“Come on in. I’ve made the engagement cake and it’s cooling. Arty is going to grill steaks for us and make baked potatoes. My bread dough is rising, and I’m right with you, girl, on this excitement thing.” Filly talked as she worked. “I want to really surprise Sophie and Teddy with this party. Of course, they’ve had all kinds of fancy things in Europe.”
“This is family and home,” Emma said. “I can almost hear her squealing when she drives up and sees everything.”
“I hope so, but now I’d like to know what happened last night with you and Josh,” Filly said. “Are we going to have another engagement sometime in the future?”
Emma blushed. “I guess we never know what the future holds, but right now I’m still hunting for me. I did figure out that I’m sneaking up on it pretty good, though. Last night we wound up sleeping together for the second night, but that’s all we did.” Her cheeks turned red a second time. “But he did kiss me on the forehead before we went to clean up.”
“I was hoping to hear something a lot more romantic than that,” Filly said.
“In my world, that was very romantic,” Emma said. “Even falling down the hill and landing in the mud puddle was romantic.” She giggled. “Words can’t describe the look on Arty’s face when that happened or on your face when you saw us.”
Arty came through the back door and chuckled. “I heard that last bit there about Filly’s face, and it’s the God’s honest truth. I don’t think I was even as shocked as she was, but then, I saw the fall from where I was standing. Lord, I’m glad I didn’t have to start up that slippery slope to find you kids. That could have been me slippin’ and slidin’ like I was a greased pig.”
“You would have been rolling like a basketball,” Filly teased.
Arty cocked his head to one side and gave her a long sideways look. “I guess that’s the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it?”
In the blink of an eye, Filly rolled up a tea towel and snapped it right over Arty’s head. “Next time you call me fat, that’s going to pop your arm—or your butt, if you’ve got the good sense to run.”
“Oh, honey, I can outrun you any day of the week.” Arty stepped back closer to the door.
This was what Emma wanted in a relationship—fun and bantering as well as all the rest.
“Josh is hanging the lights from a couple of tree limbs, and he wants to know if you have any more.”
“Oh. My. Goodness,” Emma said. “You really are going all out.”
“Of course we are. You finish stirring this frosting while I locate the lights.” She started back down the hallway. “Sophie is like our granddaughter, and, honey, you and Josh are like our grandkids, too. Besides, we love a party.”
Filly returned in a few minutes with a box and carried it out to the porch. When she came back inside, she put a small amount of the frosting into a bowl, added a few drops of blue food coloring, and motioned toward two dozen sugar cookies. “You can put a thin layer of icing on each of those. Something old is the hanging lights. Something new is the cake. Something blue is the cookies, and something borrowed is Arty’s fancy tablecloth that we normally only use on Christmas Day.”
“But this is an engagement party, not a wedding,” Emma said.
“Oh, honey, we’ll have something even bigger at the commitment ceremony. Arty and I will both cook for a week, and this park will look like a wedding chapel,” Filly giggled, “with a broom in the middle, of course, and we’ll send them off with fireworks.”
“I love this place,” Emma said with a long sigh, “and I love every one of you all.”
Filly patted her on the shoulder. “And we love you, too, girl, and you’ve made us so happy by talkin’ about stayin’ on with us. We need you. Josh gets lonely with just us old people, and me and Arty get cranky in the summer without a few more folks around us.”
We need you.
Those words kept going around in circles in Emma’s head. She’d never had anyone tell her that they needed her. She had always been picked last.
“Thank you,” Emma whispered.
“Nope, darlin’ girl, it’s us thanking you.” Filly stopped and gave her a side hug and then went right back to work on the cake.
Sophie was glad to see sunshine and a blue sky on the trip from the airport to the park. Emma had mentioned that they were planning a little party. Sophie just hoped that they weren’t going to too much trouble since Teddy would only have a couple of hours before he had to leave.
She always hated to see him leave, but this time it was going to be doubly hard. After the amazing time they’d had together, she couldn’t imagine telling him goodbye. Maybe that’s why she had this feeling of dark doom floating over her head.
Everything is perfect. Why are you sad? the annoying voice in her head scolded.
Because nothing is ever perfect, and that scares me, she thought. And I don’t deserve a perfect life, or perfect showings like I just had.
“Darlin’, we’re almost there,” Teddy said.
She turned to face him and realized that they had turned off the highway onto the dirt road leading back to the trailer park. “I’ll miss you so much, but I’ll paint from daylight to dark to make the time go by faster.” She leaned over the console and kissed him on the cheek.
“I may not wash my face or shave for a week,” he teased.
“Oh. My! Look what they’ve done,” she squealed.
“What?” Teddy asked.
“Look at the park and all those lights. It’s broad daylight, and the sun is shining, but just look at what they’ve done for us.”
“Holy smoke,” he gasped. “We’re not having the commitment ceremony today, are we? I haven’t even bought the wedding bands or written my vows.”
“No, I made it clear that the ceremony would be on July Fourth. That way you won’t ever forget our anniversary, and there’ll always be fireworks,” she said.
“Honey, there will be fireworks between us until we dance across the clouds into eternity,” he told her.
“Keep telling me pretty things like that even when we’re old and gray.” She laid a hand on his cheek. His sweet words helped chase away part of the heavy feeling, but not all of it.
“You’ll still be hot to me when your blonde hair is gray, sweetheart, and I bet the twinkle in your eyes will always be there just like it is today.” He parked the truck in front of her trailer.
Filly, Arty, and Josh all waved from the table. Emma came out of the trailer wearing one of her flowing skirts and Filly’s jewelry. Her dark hair was piled up on top of her head in a ponytail, and she was smiling even brighter than the sun and the flashing lights hanging from the trees. Suddenly, Sophie couldn’t wait to get her alone and get all the details of what had happened while she was gone.
Teddy unfastened his seat belt, got out of the vehicle, and jogged around the front end to help Sophie. They started toward the table together, but when the hugging, hand shaking, and back patting started, they were soon separated.
“We are so happy for you kids,” Arty said. “Come on around and take your places at the table. It’s ready and waiting for you to dive in.”
“Y’all didn’t need to go to all this much trouble,” Teddy said, “but those steaks sure smell good.”
Emma gave Sophie a second hug and whispered, “I’m so glad you’re home. It’ll take hours and hours to tell you everything.”
“I know, and then I’ll tell you everything,” Sophie said.
Teddy reached out and took Sophie by the hand, tugging it gently. “Shall we, darlin’?”
“Of course.” Sophie flashed a smile at him and stepped out of the hug. “This is absolutely amazing. Em, you should have told me. I would have dressed up.”
“And ruin all the surprises?” Emma winked.
“As in more than one?” Sophie asked.
“Wait and see,” Filly told her.
A lovely white cloth covered the table. Sophie had never seen the real china plates on the table, but ther
e they were today—white with a shiny gold edge—and sparkling silverware also. Gorgeous cactus flowers floating in a crystal bowl served as a centerpiece. The place looked like something Sophie would have expected to see at an outdoor party in Paris.
Teddy waited for her to be seated on one side of the rectangular picnic table, and then he sat down on the bench beside her. He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “This is awesome,” he whispered just for her ears.
Arty’s prayer was a little longer than usual because he said a blessing for the newly engaged couple. Tears welled up in Sophie’s eyes. These folks were more than just friends—they were family.
Arty said, “Amen,” and immediately picked up the platter of thick steaks and passed them to Sophie. “I hope everyone likes their T-bones medium rare.”
“Arthur Crawford!” Filly’s tone scolded.
“Oh, don’t get your granny panties in a twist. The one on the right”—he pointed—“is burned black just for you.”
“Well done, not burned,” she corrected him with an evil look.
“Same difference,” he chuckled.
Sophie forked a steak onto her plate and passed the platter on over to Teddy. “Thank all of you for this magnificent party, and, Arty, everything looks delicious.” She glanced toward the end of the table, expecting to see a pie or one of Filly’s famous chocolate sheet cakes.
“Dessert is staying in the cool house until we are ready for it.” Filly held up a bottle of red wine and a pitcher of sweet tea. “Tea or wine? I know it’s not five o’clock, but this is a celebration.”
“Wine, definitely wine.” Sophie picked up a stemless wineglass and handed it over to Filly. “I’ve never seen these fancy glasses or china before.”
“We only get them out at Christmas. Since y’all are going to live in Del Rio, maybe you can join us for all the holidays,” Filly said.
“I’d love to spend Christmas here.” Sophie could already imagine buying presents for everyone and opening gifts with them.
“I’ll have tea,” Josh said.
“Me too.” Emma nodded.
“I’ll take both.” Arty winked at Emma.
Sophie ate slowly, sipped at her wine, and tried to make the moment last forever. When it had passed, Teddy would leave, and telling him goodbye put a lump the size of an orange in her throat.
When they had finished the meal, Filly and Emma left their places across the table from Sophie and Teddy and made short work of crossing the yard. Taking short steps and balancing it carefully in both hands, Filly brought out a triple-layer cake decorated with blue piping the color of a summer sky. Emma carried a platter of cookies with the same color frosting. When they set both on the table, Sophie realized there were entwined hearts on the top of the cake with an S in one and a T in the other. The cookies had the same decoration on each one.
“Hawaiian wedding cake with cream cheese frosting,” Filly said. “This is the cake we always served at the engagement parties when I was in the carnival. It’s supposed to bring the best of luck to the future couple. Sophie, in keeping with tradition, you should cut and serve it. First to Teddy and yourself, and then I’ll take over the duties.”
“This is too much.” Sophie blinked away the tears. Everything was absolutely perfect, so why should she cry?
“Ah, shucks.” Arty smiled. “We do what we can for our kids.”
“Yes, we do.” Filly smiled back at him.
“We want to hear more about your new gallery before we all get emotional and can’t enjoy that cake and those cookies,” Arty said. “Filly ain’t made iced sugar cookies since Christmas, and she’s never made one of those cakes.”
“This cake is special for weddings and engagements. You don’t get it at Christmas, and if I made iced sugar cookies every week, they wouldn’t be special for the holidays, now would they?” Filly smarted off as she served the rest of the group slices of cake.
The thought of leaving this special group of people made Sophie even sadder than she’d been before. How could she ever move to Del Rio and not see Emma and the others for a whole month at a time?
You went for months without seeing Arty, Filly, and Josh, and years without seeing Emma.
That was different, she argued with the voice in her head.
Josh took a bite and groaned. “Do I get one of these when I get engaged?”
“Of course you do”—Filly flashed a bright smile—“and so does Em.”
“What about the leftovers?” Emma asked. “Is it bad luck to eat every single crumb?”
“No,” Filly answered, “and according to tradition, it must all be eaten before midnight to bring good luck, so everyone will take a portion home and have it for a bedtime snack.”
Good God Almighty! Sophie thought. I don’t need the idea of bad luck hanging over my head right now when I feel like something isn’t right.
“The cookies? Is it bad luck or good luck to leave a few of those until tomorrow?” Teddy asked.
“No time limit on those,” Filly told him.
When dessert was finished, Teddy stood up and held up his wineglass, which only had a sip left in the bottom. “A toast,” he said, “to good friends who make us feel special.”
All six of them touched glasses, and Emma got to her feet. “Another one. To Sophie and Teddy. May your life be filled with sunshine to warm your faces, laughter to feed your soul, and happiness every single day.”
“Hear, hear!” Josh raised his glass with the rest of them.
“Thank you.” Sophie suddenly wanted this party to be over so she could think. Sure, she’d be sad when Teddy left, but she felt like she was on an emotional roller coaster that was about to spin off the tracks.
Teddy finished his cake and gave her a sideways hug. “I’d love to stay all afternoon, but I should really be going. Walk me to the car, Sophie?”
“Of course, but don’t ever expect me to do it again,” she teased. “Y’all save me another piece of that cake. It’s better than all the fancy pastries in Paris.”
They walked arm in arm to his car, and he kissed her goodbye. “I don’t want to let you go,” he whispered.
“Me either,” she said, but deep down inside she really needed to analyze everything from the moving business to the fantastic gallery showings they had had. He took a step back, retrieved her bags from the truck, and set them on the porch.
Sophie felt like an emotional train wreck, and she couldn’t even figure out exactly why. She’d always felt like Teddy deserved more than she could give him, but it went deeper than that—deep enough that tears spilled down over her cheeks.
He kissed her wet cheeks. “You’ve never cried before. Are we all right? Something seems off with you.”
“I’m just fine.” She thought of the times when Emma had said that and yet, like her, she was anything but fine.
After one more long, lingering kiss, he got into the vehicle, and she closed the door. She waved until he disappeared around the first curve. Emma walked up behind her and slipped an arm around her waist. “Filly says they can take care of cleanup. I’m supposed to go with you and help you get unpacked. Are you going to be all right?”
“Yes, but not without tears, and I don’t even know why I feel like crying. This is our last goodbye, and I’ve never cried before. Everything is perfect, Em, but I feel like I’m smothering, like I can’t breathe. What’s wrong with me?” Sophie answered.
“I don’t know, but together we’ll figure it out,” Emma said and led her into the house.
Chapter Nineteen
Emma made sure there was not one single smidgen of cake left and then snuggled down into her bed. After a night on the sofa and one on the hard ground, she thought she would be happy to be in a nice soft bed and under her own covers, but she missed Josh. Six months ago, she would never have thought, not even for a split second, that she would toss and turn because a guy wasn’t lying next to her.
She sat up and beat her pillow, flopped back
down, and covered up with a sheet. Then she heard a strange, muffled sound. Thinking that maybe Coco had gotten shut inside and wanted out, she threw back the covers and padded through the dark trailer to check both doors. No cat to be found, but the sound was still there. She tiptoed down the hall, noticed a light coming from under the bathroom door, and finally recognized the noise as crying, not a cat’s meows.
She eased the door open to find Sophie curled up on the floor, her hands over her face, crying like the end of the world had come. Emma eased down beside her and wrapped her arms around her. “Has someone died? Is Rebel all right? Did Teddy have an accident?”
“I had a fight with Teddy on the phone,” Sophie answered between heartbreaking sobs. “Teddy even ate all his cake, and this still happened.”
“What about? Is the wedding ceremony off?” Emma pulled Sophie up to a sitting position and kept her arms wrapped tightly around her.
“It was a silly fight. He wanted to take his sofa to our new house, and I told him I wanted to take mine because his was ugly,” Sophie said. “We wound up arguing, and I told him that he should have asked me before he went looking for a house and a gallery, and then he said I would have never picked anything out because I have these commitment issues, and . . . it went from there.” Sophie wiped her eyes on the tail of her nightshirt. “We had a wonderful time in Europe, but I was”—she hiccuped—“sad and anxious most of the time.” She buried her face in Emma’s shoulder. “I’m the strong one. I shouldn’t be carrying on like this, but I don’t deserve to be happy.”
“Why would you think that you don’t deserve to be happy?” Emma asked. “You’ve worked hard for years to get to where you are now, and you love Teddy and he loves you. This is a stupid fight that can be fixed.”
Sophie rolled off a fistful of toilet paper and blew her nose.
Emma took Sophie by the hand and stood up, pulling Sophie with her. “Let’s sort this out in the living room with some yogurt and two spoons.” She had to be strong for Sophie. She owed her that much, but Emma wasn’t an expert on relationship advice.
“Just let me wallow in misery for a while,” Sophie said.
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