God, You’ve been too good to me. You’ve given me a man who wants me to try new things, who wants me to have fun with him. Thank You, Lord. Help me to hand my cares over to You.
Harold returned and grabbed her hand in his. “You want to walk over to The Deli? It’s just a little sandwich place that’s right here at the speedway.”
“Sounds good to me.” Kelly squeezed his hand then leaned closer to him. “Thanks for this. I would have never guessed …”
“Well, I wasn’t sure what you’d think, but I bet it took your mind off school, Zoey, and the wedding for a little while.”
“Definitely.” Kelly took a deep breath. “It was nice not to think about anything, to just have fun with you.”
“Just being near you is fun to me.”
Kelly thought of the three girls at home, probably this very moment arguing over who could watch which show and at what time. “You have no idea how fun your life is getting ready to be.”
Harold stopped and turned Kelly to face him. “I don’t deny it. You’re a handful.”
Kelly gasped and frowned.
Harold touched her cheek. “Let me finish. I knew when I started dating you that you came with three girls in tow. It was almost like God was playing a trick on me.”
“Now wait a min—”
Harold put his finger over her lips. “But I love you. I love Zoey. I love Brittany. I love Candy. Somehow all four of you have wrapped me around your little fingers. And they’re going to stress us out, but we’re still going to have fun together.”
Kelly kissed the tip of Harold’s finger. “I love you, Harold.”
“I love you, too.” With her hand firm within his, he started walking toward the deli. “Besides, things will settle down after the wedding. You’ll see.”
four
“I feel like someone has shoved me into a shoe box and shut the lid.” Harold shrugged then tried to lift his arms above his shoulders.
“No. It fits nicely.” The saleslady adjusted the collar of the tux. “I suggest this vest to set you apart from your groomsmen in an ever-so-subtle way.”
Harold looked at the piece of white material. It just looked like something else he’d have to squeeze his frame into, but it didn’t matter to him. He just wanted everything to look nice for Kelly.
After slipping off the jacket, he put on the vest, buttoned it, then put the jacket back on. He looked in the mirror. He had to admit once he had a haircut and a good shave, the getup would look nice.
Turning toward Cam and his work buddies, Rudy and Walt, he stretched out his arms. “Well, guys, what do you think?”
“Not too shabby.” Cam buttoned the second button on his jacket. “It’s just a shame you don’t look as good as me.”
“Or me.” Rudy wiggled his eyebrows as he sucked in his oversized stomach.
“No, I’ve got you all beat.” Walt hefted the three-inches-too-short pants higher onto his stick-thin waist.
Guffaws sounded from all four men.
“Don’t worry.” The saleswoman smiled. “Everything will fit perfectly when you come back to pick up your tuxes. I think you all look handsome.”
“All right then. Let’s get out of these monkey suits and head over to Cam’s for the big game,” Harold said as he started to unbutton the vest.
“Now that sounds good,” Walt said as he walked back into the fitting room.
“You can’t get me out of this thing fast enough,” Rudy added.
Once he’d dressed back into his comfortable blue jeans and T-shirt, Harold handed the items back to the saleswoman. “I’ll take care of the paperwork if you all want to head on over to Cam’s.”
“Okay, see you there.”
Harold watched as Cam, Rudy, and Walt walked out of the shop. The past several years Harold had been praying for Rudy’s and Walt’s salvation. Since Harold started dating Kelly, Cam had joined Harold in that prayer, and Harold had noted a softening in his workers, especially Rudy. Having decided weeks before that he would foot the bill for the guys’ tuxes, he paid for the rentals then headed out the door.
He needed gas, and it had been awhile since he’d paid Bill a visit. In fact, he hadn’t been back to the gas station since he’d encountered Zoey there two months ago. He knew he should have talked with Bill, and he probably should have been checking to make sure Zoey wasn’t still frequenting the place, but one thing after another had kept Harold from being able to get over there.
“Well, now’s as good a time as any.” He hopped into his truck. He needed to pick up a few bags of chips, maybe a two-liter or two to take to Cam’s house anyway. The guys had made it a regular Monday night event to watch that week’s football game on Cam’s wide-screen TV. Cam’s wife and daughter would spend the evening at Kelly’s doing one thing or another for the wedding.
Harold pulled into Bill’s gas station. He pumped his gas then went inside. Bill sat behind the counter, coffee in one hand and the local newspaper in the other. Harold scooped up two bags of chips and a soft drink. “Hey, Bill. How’s it going?”
A smile formed on Bill’s wrinkled face, exposing the large gap between his front teeth. “How ya been, Harold? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Harold nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been busy.” Harold scratched his jaw, trying to think of the best way to ask about Zoey.
“Ain’t seen that girl in here, either,” Bill added as he totaled Harold’s purchases.
Harold let out a breath as relief filled him. “I was going to ask you about that. So, she hasn’t been around?”
Bill clicked his tongue. “Now, I didn’t say she hadn’t been around. Just not here.” He placed the chips in a plastic bag. “I’ve seen her car driving up and down the street.”
Harold’s heart sank. “I was hoping—”
“She’s still hanging around with some no-good characters, too.”
“Thanks for telling me, Bill.” Harold pulled out his wallet to pay, when he remembered he had a few business cards. He pulled one out and handed it to Bill. “Will you do me a favor?” Sure.”
“The next time you see Zoey’s car, will you give me a call?”
“I sure will.” Bill shoved the card into his right front pocket. “Kids these days. Always up to no good.”
“She sure has had me on my knees in prayer, that’s for sure.”
Bill huffed and swatted the air. “Like that will do any good.”
Harold grabbed his bags. “It does me good. See ya later, Bill.”
Harold made his way back to the truck. Bill was another one that Harold had been praying for years over. Now, he had the man keeping an eye out for his soon-to-be, wayward, Christian daughter. Lord, what am I getting myself into?
Thanksgiving had finally arrived. The holiday felt especially sweet this year, and Kelly looked forward to Christmas and the few days after Christmas with such anticipation she could hardly contain herself. Kelly stopped cutting up slices of celery and wiped her hands on a towel. She opened the kitchen drawer she’d cleaned out and renamed “the wedding plans” drawer, pulled out a clear bag, and handed it to her mother. “This is the ribbon I’ve decided to go with for the bouquets.”
“This is beautiful.”
As her mother touched the soft fabric, Kelly’s heart warmed with overwhelming thankfulness for her family and fiancé. She felt undeservedly blessed. “I’m glad you and Dad could come to Delaware for Thanksgiving. I can hardly wait to go dress shopping for you tomorrow.”
Her mom shook her head. “I cannot believe I let you talk me into going to the mall on Black Friday.”
“We’ll have fun and you know it.”
Her mom winked. “You’ll have to go easy on me.” She pointed toward the manila folder in the wedding drawer.
“What’s in that?”
Kelly handed it to her mom. “Pictures of the girls’ dresses. Remember, I e-mailed them to you.”
Her mother nodded. “Yes. They were very pretty.”
Zoey walk
ed into the kitchen. “So, are you going to finish the potato salad or talk about the wedding all day? Some of us are hungry, you know.”
Noting the shocked expression on her mother’s face, Kelly bit back her desire to yell at her daughter for such disrespect. Instead, Kelly forced a smile and grabbed several cans from the cabinet. “Why don’t you help your grandmother and me? You make the green bean casserole.”
Zoey snarled. “I don’t know how.”
“Why, Zoey Coyle,” Kelly’s mom responded. “You loved making the green bean casserole. Your daddy always said you made it the best of all of us.”
“Well, he’s not here now, is he?” Zoey retorted. She wrapped her arms in front of her chest.
Kelly’s heart broke that her daughter still hurt so deeply over Tim’s death, and she empathized with the teen’s pain. But Zoey needed to stop making everyone else’s lives miserable. Kelly shoved the cans into Zoey’s folded arms. “Make the casserole.”
Zoey glared at Kelly. “I don’t remember how.”
“Follow the directions on the fried onion can. It tells exactly how to do it.” She turned and grabbed a glass pan from the cabinet. “We’ll cook it in this.”
“Fine.” Zoey walked to the table and placed the ingredients on top of it.
The three finished Thanksgiving dinner in near silence. Occasionally, her mother would try to talk about school or their Thanksgiving menu, but Zoey would only mumble her replies.
“We’re here.” Kelly’s sister-in-law’s voice echoed through the house.
“Grandma! Grandpa!” Ellie, her young niece ran through the living room and into the kitchen. She spied Kelly’s mom and wrapped her arms around her. “Grandma! I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, sweetie.”
While Kelly’s mom bent down to hug the young girl, her dad walked through the doorway from the den. “Did I hear a little munchkin calling my name?”
“Grandpa!” Ellie squealed. She raced over to him and he picked her up. She pushed out her bottom jaw and pulled down her bottom lip. “Look, I lost a tooth.”
“Well, you did,” Kelly’s dad responded.
“She sure did, Dad,” Cam walked through the kitchen, stopping long enough to deposit a couple of pies and give Kelly and Zoey a kiss on the forehead and his mom a hug. “Head on back into the den so she can tell you how she did it. You’ve got the game on, right?”
Sadie rolled her eyes at Cam’s words, and Kelly noted how the arrival of her brother and his family had lightened the mood of her home. She gave her sister-in-law a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I bet. I brought two homemade pumpkin pies.” She placed the pies on the counter beside the ones Cam had deposited. “And a homemade pecan pie and a sugar crème pie. I’ve never made the sugar crème from scratch, so I guess we’ll find out soon enough if I did all right.”
“I’d be glad you’re here even if you didn’t bring food.” Kelly glanced over at Zoey, who was arranging fruit on a tray and hadn’t even uttered a greeting to her uncle and family.
Sadie winked and mouthed, “Got it.” She walked over to the table and sat in the chair beside Zoey. “How’s it going, Zoey?”
Zoey shrugged. “All right, I guess. Mom’s making me help.”
“At seventeen, I’m surprised she doesn’t have you cooking the whole thing.”
Zoey smiled. Kelly awed at the way Sadie could soften Zoey. From everything Kelly could see, Sadie didn’t say anything special or specific that would make Zoey respond so positively to her, and yet she did. Maybe it was because there was just a little under a decade between their ages. More than likely, it was simply Sadie’s attitude. The woman never judged Zoey—no matter what she wore, no matter what she said. There were times Kelly wanted to wring her oldest daughter’s neck, but Sadie’s belief remained steadfast that Zoey would be all right.
“Grandma!” Ellie called from the den. “Come here and see the cheer Candy and I made up for the ball game.”
Her mother handed the wooden spoon she’d been using to stir the gravy to Kelly. “Here you go.” She wiped her hands on a towel. “Okay. I’m coming, sweetie.”
Kelly turned down the heat on the gravy. “Harold had better hurry. The food is almost done.”
“Are you kidding me? Harold is coming?” Zoey asked.
Anger welled in Kelly. “Of course, he’s coming—”
“He’s part of the family,” Sadie interrupted Kelly. She placed her hand on Zoey’s. “I really like Harold. He’s been good to your mom.”
Kelly took several deep breaths as Zoey sat back in her chair. “Fine.”
The doorbell rang and Kelly went to open the door for Harold. She hoped Zoey would be nice for the holiday. Her daughter had shown moments of an improved attitude, but with the holidays approaching, Zoey seemed to have sunk back into her shell. Kelly opened the door. “Hey, handsome.”
“And there’s my beautiful, soon-to-be wife.” Harold wrapped his arms around Kelly and kissed her softly on the lips.
She closed her eyes and allowed his warmth to soothe her. Any hint of frustration slipped out of her mind at the tenderness of his touch. He released her, and she opened her eyes. “I needed that.”
Mischief shadowed his gaze. “Well, you need never ask. I’m always available.”
She smiled as she led him into the den. “Harold’s here.”
As her family greeted him, Kelly set the table that was meant to seat eight, but they were going to squeeze in ten. A problem I’m thankful to have.
With so many at the table, Kelly decided to leave part of the food on the counter and place the dishes she felt sure the family would eat seconds of on the table. Once everyone had filled their plates to overflowing, Kelly’s dad said grace and the group began to eat.
Several conversations filled the room at one time and Kelly nearly burst into tears of thanksgiving yet again. They had so much to be thankful to God for. Her parents were healthy. Just a little over a year before, Cam and Sadie had married and were wonderful parents to Ellie. Her daughters were healthy, and God had given her the most wonderful man in the world to love for the rest of her life. Tears pooled in her eyes and she wiped them away with her napkin.
“This green bean casserole is awesome,” Harold said. He took another bite. “I’m not usually a green bean fan, but this stuff is good. Who made it?”
Zoey jumped out of her seat. She slammed her napkin on to the table. “Is that a joke?” She peered Kelly. “Did you tell him to say that?” She looked back at Harold. “You are not my father!” She stomped down the hall and slammed of her door.
“What did I say?” Harold looked around the table, and Kelly felt an overwhelming sadness for the man she loved. He didn’t deserve all the problems he’d be getting when he married Kelly.
“I’m sorry, Harold.” Kelly shook her head as the tears pooled in her eyes anew. She could hear Cam explaining that Tim had always complimented Zoey’s green bean casserole, but Kelly couldn’t take anymore. She excused herself and walked into the bathroom. If she loved Harold, she wouldn’t force him to endure all this.
Harold sat on the couch in the den watching the Thanksgiving football game. Cam and his dad took turns rooting on their team and jeering at the referees. He could hear the girls in the living room playing board games. Normally, he would sit back and enjoy the game, but to his knowledge, Zoey still hadn’t come out of her room.
He knew Kelly checked on her. Sadie went back there and talked with her for a long while as well, but the teen still hadn’t rejoined the family.
Part of him wanted to tell her to stop all this nonsense and enjoy time with the family, that he would be a good stepfather to her. The other part of him understood her completely. It was the part that remembered being fifteen when his dad brought home the woman who would replace his mom who’d died only a few months before. For years, I struggled with accepting that woman. But she was so patient with me. Harold had lost both of them within mo
nths of each other only five years ago. It’s funny how I miss her every bit as much as I miss Dad.
Cam’s growl at the ref snapped Harold out of his reverie. He took a long swig of his soft drink. Just sitting there, not really watching the game, but worrying over Zoey was getting the best of him. He pushed up from the couch. “Be back in a sec, guys.”
Kelly’s dad just kinda shooed him out, and Cam didn’t even look up. Harold walked through the kitchen and down the hall toward Zoey’s room. He hesitated a moment. What would he say to her? I’ll figure it out if she lets me come in.
He knocked, expecting her to growl or yell for him to go away. Instead, a small voice answered. “Come on in.”
He opened the door. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when she glanced up at him. Just as quickly, she looked down at the small pillow that sat in her lap. She picked at the fringe. In the year that he’d dated Kelly, almost every time he’d talked with Zoey she had a hard edge, an anger that aged her well past her seventeen years. Today, she looked like a wounded twelve-year-old girl, one who’d lost her greatest treasure and could never get it back. He knew at that instant the only thing he needed to do was show her that he’d be there for her.
“What do you want?” Her tone expressed no emotion, simply asked the question with no anger, no frustration, no hope.
Harold shrugged. “Can I sit there?” He pointed to the chair in front of her desk. Sure.”
Being sure to leave the door wide open, Harold pulled the chair away from the desk and toward the door. The last thing he wanted to do was to make Zoey feel uncomfortable. He sat, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “I’m sorry, Zoey.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Mom and Sadie said you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t.”
“It was just—that was what Dad used to say. He’d go on and on about how good I made the green bean casserole, that I mixed it just long enough and cooked it at just the right temperature and for just the right amount of time.”
For Better or Worse Page 4