Page 55 of Serial Love

Gram stood peering into her eyes and then smiled. “You’re so pretty, just like my sister was.”

Bethany hugged her tightly and whispered, “I love you, Gram.”

Tears sprung to her eyes when she heard whispered back, “I love you too, pretty girl.”

The weekend after Labor Day found Mountville almost deserted, so Jack took advantage of the lull. Having made arrangements ahead of time with Sally, who had agreed to stay, he whisked Bethany off early Saturday morning.

“Where are we going?” she asked, as he made his way to Hwy 81 heading south.

“I have a surprise for you, and I think you’ll like it,” he replied, flipping on the radio to a country music station. Pleased to discover that she was a fan, they sat in comfortable silence for a while as the tunes lulled her to sleep.

He glanced over when they were near their destination and saw her head leaning against the window.She works too hard. Turning off the highway and then again off the main road, he noticed her head bump against the glass as he hit a pothole.

“Babe. Babe, wake up,” he cajoled, gently shaking her shoulder.

She blinked several times before rubbing her eyes. “Mmm, are we almost there?” she asked, her voice groggy.

“Yeah, we should be there in about ten minutes. I was afraid the potholes in the road were going to slam your head against the glass too much.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I needed to wake up.” She flipped the visor down to fix her light makeup and smooth her hair back. Looking around, she saw farmlands on eitherside of the road before he turned down a long gravel drive.

Whipping her head around to him, she said with excitement, “Jack, is this your farm? Your mom’s place?”

“I thought we’d take a trip here so I can check in on my mom and introduce you to her,” he said smoothly, belying the trepidation he felt. This was a big step, and he knew he was ready.But is she?

He need not have worried. One look at her and the smile returned to his face. Her eyes were darting everywhere, excitement pouring off her.

“All of this land was in my family. When my dad died, mom ran the farm for a while, but it was more than she could handle. She and I talked and, since I had no desire to come back and work the farm, we sold most of the acreage, rent the rest and she keeps the house and three acres that surround it.”

Just then, passing the tall corn stalks, they came to a clearing and a white, two-story house came into view. Jack pulled the truck to a stop as a woman walked out onto the front porch. Wearing a simple button-up dress with an apron tied around her waist, she lifted a hand in greeting and offered a smile.

Assisting Bethany out of the truck, he noted her smoothing her hands down her pants nervously. Leaning in, he whispered, “You’re gorgeous. Don’t worry, she’ll love you.”

She only had time to spare him a glance before they walked up the front porch steps. He let go of her long enough to envelope his mom in a huge hug before turning to introduce Bethany.

Jack’s mother was tall and slim, with shoulder-length gray hair pulled back from her face.

“Oh, my dear, welcome. Please call me Jeanette.” The two women hugged and then Jack gently settled Bethany back into his embrace as they walked into the house.

The entrance foyer held an antique coat rack and mirror and then, a few steps in, she could see the living room to the left and the dining room to the right. Ushered into the living room, they sat on a comfortable sofa and Bethany’s gaze tried to take in the whole room. Antique frames held pictures that appeared to be a hundred years old. Some were of couples and others of whole families. The mantle held newer ones, most of Jack and his parents in his early years.

Flowered curtains were pulled back allowing the noon-day sun to stream through, making the room feel light and airy.

After a few minutes of Jeanette explaining some of the pictures that she had seen Bethany peruse, she stood saying, “I’m just finishing lunch. Jack, why don’t you show Bethany where the powder room is, and I’ll have lunch on the table in a bit.”

Coming out of the small bathroom into the laundry room behind the kitchen, she could hear Jack and his mother talking low.

“All these years and you’ve never once brought a woman into this house, Jack. Does this mean what I think it does?”

She could not see, but she could imagine Jack’s grin as he answered, “Yeah, mom. I met her and everything Ithought about how my life was going to go just changed. Almost fu—I mean messed up but found my way back to her and she was right there giving me what I needed.”

“Well, good, son. I like her.”

Bethany made a bit of noise closing the bathroom door behind her so that her presence would be noted. As she stepped into the large eat-in kitchen, with its table already loaded with food, she smiled warmly as Jack moved toward her. She walked straight into his arms and felt his lips on the top of her head. Tipping her head back, she gifted him with her smile before turning to Jeannette, offering to help.

“Oh, it’s ready,” Jeannette called out. “I hope you don’t mind if we eat in the kitchen. It’s usually just me so I eat in here and this seems more cozy.”

“I don’t mind at all,” Bethany replied truthfully. The room had strawberry print curtains on the windows next to the table and over the sink. From her seat at the table, she could see out of the window over the farmland that extended as far as she could see.

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