The Marvels of Prairie Creek

Chapter Twenty

"My job was going great," Jane said, climbing the ladder in the first floor bedroom. "I'd even gotten a promotion. Then the banking crisis hit and I got laid off. And no one was hiring. I ended up taking whatever I could get to pay the bills. But I thought I'd finally picked the right guy." She shot a glance at Prett, repositioning his ladder next to the window, sans one pink panel. "Brandon Sellaire. We were going to get married. Or so I thought. He wanted to finish his residency first. So I waited."

 Jane sighed. "And waited. We lived together three years. I expected him to propose last Christmas, but he gave me Louis Vuitton suitcases instead. Then I got drunk at his parents' New Year's Eve party and told off his mom and sister." She smirked. "I'm not sorry about that now. Pretentious witches. They never liked me anyway."

She filled her roller. "That's when he told me it was over. Wanted me to move out. So I did." She let out another long sigh. "He'd been having an affair anyway. Still, I pathetically hoped we'd get back together. I thought life with him was better than being alone. But he married her three weeks ago. That's when I decided to leave. It didn't matter where." She gestured her roller at Prett. "The rest you know."

"Stranded at Country Skillet."

"Yeah. I wonder where I'd be now if my transmission hadn't died and I hadn't lost my money. I wouldn't be here painting your walls, that's for sure." And I think I like painting these walls. "Say..." Jane stopped to look at Prett. "Cadence said you usually give people money or put them up in a hotel. Not this hotel. A real hotel. How come you didn't do that with me? Give me money and send me on my way?"

"You were asking for a job. I had one available."

"That's it?"

"And you looked pitiful."

"Thanks a lot!"

"And no one should be alone on Christmas."

"There is that."

"And I figured my brothers would bail on me. Delivering gifts by myself was too lonely a prospect."

"So you just wanted company?"

"For the night." He quickly added, "That came out wrong."

Jane chuckled. "Don't worry. You've been a gentleman." She stretched to roll primer on the ceiling. "In fact, I'm thinking you guys have the right idea. Don't date. If I'd done that, I wouldn't have wasted so much time on the wrong men. Though I'd still like to be married someday. And have kids. Except I think I've always liked the concept of having kids more than actually having them. I mean, I never babysat. Haven't been around kids much. You're good with them, though. Why's that?"

Prett shrugged. "You learn."

"How old are you?"

"Thirty-eight."

"And your brothers are thirty-four?"

"Yeah."

"And their birthdays are only three months apart?"

"Yeah."

"I can see you're dying of curiosity to know my age." She looked at his impassive expression. "I'm twenty-nine." She added in a mutter, "But not for long." She sighed again. "I always thought I'd be married by thirty. Obviously that's not going to happen. What about you guys? Ever want to get married?"

"I was once."

Jane dropped her roller onto the tray. "You were married?!"

"Yeah. So was Val."