“Not a problem. I grew up on a farm in Oklahoma, and I know all about gardening. My granddad is a member of the Chickasaw tribe, and he thinks that all children need to learn about the land and about growing food.” Tommy removed the lid from the container. “Oh, man! This all looks so good. Thanks for bringing stuff home for us. Come on, darlin’, let’s dig in.” He picked up a mushroom and fed it to Anna Grace.
“My God,” she gasped. “That is amazing, and those cupcakes are homemade, aren’t they?”
“Yep.” Cricket nodded. “You’ll judge all chocolate cake by them forever after you take the first bite. Y’all make yourselves at home. I’m going to have a shower and go to bed.”
“Thanks again,” Anna Grace said. “What time do I need to set my alarm for?”
“Six thirty, but I’m surprised that your folks let you keep your phone?” Cricket asked.
“I have a clock, and I’ll be getting one of those pay-as-you-go phones at the Dollar Store tomorrow,” Anna Grace answered. “My mother checked my purse and took away all my credit cards, my phone, and wouldn’t even let me bring my hair dryer or curling iron with me. I have one month to change my mind about all this, she says, or they’ll take me out of the will.”
Tommy gave her a hug and kissed her on the forehead. “You’ll survive. You are strong, and I love you.”
“Good night.” Cricket left them to encourage each other and headed down the short hallway to the bathroom, which she now had to share with Anna Grace. She turned the water on in the shower, put the toilet lid down, and sat on it. She fetched her phone out of the pocket of her dress and called Jennie Sue.
“You’re never going to believe what I did today, and what happened tonight,” she said.
* * *
Cricket was whipping up eggs in a bowl when Anna Grace came in the kitchen the next morning. “You can make the toast. Put two slices in the toaster oven.”
“I usually just have a kale shake for breakfast.” Anna Grace yawned and looked around for bread. “What’s a toaster oven, and I don’t see a loaf of bread.”
“I make our bread. It’s in the green plastic box right there by the toaster oven.” She pointed toward the small appliance sitting on the cabinet. This was going to be a bigger chore than she’d thought. Hopefully, Anna Grace was a fast learner. “The bread has been sliced. All you have to do is put two slices in the tray, close the door, and turn the knob to toast.”
Anna Grace followed the directions without being told a second time. Cricket kept a close eye on her while she scrambled eggs to go with the bacon she had already fried.
“Now take it out and smear butter on it. You’ve eaten in enough restaurants to know how to do that,” Cricket said.
“I made toast!” Anna Grace beamed as she carefully spread butter on the thick slices of homemade bread. “This smells so good. How do you make it?”
“That’s a lesson for another month.” Cricket finished the eggs and piled them up on a plate beside six slices of crispy bacon. “Pour two mugs of coffee while I get the orange juice.”
“Mother would scream at me for eating like this,” Anna Grace sighed. “I’ve been taught my whole life that you can never be to thin or too rich.”
Cricket set the plate of eggs and bacon on the table, then brought out a half-gallon container of juice. “I guess those are two lessons you’ll have to unlearn. I’ll say grace this morning. We’ll take turns. Tomorrow it will be your turn.” She sat down and bowed her head.
“Thank you, Cricket,” Anna Grace said when the short prayer ended. “I’ve never prayed out loud before.”
“Another lesson you’ll learn here.” Cricket served herself half the eggs and three pieces of bacon, then passed the plate over to Anna Grace. She poured herself a glass of juice, slid the jug over toward Anna Grace, and picked up a piece of the toast from a plate that was in the middle of the table.
“We never ate together except at dinners when we had guests.” Anna Grace followed Cricket’s lead and put the rest of the eggs and bacon on her plate.
Cricket hoped that Anna Grace learned to like this new world because, from what Tommy had said, this was the kind of upbringing he had had. If she didn’t learn to be independent, all the love she had for him might not be enough.
“If we eat like this every morning, I’ll need new clothes,” Anna Grace said.
“You’ll work it all off.” Cricket opened a jar of homemade elderberry jam and put a spoonful on her toast.
“I go to the gym after work at least three times a week, but I’m sure my mother will cancel that membership. She’s probably made a list of all the places she’ll need to call today.” Anna Grace finished off her breakfast and took a sip of her coffee. “Do you think I could make breakfast for Tommy by Sunday morning? And is it all right with you if he sleeps over on Saturday night?”
“You’re an adult. You don’t have to ask me whether your boyfriend can stay the night here,” Cricket said. “I’ll give you a crash course in something simple. We’ll make French toast and ham for supper tonight, and you can write down the instructions as we go. It’s fast and easy.”
“I hope so.” Anna Grace smiled. “I’ll go get dressed. I brought jeans and a shirt like you said to wear to the bookstore this morning.”
“Not before we get the dishes done and the kitchen put to rights.” Cricket finished off her coffee. “And Anna Grace, if you can read directions, you can cook. During our downtime at the store, why don’t you go through some cookbooks?”
“Do they have one called Cooking for Dummies?” Anna Grace asked.
“Maybe so,” Cricket answered. “I’ll wash. You can dry and put away, so you’ll learn where things go.”
No one ever texted or called Cricket early in the morning, so it startled her when her phone rang as she was washing dishes. She quickly dried her hands and pulled it from her hip pocket, scared that something might have happened to Lettie or Nadine. When she saw Bryce’s name, a wide smile broke out, and Anna Grace raised an eyebrow.
“Hello.” She carried the phone outside to the porch.
“Good morning! I dreamed about you last night, and wondered if I came out and helped with the garden right after work, if maybe we could get a couple of hours of fishing in tonight before it got dark?” he asked.
“I don’t see why not,” she answered. “Anna Grace and I are making French toast and ham for supper. We could make a sandwich out of ours and take it to the creek with us.”
“That sounds wonderful. See you then, if not before.” He lowered his voice. “So she moved in, did she? Lettie is betting Nadine that she won’t last a week, and she’s put ten dollars on it, so she’s serious.”
“Did you get in on that bet?” Cricket asked.
Bryce chuckled. “I’m in for five. I saw that woman in the store. She looks like she’s all fashion and makeup. What about you?”
“The jury is still out, but I might have to throw a dollar or two into the pot,” she answered. “See you after work.”