Mr. February by Ann Roth Page B

items. All of it ready for the kiln.
    At the sink, Jillian washed up, humming loud enough to hear herself over the hiss of the water. Then she laughed at herself for sounding so off-key.
    The pretty pottery contributed to her good mood. That and JR’s job. At this very minute, her brother was with Rafe, learning about his upcoming job. And icing on the cake—JR had accepted her timeline to move out. Rafe had been right. When done well, tough love wasn’t such a bad thing.
    If that wasn’t wonderful enough, this very minute Chelsea had gone out to apply for a sales job at The Rogue Valley Cheesery, a shop that sold handmade cheese near the Guff’s Lake resort. This was the first job she’d applied for since she and JR had shown up. It seemed his temporary employment had jump-started her to look for work.
    Wouldn’t it be great if they both got jobs? They could save up quickly for a place of their own and be out before mid-June.
    Mentally Jillian crossed her fingers, but she knew she was getting ahead of herself. In order to pay rent on his own apartment, JR needed a permanent, full-time job and a paycheck he could depend on. Finding that would probably take the full three-month deadline she’d given them.
    Baby steps first. For now, she was grateful Rafe had given her brother a chance to prove himself.
    He didn’t have to do that. What a great guy. She liked him more all the time.
    If only he wanted to settle down and start a family…
    “Knock-knock,” Chelsea said, entering the studio.
    “Hey.” Jillian smiled. “How was the interview?”
    “Oh, you know.”
    That didn’t sound so good. “Not great, huh?”
    “It wasn’t terrible. I got along with the woman who interviewed me, and she liked my restaurant and retail experience. But I doubt she’ll hire me.”
    “Why not?”
    Chelsea gave her a duh look. “Because I’m pregnant.” She laid a hand over her belly, which seemed to grow by the day.
    “She wouldn’t dare. It’s illegal to discriminate.”
    “She’d never admit the reason.”
    “All the same, I’m going to think positive and keep my fingers crossed,” Jillian said.
    Chelsea shrugged. “I wish I could call JR. When will he be back?”
    Yet another thing the couple desperately needed—cell phones. “We’ll see him when we see him.”
    “I can’t wait for him to have money.” The girl hugged herself and spun around.
    It was pretty exciting. Even temporary work had boosted his self-confidence. He wasn’t as ready to take offense at things Jillian said, and had even cracked a joke or two. His brighter attitude was bound to translate into good things, such as putting more effort into searching for a permanent job. And then… Jillian stopped herself right there. There she went, getting ahead of herself again.
    “Are you ready for a coffee break?” Chelsea asked. “Except you don’t drink coffee, and my doctor won’t let me.”
    Pleased Chelsea wanted her company, Jillian smiled. “Your timing is perfect. I just finished for the day. Who needs coffee when there’s tea for me and cocoa mix for you?”
    As they exited the studio into the weak afternoon sun, Pooh barked excitedly. They collected her from the fenced area and brought her with them.
    While water for the tea heated and Chelsea stirred cocoa into a steaming mug of milk, Jillian opened a package of chocolate cookies and set it on the table. Pooh sat down nearby with her ears cocked and her tail wagging hopefully. “Sorry, girl, these will make you sick.”
    Chelsea grinned. “I got that covered,” she said, shoving a couple of doggie treats into her jeans pocket.
    Soon they were seated at the table, sipping their drinks and munching on cookies.
    From time to time, Chelsea fed Pooh a treat. “At the interview, I heard about the big ash tree near Guff’s Lake,” she said. “Do you believe what they say?”
    Local folklore surrounded the centuries-old tree, which stood some six yards from Guff’s Lake. Supposedly,