“The quicker we can move on to the next chore. It’s never-ending, Jake. This place is some crazy purgatory filled with manure and ungrateful livestock.”
Jake looks at me darkly. “Help me move this post.”
We spend the next hour moving sections of fence, so the sheep have a new area to graze in. It’s not exactly hard work, but it’s tedious and makes me just want to buy them a bigger fence, which I totally could afford. But I know my father, and I know he’d never use what I bought with my ‘Hollywood money,’ as if it were somehow worse than other forms of currency.
When the last post is pushed into place, Jake takes a step back and surveys our work. “This should be good for the next two weeks.”
“Two weeks? All that work only bought us two weeks?”
“Ali, why’ve you been avoiding dinner?” Jake asks bluntly.
“Avoiding dinner?”
“Mom and dad could have turned you away, but they’re trying.”
I cock a brow. “Are they?”
Jake exhales in frustration. “You were Pa’s favorite. Nothing prepared him for losing you like he did.”
“He didn’t lose me!” I cross my arms over my chest. “He pushed me away.”
“Look, I know Hollywood must have been exciting, but you don’t know what it was like for us. Pa didn’t sleep. He’d stay up at night, seated by the phone, expecting some call to come. He didn’t trust those Hollywood men, and it killed him that he couldn’t protect you. Ma tried to soothe his fears, but you know Pa.”
“I know…and I feel terrible about how it all went down. It all just happened so quickly, and there were so many expectations put on me. I didn’t want to let anyone down. Looks like I failed miserably.”
“Come to dinner,” Jake says firmly.
“Alright, I’ll be there.”
“So, I heard you went and had lunch with Irene,” Jake says.
Dread coils like a snake in my gut as I remember my lunch date with Irene…and what came after.
I force a smile. “Yeah, it was nice.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Irene? Ah, she’s okay. Found out she became a lawyer, which shouldn’t surprise me.”
Jake toggles the dials of the fence. “It’s about to go live.”
I step away.
“Seems like you’re keeping a lot less cattle and a lot more goats.”
“Couple years back, we started seeing a sharp decline in beef sales. First, it was all the people turning vegan. Then, people stopped giving their kids milk, opting instead to give them almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk. Took a while, but I convinced dad to increase our vegetable output and make the greenhouses all organic. People go crazy over goat milk and goat cheese, so we charge a premium on that.”
“Sounds like you got a business-minded brain.”
Jake’s cheeks flush red. “Naw, not really. More like common sense.”
“No, really. Not everyone can admit when they’re struggling, and even less can figure out how to get back on track. Pa’s lucky to have you.”
He looks off into the distance as though he’s lost in contemplation. I used to think Jake was just slow to think, but the truth of it is he’s mindful of his words, thinking carefully through every interaction.
“Tammy,” he says, “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
I turn away, annoyed.
