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He nodded and hurried inside to get the crate. His wife had already become known through the area for her wonderful cooking, and he knew the crate would help them with the roof for the church.
He put the crate in the back and climbed onto the seat beside Jessica, picking up the leads. Thankfully, it was a short drive to the church, and then they would be warm as they spent the evening inside.
When they arrived at the church, Jessica couldn’t help but smile excitedly. All of the pews had been pushed up against the walls, and they were set as places for people to sit while they ate the wonderful food offered.
There would even be a couple of men playing instruments so the rest of them could dance. For the first time, she looked forward to a dance, though she didn’t know why. It wasn’t as if George would dance with her.
The Fleming family took up half the church congregation and gathered together for the evening. As soon as a prayer was offered for their meal, they got in line to choose their food.
Mary Sue held her hands out for Sally. “You go pick your food first. I don’t want you to have to eat something that could upset your stomach,” she said to Jessica.
Jessica opened her mouth to argue but realized Mary Sue was right. She needed nourishment that pleased her stomach, or she would end up outside later, trying to keep her food in her.
She helped little Joe choose food as she chose her own. When they moved back to sit down and eat, she took the baby back from Mary Sue and fed her from her own plate.
Jessica had been careful to fill her plate with everything she saw she wasn’t worried about making her queasy, hoping she wouldn’t hurt feelings as she went along.
To her surprise, George sat beside her, rather than gathering with the other men. “You don’t have to stay with me,” she told him. “I’ll mind the children while you spend time with your brothers.”
George shook his head. “Not tonight.”
Jessica said nothing else about it. She wasn’t going to try to push him away.
After their meal, she saw that two other women in the family had put down a quilt to allow their babies to be together and not have to be held all night. Jessica carried Sally over, and asked if she could play with the others.
No one in the family had been overly friendly with Jessica other than Mary Sue. Even Mother Fleming barely glanced at her.
“Of course, she can play with the others,” Alison, the wife of the second youngest son, Peter, said.
“Thank you.” Jessica set the baby on the floor with the others.
Jessica returned to her seat, where she could easily keep an eye on the baby, but on the other three children as well.
George took her hand in his when she sat beside him. She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “You don’t have to pretend to care for me,” she whispered, hoping no one else would notice.
“You’re my wife. It’s time you were treated as such.”
Jessica wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not, but he certainly hadn’t claimed to care about her, which pleased her. He shouldn’t have to pretend to have feelings where there were none.
Each of the offerings was quickly auctioned off, and Jessica was pleased her crate of goodies went for five whole dollars. She wanted to protest that it wasn’t worth that much, but who would she be protesting to? It made more sense to sit quietly.
As soon as the music started, George looked into Jessica’s eyes. “Dance with me.”
Jessica nodded, uncertain what he was up to, but she knew it was something. Surely he wasn’t about to start treating her like a real wife. She’d thought that was happening once and had been completely fooled by him. She didn’t want to go through all that again.
George quickly swept her into his arms, dancing close as the band played a slow waltz. “I have a gramophone,” he said. “I should get it out and we can dance together at home as well.”
She smiled. “That would be nice.” But in her mind, she wondered how long his new attitude would last. He certainly hadn’t lasted long the last time. One evening seemed to be his limit for how long he could pretend to like her.
Jessica noticed that Nancy was dancing with a boy, and she smiled. “Is that Johnny?” she whispered to George.
George nodded. “How did you know?”
“She complains about him chasing her around at recess and teasing her. Who else would she dance with?”
He grinned. “Children are odd with how they show affection, aren’t they?” He could remember chasing Heather at recess, but he eventually found the courage to tell her how he felt. Perhaps Johnny would be able to tell Nancy someday.
After the dance, Jessica returned to the pew, expecting George to go off and spend time with his brothers now that their obligatory dance was over. Instead, he stayed beside her.
