Page 72 of Forever After All

“Not really. I eat chicken and seafood, but beef is just gross. I tried it when I was a kid and found out it’s not for me.” Jeremiah’s nose scrunched up until his teeth showed.

That wasn’t a big deal. So he didn’t like red meat. She didn’t care for salad or carrots. Maybe he wouldn’t tease her about her dislikes either.

The waitress came around with a bright smile. Her light hair was purple at the ends, and she chatted with Jeremiah as if they knew each other.

Was that the way naturally friendly people acted? Like strangers were friends? As hard as she tried, Jess didn’t have that naturally friendly personality that made a friend of everyone she met.

The waitress finally left when someone at another table shouted for her attention, and Jeremiah rested his forearms on the table, hands clasped, looking at her expectantly.

Was she supposed to say something?Your people skills are great. You really understand how to be friendly. I’m glad you know how to talk to strangers.

A bead of sweat slid down her back. Why hadn’t she just told Mrs. Huntington to cut the matchmaking?

“So, what do you do?” Jeremiah asked.

What did she do when? Before work? After church? When she didn’t understand first-date questions?

Her hesitation must have lasted long enough that Jeremiah took pity on her. “I work at the chicken processing plant. We cut up chickens for parts.”

Jess inhaled a deep breath through her nose. So his aversion to red meat wasn’t a moral issue. “Oh. That sounds…bloody.”

“It’s not terrible. I do the same thing every day, so it’s a little boring at times.”

Cutting up chickens was boring. That was good information to know in case she ever found herself jobless.

When Jeremiah launched into a long and descriptive explanation of the chicken processing assembly line, Jess hung onto the water the waitress dropped off like a lifesaving device. If she kept the water going down her throat, maybe she wouldn’t vomit while Jeremiah separated poultry drumsticks and thighs.

When their food arrived, Jeremiah held his hand palm up for her to take. “I’d like to bless the food.”

That was good news. He was probably a Christian and not ashamed to pray in public.

Major points for Jeremiah, even if she reluctantly put her sweaty hand in his. His prayer was short but vehement, and he released her hand without lingering.

Jeremiah talked between bites, and Jess enjoyed her food. Maybe she’d been approaching the dating thing all wrong. It wasn’t so bad if she just listened to someone else talk.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she wiped her hands on a napkin before checking it. A text from Linc waited, sending her heart rate from resting to running without her consent.

“Please excuse me,” she said as she slid out of the seat. Stella had pointed out Jess’s rude table manners a few years ago, and she tried to keep them in mind ever since.

Manners hadn’t been on her parents’ list of things to teach her and Brett, so Jess’s journey to politeness was fairly new.

That saying about teaching an old dog new tricks was true. She wasn’t a dog, but twenty years of not caring what other people thought was a hard habit to break.

In the bathroom, she read the text.

Linc: What did you feed Applejack today?

She typed out a quick message and stuck the phone back in her pocket. Oddly enough, Applejack didn’t like apples or most treats, for that matter, and she did better on her usual diet.

By the time she got back to the table and Jeremiah, her phone was vibrating again. She pulled it out and checked the text.

Linc: Did anyone else feed her something different?

She responded and left her phone on the table. Something had to be up with Applejack.

“Who are you texting?” Jeremiah asked. His tone wasn’t accusing, just curious.

“Sorry. It’s work, and I might have to respond.”

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