce nearly choked on a sip of tea, but Cricket wasn’t a bit shocked at what they were saying. She’d heard them place two-dollar bets on all kinds of things. “That’s why they sit with us rather than with the preacher,” Cricket told him.
“You got that right,” Lettie said, “but we do try to be nice on Sunday. Which reminds me, you two want to have Sunday dinner with us after church?”
“We’ve already got plans,” Bryce said. “I’m taking Cricket to church and then out to lunch.”
“Is it a real date, then?” Nadine asked. “If it is, that’s the best birthday present you could give this old woman.”
“Old, my stars!” Cricket felt the blush before it started burning her face. “You will never be old, no matter what the numbers say.”
“Thank you, darlin’, but I just love it that you are going out on a date.” Nadine grinned.
Thank God Bryce didn’t ask why that was such a great thing, Cricket thought. Then the preacher came over, with a huge square of cake on a Happy Birthday plate, and sat down beside Nadine.
“Lettie, you outdid yourself on this cake. It’s amazing,” Frank said.
She put on her sweet little angel expression and cocked her head to one side. “You let me know when your birthday rolls around, and I’ll make you one just like it, but one without ninety-five holes poked in it.”
“I’ll only need sixty-five, and my birthday is at the end of August,” Frank said. “I plan on retiring in September. The committee will be looking for a new preacher at the end of this month. You ladies going to be up for interviews?”
“You bet we are,” Lettie assured him.
Bryce leaned over and whispered, “I guess it’s all right then if we go get cake now?”
The sensation of his warm breath on her neck sent even more of those delicious little shivers down her spine. She pushed back her chair and stood up. “We’re going for cake. Can I get y’all anything while we’re in there?”
“No, we’re good for now,” Nadine answered for both sisters.
“I’m just fine,” Frank said.
Cricket could hear them talking about new preachers as she and Bryce started into the house. “They’ve been on the hiring committee for probably fifty years or more. What kind of scares me is that Lettie might fight to hire a widower who has hair, his teeth, and walks without a cane just so she can collect on that bet.”
Bryce chuckled, but the second they were in the house, he couldn’t hold the laughter in anymore, and he guffawed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“They take their bets very serious, and a ten-dollar one is big. They usually only deal in a dollar or two at the most.” Cricket headed for the cake. She handed the knife to Bryce and said, “Don’t be shy. I sure don’t intend to be. I love Lettie’s chocolate cake.”
“Blackberry cobbler is my favorite dessert, and chocolate cake comes in right behind that.” He cut off a big square, then handed the knife to Cricket.
When she finished putting her piece on her plate, she turned around to find him grinning down at her. “What?” she asked.
His eyes glittered when he ran a finger through the chocolate on the top of his cake and then wiped it on her lips. Before she could blink, he leaned down and kissed her. “That’s the way to taste chocolate icing,” he said when the kiss ended.
Her knees felt weak, and her heart thumped in her ears, but not to be outdone, she set her cake on the table, swiped a finger down the side, and smeared it on his lips. Then she rolled up on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and brought his lips to hers for an even longer, more passionate kiss.
When that kiss ended, she leaned into the hug for another moment, mainly because her knees still felt like they were filled with jelly. “You are so right,” she said between breaths.
Bryce wrapped his arms around her and drew her even closer. “I’d rather have your kisses as chocolate cake. I’m not real good at the romance stuff, but I’ve wanted to kiss you ever since I saw you in the garden.”
“Really?” Cricket couldn’t keep the amazement out of her voice.
The back door opened and they both hurriedly picked up their cake and started back outside. “Hope y’all left me some cake,” Amos said.
“There’s plenty.” Cricket’s voice sounded a bit high and squeaky in her own ears. “But I happen to know that Lettie made cupcakes in case the cake runs out.”
Amos passed on by them and headed to the dining room. “That’s good to know. I might beg a couple of those cupcakes to take home for my breakfast tomorrow morning.”
“I’m sure you won’t have to beg,” Cricket said as she hurried out the door that Bryce was holding open for her. “Me, too,” she said as they crossed the yard.
“If you’re going to take cupcakes home, then I might be brazen enough to ask for some, too,” Bryce said.
“I wasn’t talking about cupcakes,” Cricket told him. “I like kissing you better than chocolate.”
“That is romantic.” Bryce beamed.
Chapter Six
Cricket felt as if her car were floating on air all the way from the party out to the farm. The idea that Anna Grace might be at her house was completely gone from her mind, but it came flooding back when she saw the older-model pickup truck parked in front of her house.
“She really did it,” Cricket muttered.
She sat in her car for a few minutes before she finally got the plastic container out of the backseat. Lettie and Nadine had sent home cupcakes and little bits of the leftovers, including the rest of the stuffed mushrooms that she liked so well.
The door flew open before she even cleared the porch steps, and a tall guy with dark hair said, “Can I help you in any way? I’m Tommy Bluestone, and I want to thank you so much for helping Anna Grace.”
“I’ve got it all,” Cricket said. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Cricket Lawson. Y’all want a cupcake or some of the party leftovers?”
Tommy sure didn’t look anything like she had imagined. He might be as tall as Anna Grace, but not if she was wearing her signature Prada shoes. He had golden skin, jet-black hair, a round face, and a tattoo of a dreamcatcher on his arm. He wore black-rimmed glasses, a faded T-shirt, and well-worn jeans.
“I’d love a snack,” Tommy said. “When Anna Grace called me to say that she was really moving out, I didn’t even take time to get a bite of supper. It’s a wonder I didn’t wind up with a speeding ticket.”
“It seemed like hours instead of thirty minutes until he arrived,” Anna Grace said as the two of them entered the house. “I hope it’s all right if I already put my things away.”
Cricket carried the container of leftovers to the kitchen and took a half-gallon jar of sweet tea from the refrigerator. “Y’all help yourselves, and Tommy, you are welcome here anytime, but be forewarned, if you arrive right after six any day of the week, I might make you help harvest vegetables from our garden.”
“Not a problem. I grew up on a farm in Oklahoma, and I know all about gardening. My granddad is a member of the Chickasaw tribe, and he thinks that all children need to learn about the land and about growing food.” Tommy removed the lid from the container. “Oh, man! This all looks so good. Thanks for bringing stuff home for us. Come on, darlin’, let’s dig in.” He picked up a mushroom and fed it to Anna Grace.
“My God,” she gasped. “That is amazing, and those cupcakes are homemade, aren’t they?”
“Yep.” Cricket nodded. “You’ll judge all chocolate cake by them forever after you take the first bite. Y’all make yourselves at home. I’m going to have a shower and go to bed.”
“Thanks again,” Anna Grace said. “What time do I need to set my alarm for?”
“Six thirty, but I’m surprised that your folks let you keep your phone?” Cricket asked.
“I have a clock, and I’ll be getting one of those pay-as-you-go phones at the Dollar Store tomorrow,” Anna Grace answered. “My mother checked my purse and took away all my credit cards, my phone, and wouldn’t even let me bring my hair dryer or curling iron with me. I have one month to change my mind about all this, she says, or they’ll take me out of the will.”
Tommy gave her a hug and kissed her on the forehead. “You’ll survive. You are strong, and I love you.”
“Good night.” Cricket left them to encourage each other and headed down the short hallway to the bathroom, which she now had to share with Anna Grace. She turned the water on in the shower, put the toilet lid down, and sat on it. She fetched her phone out of the pocket of her dress and called Jennie Sue.
“You’re never going to believe what I did today, and what happened tonight,” she said.
* * *
Cricket was whipping up eggs in a bowl when Anna Grace came in the kitchen the next morning. “You can make the toast. Put two slices in the toaster oven.”
“I usually just have a kale shake for breakfast.” Anna Grace yawned and looked around for bread. “What’s a toaster oven, and I don’t see a loaf of bread.”
“I make our bread. It’s in the green plastic box right there by the toaster oven.” She pointed toward the small appliance sitting on the cabinet. This was going to be a bigger chore than she’d thought. Hopefully, Anna Grace was a fast learner. “The bread has been sliced. All you have to do is put two slices in the tray, close the door, and turn the knob to toast.”
Anna Grace followed the directions without being told a second time. Cricket kept a close eye on her while she scrambled eggs to go with the bacon she had already fried.
“Now take it out and smear butter on it. You’ve eaten in enough restaurants to know how to do that,” Cricket said.
“I made toast!” Anna Grace beamed as she carefully spread butter on the thick slices of homemade bread. “This smells so good. How do you make it?”
“That’s a lesson for another month.” Cricket finished the eggs and piled them up on a plate beside six slices of crispy bacon. “Pour two mugs of coffee while I get the orange juice.”
“Mother would scream at me for eating like this,” Anna Grace sighed. “I’ve been taught my whole life that you can never be too thin or too rich.”
Cricket set the plate of eggs and bacon on the table, then brought out a half-gallon container of juice. “I guess those are two lessons you’ll have to unlearn. I’ll say grace this morning. We’ll take turns. Tomorrow it will be your turn.” She sat down and bowed her head.
“Thank you, Cricket,” Anna Grace said when the short prayer ended. “I’ve never prayed out loud before.”
“Another lesson you’ll learn here.” Cricket served herself half the eggs and three pieces of bacon, then passed the plate over to Anna Grace. She poured herself a glass of juice, slid the jug over toward Anna Grace, and picked up a piece of the toast from a plate that was in the middle of the table.
“We never ate together except at dinners when we had guests.” Anna Grace followed Cricket’s lead and put the rest of the eggs and bacon on her plate.
Cricket hoped that Anna Grace learned to like this new world because, from what Tommy had said, this was the kind of upbringing he had had. If she didn’t learn to be independent, all the love she had for him might not be enough.
“If we eat like this every morning, I’ll need new clothes,” Anna Grace said.
“You’ll work it all off.” Cricket opened a jar of homemade elderberry jam and put a spoonful on her toast.
“I go to the gym after work at least three times a week, but I’m sure my mother will cancel that membership. She’s probably made a list of all the places she’ll need to call today.” Anna Grace finished off her breakfast and took a sip of her coffee. “Do you think I could make breakfast for Tommy by Sunday morning? And is it all right with you if he sleeps over on Saturday night?”
“You’re an adult. You don’t have to ask me whether your boyfriend can stay the night here,” Cricket said. “I’ll give you a crash course in something simple. We’ll make French toast and ham for supper tonight, and you can write down the instructions as we go. It’s fast and easy.”
“I hope so.” Anna Grace smiled. “I’ll go get dressed. I brought jeans and a shirt like you said to wear to the bookstore this morning.”
“Not before we get the dishes done and the kitchen put to rights.” Cricket finished off her coffee. “And Anna Grace, if you can read directions, you can cook. During our downtime at the store, why don’t you go through some cookbooks?”
“Do they have one called Cooking for Dummies?” Anna Grace asked.
“Maybe so,” Cricket answered. “I’ll wash. You can dry and put away, so you’ll learn where things go.”
No one ever texted or called Cricket early in the morning, so it startled her when her phone rang as she was washing dishes. She quickly dried her hands and pulled it from her hip pocket, scared that something might have happened to Lettie or Nadine. When she saw Bryce’s name, a wide smile broke out, and Anna Grace raised an eyebrow.
“Hello.” She carried the phone outside to the porch.
“Good morning! I dreamed about you last night, and wondered if I came out and helped with the garden right after work, if maybe we could get a couple of hours of fishing in tonight before it got dark?” he asked.
“I don’t see why not,” she answered. “Anna Grace and I are making French toast and ham for supper. We could make a sandwich out of ours and take it to the creek with us.”
“That sounds wonderful. See you then, if not before.” He lowered his voice. “So she moved in, did she? Lettie is betting Nadine that she won’t last a week, and she’s put ten dollars on it, so she’s serious.”
“Did you get in on that bet?” Cricket asked.
Bryce chuckled. “I’m in for five. I saw that woman in the store. She looks like she’s all fashion and makeup. What about you?”
“The jury is still out, but I might have to throw a dollar or two into the pot,” she answered. “See you after work.”
“Lookin’ forward to it,” he said and ended the call.
Cricket returned her phone to her pocket and went back into the house to find that Anna Grace had finished the dishes, put them away, and wiped down the stove top, the cabinets, and the table. “I’ve seen our cook do this, so I figured that was the rest of what you meant by cleaning up.”
Cricket smiled and nodded. She was going to put in five dollars on the positive side. If Anna Grace kept this up, Cricket might win the whole pot, but even if that didn’t happen, she felt like she’d already won the lottery when Bryce called.
* * *
Lettie and Nadine were in the drugstore before anyone else that morning. They sat down at one of the tables and ordered cherry limeades. Ilene had just gotten their drinks set down when Amos came in and joined them. Since Bryce wasn’t busy, he rounded the end of the pharmacy counter and sat down at the table with them, too.
“That was some party last night,” Amos said. “Ilene, would
you be a doll and bring me a cup of coffee?”
“Comin’ right up,” Ilene answered.
“We was glad for a good turnout.” Lettie took a sip of her drink. “I think I need a bag of chips to go with this, Ilene.”
Ilene picked up a small bag from the end of the counter with her free hand and brought it to the table along with Amos’s coffee. “I hear we’ve got a pot going about Anna Grace making it for a week.” She laid a five on the table. “I don’t think she’ll make it until Monday, so put my money on that side.”
Lettie whipped an envelope out of her purse and added the bill to it, then wrote Ilene’s name on the outside. “If anyone bets for her, they’re going to win a lot.”
“This is so exciting!” Nadine said. “We haven’t had a good bet going like this in more than a year.”
Amos handed her two dollars. “Put me down for her not making it until Sunday. She’ll be back in Mary Lou’s good graces by church time Sunday morning.”
Lettie did the bookwork and then focused on Bryce. “Now, we want to know if you’re going to ask Cricket on a real date. So far, you’ve just done what you had to do to run from Anna Grace, even though it’s looking like you didn’t need to.”
“Already did,” Bryce said. “We’re going fishing tonight, and if she’s willing, I’m going to ask her to go with me for ice cream tomorrow night.”
Lettie smiled and winked at Amos.
“What’s that all about? Are y’all taking bets on me and Cricket?” he asked.
“We never tell the folks that we’re betting on,” Nadine said. “That would be cheating.”
The phone rang and Tandy motioned for him. “Doc just called to say he was faxing over a whole page of prescriptions for the nursing home patients.”
Bryce pushed back his chair, but he looked over his shoulder and noticed that Lettie had an envelope out. Amos handed her another bill. Bryce was too far away to see how much he was betting, but he figured they had a pot going where he and Cricket were concerned.
The afternoon went by in a flash. There was a constant flow of customers in the store, and the bar stools and tables were full most of the time. Bryce filled a hundred prescriptions before closing and had at least twenty on his counter to start filling the next morning. At five o’clock, he closed shop and rushed home to his apartment. He got all his fishing gear together and changed into his most comfortable jeans and a comfortable old T-shirt.
Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch Page 31
