CHAPTER 31Jessie
After Laurel moved to Northfield, Jessie rarely heard from her. Still, during their occasional phone calls, her mother sounded cheerful and relaxed, and slowly Jessie began to relax, too. She stopped waiting to hear her mother’s weeping voice on the other end of the line, telling her that it was over, that it hadn’t worked out. Then, one Sunday afternoon late in October, Jessie was kneading bread dough at the counter when the phone rang. She answered it with hands caked in dough.
“Jessie, I have to talk to you. Do you have a minute . . . a few minutes?” All of Jessie’s trepidation about her mother’s new relationship returned in a rush. She clutched the phone to her ear with her shoulder.
“Just a second, Mom,” she said. She set the phone down on the counter, rubbed the b
