She wasn’t expecting to walk more than a quarter-mile uphill from where she parked her car on the gravel road next to a Volkswagen and beat-up Chevy truck. Jamie was too far from the city to get a signal on her cell phone. Lucky for her, the gravel road was the only one out this far. Getting lost in the country wasn’t her idea of a good time. Thinking something might have changed, she looked at the smartphone again – zero bars, zero service. Huffing she threw it into the purse slung over her shoulder. It wasn’t as big as some of the purses she was used to seeing her clients walk in with, but it was a good size. She pulled off her heels about midway up the hill, having sunk into the squishy soft dirt under the three-inch tall grass growing everywhere. Inside her purse was a small package of baby wipes, a small ziplock bag, and an empty Target bag. Jamie took the time to clean off the heels with a few wipes, putting the dirty wipes into the sandwich baggie, zipping it shut, the heels in the target bag, and putting all of it back in the bag, slinging it over her shoulder.

Looking down the hill, she saw her Mercedes parked between the other two cars. The agency would be okay without her. It was a light day with a few creative team meetings, then one client meeting that would be canceled fifteen minutes before the appointment. Being second in line to the owner gave her a certain flexibility. No one else at the agency had that level of leniency. Then again, Jamie didn’t have kids or a husband, which meant she could and often did work hours that no one else could or would. She felt like her makeup was melting off her face. It wasn’t, but it was a bit warm in her black jeans. “Really? You had to drag all of us out here? In the middle of freaking nowhere, Amy? Couldn’t you have found a nice café? Or even a Subway? This is ridiculous.”

Amy stood with her hands on her hips, her left foot over her right, leaning on her right leg. Amy was about as country as you could get. She wore a sundress streaked with oranges and reds, highlighting the red tint in her yellow-blonde hair. The dress fell to her knees, showing off the stylish cowboy boots that made Jamie cringe. Neither woman understood the style or dress of the other, even though they grew up in the same house with the same mother. “You ain’t been out here in a bit, Jams.” Amy took a deep breath. “The fresh air out here? It’ll do youns some good. You too, Amber.” The Stetson hat on Amy’s head shaded her face, but she tipped her hat to her oldest sister, Amber.

Amber was rocking back and forth on her heels, waiting for Jamie to arrive. Jamie was the baby of the three sisters, perpetually late to every event, often being the butt of many jokes, namely that she’d be late to her own funeral unless it affected her bottom line. Then and only then would she be on time. At least less late than expected. Amber looked more like a hippy than the other two, the scent of pachouli engulfing your olfactory senses when she came close to you. Amy, the country girl she was, couldn’t stand the smell, even though it was an outdoorsy-woodsy scent. Jamie thought Amber smelled dirty but looked more alive than the other two sisters. Amber didn’t drink or smoke and took pristine care of her skin and hair. She may have been older than Amy or Jamie, but her appearance said she was mid-thirties.

“I dunno. I kinda think it’s nice to be outside. Nature all around.” Amber spun in a circle, the twirl lifting her skirt high enough to expose her bare feet.

“Yeah. That figures,” Jamie snarked, rolling her eyes at Amber’s naked feet. Amber’s toe rings glistened when the sun caught the charms. Jamie also noticed and heard Amber’s ankle bracelets jingling. “You are not old enough to be a hippy. Mom is, having lived through some of that. Would you grow up already?” Jamie hefted the bag on her shoulder, then let it slack, gently setting it on the grassy hillside. “Care to tell us what this little ‘family meeting’ is for, Amy?” Amber continued to dance to the music only she could hear, the charms ringing like sleighbells. “Could you stop, please? For the love of God, please stop dancing around!”
“Fine,” Amber pouted, sitting crosslegged in the grass. Amy knelt, letting her legs swing to one side like their Mama taught all three girls. It kept the girls from exposing themselves to any undue attention. “So, I’m seeing this guy, and I think it’s getting serious. He’s hinting at marriage!” Amber squealed, and Jamie rolled her eyes.

“You said that a few months ago, didn’t you? Is this the same guy?” Jamie asked, still standing. She would’ve been tapping her foot if she was standing on a tile floor.

Amber reached for Amy’s hands, squeezing them and pulling her close enough to hug her tightly. She almost knocked both of them into the grass. “I’m so excited for you, sis! Do you have a picture of this mystery guy?”

Amy pulled back, letting go of Amber. “Not exactly. He don’t like getting his picture took.”

“That’s a little weird, Amy,” Jamie answered, joining her sisters in the grass. She, too, folded her legs underneath her like Amy. “Like he doesn’t want his picture taken? Or he looks too ugly to get a photograph?”

“He’s not ugly!” Amy shouted. “You take that back right now, you heifer.” Jamie put up her hands in surrender.

“What’s his name?” Amber asked.

“Bud.” She looked down, fiddling with some of the grass. “At least that’s what everyone calls him.”