Page 75 of Grounded
He looked at her sharply. “You’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid,” he said, grinning.
Annie shrugged her shoulders. “I think it’s in the water around here,” she said.
“In that case, I need to get Camille off that bottled stuff. Remember this?” he said, turning up the radio volume.
It was a song by Genesis, a band Jake had turned her onto when they were teenagers, along with a string of other classic rock performers. Annie knew the song well, and for the next few minutes, Jake played drums on the dashboard and steering wheel while Annie accompanied him on air guitar. They both sang to the top of their lungs before collapsing in laughter by the end of the song.
“Okay, see if you can read my notes on how to get to the restaurant.” He laid his open hand on the seat and Annie saw words written on the inside of it.
“You wrote the directions on your palm?”
“Sure,” Jake said. “It’s my palm pilot. See if you can make it out. I think we turn right up here at Brannon’s Road.”
Annie picked up his hand, aware of its size compared to her own, and its warmth. Pushing back his relaxed fingers, she tried to make out the words. “It’s a little smudged, but I think it says, right at Brannon’s Road, left into first lot, first building on right?”
“Yep, sounds right,” he said.
The restaurant was cozy and surprisingly Italian for a place in the suburbs of a Southern town. Annie scooted into a leather booth and relaxed in the dim lighting. The waiter handed a menu to Annie and then Jake and left after taking the drink order.
Each item on the menu listed the farm name where the meat or product originated. Long Shadow Pork, Rolling Hills Eggplant, Turtle Hollow Herbs, Sweetbriar Beef. Each name made the menu listing more enticing.
“Do you know any of these folks?” Annie asked.
Jake looked up from the menu and smiled. “Oh yeah,” he said. “The guy at Long Shadow Farm is a partner in the processing plant over in Rutherford. I’ve been talking to him a lot lately. I also know the folks at Sweetbriar.”
When they placed an order the waiter was sure they would love, Jake said, “Any news from Jeb Harris on the identity of your mystery renter?”
“I’m not sure he thinks there’s anything wrong. He’ll run the plates just to make Grandma feel good about it, but it sounded like they have other priorities. Did you know Joe saw her dumping something into the creek two mornings at dawn?”
“Yeah, he told me. Even if she’s not dumping something poisonous into the creek, I need to get those cows out of there. Their runoff is not good for the creek.”
The waiter brought their salads and a loaf of warm bread with a slab of butter on a small white plate. She felt her stomach growl and realized she was hungry.
“How’s Joe taking the changes,” Annie asked.
“He’s fine,” Jake said. “He’s done a good job these last few years after we sold off the dairy herd and went partners with him on Angus. He does a lot of the right stuff already and when we talk about the things I want to change, he’s open.”
“It has to be a little hard to make changes after all these years of doing things a certain way.”
“Yeah, but Joe is different. He remembers the way his grandfather ran his farm and how the new stuff is really like the old ways, so he’s cool with it.”
Annie took a bite of bread, a slab of butter melting on the warm crust. “This is amazing,” she said.
“It’s real butter. We’ll have to make it sometime. Just need some fresh cream.”
“I wish I didn’t have to leave in a couple of weeks,” Annie said. “I feel like there is so much I’ve left undone.”
“You’re leaving in two weeks?” Jake asked, his butter knife suspended in midair.
“I just heard. I actually thought it might be Monday, so I was relieved to have more time,” Annie said.
“I thought you had all summer,” Jake said, putting down the knife to concentrate on her words.
“I did too, but my boss worked hard to get me hired back, which is what I wanted in the beginning, but now I wish I had more time,” Annie said, feeling her own appetite diminish.
“That’s too bad,” Jake said.
“It will be different this time,” Annie said. “I’ll be coming home a lot more. I needed this grounding. It was unexpected, and unwanted, but it’s been the best thing that ever happened to me.” She paused. “But I’m sorry I can’t finish out the plans for the summer, mainly seeing Grandma through the rest of her recovery.”
