I take the crock from her and turn it around in my hands, looking at all sides. “It’s quite heavy,” I say.
She laughs. “They’re made from clay and they’re called stoneware for a reason. The company dates back to 1877 and was located in Red Wing, Minnesota.”
“I didn’t know that. Is this crock from 1877?” My voice rises with surprise.
Riley shakes her head. “No, those crocks were cobalt blue and are extremely rare. The one in your hand is probably from the 1920s. We’d have to research the mark to find out the exact date of production. The number indicates how many gallons the pot can hold.” She points to the 5 on the front of the crock.
Riley really knows her stuff. She’s impressed me with her knowledge. “I like this one. The chip and weathered mark give it character.”
Riley smiles. “I agree. This other crock is a reproduction, and isn’t worth as much either.”
Looking closely at the vintage crock, I imagine all its owners over the years. It would be fascinating if it could talk and share its journey through time with me. “I’ll take this one.”
“Come up front and I’ll ring you up.”
When we get back to the front, Ellie walks in. She smiles and waves to me.
“Hello, stranger,” I say. Since Noah now drops off and picks up Sofie, I never see her aunt anymore.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Are you buying something?” She nods towards the counter where Riley is ringing up my purchase.
“A crock for mom for Christmas. Riley was extremely helpful.”
Ellie smiles at her colleague and I see a slight blush on Riley’s cheeks at the compliment. “There isn’t much about antiques that Riley doesn’t know.” She turns back to me and says, “We need to get together for dinner sometime. I’ll give you a call.”
“I’d like that.”
She nods. “I better get back to working on the table I’m refinishing in the back,” Ellie says as she walks away.
“I hope your mom enjoys this,” Riley says as she hands me a bulging bag with the pot inside. It’s wrapped in a couple layers of newspaper, but I still don’t dare drop it.
Thanking her, I leave, carrying the heavy bag with both hands. On the way home I ponder how I can get to know Ellie and Riley better.
Chapter Sixteen
Noah
I FOLD LIKE A HOUSE of cards under the pressure of a five-year-old. Yep. We’re headed over to Frank’s place to look at the puppies. I tell myself that we’ll just “look” at them, but who am I kidding? Let’s just hope my daughter doesn’t talk me into getting two.
Turning onto the nondescript gravel road, my SUV bounces along much like last time. Sofie giggles in the backseat. “This road is bouncy.” I suspect Frank likes it this way—it cuts down on the number of visitors.
When I pull up to the farmhouse, I notice a new front door painted a bright red color. Frank’s been fixing up the place a bit. Sofie dances at my side as we climb the porch steps and knock. She’s singing “puppies, puppies, puppies,” in her sweet high-pitched voice. I think the tune is from a Frozen song, and she’s been singing this for the last fifty miles. Repetition doesn’t bother my daughter.
“Come in!” Frank says as he flings the door open, a welcoming smile on his face. We bustle inside, trying not to let too much of the cold air in. Am I in the right house? A new leather sofa and loveseat sit across from each other in the living room. Colorful pillows are tastefully arranged on each piece of furniture. This room is a far cry from my last visit with Rae. My brows draw together in confusion as to what’s the cause of this new stylish look, then it hits me. June.
“I’m here to see the puppies,” Sofie shouts while she removes her coat and deposits it on the floor. We have this discussion at home every day about her hanging up her clothes rather than dropping them all over the place. Obviously, my teaching is not having much impact. I lean down, retrieve the discarded coat, and hand it and mine to Frank.
“Looks like Miss Sofie is excited about seeing the puppies,” Frank says with a wink as he hangs our coats in the entry closet. My daughter spins and twirls around the living room, all the while singing about the puppies. She bounces from the sofa to the loveseat, back and forth, like she’s a ball in a pinball game.
“Guess you could say that,” I reply dryly.
Frank laughs. “Well, let’s go see them.” He motions for us to follow him as he walks towards the back of the house. Sofie runs up to his side and takes his hand. I’m just along for the ride, I guess.
We enter what looks like a mudroom with a large cardboard box in the corner. The mother dog is lying down, and six puppies are crawling on top of and around her. Some puppies are all black, and some are a mixture of black and white.
Sofie shrieks in delight and puts her little hands over her mouth while she patiently waits for Frank to pick up one of the puppies. We had a long talk in the car about how to be gentle with little puppies. When he hands one to her, Sofie’s face radiates pure joy. She sits down on the linoleum floor, cradling the puppy in her arms. I whip out my phone and take a picture of the endearing sight.
“He’s so warm,” Sofie says as the furry bundle squirms in her arms and tries to lick her chin.
“That one’s a girl,” Frank says. He looks at me and adds in a low voice, “Thought you might want a female.”
I nod my agreement.
“Why are they in a box?” Sofie asks.
Frank chuckles. “It keeps them contained and close to their mama.”
We play with the puppies for several minutes. I even get in on the action, holding one in my arms. I’m surprised Frank has any left, with how cute they are.
“A couple of them are already spoken for,” he explains when he leaves two in the box and doesn’t bring them out to meet us.
Sofie and I are absorbed in the puppies when a familiar voice from the doorway says, “Hello! I see you’ve met the puppies.”
June is standing there, holding a couple grocery bags in her hands. Frank walks right over and relieves her of the bags. He kisses her cheek, and she blushes. “I’m fixing fried chicken for dinner. Noah, hope you and Sofie can stay.”
“Fried chicken!” Sofie yells, sealing the deal that we’ll be staying.
The adults laugh. “That’s a yes, then?” June asks.
“Yes, but we didn’t bring anything to offer to the meal,” I reply.
“Oh shoo! I’ve got plenty of food. You play with the dogs and we’ll have dinner ready in about an hour,” June says. Frank and June go off to the kitchen, leaving us to play with the puppies.
I hear laughter and conversation in the kitchen. I’ve never seen Frank move so fast as he did when June arrived. I can’t wait to tell Rae about Frank’s new furniture and his kiss on June’s cheek.
Some time later, the delicious aromas from the kitchen waft into the mudroom, making my stomach growl. Frank appears and says, “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Have you decided which puppy you want, Miss Sofie?”
She grins up at him. “I like these two. Can I get both of them, Daddy? Please?” Her eyes plead with me to say yes.
I can feel my resolve slipping, when luckily Frank intervenes, saying, “How about you choose one. Then if no one takes the other one, your dad can decide if you can have that one too?”
I chime in, adding my two cents. “Since we’re new to having a dog, I think we should do as Frank says. Just take one for now.”
Sofie looks heartbroken but doesn’t complain. “Then I pick this one.” She points to the chubby black and white one that’s been her favorite for the last several minutes. I like that one too. The white under her chin and on the tip of her tail is unique. I nod.
“Okay, I’ll save her for you. She’ll be ready to leave her mom on Christmas Eve.” Sofie squeals with delight.
Frank returns all the dogs to the box while my daughter and I wash our hands. When we enter the toasty warm kitchen, June has the table set and is dishing up mas
hed potatoes into a large bowl. Frank picks up the platter filled with fried chicken and sets it on the table. June hands him the potatoes and then pours hot gravy into a serving dish.
“Please sit, whatever seat you want is fine,” Frank says.
“This looks and smells delicious,” I say as Sofie and I take seats on one side of the table while Frank and June sit on the ends.
“Thank you, Noah,” June says.
Sofie reaches for a wheat bun and puts it on her plate.
“Shall we pray?” June asks politely before any more food hits anyone’s plate. She instructs us to all hold hands while she says the prayer. “Bless us, O Lord. We are thankful for these friends and your gifts, which we are about to receive from your bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Frank says “Amen” in his deep voice and I follow suit. Sofie looks wide-eyed at the whole proceeding, but she chimes in with Amen in her sweet, high-pitched voice. Apparently I need to introduce prayer at our nightly dinners; that’s a real oversight on my part.
The meal is appetizing and filling—I haven’t had fried chicken for such a long time, I eat several pieces. Sofie even cleans her plate. June baked brownies for dessert, and we all manage to have room for one despite the big meal. Frank and I clean up while June and Sofie go back into the puppy room.
“So, you and June are getting serious?” I ask as I load the dishwasher.
He laughs. “I asked her to marry me and we’re getting married on the Friday after New Year’s.”
My eyeballs almost fall out of my head. “Wow, that’s fast.”
“When you’re my age, you don’t beat around the bush. I asked June last week and she said yes.” He beams. “She’ll be calling you and Rae with an invite,” he adds. I have some serious updates to tell Rae about tonight!
Once the kitchen cleanup is done and the ladies return from the mudroom, I tell Sofie it’s time to leave. “Thank you for the delicious dinner,” we say as we get our coats on. “We’ll come and get the puppy in the morning on Christmas Eve.”
Frank and June wave goodbye as we walk out to our car. Frank puts his arm around June, and they look like a happy married couple.
On the way home Sofie asks, “What does Amen mean?”
“That’s an ending for a prayer. It means we all agree with what was said in the prayer.”
“Oh.”
“We’ll start praying at every meal. How about that?”
Sofie nods. “I’ll say Amen at the end.”
~*~
“How did the puppy visit go?” Rae teases on our nightly call that evening.
I chuckle. “How do you think it went?”
She laughs. “You ended up getting two of them.”
“Almost. But Frank intervened and told Sofie to pick one, and he’d let us know if the second one was still available.”
Rae giggles. “Did you encourage Frank to make sure the second one gets adopted?”
“Um, well, no. Sounds like the puppies are pretty popular, so I don’t think that will be an issue.” My voice rises in excitement as I speak my next sentence. “You’ll never guess who came while we were there.”
“June?”
Rae told me several times there was a romance brewing between Frank and June, so I’m not actually surprised she guessed correctly.
I expel a disappointed breath. “You just took the wind out of my sails.” Her uncontrolled laughter floats over the line, so I wait a few beats for her to compose herself. “And much to my amazement . . . Frank kissed June right in front of Sofie and me,” I add with theatrical flair.
Rae gasps, letting me know I have her full attention now. I grin at how my next piece of juicy gossip is going to blow her away.
“Oh, it gets even better . . .” I pause for a few seconds, adding to the drama.
“Don’t make me wait, Noah! Spill!”
I feel like beating a drum roll with my fingers for this big reveal. “Well . . . they’re getting married the Friday after New Year’s. June’s going to call with an invite.”
“This is so wonderful!” Rae squeals a lot like my five-year-old. “The stained-glass window project helped get them together.”
Once hearing returns to my left ear, I also tell her about Frank’s new front door and furniture. “Guess he had to spiff up the place for his fiancée.”
“She’s a good influence on him. They’re perfect for each other,” Rae says with a breathless sigh.
I want to say “we’re perfect for each other too” but I don’t. I need to be patient until May 23.
Chapter Seventeen
Raelynn
MY RED DRESS LOOKS FESTIVE, and I attach the sprig of holly brooch that Mom gave me to give it a final Christmasy touch. It was Grandma’s pin, and I wear it every Christmas Eve. Grabbing my purse and coat, I head out to the service. Pastor Tim warned all the members to get to the church early because there’s always an overflowing crowd on this holiday.
I take one of the last parking spots in the FaithBridge lot. Other attendees are going to have to park along the street. A friendly older gentleman hands me a program and a small candle, then directs me to the open pews at the back. Sofie waves enthusiastically at me as I walk over to join Noah and her.
“We saved you a seat,” Noah says with a bright smile. He’s looking handsome in a charcoal gray suit and red tie. I haven’t seen him in a suit since our painful first meeting, so I notice how the jacket shows off his broad shoulders. A swarm of butterflies flutter in my stomach at the sight.
“I got a puppy!” Sofie announces in a loud voice as she hops up and down. Despite the organ music playing in the background, everyone in the pews next to us heard that announcement. Several people chuckle.
When I get settled in the pew, sitting between Noah and Sofie, I say, “When did you get a puppy?” I act surprised even though I knew about the planned trip to Frank’s farm to get the fur baby.
Sofie claps her hands. “This morning! And she’s so cute.”
Noah gently reminds her to use her indoor voice.
“What’s the puppy’s name?” I ask in a whisper, hoping Sofie will take the hint.
“Stinky,” Sofie says not using the indoor voice. “She made a big poopy mess and Daddy said she was stinky.” The little girl then falls back into her seat in a fit of giggles.
“We’re going to come up with a better name once we get to know the puppy better,” Noah says firmly.
I nod. “I wouldn’t want to be known as Stinky just because of one accident.”
Sofie chews on her finger as she considers my words, then she shakes her head in agreement.
“What color is she? Maybe you can find inspiration for a name because of her color?” I suggest.
“She’s black and white,” Sofie replies.
I ponder names that might work with that color combination. Pepper? Too boring. Inky? Too close to Icky. Spot? How unoriginal. I keep all my mediocre name suggestions to myself.
Pastor Tim strides to the altar and the crowd settles down; conversations quiet when he says, “Thank you all for coming to this celebration of Christ’s birth. We are also celebrating the restoration of our hundred-year-old stained-glass window.” He points to the window, which looks glorious with the church’s lights catching the different colors and making them glimmer. “I’d like the volunteers who restored the window to stand so we can thank them properly.”
He informed us a few days ago that he would be making this announcement and asking us to stand. Noah and I stand first, then Sofie jumps up, hugging Noah’s legs. Frank and June are seated a few pews up from us and they rise to their feet together. Frank looks like a million bucks in what appears to be a new suit while June beams beside him in a dark green dress. They are the cutest couple, and I can’t wait to attend their wedding.
Someone in the front of the church starts clapping and soon everyone joins in. The noise fills the sanctuary as it reverberates around us. People turn in their seats to stare at us. As
I look across the church, a sea of smiling faces meets my eyes. After what feels like several minutes, the crowd quiets back down, rotating back to face the front.
“Thank you, Frank, June, Noah, Rae, and little Sofie for all your time and effort. We’d like each of you to take one of the poinsettias home with you at the end of service.” Pastor Tim nods to the beautiful red flowers lining the altar. I put my hand to my heart, touched at the unexpected gift. The emotional moment is broken when Sofie pipes up, “He mentioned me!” Noah looks embarrassed at the outburst, but the congregation chuckles as we sit back down.
“Please stand and join me in singing ‘O Come All Ye Faithful,’” Pastor Tim says while the organ plays the introductory notes of the song. I blink back tears when the soaring organ notes and uplifting voices swell across the sanctuary in perfect harmony. Noah takes my hand, squeezes it, and doesn’t release it until the song ends. Although I know we shouldn’t hold hands in public, I reluctantly let go.
The rest of the service flies by. One of the extremely talented choir sopranos sings a solo of “O Holy Night.” I see people across the sanctuary wiping tears away at the poignant rendition. After Pastor Tim’s sermon retelling the birth of Christ, the church lights are dimmed, and ushers walk down each aisle, lighting the candle of the person on the end of the pew, who then lights their neighbor’s.
Pastor Tim’s words linger in the air as the light slowly moves across the sanctuary. “As John tells us in chapter eight, verse twelve, when Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
Once all the candles are lit, we sing “Joy to the World.” The stained-glass window depicting Jesus’ birth looks ethereal in the flickering candlelight. After the last note is sung, the church lights come back on. I blink a few times at their brightness compared to the candlelight. We gently blow out our candles, collect our things, and get ready to depart. The crowd murmurs around us as they do the same.
“I officially joined FaithBridge,” Noah says after the service is over.
A Time for Faith Page 9