Page 61 of Apple of My Eye
Joe turns slowly from his vantage point in the driver’s seat, giving me ample time to regret opening my mouth. Clearly I had gotten too used to talking to Eloise, who tolerated my curiosity a little bit more. Joe didn’t say another word.
‘Thought you would need some nutrition before the big meeting!’ Betsy trills as Joe and I enter the kitchen for lunch. I’m ravenous and she’s made her famous chicken salad. I’m salivating before she even hands me a plate. I was never this hungry in the city, but farming works up an appetite. I can tell I’ve put on muscle even though I haven’t been to the gym once.
Even my mamma chastised me last time we were on the phone, saying I looked different.
‘I’m the exact same.’ I squinted at her over FaceTime, doing my best Blue Steel impression which always makes her laugh. ‘I’m just in better shape, Mamma. I promise. I’ll be home in three weeks.’
She raised her eyebrows but didn’t dwell on the subject. There was too much church drama she needed to fill me in on. One of the members of her congregation had won the lottery (alocallottery, she made sure to tell me,notthe state lottery. And donottry this at home. Gambling is a sin.) and it was the talk of the town.
In between bites, Betsy and Joe filled me in on what we had left to do before U-Pick was upon us.
‘Clear the debris, double-check the signage, do another round of insecticide—’
‘What is it, honey?’ Betsy asks me, interrupting Joe, who grunts his displeasure.
‘Oh, nothing,’ I say, quickly taking another bite. I guess I had made a face without realizing it when Joe mentioned insecticides. Eloisehatesthe type the Parkers use. She claims it leaches down the hill and affects their crop. She also says it’s not safe to eat and the Parkers shouldn’t be getting anywhere near it. ‘I was just thinking about the meeting,’ I lie.
Betsy fans her face with her hands. ‘I’m nervous about it,’ she whispers.
‘Betsy,’ I say, with all the sincerity I can muster. ‘You’ll be great.’
Two hours later she comes downstairs in a freshly pressed dress. ‘We got this.’ I high-five her. Her chin wobbles, but she nods and sets her shoulders back defiantly. ‘If I can handle owning four pigs, I can handle a couple bigwigs.’
‘That’s the spirit!’
Scott’s Orchards sends a woman and a man, Sarah and Harvey, and we’ve barely ushered them in before I hear a knock on the door. Mrs. P. startles, looking up from the pitcher of sweet tea she’s carrying.
‘I’ll get it,’ I offer. ‘You four enjoy the tea. I’ll be right back.’
I ease myself out onto the front steps only to be met with a completely and utterly loopy Eloise. She flops into my arms, more excited than I’ve ever seen her. Her cheeks are bright pink and swollen, puffy like a chipmunk. There’s a piece of gauze pressed to the inside of her cheek. Tendrils of her hair are escaping, framing her face in a beautiful blonde halo.God, I missed her.
‘It’s you!’ she exclaims, her whole face brightening.
‘It’s me,’ I reply, feeling my heart swell in my chest. ‘Are you OK? What’s going on?’
She points at her mouth. ‘Teeth,’ she says, rolling her eyes. ‘You have my movie.’ She points at my chest, flailing her arm in a circle to do so.
‘Your movie? I’m pretty sure it’s Betsy—’
‘Yes!’ She pushes her way inside. ‘I texted you! The DVD.’ She pauses in the doorway, holding up an empty hand and pointing at it, clearly thinking she was pointing at her phone.
I think back to the texts she sent me an hour ago, ones I was so excited to receive and then so dismayed to read. Ones I dismissed as some kind of distracting gibberish, realizing they were totally serious.
Eloise: Got ur number from Mrs Parker. She says u r home? I am on my way to get a movie.
Me: Eloise? Is this another one of your stupid pranks? We kind of have something important going on today.
Eloise: I’ll be there in five.
Me: What? We don’t even have movies.
‘These kitchen towels are something else,’ I hear Sarah say to Betsy, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I strain to hear the rest of their conversation, wondering what the more standoffish businessman, Harvey, will add. He seems cutthroat and sharkish, and I’m worried leaving the Parkers alone with them will turn them off to the whole deal.
‘I’ll go get your DVD if you tell me which one you need,’ I whisper, hoping she’ll keep her voice down. I glance back down the hallway but I can only see Harvey’s back.
‘Bring It On!All day long! Bri—’
‘Eloise,’ I hiss, cutting her cheer short, ‘can you be a little quieter?’
