“I love baking, but I still don’t think I have a chance of getting through all this fruit. I might set some out in bags near the road and put up a sign for people to take them.”
“Good idea. I’m sure folks would love that. But you know, sometimes people appreciate things more if they have to spend a little money.”
“You think I should sell them?”
Teja shrugged. “Why not? You could make a little cash on the side.”
Jessica considered it. “I’d considered selling them, but I wasn’t sure people would go for it. Still, if you think it’s a good idea?”
“It’s worth a try.”
Moon, the little grey kitten, pranced across the lawn chasing a small white butterfly. She swatted at the butterfly, missed, and rolled a somersault in the long grass.
Jessica watched her. “Careful there, Moonie. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”
Teja glanced at the kitten. “I’m a dog person, but even I can admit she’s pretty cute.”
“At first, I thought there was no way I could keep her, but now I don’t know how I’d do without her, and it’s only been a few days. It’s been so nice to have someone to come home to. The house seems big and empty without her.”
“You should come over for dinner,” Teja said as she picked up her bucket of peaches. “Robbie isn’t home—he’s got poker night with the boys. But I’ll be serving peaches with ice cream for dessert… or maybe the main course. But who’s judging? Right?”
Jessica grimaced and sang, “Millions of peaches…”
“Peaches for me…”
They both chuckled together. “I can’t believe you know that song.”
“My mom used to play it sometimes, when she was in a mood.”
“She sounds like a vibe.”
“She’s a whole vibe.” Jessica laughed, suddenly missing her mother even more than usual.
“Dinner?” Teja asked.
“I’d love that,” Jessica replied. “Thanks. I’ll wash up and be over soon.”
By the time Jessica brought the wheelbarrow back up to the house and to the door of the mud room, she was puffing hard. The peaches could wait. She’d bring them in later. She’d already put Moon into her crate, and she needed to grab a shower and get over to Teja's house.
Now that she was teaching full-time, she didn’t have the energy for late nights. She had to get to bed at a reasonable hour or she’d never make it through the day tomorrow. The other teachers told her she’d get used to it, that it wouldn’t exhaust her as much once she’d been doing it for a while, but she couldn’t even imagine that right now.
She took a shower and slipped into a floral dress and flip-flops, then padded over to Teja’s with a bottle of rosé under her arm. Teja called out for her to come in over the sound of Keith Urban’s The Fighter as it blasted through the house. Teja’s house was much more modern than Jessica’s rental. It looked as though it’d been built sometime in the past twenty years, like the rest of the neighbourhood. It was a single-story home with a brick front and uneven peaked roof with cute white-trimmed gables. Inside, the décor was light and neutral, with splashes of yellow and blue.
“Come on in, honey,” Teja said as she stirred something on the stove. She wore a blue-and-yellow flowered apron around her waist and offered a broad smile.
“Wine?” Jessica asked, holding the bottle aloft.
“Perfect. I’d love some. The glasses are in there.” Teja pointed to a cabinet overhead.
Jessica poured them each an oversized glass. “No one is driving tonight!”
Teja dished up some grilled buffalo chicken tenders with a baked potato and corn on the cob slathered in butter. Then they sat out on the deck overlooking the large backyard.
“Thanks so much for this. I’ve been in panic mode ever since I got here and haven’t had much of a chance to do any cooking.”
“Panic mode?” Teja asked before taking a sip of wine.
Jessica sighed. “I got the job really last minute after someone backed out. At first, I was going to turn it down because there was no way I could find a place to live and get here in time to start the new school year. But my parents convinced me this was the best way to go rather than signing up for substitute teaching.”
