Josephine by Beverly Jenkins Page B

boy, when Jere whacked the hive with that stick and those angry bees came pouring out loaded for bear, I never ran so fast in my life.”
    “I thought you all were going to get stung to death and die, and I was going to be tied to the tree forever.”
    “But we came back for you.”
    “Yes, only to take me down to the creek and rub my skin raw trying to remove the honey.”
    “You were screaming bloody murder, too.”
    “I wanted to shoot the three of you.”
    “How old were you?”
    “Six.”
    “And we begged and pleaded with you not to tell.”
    She chuckled. “Dani promised me all of the money from his newspaper deliveries.”
    Adam laughed. “He wanted you to say you’d accidentally fallen into the honeycomb barrel at my parents’ store.”
    “As if Mama would have believed such a tale. But he promised me ice cream, trips to the circus, anything my heart desired as long as I didn’t tell the truth.”
    “All of which you turned down.”
    “Of course. I was six, not stupid. I knew the three of you were going to be in so much trouble that not even the angel Gabriel could save you, so the minute we turned up the walk, I started screaming like I’d been run over by a train.”
    He began to laugh. “Your mother took one look at you all wet and sticky and crying and I knew she was going to fry us until we burned. In a way, we were real glad your papa was home.”
    “Why?”
    “We knew that after he punished us, we’d still be alive. We weren’t so sure about your mother.”
    Jo laughed. “Mama is something, isn’t she?”
    “Mrs. B. is one of a kind.”
    “I want to grow up and be just like her.”
    “Heaven help us. I don’t know if the world is ready.”
    “Well it won’t have to be for a while. I have a lot more living and learning to do before I can equal my mother, but that’s my goal.”
    “Not a bad goal. Bad news for your husband, but not a bad goal for you.”
    “Hey, what are you saying about my mama?”
    He laughed. “I mean it in a good way. A man who marries you will have to have patience, a strong mind and an even stronger wit. Your father does pretty well with your mother because he has all those things.”
    “And he loves Mama more than anything.”
    “Yes, he does. The man you marry will probably love you that way, too.”
    Their eyes met for a moment, and Jo asked, “You think so?”
    He nodded. “I know so.” He then added softly, “You’re a beautiful, headstrong woman, Josephine Best. Don’t settle for less. You hear?”
    She nodded. “I hear.”
    “Good. Now, back to these checkers. I owe you a whipping, I believe.”
    Jo laughed and rolled her eyes. “Let me feel your forehead. Your fever must have returned.”
    He grinned. “Pest.”
    She grinned right back.

nine
    When Jo awakened in her bed on Friday morning, the first thing she thought about was how much she’d enjoyed Adam’s company the past few evenings; they’d played checkers, done more reminiscing and, all in all, had a good time. He hadn’t flirted once, and she hadn’t succumbed to his charm. The second thing she thought about was how much she missed Trudy. They hadn’t spoken since last Sunday’s spat, and even though Jo was convinced Trudy’s brain had lost a wheel, they were still best friends—no matter what. Jo decided that after work she’d drive over and see Trudy.
    As Jo headed over to her shop, she was surprised to see a hack pull up and her mother step out. Jo’s face split into a grin. She watched her mother pay the driver, and after he drove off, Jo hurried over to help carry the small cache of luggage to the house. “What are you doing back so early?”
    “The festivities were canceled.”
    “Why?”
    “They had a contested election, or some such nonsense. It seems the last elected president of the society refuses to relinquish her position, and so after listening to them argue and fuss for the past few days, Vera and I decided to pack our bags and come home. How are you,