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They settled on the weekend after Labor Day, and Jenni was looking forward to getting out of Raleigh and heading toward Black Mountain.
As much as she loved the coast, she also had a fondness for the mountains, especially as summer began to wane and fall colors were on the horizon. It would be a bit early for that, she knew, but just the mountain air would be a welcome change. It had been stifling in Raleigh ever since she’d returned from the Outer Banks.
She was busy packing when she received a call from Caitlin. She assumed it would be more wedding discussions as that had been the major topic of conversation over the past month.
“Hey CayCay,” she said as she picked up her phone. “I looked over all those color swatches, and I really think I like the sky blue the best. But I could be happy with any of the others.”
“Um, that’s good,” said Caitlin, sounding a bit distracted. “That seems to be the choice of the other bridesmaids as well, but I wanted to give you the final choice. But that’s not why I’m calling.”
“Oh,” said Jenni, sitting on the edge of her bed next to her suitcase. “What’s going on? What’s wrong? You and Andrew are OK, right?”
“Oh, nothing wrong with us,” Caitlin responded. “It’s just that my Aunt Liz, well, she’s never really rebounded from Covid like everyone expected. You know there’s the fall fishing tournament coming up and Mom and Aunt May Ellen…”
Jenni fell back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and tried to come up with any kind of excuse, but she also knew it was futile. In a way, she’d actually hoped she could get back to the beach. Jenni wanted to let Caitlin know she was doing fine. She sat up again and completed the sentence for Caitlin.
“And they want to know if I can come and fish again. Be a Reel Southern Lady one more time?”
“Guilty as charged,” admitted Caitlin. “But would you? I mean, could you? It would be another long weekend. I wasn’t sure of your vacation time and all, but Mom and Aunt May Ellen begged me to check with you, first.”
“I’m pretty sure I can get the time off,” said Jenni. “I’ve been handling quite a few things for Dee these past weeks. Her mom just is not doing well, and she wants to spend a lot of time with her. So, I’ve taken over a couple of her calls and night meetings, and even on a few Saturday mornings. I think she’d be OK with it.”
“And you’d be OK to fish again?” Caitlin asked.
Jenni stood up and began pacing around her bedroom. “You know I learned a lot that first time…the hard way. But I’m up for it, I think. At least you won’t have to babysit me quite as much. Lord knows I know to flip the bail.”
Caitlin laughed. “So true. It’s that middle weekend of October, and the fishing is usually really good around then. I’ll text you all the details when I get them from Mom, but it will be the same format. If you can come Wednesday and leave Sunday that should cover it.”
I’ll probably leave on Saturday right after we finish, but they don’t have to know that now. No more banquets for me.Then out loud she said, “You know, I’m going to visit my Uncle Ron this weekend. I plan to tell him all about our day offshore with Dare and Jo and everything. But he probably can give me some really good pointers. Who knows, I might show up and be the ringer for the team.”
“That would be amazing, I mean, wonderful.” Caitlin laughed again. “But thanks for being a good sport. We have all your gear and stuff from the last time, so just check the forecast and dress accordingly. October can be sunny and warm or absolutely blowing and freezing. Oh, Andrew says ‘hi’ and bye.”
“Bye, Caitlin,” Jenni said. Now she’d have even more to discuss with Uncle Ron during her visit. She threw a few more things in her overnight bag, set her alarm, and didn’t wake up until it went off early the next morning.
Chapter Twenty-Six
There wasn’t much traffic heading west on Interstate 40, so the three-and-a-half-hour drive felt much the same as the drive to Hatteras.
Jenni purposefully kept her mind on the scenery she passed and the stories she’d tell her uncle. She had talked to him earlier in the week and said she’d arrive around noon Saturday and leave on Sunday around the same time.
It was just about noon when she pulled into the driveway. Her uncle was sitting on the rocking chair on his porch. He immediately got up, waved, and moved toward her as she got out of her car.
“So good to see you, Jenni,” he said as he gave her a huge bear hug. “I can’t wait to hear about what you’ve been up to. You look good.”
He grabbed her one bag, led her up onto the porch, and opened the front door for her.
Jenni was struck immediately by the smell of her Aunt Lenore’s apple cake. It brought back powerful memories, both of her aunt’s as well as her childhood, and she felt tears in her eyes.
“Uncle Ron, that smells exactly like Aunt Lenore’s famous apple cake!” Jenni exclaimed, walking toward the source of the wonderful emanation in the kitchen.
“Well, I’m glad you recognize the aroma. I wasn’t sure if you would,” Ron said.
Jenni looked at him and saw that he was standing proud with a sad smile on his face. “You know, baking her recipes is what keeps me connected to her. I still miss her, but this helps a lot.”
This time, it was Jenni who moved toward him and hugged him tightly. “That’s so awesome,” she said. “I didn’t know you could bake.”
“I couldn’t,” her uncle admitted. “But I learned. Have baked my share of mistakes too. But I find it helps me cope, and it actually is very soothing. I share what I make with some of the neighbors and folks at the senior center. They get a big kick out of me…they call me Rolling Pin Ron. But they don’t make fun of my goodies!”
Jenni nodded, and she recalled that conversation when they were enjoying a piece of apple cake after they had finished dinner. Her uncle had truly become an excellent cook as well as a wonderful baker.
