My body felt hot enough to melt all of the remaining snow.
"Hey, that's my family's old house. It's not a hovel. It's in perfectly livable condition."
"That wasn't your neighbor's Wi-Fi that one time. It was yours. You had your own Wi-Fi, but you cut me off from the rest of the world. For what? For revenge because I didn't want to come to Wisconsin and marry a farmer?"
Tears of rage were welling up inside of me. My volume was getting louder and louder, and I could see the chauffeur's concerned face in the rearview mirror.
"Shh. Let's discuss it inside."
I wiped away a tear, and I got out of the limo. I followed Jimmy into the house. I could smell chicken and carrots. I sniffed.
"What's that?"
"My mom wanted to meet you."
I blinked. There was a lovely middle-aged woman. She had blonde hair perfectly coiffed. Her skin looked was wrinkle-free. But her smile was genuine.
"Welcome, sweetheart." She gave me a hug. "I'm so glad to meet you. My little Jimmy here told me all about you. I'm so glad that you accepted his proposal. I guess he had to marry you too fast for me to be able to get to DC in time. I'm so glad to meet you anyway."
"Mom, I told you that I'm James now. I'm not a little boy anymore."
I blinked. "I'm so pleased to meet you," I said automatically. "Jimmy said that you lived in Chicago."
"Yes, not too far from Milwaukee. And Jimmy, I know perfectly well what your name is. I named you, after all, and don't you forget that. And don't roll your eyes. It's not polite. You aren’t too old to spank.“
I smiled. Looked like his mother was not afraid to put Jimmy into his place. I liked her sass.
"I am so sorry that you couldn't make it to our wedding, but I am glad that you are here now."
"Come in and eat. You must be starving. You've had a big day."
On the table was a long ficelle.
"How did you know that this is my favorite kind of bread?"
"Oh, is it? It's mine, too. When I lived here, I sent Jimmy's father into Madison to the nearest bakery to get it for me. It's only about a half hour away. Nothing fills you up like bread in your stomach."
I blinked. I knew about satiety charts that said otherwise. Fish was the best thing to fill you up, but I shut up. I wouldn't say anything to contradict this lovely woman, a bit of warmth in a home that I expected to have none. I hadn't had a mother for a long time, and I would take this loving treatment for as long as it lasted. I liked her already, and I couldn't wait for our baby to become her grandchild. I was sure that she would spoil the baby rotten. I smiled.
"Did you know that I am pregnant?" I worried a little that she would be sniffy about premarital sex. Jimmy hadn’t ended up a virgin at his age by being raised by people who thought that casual sex was great.
"Yes. Jimmy told me. Honestly, what was he thinking, letting a lovely girl like you get away." She shook her head. "After watching him take home all those barracudas, I am so glad that he has found a lovely girl like you."
I smiled at her. "I think that we are going to be good friends."
"Of course we are." She sniffed. "As if I would ever let my son marry someone I wouldn't like."
I liked her. She was feisty.
"Sit down and eat."
I ate the chicken noodle soup. It wasn't anything that I hadn't had before, but the depth and richness of the flavor were on another level.
"Oh my gosh, why is this so good?"
"This is literally farm to table, sweetheart." His mom put her hand on my shoulder. "We rent out our acreage to farmers, and they grow crops here. It's good to see the place looked after when we're out of town. Jimmy travels constantly."
I looked at him. "Does he?"