The Lure of White Oak Lake (4 page)

Augusta Wyatt was the most influential woman in White Oak Lake at that time, and no one wanted to cross her. Eventually, everyone took Jaclyn’s sexuality in stride. The teasing was good-natured—“Hey, Jac, pick one with a little husband next time” or “Try the cornfields like the teenagers do.” Jaclyn bore it well, her parents not so much. Pillars of the community and servants in their church, they found no amusement in the jokes. Jaclyn often wondered if that was the reason her folks took to the road as soon as her father retired from the bank. Jaclyn’s sexuality was like the proverbial elephant in the room that no one talked about when the family was together. Jaclyn’s mother, Liz, had stopped asking her when she was going to get married and pointing out that Maddie had a husband and children. Gayle was never brought up. She too was a black sheep in the Wyatt clan. But her sins were lesser in the eyes of the elder Wyatts than Jaclyn’s, and that stirred an old resentment that Jaclyn carried for her younger sister Gayle and her parents.

~~~

“Jumping junipers, the welcome wagon has arrived,” Jaclyn said under her breath as she watched the commotion surrounding Morgan’s house. There was sawing and pruning, and Clarke flew by with a wave on his tractor. Morgan stood on the porch at a table made of sawhorses and an old door and scooped ice into glasses, flanked by Betsy Schaffer and Ida Pochet. No doubt both were extracting every piece of information from the newcomer as they could.

As Jaclyn regarded Morgan, she was forced to agree with Chet’s assessment. Morgan didn’t fit into the typical feminine mold. She carried a wallet in the back pocket of her jean cutoffs, instead of a purse, and looked comfortable in the work boots she was wearing. The gray tank top she wore showed off her arms and shoulders, which in Jaclyn’s opinion were way too thin, but she did see muscle tone. Had Morgan been wearing a shirt with a collar, her wavy dark hair would’ve just touched it.

If Chet suspected Morgan was gay, then no doubt the others did, too. If Morgan was single, the hens would find out, then Jaclyn’s problems would begin. Most everyone in White Oak Lake aside from her parents’ religious contingent wanted to see Jaclyn paired up with someone who would make her happy.

“There you are,” Betsy said when she noticed Jaclyn. “We were just telling Morgan all about you.”

“Oh, and I just thought my ears were burning because I’d gotten too much sun on the walk over here.” Jaclyn stepped up on the porch. “Morgan, it’s probably best if you don’t believe everything you hear.” Jaclyn kissed Betsy on the cheek and gave Ida a hug.

“It’s all nice,” Betsy said a bit too cheerily for Jaclyn’s liking.

“Hey again.” Morgan handed Jaclyn a glass of tea.

“You learn fast,” Jaclyn said after she’d taken a swallow. “Real glass, too. That’s a special added touch.”

“We’re running low on plastic cups,” Ida said in her brash tone as she entered the conversation. “I have more at the house. Betsy, you come on and help me carry them.”

Jaclyn watched the two hens strut away, Betsy in her navy polka dot capris with a white billowy top and Ida wearing her husband’s shirt and jeans that were too long and dragged the ground behind the heel of her boot. Their heads bobbed up and down just like chickens pecking at the dirt as they walked, and they were probably clucking away about Morgan as they went.

“Hey, Mom,” Austin called out as he passed with an armload of sticks.

“Hey, bud.” Jaclyn regarded him with a smile as he tossed the debris into a cart. “It’s a good thing you caught these guys today,” she said as she turned back to Morgan. “On weekdays, this place is a ghost town. Everyone leaves for work, and the kids are in school.”

“I didn’t mean to catch them, but, oh my God, I’m so glad I did. The backyard doesn’t look like a jungle anymore.” Morgan held her glass to the side of her sweating face. “I figured it would be a long time before this place looked like someone actually lived here.”

“There’s no mistaking that now, especially with all the lights you had on last night.” Jaclyn pointed at a floodlight on the corner of the porch. “They’re still on.”

Morgan pursed her lips as her face colored. “Be right back.” She opened the front door and reached in to flip the switch. “I’ve been in the city for a long time. I’m used to hearing horns and motor noise, but last night, it was too quiet.”

“Okay,” Jaclyn said slowly.

“I was able to hear other noises, animal sounds. I hoped the light might make them go away.”

“Ah,” Jaclyn said with a nod. “I imagine there’s quite a few that have taken up residence here since it’s been so quiet. I have a raccoon that sits on top of my grill and looks inside all the time.”

“Yesterday was cool, but it’s hot as hell today.” Morgan watched Clarke go by on the tractor. He’d traded the bush hog for a cart that was filled high with brush. “Harlan says they’re gonna make a bonfire out of the trees and limbs. I hope they wait until January.”

“Humidity’s up.” Jaclyn looked up at the sky. “We might get rain tomorrow, maybe tonight. Is your roof good?”

“I think so. I didn’t see any stains on the ceilings.” Morgan looked down at the covered dish. “That’s Betsy’s chicken salad. I could make you a sandwich if you’d like.”

“I’ve already eaten, but thanks,” Jaclyn said as she scooped up the bowl. “She uses mayonnaise, so you should probably put it in your fridge and what’s left of the ice in the freezer.”

Morgan grabbed the bowl with the bag of ice sitting in it and opened the door for Jaclyn. “Have you lived here all your life?”

“Yep, there’s no place I’d rather be. I like to visit New Orleans, but a weekend in the city is all I need to convince me that I’m a country girl at heart.” She handed the chicken salad to Morgan when she opened the fridge and walked over to the windows facing the backyard. “You’re gonna need to seal your deck again soon. My sister and brother-in-law own the hardware store. Maddie will probably give you a good deal on sealant, and Austin will put it on for you if you keep him fed. He works for snacks.”

“My brother used to eat everything he could get his hands on like he was starving to death. I could get him to do almost anything with the right bait.” Morgan pointed to a photo pinned to the fridge with a magnet. “That’s him and his wife, Tonya.”

“You don’t look anything alike,” Jaclyn said as she looked at it.

“Dad used to say Brad was a carbon copy of my mom. She had the reddish hair and green eyes.” Morgan’s eyes widened as a black cat strolled into her kitchen, plopped down, and started bathing itself.

“Aw, is it yours?” Jaclyn asked as she knelt to pet it.

“I’ve never seen it before. I must’ve left the front door open.”

“I bet it belongs to Clarice across the street, she has a few.” Jaclyn picked the cat up and scratched it under its chin. 

Morgan smiled as she stroked the silky black fur. “He reminds me of a cat I had when I was a kid.”

“You should get one or two, they’ll help with unwanted guests. Clarice’s cats are probably the reason your place hasn’t been overrun by rodents.” The cat began to purr loudly as Jaclyn scratched along its jaw. “Now that they’re disturbing the brush outside, things will look for a new home if you get my drift.”

“I haven’t had a pet in ages because I was never home long enough to care for one. I don’t plan to be here long, either, so it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to get one now.”

“Put out some food, and Clarice’s cats will come by and chase off the mice. That way, you don’t have to make a commitment,” Jaclyn said as the cat began to squirm and she walked over to the door. The cat leapt out of her arms and landed on the porch with a solid thump. “I need to get back home. This is my first day off in weeks, and I have a mountain of dirty laundry to do.” She smiled. “If you need more tea or anything else, just send Austin down to get it.”

“It was very nice meeting you.” Morgan put out her hand. “Thank you for the tea and the hospitality.”

“My pleasure,” Jaclyn said as she shook it.

Morgan watched Jaclyn walk down the steps and kiss Austin on the cheek as she went. Betsy and Ida had returned and paid Jaclyn close attention, then looked back at Morgan with a smile. Morgan didn’t know them all that well, but she thought they looked as though they were up to something.

~~~

“What’s she like?”

Ida frowned at Clarice, who sat at her kitchen table mixing piles of herbs that she’d ground nearly to powder. “Had you come over today, you would’ve met her yourself.”

“I think they like each other. Jaclyn seemed a little nervous,” Betsy said with a wide smile. “I took that as a good sign.”

Clarice pushed her glasses higher on her nose with her middle finger. “I told you I saw it in the leaves, this is the one for Jaclyn.”

Ida rolled her eyes.

“What could it hurt to believe?” Betsy asked as she fiddled with a strand of her freshly dyed dark hair. “We drink a little tea, make a little wish. If it doesn’t work like Clarice says it will, then we’ll have just shared a cup of tea.”

“Because it’s a little stupid,” Ida said with a hand on her hip.

“The magic won’t work if you don’t believe, Ida,” Clarice said in her sing-song voice. “You have to believe in the potion and the magic.”

Clarice lit a joint and took a healthy drag from it. She held it up to Ida. “You’ll believe in magic after you smoke this.”

Ida took a seat and the joint. She inhaled deeply and blew out the smoke. “I have a feeling I’ll believe in the Easter Bunny after this.” She held it out to Betsy, who shook her head.

“I’ll drink the tea, but I’m not gonna smoke that.” She fanned at the smoke, feeling light-headed from having to breathe the haze that filled Clarice’s tiny kitchen.

Ida watched as Clarice dropped her concoction into a metal ball, then set it in a cup of steaming water to steep. “Shouldn’t we make Morgan and Jaclyn drink the tea?”

Clarice shook her head. “We have to cast the spell.” She took the joint from Ida and took another hit. “Does wonders for arthritis, Betsy, you should try it.” Clarice looked at Betsy over the top of her glasses and grinned. “For medicinal purposes, of course.”

“I’d prefer to just drink the tea. Harlan is suspicious of our gathering. He says I smell funny when I come home. I tell him it’s your homemade arthritis cream.”

Ida snorted. “This is really dumb. Aren’t we…we…” Her eyes glassed over as she stared off into space.

“It’s for Jaclyn,” Betsy argued, “can’t you just try, Ida? Pretend it will work.”

Clarice shot Betsy a look. “You can’t pretend to believe.”

“Believe what?” Ida asked blankly.

“We believe in the potion and the power of love’s magic.” Clarice nodded. “Right, Ida?”

“Oh, yeah.” Ida took another puff from the joint.

Clarice removed the ball and scooted the cup in front of Betsy, who picked it up and sniffed at it. She made a terrible face and whispered, “For Jaclyn,” before she took a sip. “Dear God,” Betsy rasped as she moved the cup in front of Ida.

Without hesitation, Ida picked up the cup and took a drink that she struggled to swallow. “Why did y’all make me drink cat piss?”

“Potion,” Clarice corrected, then lifted the cup to her own lips. When she had drained the liquid, she took Betsy’s and Ida’s hands. “We believe in the power of the potion, we believe in love, for it has come to White Oak Lane—”

“Lake,” Betsy interjected.

“Wherever we are,” Clarice said with her eyes clamped shut. “Love has come to claim our Jaclyn. May Morgan…” She opened one eye and looked at Betsy. “What’s her last name?”

“Chassion,” Betsy whispered as though she were afraid to disturb whoever was listening.

Clarice closed her eye and continued, “May Morgan Chassion be strong in body, soul, and mind. Let her heart be pure and kind. Let her face stir desire in our young sister. Let her be all these things so Jaclyn cannot resist her. So be it.”

“So be it,” Betsy and Ida repeated.

Betsy wasn’t sure what was in the potion, but she suspected catnip because Clarice was partial to using it for just about everything and extolled its healthy virtues often. Her cats were nip addicts. Betsy hid her smile behind her hand as she listened to her two best friends discuss the best herbs for the female libido.

Clarice considered herself a naturalist; she grew herbs and most of her own food. But lately, she’d decided that she was also psychic, a notion probably brought on by the herb she liked to smoke. She made predictions like Ida’s cat was going to have kittens, the price of gas was going to go up again, and Chet was going to have a bumper crop of tomatoes. Of course, all of these things were correct, but anyone with half a brain would’ve been able to predict that, as well. But Clarice had told them that someone new was coming to White Oak Lake, and Morgan most certainly had.

Betsy didn’t put any stock in ethereal powers, but their secret meetings were fun, so much better than playing bridge. And the romantic notion that they somehow could be responsible for bringing someone special into Jaclyn’s life by mixing potions was just too exciting not to toy with. Betsy was certain it was just a silly game, but some part of her did believe that well wishes of loved ones did have a magic all their own. And a little catnip didn’t hurt.

M
organ’s internal alarm clock went off at five thirty. She sat up and rubbed her eyes as her brain shouted a litany of orders. Get up, make coffee, shower, check your email… Birds chirped outside reminding her that she wasn’t in Atlanta anymore, and there was no need to rush through morning chores. Aside from grocery shopping, there was no need to do anything. She sank back down, unsure of how she felt about that. There were times she wished that she could just spend the morning leisurely sipping a cup of coffee and watch the sun come up. But there was never any time, money had to be made. And now she had plenty of time that she couldn’t relax and enjoy because her future seemed so uncertain.

She got up with a groan. She wouldn’t be enjoying a cup of coffee because she didn’t have any. Grocery shopping was the first order of business, then…who knew. Maybe she’d get around to unpacking her things, which would take all of thirty minutes.