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“The home Eli stays in, according to Google, is about eighteen minutes away from that Kroger you work at. So, that should be fairly convenient for your schedule. Now, do you have any questions for me?”
“Are you married?”
“No. I wouldn’t have asked for your number to take you on a date if I was.”
“Married men ask for numbers all the time. Probably more than single men. My next question is, do you have any children?”
“No.”
“How’d you meet Eli?”
“I met him when I was a child.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“Manufacturer and distributor. I’m in sales.”
There was quiet on the other end, the kind he understood. The kind of quiet where wheels in heads spun in smart brains…
“What kind of sales?”
“Beer. I own a distillery. We make our own beer and sell it.”
“Oh, wow. That sounds interesting. I also now understand why you buy crayons and stuff.” She chuckled. “Okay, well, I am interested in spending time with Eli and giving this a try. I could use the money, and he sounds like a great person. Am I hired?”
“Not so fast there, missy. We need to seal the deal over dinner.”
“Seal the deal? So, for me to accept this gig, I have to date you? I told my aunt you’d want cookies and I knew I was right. This is the type of shit that—”
“My intention as stated, Iris, was to go out with you. I asked you about that first. I’m attracted to you. I told you that. This isn’t breaking news. Secondly, the job offer stands whether you go out with me or not; they’re not contingent on each other, but I would like to discuss a few things, get some papers signed and what not in person, before you begin. I want to do it over dinner. Now, you can take that however you wish, but I’ve made my intentions clear. I want two things from you, and they arebothimportant to me. I want Eli to have something to look forward to, someone to talk to. You bein’ a pretty woman is just the cherry on top for him I’m sure. And I also want to break bread with you. If I like you, and the feeling is mutual, possibly more.”
“Is the bread for the ducks?”
He burst out laughing again, this time harder than the last.
“You’re incorrigible, as my grandmother used to say about me.” He began to swivel back and forth in his chair, his thoughts racing.
“Well, I don’t want to keep you from your company any longer, Jude. What day and time would you like to meet up to sign these papers and break this bread?”
“Tomorrow evening. Is that fine?”
“I can do that.”
“Great. I know women are kinda funny nowadays about men showin’ up at their homes sometimes, so do you want to meet me there at the restaurant, or can I pick you up? I’d rather pick you up, as a gentlemanshoulddo for a young lady he’s interested in courtin’.” He was met with a long silence.
“I suppose since I’ll be workin’ part time for you, and this isn’t just a first date, you can pick me up.”
“Fine. Text me your address soon.”
“Okay. You enjoy the rest of your evening, Jude.”
“I will. You do the same, darlin’.” He disconnected the call, slipped his phone back in his pocket, and rejoined the party. This time, with a bit of pep in his step…
CHAPTER SIX
Only God Can Judge Me
Peter shook hisshoulder length dirty blond hair out of his hazel eyes. The thirteen-year-old was sporting a navy blue and white baseball shirt with a faded red juice stain on one side, and long denim shorts with intentional tears across the knees. His voice cracked quite a bit when he spoke now, and he was tall and thin for his age. Jude figured his voice would change soon enough, and the boy in him would start to disappear. The two stood outside on his mama’s porch while Peter’s mother, Sherry, was putting up groceries and talking on the phone inside.
