Shining Stars and Mason Jars: Small Town Girl, #2

By Jann Franklin

The Town of Graisseville, Louisiana is in crisis, and the mayor needs Jen Guidry's help!

 

Jen has finally embraced small-town life with open arms, but now she's facing new challenges that test her faith. She struggles to balance family and her desire to help, but her husband Mike prefers she leave well enough alone.

 

While working with the mayor to save the town from financial crisis, she discovers others who also need her help. With Jen's hilarious enthusiasm for navigating her career, friendships, and matchmaking schemes, she nearly loses sight of God's blessings for her family.

 

Follow the plucky adventures of a small-town wife, mother, and friend, as she discovers how to embrace God's plan for her life.

 

This book is the second of the Small Town Girl Series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rougarou Press LLC
• Release date: Nov 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215078501

Jann Franklin

Jann Franklin lives in the small town of Grand Cane, Louisiana.  Over three hundred other people also live in Grand Cane, and many of Jann’s chapters came from her weekly visits at the downtown coffee shop.   She would like it on the record that Grand Cane’s current mayor and aldermen are nothing like the characters in her book.  They are definitely larger than life, but in a good way. She and her husband John enjoy Sundays at Grand Cane Baptist Church, dinner with family and friends, and watching the lightning bugs in their backyard.  Their kids come to visit, when they aren’t too busy living their big-city lives. She graduated from high school in Russellville, another small town in Arkansas.  She obtained her accounting degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas and moved to Dallas in 1989.  She still dabbles in accounting but has taken up writing to satisfy her creative side. Like Jen Guidry, she never appreciated her small-town upbringing until she was encouraged to move back to one.  Now she cannot imagine living any other way. If you ever make it to Grand Cane, stop by 4C Coffee Shop and say “hi.”  Rhonda Cox and her employees make amazing coffee, and they will save a seat and a smile for you.

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Let's Recap

How Did I Get Here?

Sometimes life throws you curveballs. I had the perfect life in Dallas, including the excitement that came with living in a big city. It kept my calendar full and exciting. Mike, my husband of seven years, and I wrangled our two boys in and out of our home through a constant circle of activities. Busy people are content, right? 

One fateful evening, Mike delivered his earth-shattering news.

Jen, I’ve really got to talk to you. There’s something on my mind I need to say, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.

My heart stopped, then started. This was it. My husband had traded me in on a younger, flatter model. As my brain calculated the assets to divide, Mike continued talking.

Honey, I’m so unhappy. I hate my job and this house with the tiny backyard. Our life is suffocating me. I can’t breathe.

Steady, Jen. You can handle the anvil Mike just placed upon your chest.

There’s a store for sale in my hometown, Big Ed’s Parts ‘n’ More, he continued, Let’s buy it and move to my hometown. We’ll get a house with some land, I’ll run Big Ed’s, you can keep working from home, and our boys will have space to just run and be kids. Mike’s smile was so big, it almost evicted his eyes and nose from the premises. Something told me that space wasn’t only meant for the boys.

Move our family to Graisseville, Louisiana? Population 298? Umm...no thank you. My hometown in Arkansas gave me a distaste for all things small. That's why I'd always sworn I would never return after tasting big city life. And coffee. I hesitated, glancing back at my husband’s brown puppy dog eyes—were they actually dancing? Sigh...

Was that my mother’s voice? 'Jen, marriage is about compromise. It’s about putting your spouse first.' Darn mothers!

But Mike, do they have a coffee shop?

Coffee was essential in my household. Everyone knew to avoid me until two cups of coffee entered my system. Good, strong coffee gave me the will to live. Mike's next words, while not exactly lies, definitely were not on a first-name basis with the truth.

Not that I know of, but Mom heard a rumor there might be one going in by the end of the year. To his credit, he followed up with a bribe, And you can have all the gourmet coffee and creamers you want shipped to our new home. I promise!

To sweeten the deal, my mother-in-law guaranteed free babysitting, with three hours’ notice.

And so, within a few months, we, Mike and Jen Guidry became the newest residents of Graisseville. Henry, age five, and James, age three, became the newest residents not yet driving.

When we first drove into town I couldn't help but notice that in addition to Big Ed’s Parts n’ More, my new hometown boasted Graisseville Gas n’ More and Graisseville Tires n’ More. Did every successful business in town add n’ More to their name as part of their expansion plan?

From over a million neighbors to under three hundred, I struggled in my fish-out-of-water situation. But I didn’t give up.

After a few misses, I scored a home run. While registering Henry for kindergarten, I met Maggie Wheeler. That girl saved my life! Not only did she pull out a thermos and refill my coffee cup, but she became my best friend. A few months later, she opened Maggie’s Coffee Shop, making my life even better.

God puts you where you’re needed. While Mike whipped Big Ed’s into shape, I organized our church’s Living Nativity, found a backup beauty queen, and coordinated our village's Mardi Gras parade. Along the way, I met Annelise Trahan and Amy Melancon, who became two of my dearest friends.

Let’s not forget the dog.

A young border-collie-looking dog with brown and white fur wandered onto our property and called it her home. Henry named her Sadie Two, after his kindergarten teacher, Sadie Mathers. In Henry’s words, Because if someone names their dog after you, well, that’s the greatest honor you could ever get.

Our Sadie delivered five puppies a few months later. My proverbial cup overflowed...with puppies!

Life wasn’t a complete bed of roses, though. Graisseville suffered a major financial setback, thanks to our mayor, Ruby Bergeron. Ruby was not up to date on the ins and outs of social media. When the podcast, Small Town Tales called offering to record an episode about our village, Ruby drained the village bank account to spruce up the town. She didn’t realize a podcast was not the same as a TV show.

The village approved Ruby’s plan because we trusted her, and we did not check her spending. Next thing we knew, the park sported workout equipment, a dog park, light fixtures, and more benches than you could shake a stick at. Not to mention the free bicycles, corner bookstands, and public transportation. Ruby spent the remaining funds on a fifteen-foot projection screen and a village troubadour to host our Small Town Tales premiere.

Once we discovered that audio, not video, immortalized our village, the residents called for Ruby’s head on a platter. She resigned immediately, with five months remaining in her term. Our mayor pro tempore, Clay Terry, became our mayor for the remaining five months.

Despite our quirky mayor leaving us in a bind, I’d grown to love our new hometown. A year ago, my small-town days were a childhood memory. But this was a life I never knew I wanted. I’d lost my bright lights but gained a yard bursting with lightning bugs.

Now, we faced our biggest problem yet: raising money to bring our village back into the black.

As always, God had a plan.

The Art of Peddling Puppies

Have you thought about the gifts God gave you? Most of us don’t. But as a parent, I often looked for these gifts in my kids. As Henry matured, I grew to appreciate his selling skills. Of course, our Blessed Father didn’t give Henry sales skills by definition. God gave our son a talent. A talent to find homes for our puppies. 

The boys loved those five puppies and felt a sense of duty to find them perfect homes. When I thought about the daunting task, though, I panicked a bit. But as always, God had a plan.

As any savvy salespeople would do, my young men started with the prospects they knew and loved the best: their grandparents. Unfortunately for my boys, their grandmother, Ava, knew how to play their game times ten.

Henry and James approached their grandmother, intending to convince her she needed a dog to make her life complete. A rookie mistake. Granny Ava met them at the door.

Oh boys, I don’t have time to talk! I’ve got two pies in the oven, and a casserole waiting its turn. You see, Shirley Freeman’s sister-in-law’s grandmother passed, and I promised to drop off some food at the church. My mother-in-law eyed her grandsons expertly. Have I mentioned Pops suffers from horrible allergies? It’s true, you can ask your daddy. We’ve never had a pet.

Henry and James should have started with Pops, also known as Mike’s dad, Walt. Grandmas love their grandkids, but they were mothers not too long ago, and they can predict what their grandchildren are going to do. Grandfathers are just, well, clueless.

My little salesmen did not understand this logic, so they did not make a sale. Henry definitely had a backup plan, though, and I admired his tenacity.

My first born targeted my best friend, Maggie Wheeler. He got to Maggie through her kids. The Wheelers only had one dog, which suited them just fine. Two kids, one dog, and two acres of land. Yes, it all seemed perfect until Henry got involved. 

Henry convinced Maggie’s kids they needed a dog for each child. It impressed me that his plan worked. The girls convinced their father they needed another dog.

By the time Maggie got wind of the plan, it was three against one and the Wheelers were proud owners of a second dog.

Henry used his brother for the second sale, and even at four, James showed definite promise.

Every day at Miss Darla’s Daycare, James would regale his friends with the joys of dog ownership. Before I realized what was going on, my friend Annelise Trahan was on the phone.

Jen, when can we come and look at your puppies?

Henry then hastened to Prospect Number Three: Amy Melancon’s son, Jimmy. Henry took Jimmy aside one Sunday and conveyed a heartfelt story involving our remaining three puppies who needed suitable homes.

Miss Sadie Two was just a young doggie mother who couldn’t care for all her babies, and Henry had promised he would find them responsible and trustworthy owners. After much searching, Henry believed Jimmy was just such a person.

The Melancon family owned a farm and had many animals (including dogs) that pulled their fair share. But Jimmy never had a pet to call his own. With strong urging from Henry, Jimmy approached his mother.

He told Amy he had matured a great deal in the last few months, with a full-time job and his own paycheck from Big Ed’s. He was still helping his father on the farm and never complained. He was responsible enough to be a pet owner, and he wanted one of Henry’s puppies. Jimmy also reminded Amy that Mike was the first person to give Jimmy a chance to work, despite his learning disabilities.

Jimmy was not the fastest mule in the barn. Shortly after he’d started school, his teacher and counselor confirmed what his parents had feared: Jimmy had a below average intelligence level. As Jimmy progressed through his education, every expert repeated the diagnosis. Jimmy would not advance beyond sixth grade knowledge and skills.

Devastated, his parents never stopped helping him learn as much as he could. They worked with their son and discovered he had an incredible memory. His father had taken Jimmy to Big Ed’s Parts ‘n’ More since the boy was three. Mike was the first to see Jimmy’s future at Big Ed’s. Well, Mike saw it after my always helpful suggestions.

Anyway, my dear friend Amy had spent her mama-life dealing with what Jimmy couldn’t do. Mike gave that proud mother the chance to brag about what her son could do. Amy soon called me.

Jen, how are you? Listen, we think it’s time Jimmy had a pet of his own to care for. Could we come by this week so Jimmy could pick out a puppy?

With only two puppies left, I put serious thought into enrolling Henry in the Dale Carnegie Sales Training course.

It advertised: Realize your hidden potential and find out why millions train with us. Proven methods used by corporate business leaders.

Mike suggested that Henry should be old enough to drive before attending Mr. Carnegie’s course. My husband often inserted reality into my plans.

We didn’t know who the remaining two prospects were because Henry was so secretive. I was looking forward to watching Henry’s plans unfold as each prospect became captivated by his excellent sales techniques.

Mike had concerns about angry parents, and one day Henry asked me why Daddy cautioned him against becoming a grifter. Then my son asked me what a grifter was exactly, so we looked it up on www.vocabulary.com.

The correct definition of a grifter is, someone who swindles people out of money through fraud. After I had a long discussion with my extremely confused child, I had another long discussion with my husband.

We obviously had different reactions to Henry’s methods of finding puppy homes. God had given Henry a beautiful gift, and I thanked Him daily for His gifts to my family. I always seemed to read people wrong and misunderstand what they really needed or wanted, and thankfully Henry didn’t have that problem. Henry showed insight and thought as he helped each person realize a dog would make their lives better.

These people were not angry or unhappy, or having buyers’ remorse. These people were excited they were getting one of Sadie Two’s puppies.

In an effort to prove his side of the story, Mike scheduled a date night that included the boys spending the night at Walt and Ava’s, steaks on the grill, and a classic movie with one of my favorite leading men. The Lady Eve follows three grifters on a cruise ship who target a millionaire played by Henry Fonda. Mike was confident I would realize the error of my ways after watching the movie.

Mike was wrong. I shot down his argument that our Henry was the grifter Colonel Harrington incarnate, and I used the ending as evidence. In the movie the female grifter, played by the fabulous Barbara Stanwyck, falls in love with Henry Fonda. When people find redemption and true love, does it matter how they got there? God forgives our sins, and I was happy to forgive Barbara’s and celebrate her romance with Henry.

Mike pouted and went to the bedroom. The steaks were fantastic, though.

Mike and I continued to travel down the parenting path with differing opinions. Mike felt Henry was just shy of the Big House, while I knew our son was using God’s gifts for His glory. In retrospect, Henry surely must have sensed his parents’ division and sent in his brother to complete the puppy mission.

James began taking an unusual interest in law enforcement. He was a big fan of the Power Rangers, but at four years old, he started asking about police officers and sheriff’s deputies. In my never-ending quest to help my children realize their full potential, I called Maggie’s cousin, Deputy Chris Landry, and asked if we could meet him at the coffee shop one Saturday. My son James had taken an interest in his career and wanted to see a deputy sheriff’s uniform and car. I never saw it coming.

We met Chris the following Saturday at the coffee shop. I told Maggie Chris’s purchases were on me, my thanks for his time and patience. Chris helped his cousin Maggie several times a week with a mocha frappuccino and a cinnamon roll, so Maggie knew exactly what to prepare.

Sigh...oh, the days when I could also consume 1,495 calories and not blink an eye!

Deputy Chris thanked me, gathered his high-calorie items, and began his lesson.

James and I then received a twenty-minute lecture on Chris’s uniform and utility belt. We learned absolutely everything there was to know about each one and how the items Chris carried could benefit us as parish citizens. Our deputy sheriff also educated us with a lesson on handcuffs, taser etiquette, and a detailed explanation for the location of the tactical flashlight. Just as I thought Chris was wrapping up, he led us out to the car.

My mind reeled as I scrambled to create an excuse to cut this mind-numbing lesson short.  I signaled to Maggie through the window, pointing at my empty paper cup. Could I survive without more coffee? Probably not. My best friend ran outside and brought me another cup.

My pleading green eyes whispered, "I need out of this situation." Maggie’s brow furrowed in concentration, her brain working furiously. "Tell me you need my help inside, or that I have a phone call." My eyes cried out to Maggie, but she shrugged her shoulders and returned to behind the counter.

She was sympathetic, but Chris was family, so she wasn’t going to make excuses for me.

Dang family loyalties!

My brain shifted gears. All this time, James showed extreme patience, more than any normal four-year-old boy. What was he up to? Before my fuzzy brain could complete the thought, James spoke up.

Thank you for the tour! I want to ask you something, though. James met his new friend’s gaze steadily, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. This kid definitely needed an answer to a life-changing question.

Deputy Chris leaned down to hear better. Yes, James, what did you want to ask me?

I held my breath. Was James going to ask about police reform? Law enforcement as a career? I leaned in closer.

Do you get lonely sometimes? Do you feel no one appreciates you?

I exhaled so fast I almost saw stars. Oh, my sweet boy! Chris looked surprised as well.

Well, James, that is a good question. Yes, sometimes I feel no one appreciates me.

Tears filled my eyes as I silently mouthed a prayer of thanksgiving.