Chapter 1
Chapter One.
“It wouldn’t kill you to go out with the man once” Renny argued with her mother in the next spa chair “He could be really nice”
“I’m not interested Renny, especially in Spiros” and then added “He isn’t my type - I don't have one, but he’s definitely not it” her Southern accent coming out as she raised her argument “Why don’t you worry about getting yourself a man before you worry ’bout me”
She sat back and huffed, as her technician was finally able to pumice her heels.
“Davis was the one who had said something anyway” Renny decided to divert the conversation from her love life quick, throwing her best friend under the bus
“Should have known” She scoffed.
Davis was their friend, and neighbor. He took it upon himself to always keep an eye on the mother daughter team, even though he was younger than them both. He had come across the matchmaking idea while having his hair cut by Spiros’s son, who had looked back at his dad, nice blue eyes, a thick black moustache, thinning dyes black hairline and all that gold, telling Davis he needed his dad to get a girlfriend and get out of his life...
Davis must really have been backed in to a corner to call this favor in, Renny thought
“Yep. George told him that his dad had finished mourning and was ready to date”
“Ugh” Carole grimaced “Sounds awful”
Renny tried, at least he could say that honestly, and, she’d probably have to shoot Davis a warning text. “You’re right” she gave in, her feet placed back in the warm water with the jets, and the chair began to massage her back, shoulders and neck “So that’s a no, got it”. And just because it was funny seeing her mother all worked up, sometimes, she thought she would poke just a little. “Unless I see something that tells me otherwise” She shrugged, the glanced barely sideways at her mom, who was now sitting forward.
Carole’s chair vibrated under her which made her words wobble but she directly spoke to her as controlled as she could
“Renny, I do not care what you see with that third eye of yours or if all the guardian angels in the world tell you he is my one and only true love forever and ever… I will not be going out with that bushy eye-browed barber. No matter how ready he is to date! If he were the last man...”
“Ok! Ok” Renny called it off, for the pedicurists sake.
Carole shuddered, sitting herself back into the chair, the patient technician now able to set her feet back in the water. “Now, do we need anything else for tonight?” Her vibrating stopped, followed by the roller mode, up and down her spine which in turn made her ample bosom began to rise to her chin and fall
“You’re really making that dip? Grandma’s secret recipe dip?”
“Yes, but it’s mine too now, my barbeque sauce remember”
“Sure. Although it’s supposed to be family recipe”
“Oh Shh, grandma wouldn’t mind, it’s for the glory”
“She does mind by the way” Renny gave a knowing look “Still think you can beat Mave’s? She is famous for her herb concoctions, some of them have been surprising. Remember when she added peppers and lime to the ice cream? She’s good”
“Of course I can” she threw her hand “She thinks anything with cheese and grass makes taste” Her baking competition days, constant blue ribbon winner at the Georgia fair was at stake. They had both won their way up to this final dish, with her and Mave the final two. “I bet she probably thinks she’s got this one in the bag, but I have my BBQ sauce, and a few other tricks up my sleeve, my bowl will empty before hers does” She nodded “Mark my words” She closed her eyes, and tried to look as cool and relaxed as a cucumber in a day spa.
“You almost lost out to Dixie, you won by a spoonful”
“A win is a win” she said down her nose “After this lets go down to the farmers market, it just started back up, we could get some cheese and nuts and organic who ha. Maybe some wine, seen as though you ruined our Saturday afternoon off”
“We take every Saturday afternoon off”
“Yes. For things like this because we earned it, our cafe can really take it out of you” she sighed, having her feet massaged
With pale pink toes in flip flops renny strolled the market holding an organic iced coffee, which tasted organic, and probably sugar free. Carole refused the strangely brown iced drink, and judging by Rennys pinched face every time she sipped, she made a good choice. Carole’s heels clicked beside her through the busy farmers market, the Saturday crowds were abound. Vendors and buyers, stalls, blankets on the ground or tents selling wares, mostly organic from leather bracelets to home grown Bok Choy. There were fruits and Vegetables all locally grown being sold by hobby farmers, abundant in the summer and grain fed dairy products and eggs, fresh flowers and buskers.
Renny sipped the iced coffee through the straw, grimaced “Over there, cheese” She gestured with her chin, sucking in some ‘cream’ that had dripped down her lip, her messy wavy hair now up n a bun from the heat doubled as safety from the sticky mess.
Carole looked at her improper daughter, with a very slightly curled lip. She had been brought up with good old values and charm. She had done her best to give her only daughter as much knowledge and history as she could, showing her southern pride through trinkets, photos, stories and quilts. Teaching her etiquette and manners, respect for elders and poise… which worked until she was exactly 13 and her breasts blossomed, her waist got smaller, her hips got wider and the boys got hungrier. She soon forgot her poise and preferred jeans and flip flops to dresses. For a while in her early twenties she got her well dressed more polished look back, but with it came with a higher price, a different person. She was so much prettier, this way.
Carole held her heritage high and proud. She dressed very well, always flattering and age appropriate yet a little spunk thrown over in the way of costume jewelry and accessories, heels hairspray and never without her cherry red lipstick.
Her hair was a platinum blonde bob with a swish of bangs crossing her forehead and one side of her face, the back teased up a little higher for volume. Now she was in her sixties she had to add a little tweak a little more these days, but she always pulled out a very stylish and classy ensemble.
The cheese tent boasted a printed sign “Gruff’s Cheese”, with a winking goat on it. It was a relief to step out of the sun in to the tent.
Inside was a woman drinking a smoothie boasting the same logo as Renny’s “Hey” She held up her green juice ”Good stuff huh” She smiled, her teeth bright white “Can I help you ladies with anything?”
“I’m making a dip, buffalo chicken and..”
“Say no more” The girl interrupted, as though she knew exactly what do do, evaluating the situation in seconds “you need to replace one third of the cheese you’re going to use with a third of this” She pointed to a Bleu Cheese
“Oh no, It has to be..”
“Ma’am, I promise you, if you add this your guests will be wondering what on earth made it so creamy, so smooth with a zing they won’t be able to explain” The woman’s eyes were round, so sure she knew what she was talking about “If I’m wrong about this it’s on me”
Renny had never seen her mother taken over in conversation before, and watched, giving up on the so-called coffee.
“Really? Well, I guess I could make two batches, one of each” she pondered, and then looked at the girl “Ok, i’ll try it” She eyed the young woman in friendly combat
“You’ll see” she measured out half a pound “I trust you have the right BBQ sauce” She looked over seriously at Carole
“Of course, my secret family recipe” She said with study “Where are you from?”. The right barbeque sauce was a southern secret, she suspected a relative may have come from somewhere down there
“Here, but our - me and my brother’s - grandparents are from Georgia so we are well aware of the importance of a good bake off”
“Brother?” Carole asked, always on the lookout to set her daughter up, especially a boy with southern roots, while Renny’s ears pricked, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. The tingle had turned into a feeling that she should pay attention. She swept over the tent while her mother and the girl spoke.
The table was filled with brochures and samples, some posters showing pictures of the farm, the goats and the green fields, the cheeses cellar and a picture of her and who must have been her brother on either side of a goat with a big blue ribbon around its neck. They were crouched with the goat, and behind them was a view of the entire farm, 3 large steel sheds, a barn, white picket fenced fields, a pond and house in the distance, with blue skies hanging over the entire farm. They looked very alike, the same blue eyes with dark lashes, same large blonde curls, hers now held back with a scarf, but his in the picture shaggy mop like hair, sat around his face like a surfer.
“He’s around. He’s in and out, always busy with something. It’s his talent, this farm. He learned from my grandmother actually, she had done the same thing in the early years, often a blue ribbon winner at the State fair for her Brie” She winked
“Blue ribbon?” Carole perked “I am a blue ribbon winner myself” she proudly announced “So you and your brother run this whole thing?”
“Brody, for now yes. I want to open the farm and have a restaurant there, eventually but for now he is the cheese maker” She indicated the very poster Renny was still looking at“I’m more the sales side, but I also experiment with the cheese, make all kinds of amazing things.” She smiled a bright smile “I’m a good talker I guess, and I love to cook” she wrapped the cheeses and placed them in a paper bag.
Renny handed over a credit card
“Well, I can’t wait to see if your suggestion is a winner. Thank you dear, it was lovely talking to you. I’ll see you tomorrow then if I either need my refund, or to buy more cheese” She gave a sassy smile
The girl laughed “I’m Melody, it was nice talking to you”
Renny smiled, and had the notion she would be seeing more of Melody, one of her ‘gut feelings’.
