Read Online Wrecked (Stories of Serendipity #8): #8 by Anne Conley - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Anne Conley
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she might call him again for another night of bliss before he left. But now she had no idea what to say to him.
Honestly, she didn’t know anything about the man. Was that his normal operation? To pick up women at bars and take them home? He wasn’t in his twenties, so it was hard to say. She didn’t really know many men who did that at her age. But then again, she didn’t really know many men period. Les was all she knew, and he was always in love with someone, it seemed. Right now, it was her, but she knew that was some infatuation, and he’d get over it. Was Jason the same way? He certainly wouldn’t want to be saddled with a baby from a one-night-stand. He wouldn’t move back to Serendipity from Houston to take care of it. And she didn’t want to marry him. Great sex does not a marriage make.
To avoid the entire issue, Renae made a date with her friend Jessie to go out to her farm and learn how to make cheese. It was sort of a birthday present to herself and something she thought she could do alone. Renae had always loved cooking and creating things in the kitchen. If she knew how to make her own cheese, it would give her something to do while she was alone now that Kelly was gone. Not that she had to worry about it too much longer. She wouldn’t be alone anymore.
Later that day in Jessie’s farm kitchen, Renae’s thoughts were wandering back to when Kelly was a baby. The sleepless nights, the diaper changes, the midnight feedings, teething, colic… Of course, she had Cody around for most of that, but he’d never really gotten out of bed to help her, so essentially she’d done it alone. The nighttime stuff anyways. Cody hadn’t died until Kelly was nearly out of diapers. So this time wouldn’t be all that different. Would it? She’d done it once. She could do it again.
But this was so not how she’d imagined her life would go. She was in her mid-forties for crying out loud. Already, the morning sickness had started. It wasn’t bad, just a general nausea in the morning which generally went away after a granola bar. But how would she feel with an extra forty pounds on her relatively small frame? She wasn’t as physically fit as she had been when she was twenty.
“You’re letting the milk get too hot, Renae. Are you paying attention?” Jessie’s voice interrupted her.
Jessie wasn’t living at the farm anymore. She came out twice a day to milk her goats and tend her gardens but she lived in town with her husband Connor and she’d just had a baby herself. Maybe she should ask Jessie how she did it. She was thirty-eight. Was it incredibly hard for her?
“Sorry. I was gathering wool.” Renae grabbed the hot pads and pulled the pot off the heat. Putting the thermometer back in, she saw it was right at the perfect temperature.
“Okay, Grandma.” Jessie handed her the lemon juice, and Renae added it to the goat’s milk. “Isn’t your birthday next week? Do you have plans?”
Renae swallowed. She’d hoped this wouldn’t come up. She didn’t really feel like celebrating this year.
“It’s today, actually.” She managed a shrug.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me? I would have remembered to get a damned present at least!” She towered over Renae, with her hand on her hip and a twinkle in her eye. Jessie was pissed, but she’d get over it.
Another shrug. “I don’t know. It’s forty-five, you know? I don’t really want a big deal made. This is my present to myself, a day with a friend learning how to make cheese.” Desperate to change the subject, she asked, “How’s Emma? Is she sleeping well?” It seemed as if all her friends had babies these days. She wouldn’t be alone in her endeavors this time. Was there something in the water?
“I guess. Connor’s the self-proclaimed night nanny. You know, he takes his responsibilities as a dad very seriously and pretty much does anything I ask. He’s amazing, really.” Jessie’s voice had taken on an uncharacteristic swoony
Honestly, she didn’t know anything about the man. Was that his normal operation? To pick up women at bars and take them home? He wasn’t in his twenties, so it was hard to say. She didn’t really know many men who did that at her age. But then again, she didn’t really know many men period. Les was all she knew, and he was always in love with someone, it seemed. Right now, it was her, but she knew that was some infatuation, and he’d get over it. Was Jason the same way? He certainly wouldn’t want to be saddled with a baby from a one-night-stand. He wouldn’t move back to Serendipity from Houston to take care of it. And she didn’t want to marry him. Great sex does not a marriage make.
To avoid the entire issue, Renae made a date with her friend Jessie to go out to her farm and learn how to make cheese. It was sort of a birthday present to herself and something she thought she could do alone. Renae had always loved cooking and creating things in the kitchen. If she knew how to make her own cheese, it would give her something to do while she was alone now that Kelly was gone. Not that she had to worry about it too much longer. She wouldn’t be alone anymore.
Later that day in Jessie’s farm kitchen, Renae’s thoughts were wandering back to when Kelly was a baby. The sleepless nights, the diaper changes, the midnight feedings, teething, colic… Of course, she had Cody around for most of that, but he’d never really gotten out of bed to help her, so essentially she’d done it alone. The nighttime stuff anyways. Cody hadn’t died until Kelly was nearly out of diapers. So this time wouldn’t be all that different. Would it? She’d done it once. She could do it again.
But this was so not how she’d imagined her life would go. She was in her mid-forties for crying out loud. Already, the morning sickness had started. It wasn’t bad, just a general nausea in the morning which generally went away after a granola bar. But how would she feel with an extra forty pounds on her relatively small frame? She wasn’t as physically fit as she had been when she was twenty.
“You’re letting the milk get too hot, Renae. Are you paying attention?” Jessie’s voice interrupted her.
Jessie wasn’t living at the farm anymore. She came out twice a day to milk her goats and tend her gardens but she lived in town with her husband Connor and she’d just had a baby herself. Maybe she should ask Jessie how she did it. She was thirty-eight. Was it incredibly hard for her?
“Sorry. I was gathering wool.” Renae grabbed the hot pads and pulled the pot off the heat. Putting the thermometer back in, she saw it was right at the perfect temperature.
“Okay, Grandma.” Jessie handed her the lemon juice, and Renae added it to the goat’s milk. “Isn’t your birthday next week? Do you have plans?”
Renae swallowed. She’d hoped this wouldn’t come up. She didn’t really feel like celebrating this year.
“It’s today, actually.” She managed a shrug.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me? I would have remembered to get a damned present at least!” She towered over Renae, with her hand on her hip and a twinkle in her eye. Jessie was pissed, but she’d get over it.
Another shrug. “I don’t know. It’s forty-five, you know? I don’t really want a big deal made. This is my present to myself, a day with a friend learning how to make cheese.” Desperate to change the subject, she asked, “How’s Emma? Is she sleeping well?” It seemed as if all her friends had babies these days. She wouldn’t be alone in her endeavors this time. Was there something in the water?
“I guess. Connor’s the self-proclaimed night nanny. You know, he takes his responsibilities as a dad very seriously and pretty much does anything I ask. He’s amazing, really.” Jessie’s voice had taken on an uncharacteristic swoony
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