Jessie Belle: The Women of Merryton - Book One Read Online Free Page B

She had a new man for every season. She loved playing the
field and made no apologies about it.
    I
slept for a couple of hours before I got ready for the day. While I was getting
ready I noticed half the items on the bathroom counter were missing. At first I
thought maybe Blake had wiped off the countertop and forgotten to replace his
toiletries, but I searched below his sink and it was hollow. Then I looked up
and noticed his bathrobe wasn’t hanging near the shower, either. I walked over
to his walk-in closet that was situated right outside our bathroom and found
most of his clothes were missing.
    I
sat on my bed, stunned. I thought he said he wanted to work it out and that he
needed me. I wasn’t ready to call it quits yet. I came home so we could at
least try. I pulled out my phone and punched in his number.
    He
picked up on the first ring. “Jessica.”
    I
skipped the pleasantries. “You moved out and you weren’t even going to tell
me?”
    “Will
you calm down? I didn’t move out.”
    “Then
where are all of your things?”
    “I
moved into the guest bedroom.”
    “Why?”
    He
paused and took a deep breath. “I figured we each needed some space and to
start over.”
    “All
we’ve given each other is space.”
    “Yeah,
we’re good at that, aren’t we?”
    “So,
what are you saying?”
    “Jessica,
all I know is that if you don’t trust me or love me anymore, it means I’ve
messed up somewhere along the way. I don’t know how to fix that other than
starting over.”
    “What
does that mean?”
    “I
don’t know. I’m trying to figure it out.”
    I
guess we were both trying to figure out our lives .
“I guess I’ll see you later.”
    “You
can count on that.”

Chapter Four
     
    After
a day of grocery shopping and being gawked at, I made it back home. I had made
the mistake of going into Jessie Belle’s to get my laptop and to check on
things. This town loved a juicy piece of news, and apparently we gave them a
taste yesterday. I could only imagine how abuzz this town was going to be if
Blake really ended up being the father to Sabrina’s daughter. We may have to
move.
    At
least our little blow-up made people quit looking at my abdomen. Cheyenne and
Abby told me I was paranoid, but I swore when people greeted me they always
looked at my abdomen first, like there was something to see. I almost lifted up
my shirt on occasion to say, “See there’s nothing there, but a flat, empty, no
man’s land.” All I had to show for all my pregnancies were two small stretch
marks left by my son. Even they were barely noticeable now.
    By
the time I got home it was dinnertime. Blake still wasn’t home, so I decided to
make a meal for one. I didn’t have much of an appetite, but I needed to start
somewhere, and linguine and salad were the jumping off point.
    As
I ate by myself at our large farmhouse-style table I wrote out some ideas for
new menu items. While shopping I had noticed a display for s’mores. It got me
thinking about a gourmet, homemade version. If I could pull off a good recipe,
I could have it ready to go for the fall menu. I was thinking of two homemade
graham cookies, dipped on one side with dark chocolate and a roasted
marshmallow in between them, and maybe some toasted coconut. I wasn’t sure about
the coconut; I would have to see how it went. First though, I was going to have
to come up with a graham cookie recipe.
    I
had to admit, I felt a little excited to be experimenting in the kitchen again.
It even opened up my mind to a whole line of graham-style treats. By the time I
had finished eating, I had several pages of ideas written down.
    I
didn’t feel well after eating dinner and cleaning up. I think my stomach wasn’t
sure what to do with real nourishment, so I took to the couch and pulled up The
Sound of Music . It was my all-time favorite. My mom and I used to watch
musicals together frequently when I was growing up. Maria was just singing
about larks learning to pray when my