“What very creative ideas you have there JC, are you sure you’re not a marketing guru in craftsman disguise?” Kat rushed in. “I’m sure Jessie could really build on those ideas, would you like some more cobbler honey? Here let me take that.” She stood up and picked up her plate, Jessie’s and JC’s. “These are just gorgeous plates.”
“Oh they are,” Claudette chimed in as she started to clear away the children’s plates. “I just adore them JC,” she cooed as she elbowed Jessie in the back on her way past.
The Turnbull boys all dutifully cleared their own places as JC got up and the children ran off to the bathroom to wash sticky cobbler faces.
“Claudette,” JC said for the first time with some warmth in his voice, “thank you for sharing your table with me, it was delicious. I hope you enjoy using the stoneware half as much as I enjoyed making it.”
As Claudette gave him another big hug Kat walked over to wipe the table but instead leaned down and pinched Jessie’s arm, “Walk him out and go make nice. He’s cute.”
“He’s a know-it-all,” Jessie whispered back fiercely.
As Kat scooped up crumbs into her hand she said in a sing-song whisper, “Takes one to know one…”
JC shook Percy’s hand and waved to Kat and the fellows and turned to head out the front door.
“I’ll show you out,” Jessie mumbled.
As JC walked out the screen door and trotted down the front steps, Jessie stopped at the top of the steps, Buck glued to her side. JC was reaching for his car door when Jessie exasperatedly tossed her hands up. “Okay, I’ll be the bigger person here,” she said loudly and took a few steps down, “Sorry for speaking so tersely to you, but you’re whole attitude toward me has been really hard to read.”
JC stopped with his hand on the door handle, “Um…okay.” He opened the door and started to get in.
“Hello, don’t you have anything to say?”
“Have a nice day?” JC said as he started the engine.
Jessie stalked up to his car door as he closed it with Buck on her heels. “Or how about sorry for telling you to pull your head out of your butt when I’ve only known you for an hour and a half and talking to you like you’re a four-year-old that colored her picture the wrong color.”
“I would never correct a four-year-old’s coloring.” JC said bluntly, “And I didn’t tell you to pull your head out of your butt.”
“Well you said something about my butt or my nose and it wasn’t nice,” Jessie said and put her hands on her hips. “I mean really, where do you get off talking to me like that when you don’t even know me, know anything about me, my family, my business or what I have or have not considered. I mean really…”
It was then that she noticed a low rumble coming from Buck and a slight twinkle in JC’s eye.
She stopped dead. She let her hand slip off her hip and idly scratch Buck’s ears.
“You are actually trying to get me riled up?” she asked.
“Nope, I’m doing it,” he said as he put the dusty SUV into reverse. “Hey, I can’t stand people focusing on the negative, and it sounded like you were complaining about Chancy. So I thought I’d shake you up.” The SUV started to roll back and he turned and waved.
She could have sworn she heard him say “have a nice day” as the gravel crunched under his tires. Jessie looked down at Buck and just shook her head. “What was that?”
She was still wondering what kind of nutter had got her all riled up, made her friend dishes and gave her some of the best ideas she’d had in weeks all in one afternoon.
