FPIWB Chapter 13

A group of friends discuss their plans and future in a small town. They talk about moving, flipping a house, and helping each other out. They also mention the challenges they have faced in the past and the importance of faith. Chapter 13. I hate to see summer winding down. Not because I have to go back to work in a few weeks, added Kelsey as she watched her baby daughter hone in on the narrow garden running along the back of their house later that afternoon. Haley glanced around, saw her mother watching, and grinned. She'd been sitting happily in the fresh green grass while the grown-ups ate. She was surrounded by toys and a favorite cardboard box, but now she plopped herself down, rose up, and fast crawled toward the black mulch. Jazz intervened and scooped her up. Hey you! She brushed her eyelashes against the soft curve of Haley's pale cheek and made the little one giggle out loud. Wow, that mulch looks mighty tasty. How about we avoid that until you're more discriminated about what you will and will not eat, girlfriend? Everything goes into her mouth, agreed Kelsey, including a bug yesterday. Protein, said Hale as he wiped down the grill. Think of John the Baptist. He grinned at his wife. She smiled back and the whole thing made Jazz yearn. Not in a jealous way, a family kind of way, as if there was something grandiose about being a wife and mom. Two things she had never thought much of before. Now she was thinking about so many things and that was another major change. She's gotten so big. Do babies always grow this fast? According to the charts they do, said Kelsey. I can already see streaks of independence and her curiosity and she listens to everything. Well that'll end, said Thea with a nod toward the school-age kids. They were chasing August butterflies with Shannon in a nearby field dotted with milkweed. Once the questioning begins, except when you lower your voice and don't want them to listen, then they're all ears. True words, Jill laughed at the baby and Haley grinned back at her. They keep us on our toes. Hey Max. Hale swiped his hands to his pads, ignored his wife's frown and motioned toward the barnyard beyond them. Can I show you what I was thinking about for that second barn? Max had been talking with Garrett. The two of them were pretending ease over Jazz's move tomorrow and while she appreciated their concern and the help, the thought of anyone else running her life or limiting her choices scorched. Max nodded and they both moved toward Hale. Of course, I won't be able to get to it for a couple of months though. I've got your mother's work on the schedule. I was thinking maybe next spring, actually. Max smiled. Better yet, where's Ben today and Ethan? Ethan's meeting with a research team at the University of Rochester, Thea told him. They've invited him to come on board as a sub-investigator. They liked his work downstate and they'll be trying to duplicate the same study he would have been working on in Chicago. So to say he's psyched is a gross understatement. This way he gets research, a family and a medical practice, noted Joe. A trifecta. The man hit the jackpot, Jazz agreed. And Ben's helping Reverend Johnson make repairs on a house, added Hale. Why are we here then, asked Garrett. I didn't get an email asking for help. The family is private, explained Hale. The Reverend wanted to help, not overwhelm. They're embarrassed that they have fallen on some hard times. I hate that anyone feels that way, but I totally understand it, offered Joe. She'd taken Haley and tucked her against her shoulder, but the eight-month-old had other ideas and tried to wriggle free. Then Joe gave her a pale pink pacifier. The baby girl took it avidly. She sighed, leaned into Jill's shoulder. Cut. She sighed, leaned into Jill's shoulder and started twining one finger around a blonde curl. She made a little humming sound, yawned, then adjusted the pacifier and snugged into Jill's shoulder again. Jill softened her tone. Pride can trip us up, but it can also shore us up when needed. It's a tricky business. Jazz knew the truth in that. She'd hidden her eating disorder for years, fighting a secret battle that tore at her from within and without. A year ago she would have eaten Jill's broccoli and noodle salad. She wouldn't have touched a Sister Schubert's roll. She'd have eschewed the fresh fruit roll in flavor. Cut. She'd have eschewed the fresh fruit roll in favor of plain steamed broccoli drizzled with olive oil. And the carrot cake that was calling her name wouldn't have stood a chance, as if it were from the devil himself. She was better now, more secure. Haunted at times, but growing stronger every day. And as she reached for another slice of sweet pineapple, she wasn't unnerved because the movers and shakers of the modeling industry weren't in charge anymore. She was. And that was the best feeling of all. Nothing she was going to give up lightly. So, Jazz, about this new house. What's the game plan? Are you going to live in it a while and stage it before you flip it? Asked Kelsey. Or maybe you'll come to love Harrowsmith. Hmm. Jazz made a dubious face as she speared another piece of fruit. I'm all ears on this because there's nothing I like better than making a house a home, whispered Jill as she lulled Haley to sleep. Someone's tuckered out, she added as an aside to Kelsey. Do you want me to put her down for you? Jill shook her head as the baby dozed off. I'll hold her a bit if you don't mind. Not at all. She loves her Grammy. Jill sighed as she looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms. The feeling is mutual. She sank onto an old wooden rocker and set it into a gentle motion. I'm not sure how to jump in on all of this. Jazz turned toward Jill for advice as Maggie came out the back door of the house. I'm planning to resell next spring, but it doesn't make sense to pay rent and leave the house empty. So what would you suggest? I don't want to go crazy buying things for a big house, then have to resell them. If the goal is flipping, then there's a couple of things we can do, Jill said softly. First, we bring in necessities. We furnish the living room and a couple of bedrooms for you and me, and the kitchen of course. When you decide to sell, we stage it from the store and you don't have to spend any extra money. You mean like borrow things from Jackson's General Store? Exactly, Jill answered. Then you've got to...cut. Exactly, Jill answered. Then you've got the look to draw buyers in, but no cash outlay. Jazz loved the idea. You wouldn't mind? I'd love it actually. I'll photograph the settings and placements to use in ads and displays. We both win. Maggie had been filling the dishwasher inside. She'd come back in time to hear Jill's proposal. She took the seat next to Jill and fanned herself with a folded section of newspaper as she nodded. That's solid thinking right there. Friends helping friends. When Thea went to stand, Maggie waved her down. Don't fret now, Miss Thea. I'm not ill or ailing. I'm just not comfortable in the heat. Never have been, and it is a hot one today, making this shade here extra nice. Jeb, on the other hand, handles it pretty well even now that he's older. That's why helping on that house today was an easy yes for him. He's showing Ben how to seam wallboard, he said. And my Jeb is quite particular about wallboard seams. Ben might have a story or two to tell by the time they're done. You're sure? Thea stood but didn't cross the shirt space between them. You might be more comfortable inside, Maggie. Or back home. Maggie waved that off. I'm fine. It's just plain hot and there's no denying that. You ready to move tomorrow, Jill? I know Ava is thrilled to be running the store for the day. Ethan's younger sister had come to town in early spring. She thought the small town stifling at first, but was beginning to set down roots. Like the rest of them, thought Jaz. Calling, wishing Bridge home. Something she'd never considered on the relentless treadmill of international modeling. And yet, here she was. Ava loves helping out at the store. And I'm going to train her on baking when we expand over the winter, Jill replied. She's a quick learner. And while I still have some things to put in storage, I'm happy to be living with Jaz while they do demo at my place. The thought of anyone taking a wrecking ball to my house is unsettling to say the least. But then I think about having everyone over for Christmas with the new rooms added. And it makes the whole thing worthwhile. She put a finger to her lips and carefully stood with the baby, then motioned forward. Kelsey nodded and Jill slipped off toward the cooler house with the sleeping baby, adding to the pastoral image. The men off talking... cut. The men off talking aspects of the barn expansion, kids playing, the hum of summer cicadas droning overhead. Jaz would have thought this boring a year ago. It wasn't. It was the best therapy ever. Although she wouldn't mind a cooling breeze right about now. But to be here with her friends, old friends and new ones, in this quaint burg of everyday folks. And at least one evil person out to get you. Jaz quashed that thought. She couldn't, wouldn't live that way. But she wasn't blind to the reality. In hometown America there were no 30-story high-rises with armed guards denying access to random people. There were no floor access controlled elevators. There were street level windows and doors and a security system. But even the best security system could be disengaged or messed up, couldn't it? And who could get to her in time? And what about Jill? Did Hale's kind mother know what she was getting herself into? Hopefully nothing. But Jaz couldn't guarantee that. Maggie laid a hand on her knee. When we borrow trouble, it tends to get paid back with interest, Cinda. We prepare for battle. We trust in the Lord. Blessed be his name. How she wished it were that easy. Maybe for some it was simple to accept the thoughts of a God on high, a supreme being. Her mama and Mima had put their faith in God. They believed and she buried both of them as a young girl, totally orphaned. What kind of God did that? I'm not pushing you to conversion. I'm just saying the only human can do... cut. I'm not pushing you to conversion. I'm just saying that the human can only do so much and then has to lay aside the worry knowing they've done their best. Nothing wrong with keeping watch, Cinda girl, but also nothing wrong with handling those... cut. I'm not pushing you to conversion. I'm just saying that the human can only do so much and then the human has to lay aside the worry knowing they've done their best. Nothing wrong with keeping watch, Cinda girl, but also nothing wrong with handing those fears to God. He's got big shoulders. He understands. I'll try, Maggie. Jazz placed her hand over Maggie's. She tried not to notice the sweet mentor's thinning skin, the circles beneath her wise eyes. The heat had been getting to everyone this past week. There wasn't a person in Wishing Bridge who wouldn't welcome the cool breezes of fall, even though the strong winds of winter came on those heels. And that's all we can ask, Maggie told her. Jazz stood up as the men strolled back this way. They were deep in conversation about the barn or about her. She didn't fool herself that she wasn't the topic of their conversation as they convened to keep her safe. She wanted them to catch the man who accosted her, lock him away, afford her a measure of safety by degrees of separation. She knew they weren't sold on the guy who had been arrested. They'd made that clear. And he wasn't the first man who had pictures of models on his wall. The lack of DNA matching evidence meant he either wasn't the guy or she hadn't gathered his DNA beneath her nails. In either case, he was still out there, running free. Garrett glanced their way, saw her sling her purse over her shoulder. He didn't cross the yard, didn't draw attention to her. He simply judged his chin toward the road and lifted a brow. She nodded. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and moved toward his SUV. Max glanced his way, then hers, then pretended he didn't notice. He did, of course. He noticed everything. So maybe Maggie was right. Maybe there was a God and he hadn't just put her in a beloved small town filled with quaint and quirky characters. He'd put her in a town filled with men of courage, the kind she used to read about in high school. And if that was the case, then this was an idea of God she could get behind. One hundred percent.