And I don’t care how many shirts she sews, how much bread she bakes and homemade butter she churns, she’s not enough to keep a man like Pa interested.
4
Charleigh
The pot of Folgers she brewed at dawn is now cooked down to a layer of quicksand in the bottom of the carafe; the three giant mugs she nursed all morning aren’t helping her jumpy feeling either.
But it’s not just the coffee jitters, nor Jackson’s impending arrival that’s got her on edge.
It’s Nellie.
Of courseit is.
She’s in another one of her bad moods, has been since she hit the back door last night from the swimming hole.
And now it’s up to Charleigh to fix it.
Before Nellie even made it inside, the screech of her brakes announced her presence in the drive.
Charleigh sighed. She was at the stove, stirring a pot of Hamburger Helper for Nellie’s dinner (she and Alexander having already dined on a sumptuous supper of shrimp linguineprepared by Lettie, knowing Nellie would be out) when she heard the tires shriek.
The back door flung open, then thwacked shut. Nellie’s feet thumped as she raced up the stairs.
“Dinner is ready, honey!” Charleigh trilled.
Another door slamming.
Shoulders sagging, Charleigh set the wooden spoon down, steeling herself. Plodded upstairs.
She raised her hand to knock on Nellie’s door, but before her knuckles ever grazed the surface, Nellie barked out, “Don’t wanna eat right now,Mom!” The wordmomspeared out of her mouth.
Charleigh eased the door open.
Nellie sat cross-legged on her bed, tugging her knees into her chest. Her face was beet red and shiny with tears.
Charleigh placed a tentative foot on the white carpet.
A sharp shake of Nellie’s head. “Not in the mood…to talk…” she said, her words coming out jagged, like she was trying to stifle more tears, “toyou.”
Charleigh inwardly winced and froze in place, hand still on the knob.
But she knew she had to pry.
Nellie keeping things bottled up was a powder keg waiting to blow.
“Trouble with Dustin?”
Nellie exhaled, blowing her bangs skyward. “God, no. As if I give ashitabout him.”
“Nellie—”
“What?”
“Language.”
“Oh, please. Learned it all from you.” An eye roll.
“What is it, then?” Charleigh crossed the room, sank to her knees in front of the bed.
