Our Little Love Story *NOW PUBLISHED ON AMAZON KINDLE!!*

chapter nine.

I didn’t see Jared for a few days after that. I talked to him on the phone, and we sent texts back and forth, but he was busy with working at the farm.

“I need a job or something,” I announced to my dad one evening, on a Wednesday.

“Well, there’s not much around here, really. You could look into babysitting for the neighbors, maybe,” my dad replied, glancing up from his newspaper.

“Yeah, I was thinking something a little more steady,” I said, laying the book I’d been reading down in my lap.

“Oh, well, I can ask around for you, if you want me to, but I can’t think of anything off the top of my head,” Dad answered, rustling his newspaper a little.

“Yeah,” I agreed, my mind wandering. Surely, there was something a teenage girl could do for work in this small town. 

****

Jared stopped by that evening, on his way home from work. 

“Sorry I smell so bad,” he said, laughing a little as he walked up our driveway.

“It’s okay, I can’t smell you from here,” I giggled. I wrinkled my nose just then, teasing, and added, “Well, never mind.”

“Ha ha. You’re so funny,” he grabbed my wrists and pulled me into his embrace, flooding my nostrils with the smell of his dried sweat and what I grew to call his ‘farm smell.’ 

“Gah, now I’m going to have to take another shower,” I replied, pretending to be completely grossed out.

“Oh, you know you like it. The smell of a hard working man,” Jared said, laughing.

“Yeah, I guess,” I wrinkled my nose again, then changed the subject. “So, I was thinking of getting a job. Do you know of anything I could do around here?”

“Oh, well….” Jared trailed off, pausing in thought, “You can come work with me on the farm,” he smiled, already knowing what my answer was going to be. I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. “Huh. Well, Ray could probably use an extra hand up at the diner. You could always go ask him,” Jared said seriously.

“That’s not a bad idea. It’d be easy enough, I’m sure. And extra cash,” I replied, thinking. “I’ll go up there tomorrow and talk to him.” 

“Yeah. He doesn’t open until about ten, but he’s usually there by nine or so, I think,” Jared informed me.

“Okay. Um, Jared, there was something else that I was wanting to talk to you about.” If I was going to tell him about the retreat, it was pretty much now or never.

“Yeah?” he asked as we walked to my back yard and sat in a couple of lawn chairs.

“Well, before we moved, I signed up to go on this retreat with my old church and the youth group kids. We’re going to Wisconsin, then Minnesota, and then Kansas, and then back home. I’ll be gone for almost two weeks,” I finished, bracing myself for him to be upset, or angry, or anything. 

“Oh, I see. Well, that sounds like fun,” Jared said slowly. I guessed that he was trying to figure out my emotions. I’m sure I had a distraught type of look on my face. “When are you leaving, exactly?”

“Monday morning. Eight o’clock, from what Pastor David said,” I answered. I was still prepared for him to become angry or upset at any moment.

“Well, you’ll be able to go to the Watermelon Festival this weekend with me then, at least,” he said, seeming a little relieved.

“What’s that?” I asked. I’d heard a little about it, but not much. And I definitely hadn’t ever been.

“Oh, it’s just this little fair thing the town puts together. They have rides, and games, and concession stands and stuff. It’s not a big deal, really, but it’s something to do. It starts Friday, and goes through Sunday evening. Would you want to go with me? Say, Saturday evening or something?”