Page 10 of His Pickle Her Jam

It was a terrible idea.

Preposterous.

But my blood hummed at the possibility of working beside Jan. All that bubbly energy on display.

I was practically salivating.

Maybe competing against the woman I was interested in pursuing wasn’t the best idea, but if it made her stick around me for more than ten minutes at a time, then I was down for it.

Plus, I really wanted that space.

“To make it all fair and even, and ensure no cheating by either party, I have a suggestion,” I added, before Mr. Jones could answer. “Mr. Jones, if you allow it, we can prepare for the cookoff using the kitchens and space inside your storefront, so we don’t cheat or use products not of our own making.”

“A contest! Interesting. Yes! I like it. And yes, I would allow you both to prepare your wares inside the store. You know, my wife thinks there’s magic in that old place,” the old man replied with a twinkle in his eye.

“So, is that a yes to the whole thing?” Jan asked, and I swore I could feel her excited energy humming in the air.

“Yes, Miss Morrow, I think this could be very good. You two can start tomorrow. Ha! Wait till I tell my wife. I think this will be very good indeed, children,” Mr. Jones replied.

And just like that, I was about to engage in full on toe to toe combat with the woman whose body tempted me like no other.

What could possibly go wrong?

CHAPTER FOUR-JAN

“Well?” I asked.

I bit my lip as Delani rubbed her slightly swollen tummy while she licked the tasting spoon I just handed her.

The sparkling ring on her finger was a reminder that while I was always the bridesmaid my bestie had recently been a most beautiful bride.

I still couldn’t believe it sometimes. Del was married, having a baby, and me, well, I was just here. Still single. Still trying to make something of myself.

Loneliness was a terrible thing to feel, but as the years rolled by and I watched all my friends move on to the next stage of their lives, it was becoming my norm.

I hated that. I wasn’t a negative person by nature. Ornery? Maybe. But not negative.

But honesty was the best policy, right? If I couldn’t be honest with myself, then what chance did I have at finding someone to share my life with?

So, yeah, I was lonely. I was happy that Delani had found Sonny, but maybe I was a little jealous, too.

Not that I wished anything bad for her. Never that. I just wondered if maybe I could find that, too.

My person.

Someone to love, who loved me as unconditionally as Sonny loved her.

It was a tall order. I knew that. Del was all things good and sweet and kind. As for me? Well, I was more, shall we say, um, feisty.

Yeah. That was a good word.

I was feisty.

Anyway, I loved Del and was truly thrilled for her. She deserved every happiness the world had to offer.

Delani was my biggest supporter and a fan of my not so usual sugary concoctions. This was my third batch of jalapeno strawberry jam, and I needed to get the ratio of spicy to sweet just right.

“Mmm,” she hummed with her mouth around the whole spoon. “Oh Jan, this is the one! It’s perfect.”

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