Chapter 21

Eventually she had to tell Doug where she was taking him. The stars had aligned, she’d stumbled over a four-leaf clover on the way to work, and Jackie had been caller number ten to the radio station when the DJ announced a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Cloud Giants concert. That had been a week and a half ago.

Right now, she was cruising down the highway with Doug beside her, on the way to see her favourite band. It was shaping up to be a perfect date night. Even the weather was cooperating.

It was mid-August. Farmers were clearing crops from the fields. Large swaths of clover lay drying in the sun. Threshers slowly circled the fields, spitting out straw while the trucks following them gathered the stream of grain which had ripened over the summer. The sight officially signalled the beginning of the end of summer. Soon, the evenings would require a sweater, and then autumn would be on them in earnest.

But tonight, they had a gorgeous prairie sky, clear roads, and the Cloud Giants.

“Three hours is a long drive for a concert,” Doug said. He twisted the cap off her bottle of cola and handed it to her.

“I’ve had longer. I drove twelve hours to Minneapolis once to see Bon Jovi. Totally worth it.” Jackie sighed at the memory.

“But that was Bon Jovi.”

“Cloud Giants could end up being the Bon Jovi of our generation. We’ll be able to say we saw them when,” she argued.

“They could. It’s still a long drive.”

Doug squirmed in his seat. He’d already pushed the passenger seat back as far as it would go, and his knees were still crunched against the dashboard.

They could have taken Doug’s car, but Jackie insisted on driving because it was her date. She wouldn’t have another opportunity like this unless she won more tickets, so she was taking full advantage. Jackie made a note to stop for a stretch break once they hit Brandon.

“What was your first concert?” she asked, partly to distract him from his discomfort, and partly because she was interested.

He winced. “Fountains of Wayne.”

“Who?”

“‘Stacy’s Mom’? I was a teenager!”

She laughed so hard she cried. “You had to drive three hours to see them too.”

“No, my dad did. He was not impressed with my taste in music.”

“He didn’t think she had it going on?” she snickered under her breath.

“I’m ignoring your giggles and changing the subject. Wouldn’t it be more convenient if you were already living in the city tonight?”

“It would be,” Jackie admitted. Speaking from a strictly time-spent-on-the-highway point of view. The other half of that equation was the crush of the crowd in the arena, people crowding her on the sidewalks and in the stores. That would be an all-the-time thing. She opened the car window to get rid of the closed-in feeling.

Doug pushed the radio button. “Let’s find some cruising music.”

On the first station he hit, the strains of his high school anthem filled the air. He jabbed the power button again. “Let’s talk some more.”

Six hours later, Jackie felt completely vindicated. It had totally been worth the drive. After three hours of dancing on the concert arena floor, a three-hour drive to let their feet recover meant neither of them complained about the cramped car seats.

“Three encores,” Jackie crowed. “And an a cappella version of “Coast to Coast.” That was officially the best concert of all time.”

“Even better than Bon Jovi?”

“Bon who?” she joked.

“I have to agree. Thank you for an amazing night.” Doug lifted her hand from her lap and raised it to his lips.

She swooned inside. “You are very welcome. Thanks for coming with me.”

“Of course. A beautiful woman, an amazing band, and the single most incredible hamburger I’ve ever had in my life. Where on earth did you hear about that place?”

“Authentic Tex? My college roommate dated a guy whose friend knew the owner’s sister. It was a great place to eat on a budget. One barbecue burger and fries fed two students. The secret is that those in the know can only share it with a few friends. Too many customers, and they get overloaded and you can’t get in. Too few, and they run the risk of closing the door. Tina, my roommate, just moved to Montreal, so it was safe to tell you about it.”

Doug roared with laughter. “I’m honoured.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“I’ll be sure to hit it every time I’m in Winnipeg. It’s too bad there is no chance Hopewell could support a place like that. I’d eat there constantly.”

“No, it couldn’t, but Scarlett and Alice could add something like it to the menu.”

“Assuming that Hopewell folks want more than meatloaf, club sandwiches, grilled cheese, and chicken fingers,” Doug said. Sadly, she couldn’t argue with his observation. There was getting a leopard to change its spots and getting an existing clientele to embrace changes to a long-standing menu. Convincing the wild cat would be easier.

“Speaking of food, did you call that woman? The one with the catering company in Winnipeg?”

“I did, but I missed her. I left a message. Wendy’s assistant said she’d call me back next week.”

“Good for you. I didn’t think you’d lose that phone number. I know you’ll make the right decision.”

Jackie hadn’t forgotten about the job offer. In fact, she’d almost worn the ink off the business card. She’d told Patricia about the encounter, but aside from that, Jackie had remained silent.

Not because she was considering leaving Hopewell.

But because she wasn’t.

She wasn’t stupid. She understood the opportunity being offered. She’d have a full-time job doing something she loved. She wouldn’t have to worry about leaks contaminating her department or how many hours she’d be getting at her day job. She wouldn’t have to worry about getting bookings or budgeting for ingredients. All she’d have to do was show up and cook as part of Wendy’s award-winning team. It sounded like heaven.

But that particular heaven was three hours away from her friends, her community. Away from her life. She wouldn’t be any happier in Winnipeg. She’d already tried and failed at city living. She hated it. She’d rather work half a dozen jobs in the country and go home to an empty bank account than work one in a concrete jungle and go home to an empty life.

Besides, didn’t Hopewell deserve what she had to offer? Country people deserved nice things too. Dunn Home Cooking would never be Emerald Catering, but Jackie served a need and did it well. Things weren’t so bad. As long as the hospital didn’t cut her hours any more, she could continue on. Scarlett and Alice might want to go ahead with the cupcake deal she’d discussed with Heidi. That would give her a tremendous lift.

She’d made her decision, although she hadn’t told anyone else about it. She wasn’t certain Doug would understand. But he might. He was in Hopewell, not Winnipeg, doctoring for the community rather than for the recognition.

She’d tell everyone when it was time. People might not agree, but she had to do what was best.

For Hopewell, for Doug, and for her.