Lib Novel Page 30
As soon as he had a basic chart written out, the guys took the pen one by one, each filling in a day or two. It was a great start, but it wasn’t close to covering the full time.
Feeling inspired, Jared hopped up on a chair.
“Hey, neighbors,” he called out. “Big Jim Allen got hurt and needs a hand on his farm. If anyone’s got a little time to lend to him and his boy, come on over.”
Joe Cassidy chuckled at Jared for his antics, but a moment later Ward Sullivan stopped over to take a slot, as did two of the Garrett boys, and then Sal himself took a time and offered to put the sheet up at the check-out when Jared was done, in case anyone else wanted to sign up.
By the time the pen got back to Jared, nearly every slot was filled. And he was sure the last few spots would be before long, with Sal posting it.
“This will mean the world to Big Jim,” he told them. “You know he’d never ask.”
“We’ve all got his back,” Joe Cassidy said. “Just like he had mine last winter when I had my knee replacements. He was over more than once to lend a hand, and I won’t forget it.”
The others piped up too. It seemed that Jim Allen was as generous as any of them, even though he was alone on that small farm with his son.
Jared glanced down at Sylvester to see what the boy made of all this.
But Sly’s eyes were lit up as he watched two kids about his age darting around the store, playing a version of hide and seek that seemed to involve more running than hiding.
“Go on,” Jared told him. “You can play with them.”
Sylvester practically burst forward, and the kids waved to him to join them.
Jared watched after him, wondering if his mom would have let him run like that. She worried so much about his asthma.
But sometimes a kid has to be a kid, Jared thought to himself.
And besides, he had the inhaler tucked into the breast pocket of his flannel if anything went wrong.
“Are you falling for the mom, the kid, or both?” Ansel Williams asked him softly.
Jared turned to him, surprised.
“You know how word gets around,” Ansel said, chuckling.
“Well, now that you all know about Big Jim falling off his little ladder, maybe I’ll get some peace to figure it out,” Jared joked weakly.
“Don’t take too long,” Ansel teased. “Word’s also getting around about how pretty she is.”
Jared was shocked at the flare of jealousy that burned in his chest at that remark.
“She’s a widow,” he said automatically. “She might not be looking for anything like that.”
“Doesn’t mean she won’t find love again anyway,” Ansel said with the hint of a smile.
Jared felt like a fool, which was a common occurrence when you talked before you thought. Ansel was a widower himself, and he’d fallen madly in love last year and even gotten married again. He and his son were incredibly happy with Ansel’s new wife and stepdaughter, Winona and Parker. To see them now, you’d think the four of them had been together forever.
“Sorry, man,” Jared said, rubbing his forehead. “I’m an idiot.”
“Not at all,” Ansel said. “I’m glad you don’t just think of me as a walking tragedy.”
“Or a walking rom-com,” Jared teased. “After last year.”
“I’m just me,” Ansel said, shrugging. “And she makes me feel like myself, but maybe a slightly better version than the one that sulked around for years before she came along.”
Jared nodded in understanding.
Cora made him feel like a slightly better version of himself, too. But he was pretty sure he had no such effect on her. She was already a wonderful person.