Laughing, Lena clutched it to her chest. “I hadn’t figured you for an Eve, but you keep surprising me.” She winked and put it carefully into her almost full bucket. “Come on, we need some of those pears over there before we can fight the blackberries.”
Fight? That sounded exactly like what she needed to get her mind off her sudden attraction.
Lena placed the last two pears into her bucket. Full again. She carried it to the next tree, where Jess had wandered in search of fruit that was easier to reach.
It was safer to work on separate trees after what had happened earlier.
At the memory of the tumble in the grass, her cheeks heated. Jess’s steady arm had held her while they went down, and the soft curves of her body had cushioned the fall. Even if Jess appeared soft on the outside, she had emanated a strength that Lena enjoyed a little too much.
She had to step back to clear her head. This way led only to heartache.
Jess had stopped picking pears. She raised her arms over her head and twisted her upper body from right to left as if she wanted to remove some kinks.
The way her shirt stretched over her front didn’t help Lena’s good intentions, and she diverted her gaze to the buckets full of pears and apples. “I think we have enough. I’ll carry these to the car, and we can have a snack before we tackle the blackberries.”
“Snack? That’s a great idea. And I need to drink something too. Is there somewhere we can…you know…get rid of our drinks later?” Jess’s head hung down, and she looked anywhere but at Lena.
Lena wrinkled her brow. What did she mean? Oh! “There’s an old outhouse that’s still fairly okay. But I usually just wait until I’m back home.”
“That’s what I would have done last year. But these fucking meds don’t allow me the luxury anymore. I feel like an old woman, always on the lookout for the next bathroom.” Jess grimaced.
Now that she knew her a little better, Lena recognized the embarrassment in Jess’s voice, even though the tone was snarky. “I guess that’s annoying. At least they help, right?”
“Yeah.” Jess sighed. “I guess they do. Last month I wouldn’t have been any help out here. Carrying a couple of apples would have been too hard, never mind a bucket full.” She hefted her bucket and stalked toward the car.
Lena pointed out the location of the outhouse, and Jess handed over her bucket and took a detour. She returned after Lena had stowed the apples in the trunk.
Lena fetched the cooler from the back. “Could you grab the blanket? We can have a picnic.”
“Great idea. How far is the river you mentioned?” Jess rinsed her hands with disinfectant, then picked up the large woolen blanket with one arm and closed the car with the other.
“At least a thirty-minute walk downhill. Uphill takes even longer.” Lena tried to keep the question from her voice. Would Jess be able to make it?
Jess sighed. “Too far for me.”
“I know a closer place where we’ll have a great view of the water.” Lena led them back to the orchard. “You said your medication was working but did your heart improve? You look much better than a few weeks ago.”
“Thanks.” Jess snorted. “Better doesn’t mean good.”
“Sorry, I didn’t want to imply you didn’t look good.” Lena winked. “Who knew that you were so vain?”
“Touché.” Jess laughed. “Do you want to picnic at the apple trees?”
“No, over here.” The apple trees reminded her too much of Jess’s soft curves under her and Jess’s scent all around her. No, the other side of the orchard was much safer.
They reached a part where huge cherry trees bordered on what used to be a meadow that swept downhill until it reached the river. Lena sat in the shade of an older tree that barely produced anymore. She placed the cooler next to her but didn’t unpack it. Her concern for Jess tied her stomach into knots. “Are you worried?”
“Worried?” Jess looked at anything but her.
Lena waited. She wouldn’t dig if Jess didn’t want to talk.
With a sigh, Jess pulled one knee up to her chest and hugged it with both arms. “Yeah. Of so many things.”
“Tell me?” Lena shifted to sit cross-legged. One knee brushed against Jess’s leg, and the warmth was comforting. Hopefully for Jess too.
“If my heart hasn’t improved, I know all the terrible things that can happen. And not just theoretically, from a book or the internet, I’ve seen them at work more times than I can count.” Jess ran one hand through her hair. “I want to stay strong and positive for Ella, for Mom, but it’s hard. I tried but can’t shut off my inner doctor.”
“You don’t need to be strong now.” Lena’s instinct was to hug her, but she wasn’t sure it would be welcome.
“Yeah, I do. I’m afraid if I just give in a little, all that anxiety and anger will burst out, and I’ll lose control.” Jess stared down at the river for a few minutes. “My world collapsed a couple of months ago, and I have no idea if I’m strong enough to rebuild it.”
“I think you are. And you have your mom to support you.” Lena swallowed. “And me.” A couple of weeks ago she wouldn’t have said it, but she did mean it.
“Thank you. Could we talk about something else?” Jess let go of her knee and stretched her leg out.
It came to rest next to Lena’s leg. She didn’t retreat, because that’s what friends did, right? Sitting with their legs touching. “Of course. What are you thinking of?”
“Food.” Jess pointed at the cooler and grinned. “You promised to feed me.”
Lena accepted the change of topic and unpacked the cooler. She took out two refillable water bottles and the snacks. She unwrapped the beeswax papers. “What sandwich would you like? I have Swiss
