How Sweet It Is - Alice J. Wisler [73]
“I do.” I bought it three years ago after I realized I needed something to replace the pink threadbare one of my childhood— Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The last time I used it I was at my apartment, preparing to leave Atlanta and venture to this unknown land. I breathe in and wonder what Yolanda is up to today. I could go for a succulent fried banana.
Jonas observes a large brown bag filled with groceries.
“Marshmallows?”
“I went shopping for the trip and got eight bags. I hope those are enough.”
“Eight bags should be good.” He tugs at his bandana. The Sharpie he sometimes keeps secured in the folds of the material falls onto the floor. “Eight bags is too much!” he cries as he bends down to retrieve his pen.
I laugh. “Well, at least we won’t run out.”
He continues to toss out the questions. “Flashlight? Pillow? Earplugs?”
“Do you want to join us, Jonas?”
He grins as he sticks his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “No, no. Need a soft bed to sleep on. Doctor’s orders. Rest and relaxation.”
“Rest and relaxation, huh?”
“Yes.” He eyes me. “Is that funny?”
“No, I am sure it’s what you need.” I hope to get some upon returning from this camping trip. I doubt I’ll be able to get comfortable enough in a tent with others to get anything remotely close to sleep. Perhaps earplugs would be helpful.
“ ‘Take it eeee asy,’ ” Jonas starts to sing. “ ‘Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.’ ” When he finishes he breaks out with, “ ‘You better let somebody love you before it’s too late.’ ”
Only a few notes are off-key. He wants me to join him, but I shake my head. I don’t even sing in church. But I can appreciate how others have voices that stay on pitch.
Jonas belts out a few more lines, and I clap for him. He bows, bumps into the chair, and shakes his head. “I drop my pen. I trip. I am one clumsy dude.”
And charming and endearing.
“Deirdre, what do you think of my brother?”
“Everyone thinks Zack is great,” I say, an automatic reflex.
“ ‘You better let somebody love you.’ ”
I feel discomfort settling around me. I know where this is headed.
Jonas wastes no time in expressing his feelings. “You and my brother need to get married.”
“Whoa, Jonas! I don’t think we are ready for that.” Zack hugged Rhonda in the kitchen. I don’t tell this to Jonas though.
I don’t want to burst his bubble. He loves his brother, and he sees something good in me.
“Well, you can go out on a date first, I guess.” Then he sings another line from one of his favorite Eagles songs. “ ‘We may lose and we may win.’ ”
I am not ready to lose again. With certainty in my voice, I say, “If he asks.”
“You can ask.”
No, no, Jonas. I don’t chase guys. I protect my heart.
“You can invite him here for some soup.”
“Dinner here?” I think the fall off the church roof has done something to Jonas’s brain.
He notes my surprised reaction and says, “Or just the oil soup.”
“I don’t know…”
“He likes cake. Make cake for dessert.”
“What kind?”
“The soft one.”
Soft one? He must mean the velvet butter. “Velvet?”
“Make sure the soup is hot. You can taste the flavors. Taste all the flavors.” He gives me a wink. “Even the oil you thought the soup doesn’t have.”
I’ve never been one to try to find the way to a man’s heart by satisfying his stomach. Even though I am a chef, it seems too juvenile for me.
“And make sure you have music,” says Jonas.
“The Eagles?”
Jonas grins. “You got the picture.”
I know I shouldn’t but I say, “Jonas, I think your brother is interested in someone else.”
His reply is quick. “Rhonda? No, no.” He waves his hands in front of him as if to remove any such notion. “They went out to talk things over. Zack is like that. Zack cares about everyone.”
I know. Everybody knows that.
“ ‘Desperado,’ ” sings Jonas as he heads outside to check some pipes underneath the cabin, “ ‘why don’t you