揝ounds like a smart plan to me,?Wade said. 揑s it okay if I have another bowlful of Risa抯 peach cobbler for a night snack??
揙f course梱ou can have whatever you want. We抮e in this together, and I might have one with you when I get my bed made.?Jessica held up a key with her free hand. 揟hat and a glass of milk might help me sleep. I抣l get keys made for all of you soon as we go to the lawyer抯 office. That way you can get in and out anytime you want.?
Wade crossed the porch, opened the door for her, and followed her inside. 揑t抯 been a good day, but my mind won抰 stop running in circles. I keep going over and over my notes on the bar, trying to be sure that I抳e got it all laid out to be the most efficient. This will be the biggest undertaking of the whole remodeling job. I want to get it right.?
She flipped on the lights in the fellowship hall and tossed the sheets on one of the long tables that Risa and the girls used for a prep table. The bed making could wait until later. Since Wade mentioned peach cobbler, her stomach had begun to growl. She opened the refrigerator and looked over at him. 揗ilk or beer??
揗ilk with cobbler,?he answered. 揑抣l get the bowls and glasses from the cabinet.?
揑f you ever get tired of your trailer, you are welcome to claim a Sunday school room,?she said as she poured two glasses of milk.
揟hanks for the offer, but I like my little home on wheels.?He opened three drawers before he found the one with cutlery. 揑抦 kind of having second thoughts about where to put the bar.?
揥hy? Seems like the original place we talked about is a good place.?Jessica dipped cobbler into two bowls.
Wade stuck a spoon in each one and carried them to the table. 揥hat if we put it where the pulpit is instead of on the wall? It抯 already built up about six inches, so that would give us a little better vantage point to keep an eye on everything. It runs across the whole front of the church except for that little section where the piano used to sit, so it would be about the same length.?
Jessica didn抰 really want to talk about where Wade and Oscar built the bar. That part didn抰 matter a bit to her. She wanted to talk about more personal things, and yet she wasn抰 really sure how to change the subject. She wanted to know how Danny had died, and why Wade was mad at God for his brother抯 death, and if he was ever going to get over the anger. She wanted to tell him that she had found a measure of peace at the idea of putting down roots in Riverbend in spite of the conflict they were facing over the bar.
揑抦 going to leave that part of the business to you and Oscar,?she said, 揵ut remember where the kitchen is. I suppose we could keep the door where it is for a waitress to pop in and out if folks just wanted to come in and eat.?
揟hanks, Jessica, for having that kind of trust in me,?Wade said with a grin and then dug into the cobbler.
揌ey, you and Oscar are the carpenters敆she shrugged棑and after tomorrow we抣l all have keys. We should be able to get them at any hardware store while we are in Killeen to talk to the lawyer about all this.?
揟hat will be great,?Wade said.
A long, pregnant silence settled over the kitchen. Jessica had never been without words in her whole life, but then she抎 never been so attracted to a guy in her life, either梬hether she wanted to admit it or not. Her mind stalled out when she tried to latch on to something to say, and the silence got even heavier.
揧ou said you buried your folks here in Riverbend, right??she asked, then wanted to take the words back. That might be entirely too personal. 揑抦 sorry. I shouldn抰 have pried.?
揘othing is personal between partners, and besides, have you forgotten where you are? Riverbend might be small, but it should probably be in the Guinness Book of World Records for citizens that know everything about everyone梚ncluding when they did it and what the results were. But to answer your question, yes, my parents are buried here in Riverbend. Danny is right beside them,?Wade answered. 揑 know Elijah didn抰 want a service of any kind, which thoroughly aggravated Stella Sullivan. What about your folks??
揢ncle Elijah was cremated, and his ashes were dumped in the Lampasas River at the spot where he liked to fish. My folks were also cremated, and I mingled their ashes together. I抳e got them out in the RV in a coffee can, but I can抰 make up my mind where to spread them, or if I want to bury them so I have a place to go to visit them.?She took another bite of her cobbler.
揟hat抯 something you抣l have to decide, but for myself, I like having a place to visit. There抯 something peaceful about being able to just . . .?His voice cracked, and he took a couple of sips of milk.
揓ust to be able to talk to them, even if they can抰 really hear you??she asked.