Claudette hopped up on the tailgate of Percy’s truck…

Claudette hopped up on the tailgate of Percy’s truck and gave Jessie a shove, “Oh hush. Can’t fault a girl for wanting some chick chat with someone her own age. I’m deprived of female companionship, I am, out there on that farm with Percy and his brothers.”

Jessie hopped up next to Claudette and gave her a hug. “Guess I’d forgotten how quickly things get out around here. Earl did me a favor and sent Case by to check out what work I needed done…wipe that grin off your face. Guess he’s been helping Earl since he moved here a while ago.”

“Oh he has, and he’s had every woman in a twenty mile radius of Chancy a twitter, trying to introduce every niece, daughter and cousin to him” Claudette beamed with her knowledge.

Percy walked by gave Claudette a kiss and like a very smart man just kept on walking on to visit with some friends a few trucks down. “You know you’re my prince charming sweetheart!” Claudette called after him.

The sun was fully up now and Jessie thought about using that as an excuse to detangle from Claudette. Jessie could see in the glint of her eye that Claudette had something cooking and Jessie had an idea that she might be the main entrée.

“Well I better get to the store…” Jessie started but was cut off.

“Oh no, not just yet. We’ll be heading back home soon enough. You’ve been holed up at Creekside for the past two weeks, have just resurfaced and we need to catch up.”

Unable to argue with such a resolute Claudette, Jessie leaned back on her elbows and said with a grin, “Let me have it.”

Claudette was truly a font of knowledge of all things and all people Chancy, Jessie thought. She could seriously give Mabel a run for her money. Turns out that Jeff Craw (he asked people to just call him JC in the sweetest way according to Claudette) was not only Clara’s nephew but also somehow related to Case through marriage on his daddy’s side. JC was in fact artsy, according to Claudette, and had purchased the small storefront that used to be a flower shop next to the movie theatre. Looked like he would be selling paintings and maybe some pottery. As to his preference for women or men, Claudette informed Jessie he was definitely, certainly, most likely straight. He had after all checked out Claudette at the post office his first week in town.

Case on the other hand was apparently a bit harder for Claudette and the ladies of town to figure out. He’d bought one of the nicer homes down on Laredo Street and had it in tiptop shape quickly, which had the matriarchs of the garden club very happy. He’d run one handyman ad in the paper, had an adorable pup and had been helping his uncle Earl at the hardware store. According to Claudette, Case came to services on Sunday but JC only came here and there. Both had been seen in Paulson at a pizza joint by one of the ladies in Claudette’s Sunday school class.

When Claudette stopped for air Jessie leaned up, “Well now that’s very interesting.”

“I try to keep up. Oh here comes Percy, we’ve gotta head back. Why don’t you come out and have supper with us, it’ll be nice to get in a proper visit. Wouldn’t it Perce?”

Percy just nodded and headed around to the driver’s side. Jessie wondered if he’d even heard what Claudette was saying. “Can I bring the Ayatollah with me Percy?” she asked as he shut the cab. He just nodded and the girls giggled.

“Damn Claudette you’ve got him trained,” Jessie laughed as she slid off the tailgate.

“No subject changing, come to supper won’t you?” Claudette had her by the shoulders.

“Okay, I’ll bring dessert as long as you promise not to try to hook me up with any of your Turnbull boys.”

“Promise,” Claudette crossed her heart and held out her pinkie for Jessie to shake.

“See you ‘bout 6:30?” Jessie asked as she shook pinkies.

“Perfect, see you then!” Claudette hopped in the cab and rolled down the window, “Bring that handsome Buck of yours.”

Jessie woke to Joan Jett belting out how muh she loved rock and roll…

The next morning Jessie woke to Joan Jett belting out how much she loved rock and roll.  After the fried chicken disaster she had decided the entire kitchen, pantry and breakfast area needed scrubbing. She’d stayed up until two a.m. cleaning.   She just knew that she’d be up on her game when she knew everything was in its place.  And that went for all of Creekside.  She knew she’d be more confident moving forward once she had a grasp on every nook and cranny of the house and the property.

Not up for any potential matchmaking at Mabel’s, she’d poured a bowl of cereal using up the last of her milk and grabbed a DP. After she’d tidied up, she decided to head to town to do some grocery shopping and to stop by Market St.  As she turned on to 142 she looked down at her watch, 8:30 a.m.  She’d have half an hour before the farmers packed up their goods and headed back home for more work.

She scolded herself on keeping such irregular hours.  She knew all too well that bed and breakfasts only became well oiled and profitable machines when bodies were up and about early enough to get things going.  Today, she told herself, she’d start holding herself to the hours she’d kept every summer with Aunt Bette. In bed by ten and up by five; breakfast at seven, dinner at noon and supper starting at six thirty.

She’d toyed with the idea of just being bed and breakfast.  She made great breakfast fare, from crepes and omelets, to biscuits and gravy.  Something about breakfast was more baking than cooking. And in Jessie’s world that was a good thing. But then she realized that her guests really wouldn’t have anywhere else to dine except the DQ and Mabel’s.  It would be great if Chancy just had one family-style restaurant.  The more she thought about it, with some of the smaller surrounding towns, the peanut factory and the farms there’d be enough business to keep a small place going.

She turned onto Main St. and shook her head. There was no sense wasting time wishing for what wasn’t there.  She slowed down as she drove past Earl’s and KCHY.  Jimmy waved to her from behind his rock-star shades and she waved back.  In her mind’s eye she could see downtown Chancy with a fresh coat of paint and a few new businesses in the empty storefronts, maybe some artisans her guests could visit. Wouldn’t it be great to re-open the movie theater that anchored the end of Main St.?

As she turned onto Market she saw Claudette and Percy Turnbull and waved hello.  She’d run wild with both of them as a child during her many summers in Chancy.  Her daddy and Percy’s daddy had grown up thick as thieves according to Aunt Bette. Claudette and Percy had been sweethearts practically from the cradle and married a month after high school graduation.  As Jessie opened the door to the truck she saw what looked like a good mess of veggies set aside and hoped they were for her.

“Sugar pie!” Claudette called, “I was hoping to see you today so I came into town with Percy. How are you?”  She proceeded to pull Jessie into a monstrous hug. Everybody was either a sugar pie or sweetheart with Claudette.

Jessie hugged her back as the sticky sweet smell of White Rain hairspray enveloped her. Claudette had trademark big Texas hair that never went out of place.

“I’m fine. Hoping those melons and squash are for me,” Jessie said as she untangled from Claudette and gave Percy a hug.

“Of course,” Percy, always the quiet one, started taking the baskets over to Jessie’s truck. Jessie always wondered if Percy was quiet just because with Claudette you never got a word in edge wise.

“Now sugar,” Claudette started, “Mabel’s was just a buzz this morning with the news that Earl’s baby sister’s boy was out at your place for the better part of yesterday afternoon. Clara Craw was in a snit that you’d gone and gotten other help after she told Ernest to send Jeff over. Of course I don’t know what business it is of hers which of her kin mends your floorboards,” and with that she gave Jessie a wild wink out of her perfectly made up right eye.

“Woah Nellie,” Jessie said as she shook her head, “I have had no coffee this morning and you’re talking faster than a yankee on a rail.”

She was in the middle of battering a chicken wing…

She was in the middle of battering a chicken wing when Buck started to whine and the phone rang. She kicked open the back screen door to let him out as she picked up the phone, “Hell-lo.”

“Um yes, I’d like to book a four-day stay for five,” came a comically falsetto voice.

“Hey Kat, what’s up.”

“Aww you’re no fun. Anyway, what’s up is I just put the kids to bed- again- and am now having a glass of Chardonnay. You sounded so frazzled earlier today, thought I’d call and check up on you.”

With a snort Jessie picked up another piece of chicken, “You could say that. But all is well under control now. Just practicing my fried chicken.”

“You’re frying chicken at nine o’clock?”

“Is it nine? Man the time just flies around here,” Jessie used her knuckle to scratch her nose, managing to dust her cheek with flour, “I’m preparing a bribe to get Jimmy to come out and help me purge the attic. And if I’m to be a successful southern B and B owner I have to perfect my fried chicken. You know it’s my nemesis.”

“Do I ever. I’ll never forget dinner at your first apartment. Greg and I both bit into blood red chicken,” Kat laughed and Jessie heard her sip from her wine.

“Yuck it up. I know I’ll never live that down.”

“For someone who is such a foodie it’s nice for us culinary neophytes to see you fall from grace, even for a brief moment,” Kat said.

“Oooh, you must be on glass number two using terms like culinary neophytes,” Jessie kidded, “Good news though. Looks like Earl’s found me a handy-man that isn’t in the closet or in need of a fix up.”

As she turned her chicken in the big cast iron skillet she filled Kat in on all things Case and Jenny Jennings. Kat got a good kick out of how Jessie had blamed missing brownies on Buck.

“So, sounds like you wouldn’t mind a fix up with this particular handyman,” Kat asked.

“Don’t say that, this isn’t a secure line,” Jessie teased, “The Texas Matchmakers Association of Greater Chancy will be on my back in no time pushing me down the aisle and into the nursery!”

“Jess married life isn’t all that bad.” What was it about matrimony and kids that scared her so much after all, Kat thought? Of course she knew, Julia Truitt-Hathaway wasn’t the sterling example of happily married and motherhood for her daughter.

“Well anyway,” Jessie said shifting the topic as not to encourage Kat’s matchmaker train of thought, “Creekside just needs a little repair here and there and then I can focus on a tidy website, a few strategically placed press releases and drumming up some business. My energy is going into Creekside for now and it makes me happy. So there,” and with that she scooped the golden brown chicken out of the pan.

“That’s all any of us who love you could ever want,” Kat sighed, “I can’t wait to come down and see all your plans. You know I’m living a little vicariously through you. Cozy town, fresh air, exciting opportunities on the horizon.”

Jessie smiled, knowing her friend was doing the same, “Well I look forward to seeing you guys too. Go kiss those hellions for me and give Greg a hug. I’ll talk to you next week.”

“Okay, night night.”

“Night.”

As Jessie clicked off and set the phone down she reached over, pushed the door open and let Buck back in. “Okay, babe, let’s see how mama did.” She sliced a chunk of meat off a drumstick and cringed at the red meat. “Niiice.”