finger. So not worried she’d sent her longtime beau packing. Off to the Navy without so much as a tear or so, one of the girls had told Jay the day before.
Alice, that was the girl’s name. She claimed to be going on eighteen, but Jay had his doubts. He always moved over nearer to Graham when she sauntered up to the house. She was at that dangerous age, ready to leave behind being a kid but too young to really know what it meant to act likea woman. He didn’t need that kind of trouble. But the girl wasn’t happy simply flashing her eyes at him. She was a talker. Words spilled out of her like water through a sieve.
So he wasn’t glad to look up and see her coming toward the house for the second time that day. Graham must have seen her coming too, because he actually grabbed a can of paint and climbed up the ladder to get away from talking to her. Jay didn’t have any choice but to steady the ladder for the older man, which left him standing there, his ears way too open to the girl’s chatter. She talked about everybody, but she kept coming back to Kate and the hayseed farm boy.
“Nobody understands it. We were all ready as anything for them to have a double wedding with Evangeline and Pastor Mike. But then that Kate goes and breaks poor Carl’s heart.” Alice pulled a sad face. “Broke it bad. But then, nothing Kate does surprises any of us.”
“What’s she done? Besides breaking Carl’s heart?” Jay glanced over at her. She’d found some lipstick and smeared it on a little too thick. That plus the two bright spots of rouge on her cheeks made her look a little clownish. She wasn’t bad looking, but she’d managed to completely hide that fact. Part of the problem of being too young.
She must have taken his question as a sign of interest, because she stepped closer and raised her eyebrows at him. “What hasn’t she done?”
Jay thought about letting go of the ladder and retreating, but the ladder was worse than wobbly. It was one thing for him to take a chance of spilling off it, but if Graham fell, he might break his neck. The man wasn’t all that old, but he wasn’t all that young either. So Jay kept his hold on the ladder and on his smile as he tried to get the girl to put some space between them. “If I was you, I’d move back a ways. Graham can be sloppy with his paint. Some of it might splatter down here and ruin your dress.”
Graham was acting like he was so busy painting he wasn’t hearing what they were saying, but a couple of spots of paint landed on Jay’s arm. Jay bit the inside of his lip to keep from grinning as he went on. “See? Not the best place to be standing. Could be Graham might even fall down on top of us, paint and all. This old ladder is pretty rickety.”
“Oh, it looks plenty strong.” Alice didn’t give the ladder a glance. Her light brown eyes were fastened on Jay as she scooted a little closer. “But don’t you want to know about Kate? You looked pretty interested at the wedding. Leastways Carl must have thought so.” She brushed against his arm casually almost as if by accident, but there wasn’t anything accidental about it.
Jay shifted to the side. If she moved after him, poor Graham would have to take his chances with the shaky ladder, because Jay would be in full retreat. “Just a little misunderstanding, that’s all. Happens sometimes.”
“And look what it got you. A black eye, poor thing.” She reached toward his face, but Jay looked up to check on Graham just in time to avoid her fingers touching him. She let her hand settle on the ladder below his. “All because of Kate.”
“She didn’t sock me. Carl did.”
“But she caused it. That’s Kate. Always in the middle of any trouble.”
“People have trouble here in Rosey Corner?” Jay laughed and tried to lighten the conversation. “Mike told me everything came up roses here.”
“Oh well, that’s what preachers are supposed to say.”
“Really? I thought they were supposed
Alice, that was the girl’s name. She claimed to be going on eighteen, but Jay had his doubts. He always moved over nearer to Graham when she sauntered up to the house. She was at that dangerous age, ready to leave behind being a kid but too young to really know what it meant to act likea woman. He didn’t need that kind of trouble. But the girl wasn’t happy simply flashing her eyes at him. She was a talker. Words spilled out of her like water through a sieve.
So he wasn’t glad to look up and see her coming toward the house for the second time that day. Graham must have seen her coming too, because he actually grabbed a can of paint and climbed up the ladder to get away from talking to her. Jay didn’t have any choice but to steady the ladder for the older man, which left him standing there, his ears way too open to the girl’s chatter. She talked about everybody, but she kept coming back to Kate and the hayseed farm boy.
“Nobody understands it. We were all ready as anything for them to have a double wedding with Evangeline and Pastor Mike. But then that Kate goes and breaks poor Carl’s heart.” Alice pulled a sad face. “Broke it bad. But then, nothing Kate does surprises any of us.”
“What’s she done? Besides breaking Carl’s heart?” Jay glanced over at her. She’d found some lipstick and smeared it on a little too thick. That plus the two bright spots of rouge on her cheeks made her look a little clownish. She wasn’t bad looking, but she’d managed to completely hide that fact. Part of the problem of being too young.
She must have taken his question as a sign of interest, because she stepped closer and raised her eyebrows at him. “What hasn’t she done?”
Jay thought about letting go of the ladder and retreating, but the ladder was worse than wobbly. It was one thing for him to take a chance of spilling off it, but if Graham fell, he might break his neck. The man wasn’t all that old, but he wasn’t all that young either. So Jay kept his hold on the ladder and on his smile as he tried to get the girl to put some space between them. “If I was you, I’d move back a ways. Graham can be sloppy with his paint. Some of it might splatter down here and ruin your dress.”
Graham was acting like he was so busy painting he wasn’t hearing what they were saying, but a couple of spots of paint landed on Jay’s arm. Jay bit the inside of his lip to keep from grinning as he went on. “See? Not the best place to be standing. Could be Graham might even fall down on top of us, paint and all. This old ladder is pretty rickety.”
“Oh, it looks plenty strong.” Alice didn’t give the ladder a glance. Her light brown eyes were fastened on Jay as she scooted a little closer. “But don’t you want to know about Kate? You looked pretty interested at the wedding. Leastways Carl must have thought so.” She brushed against his arm casually almost as if by accident, but there wasn’t anything accidental about it.
Jay shifted to the side. If she moved after him, poor Graham would have to take his chances with the shaky ladder, because Jay would be in full retreat. “Just a little misunderstanding, that’s all. Happens sometimes.”
“And look what it got you. A black eye, poor thing.” She reached toward his face, but Jay looked up to check on Graham just in time to avoid her fingers touching him. She let her hand settle on the ladder below his. “All because of Kate.”
“She didn’t sock me. Carl did.”
“But she caused it. That’s Kate. Always in the middle of any trouble.”
“People have trouble here in Rosey Corner?” Jay laughed and tried to lighten the conversation. “Mike told me everything came up roses here.”
“Oh well, that’s what preachers are supposed to say.”
“Really? I thought they were supposed
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