Small Town Rumors(5)

She’d have breakfast and treat herself to doing nothing for the rest of that day, but tomorrow when her dad got home, vacation was over. If he wouldn’t hire her, then she’d find a job somewhere else.

“Good mornin’.” Charlotte met her in the hallway and put a glass of something green in her hands. “Drink it up and meet me in the fitness room. We’ve got an hour with the trainer. You simply must get those extra pounds off before Dill’s party. People will talk.”

Jennie Sue sipped the green goo and frowned. “I can’t stand this stuff. You know I hate the taste of kale.”

“You’ll acquire a taste for it after a few weeks,” Charlotte informed her as she hurried off to the trainer.

Jennie Sue carried the glass into the bathroom and poured it down the drain. Green tea was one thing, but that stuff wasn’t fit for toad frogs or cockroaches. Her mother was already on a treadmill when she peeked inside the room. She took one look at the machinery and walked out, thankful that neither Charlotte nor the trainer had seen her.

She sniffed the air on the way down the wide staircase, but nothing, not even a whiff of coffee, floated up to her. Definitely not a hint of bacon or hot biscuits in the oven—she could understand the absence of food since her dad wasn’t home, but surely her mother hadn’t given up her morning cup of coffee.

“Hey, Mabel, am I too late for breakfast?” she asked when she reached the kitchen.

“Honey, I can whip up something for you, but since your daddy’s gone, we don’t do breakfast. Your mama drinks one of those god-awful things that she makes in the blender, and she’s stopped drinkin’ even decaf. Says that she read in an article that it made a woman’s face wrinkle up faster,” Mabel answered. “I ain’t one to meddle, but even the garbage disposal would spit that green crap out. Me and Frank got us a coffeepot out in the garage, and we have a cup before we start our day.”

“Well, I’m having coffee,” Jennie Sue declared.

“Didn’t she bring you a glass full of that liquid grass?” Mabel asked.

“I just cleaned out the drain in the bathroom sink with it. Looked to me like it would work as good as that declogging stuff. How does Daddy get his morning three cups?”

Mabel drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. “Frank keeps the coffee going in the garage all day long. Man couldn’t live without it, and Dill goes out there and gets it in the mornin’, too. I reckon you could do the same.”

Jennie Sue picked up an empty mug and headed to the garage, returning a minute later sipping at the steaming-hot coffee. “What’s makin’ Mama sick is that green shit.”

“Most likely, but you’re going to suffer her wrath if she smells coffee driftin’ up the stairs. Poor old Dill sure does,” Mabel said. “But now that we’re alone, tell me, what’re you really doin’ here, child?”

“Tryin’ to talk Daddy into givin’ me a job. Percy left me and moved in with his girlfriend months ago. I thought he owned the apartment we had, and I got it in the divorce, but it was leased. Once the alimony checks started bouncing, I had to deplete my savings to finish my business degree online,” she answered, finishing with the tale of her ex’s diamond-filled escape from the feds.

“I’m so sorry, honey, but I got to admit, I thought that man was shifty from the beginnin’. He had a big name and acted all proper, but there was something about him that didn’t add up.” Mabel patted her on the back. “I had a feelin’ you were home for something more than your daddy’s party. You want some bacon, eggs, and hash browns to go with that coffee?”

Jennie Sue nodded. “Yes, ma’am, but you don’t have to wait on me. I’ve been takin’ care of myself ever since he left. You go on about whatever you were doing.”

“Okay, then.” Mabel’s head and all three of her chins bobbed up and down. “Just put your dirty dishes in the sink.”

“No need. Percy had to be in control of everything. Believe me, I know how to keep things spotless. First month we were married, he fired four housekeepers and told me that I’d learn to take care of the place the way he wanted it done, or I could go on back to my Podunk Texas town.” Jennie Sue opened the refrigerator.

“Why did you stay with a man like that?” Mabel’s eyes narrowed into slits.

“Why do you think? I was groomed to be a trophy wife from birth. Keeping a spotless apartment at least gave me something to do.” She lowered her voice. “Truth is, I was glad when he ran off with a bag of diamonds and another woman. I’d had about all I could stand of his cheating, and after . . .” She stopped before she said too much.

“You deserve better than that kind of treatment,” Mabel growled. “I’m sorry about the way things turned out, honey. You go on and make yourself a good breakfast. I’ve got to go make sure those two girls your mama hired to clean are doing things right.”

“This place couldn’t run without you, Mabel.” Jennie Sue laid six strips of bacon out in a cast-iron skillet.

“Oh, honey, there ain’t a one of us that couldn’t be replaced,” Mabel replied as she left the room.

Jennie Sue had lived on fast food on the bus trip for more than two days, so she was really looking forward to a good, hearty breakfast. When she finished cooking, she carried her plate of crispy bacon, four fried eggs, two pieces of toast, and a nice big hash brown that she’d made from a real potato to the table. She’d just sat down to eat when her mother entered the kitchen.

“What the hell?” Charlotte stopped dead.

Jennie Sue got ready for a lecture about calories and fat grams. “Good mornin’, Mama. Care to join me for a healthy breakfast? It’s the most important meal of the day, you know.”

Charlotte picked up the plate, slid everything on it into the garbage disposal, and flipped the switch. “This is tough love, darlin’. You are going to get back into shape so we can shop for decent clothing for you. You can’t go out in public in those ratty cheap jeans and worn-out running shoes. And I’m not buying one single thing for you until you are back in the size you wore when you got married.”

Jennie Sue clenched her hands under the table. “And what if I don’t lose the pounds, and what if I like my ratty jeans?”

“Don’t get pissy with me. This is for your own good. We’ve got to get you in shape so you can find another husband,” Charlotte said. “If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t fuss at you.”

“I don’t want another husband, and I sure don’t want another rich one. I’m not you, Mama. I want to eat what I want and live my own life,” she said through clenched teeth.

Charlotte grabbed a towel and wiped sweat from her face. “Settle down, darlin’. Of course you want a rich husband. You’re just mad at me for takin’ care of you. We’ll slowly let out the word that Percy lost all his money and you divorced him. By the end of all our Christmas parties, I bet you’ll have another good man on the hook. I’ll call Mabel to make you an egg-white omelet with tomatoes and fresh spinach if you think you have to eat something. But no more orange juice.” She wiggled her finger so fast it was a blur. “Too many carbs, and no toast or biscuits besides.”

“No, thank you,” Jennie Sue said. “I’ll remake my own breakfast.”

“Not under my roof.” Charlotte raised her voice.

“That can be remedied real easy, Mama.” Jennie Sue pushed back her chair and stood.

“You wouldn’t dare leave.” Charlotte’s voice jacked up several octaves. “I’d be the laughingstock of the whole state if you go out in public looking like you do. Gossip has already stirred up over the fact that you came into town on a bus.”

“I don’t give a damn about rumors. If they’re gossiping about me, they’re letting someone else rest. I’ll be glad to whip up an egg-white omelet for you if you want one.” She had learned long ago to stay calm when her mother’s voice went all shrill and squeaky.

Charlotte glared at Jennie Sue, who had no doubt that things could start flying through the air at any time if her mother didn’t get her way.

“I don’t want a damned egg-white omelet. I want you to be reasonable and do what I say. I’m your mother. I know what’s best for you,” Charlotte yelled, loud enough that it could have been heard all the way up in the attic.

“Oh, really? Seems to me that you liked Percy and thought he was the right man for me. Look how that turned out.” Jennie Sue wasn’t backing down.

“What happened to you?” Charlotte picked up a cup and slung it at the wall. “You used to listen to me.”

“Yes, I did, and look what it got me. I hated being a cheerleader, but it was important to you, so I endured it. I didn’t want a big fancy wedding, and I was a wreck the whole time you planned it. I hated New York, but you said I’d get used to it. Listenin’ to you hasn’t always worked for me.” She went to the pantry and got a broom and dustpan.

“Don’t you dare clean that up,” Charlotte declared. “That’s Mabel’s job.”