The Lilac Bouquet

by Carolyn Brown

  “And he’s been destroying my life ever since,” Jesse said.

  “From where I stand, it looks to me like you’re both guilty. You started that fight and got what you deserved for it. Then you were the reason that Tandy wouldn’t marry him, since you were the better catch. Then you had to carry the burden of guilt for not doing the right thing,” Logan said. “You do realize that it’s time for this to end, don’t you?”

  Jesse shook his head. “It’ll end when I’m dead.”

  “Okay, then have it your way. What about my and Emmy Jo’s wedding?” Logan asked.

  “Before I didn’t want you to marry her because she might be distant kin. Now I’m against it even more because she has Seth Thomas’s blood in her veins. Go away,” Jesse said. “Just get up and walk out of here and know this—I’ll never forgive Seth.”

  “Then I doubt if God will have much compassion on you when you get to Judgment Day. Have a great day, Gramps. I’m going out to Seth’s house for supper this evening. The wedding is going to be at his place. Dad will perform the ceremony if you are too stubborn, but if you change your mind, just show up wearing a purple tie and you can do it for us,” Logan said and then began to walk out of the house. “One more thing.” He stopped and glanced back. “Seth has given us the old farmhouse that his dad lost in a poker game to your father. We will live in it as part of Emmy Jo’s new job as his permanent assistant. We’d love for you to visit us.”

  “Get out of my sight,” Jesse seethed.

  Diana propped the picture of her and Emmy Jo in their wedding dresses up on the dashboard of her car for them to look at while they drove home that afternoon. “We’re going to get you back before dark, but it was sure nice of Seth to tell you to take all the time you needed.”

  “I got a text from Logan while you were in the dressing room taking off that gorgeous ball gown back there. He and Seth already had supper, and they are playing checkers. Logan talked to Jesse today,” Emmy Jo said.

  “And?”

  “It did not go well. I feel sorry for him, Diana. Seth loved my granny so much that he was willing to marry her, but she wanted Jesse, and he ran away to the navy to get out of marrying her. What a mess. Let’s stop at that burger place in Graham and get something to eat before we go home.”

  “I’m still in total shock about all that.” Diana caught the next right and drove right to the place. “No wonder they’ve hated one another all these years. I still think Tandy will come to the wedding, but if Jesse shows up, I’ll probably faint.”

  Emmy Jo shook her finger at Diana. “You better not! You are my bridesmaid, and you have to keep me standing up straight that day.”

  Diana flashed a lopsided grin. “With your sass, you’ll be bossing everyone around. I also can’t believe I get to go inside that big house today and meet Seth Thomas.”

  Emmy Jo sighed. “I wish those three could see that the past isn’t as important as the future.”

  Diana laid a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t press your luck.”

  They made it home by eight o’clock to find Seth, Logan, and Jack deep into a poker game. Seth looked up and grinned when the ladies stepped off the elevator. “Did y’all have any luck?”

  “We did. Seth, I want you to meet my friend Diana,” Emmy Jo said. “And Diana, this is Seth, the man I’ve been talking about all month.” She crossed the room and dropped a kiss on Logan’s forehead. “And this is the man who’d better not be losing at poker.”

  “Oh, he’s not. He’s won a dollar and twenty-nine cents,” Seth said. “He’s way ahead of me and Jack here.”

  “Okay, then. Is it okay if I give Diana a tour of the place and tell her all about what we’re doing for the wedding?” Emmy Jo asked.

  “It’s your house as much as mine until we turn it over to the charity fund, so go do whatever you like and let us finish this hand,” Seth said.

  When they were upstairs in Emmy Jo’s bedroom, Diana let out the giggle that she’d been holding in. “Is that really the mean old recluse that we’ve all been scared of?”

  “Oh, yes, but the old coot is a great-grandfather now. I’ve heard that having a child or a grandchild changes people,” Emmy Jo said.

  “I hope he lives long enough to see your kids. He’s never had a little kid in the house. You came to him full grown,” Diana said. “Wonder how he’d be around little kids?”

  “Who knows? A month ago I wouldn’t have thought he’d even smile or be nice. Miracles do happen.” Emmy Jo flopped down on the bed.

  “And you think if one can happen here, then it just might wake Tandy and Jesse up.”

  “One can only hope,” Emmy Jo said. “Now let’s go down to the garage and bring my dress up here so we can stare at it until they finish playing cards.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Emmy Jo should be able to attend church with her grandmother on Mother’s Day, right? Seth checked his reflection in the mirror. He hadn’t worn it in twenty years, but the suit still fit and his boots were shined. He’d even gone to his favorite barber in Graham and gotten a haircut the day before. It was the first time he and Tandy would be in the same building since they went to school together. He’d seen her from his office window on Main Street a few times, but to actually be in the same place—it was a scary thought. But he wanted to see her, especially now that they shared a great-granddaughter.

  But now he was having second thoughts about going with her that morning. He hadn’t been inside a church house since he was sixteen, the week that the ladies thought it best if his mama didn’t come to their place of worship anymore.

  Lightning isn’t going to strike you dead. His mama’s soft voice was inside his head again. Times are changing and you might be an old dog, but you are still kicking. Square up those shoulders and walk in like you are used to entering through those doors every Sunday morning.

  “First sign of a dark cloud and I’m outta there,” he said seriously.

  He fidgeted the whole way to the church and really wanted to tell Emmy Jo that he’d changed his mind. He could sit in the car and wait for her, maybe listen to the radio to pass the hour or even take a little walk around the parking lot to exercise the hip. But she was just so darned excited about the day that he couldn’t do it.

  “I’ve got a table reserved for all five of us at Libby’s soon as church is over, and then we’ll go to the cemetery and to the old house. I want to go through it again with you and talk about the changes. And Libby does make dumplings on Sunday, but most people like her chicken and dressing special better.” She hopped from one subject to the other. “I’m so excited that you are coming to church with me, Seth. You’ll never know what it means.”

  “Are you absolutely sure that Tandy left her shotgun at home?” Seth asked.

  “Yes, I am. She can’t get it in her purse.”

  Seth opened the car door. “Okay, then let’s go hear some hellfire and damnation.”

  The clouds didn’t part. No great, booming voice welcomed him into the building. But then lightning didn’t shoot out of the clear-blue summer sky and strike him dead right there inside the doors, either. Tandy did give him a go-to-hell look, but he’d expected much worse.

  He settled in at the end of the pew, the old codger trailing along with the young folks. At least Emmy Jo was sitting beside him, and that brought comfort. They sang a couple of congregational hymns, and sure enough, the preacher talked about a few of the mothers. Seth listened for a few minutes; then his mind wandered as he checked out the old building.

  The windows needed replacing, and the air-conditioning was barely keeping up with the crowd that morning. It would really have trouble in July and August. The piano was out of tune, and the choir robes were shabby. He would add a little upkeep to the place to his bucket list when he got home that evening—if no one said a word about his mother or his attending services that morning. If anybody did, then he might throw a stick of dynamite up under the foundation and blow the whole thing to smithere
ens.

  Seth William Thomas. His mother’s voice was back. Don’t even think thoughts like that. You’ve found a long-lost great-granddaughter, which means you are not dying without anyone to remember you. Rejoice in that and stop thinking about dynamite.

  “And now we will sing ‘The Lilac Bouquet’ in closing,” the preacher said.

  Every word in the old hymn came straight from heaven that morning as Seth sang along with the rest of the congregation. If he’d been a songwriter, he could have penned every one of those lyrics and dedicated them to Mary Thomas. When she died he’d found a faded blue ribbon in her Bible, a leftover from one he’d gotten from Nora on Mother’s Day to wrap around a bouquet of lilacs he’d picked from the bush in the yard. And he’d sure enough found tearstains on the pages, no doubt from wishing that she had the privilege of sitting in church like he’d done that morning. At the end of the song, the words said that someday he would pick his mother another lilac bouquet from the Garden of Eden.

  But before he died, he had a bucket list that he needed to fulfill. And today he was adding to it, rather than crossing something off. When the hymn finished, he followed the young folks toward the back, where everyone shook hands with the preacher as they filed out.

  “Mr. Thomas, we are so glad you could join us. We’d be honored to have you here every Sunday,” the preacher said as he pumped Seth’s hand up and down. “Please come back and make this your home church.”

  “Thank you,” Seth said, surprised at his own seriousness.

  They were outside in the bright sunshine when Emmy Jo turned around and waved. “Granny! Happy Mother’s Day!” She let go of Logan’s hand and ran back to greet her grandmother.

  Leaning on the front fender of the car, Seth watched Emmy Jo hug Tandy and tug at her hand to lead her toward the car. Although she was gray haired now, Tandy’s eyes still flickered with excitement—and anger when she saw Seth. She stopped thirty feet away and shook her head. Emmy Jo said something to her and set her pretty mouth firmly in a tight line. Seth recognized that gesture and grinned.

  It must have been the smile, because Tandy tilted her chin up, locked gazes with him, and marched straight to the car. He couldn’t run, not yet, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He’d known the time would come when they’d face off again, but he hadn’t expected it to be in the middle of the church parking lot.

  “Tandy.” He nodded when she was three feet away.

  “Seth,” she said curtly.

  “I’m taking these kids to Libby’s for Sunday dinner. Would you like to join us?”

  “Hell, no!” Tandy said.

  He chuckled. “You’d best fluff up that gray hair. Bad time for your horns to be showing, right after that sermon about good mothers.”

  “Your hair is as gray as mine, so I’d say that’s the pot callin’ the kettle black,” she snapped.

  “After all these years, you are still afraid to be seen in public with me, aren’t you?” Seth wanted to reach out and brush a hand down her cheek, but he was afraid he’d come back with nothing but a bloody nub.

  “I’m not afraid of the devil and you should know that, but then maybe your memory is failing.”

  The grin on his face widened. “I have the memory of an elephant. I can recall every word you ever said.”

  “Granny, I wanted to give you this for Mother’s Day and to tell you that I love you.” Emmy Jo handed Tandy a small velvet box. “I’m hoping that you will wear it to my wedding.”

  Tandy flipped the lid open to reveal a lovely gold brooch that looked like a tiny bunch of lilacs tied with a ribbon encrusted with sparkling crystals. Her face softened, and her eyes glimmered with tears. “It’s so pretty, Emmy Jo. I love it.”

  Emmy Jo tiptoed and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you for being such a good mother. Won’t you please join us for dinner? It would mean a lot to me.”

  Tandy looked over Emmy Jo’s shoulder and met Seth’s gaze again. He could read her mind just like he could more than sixty years ago.

  It was hard for him to deny Emmy Jo anything and even more difficult to keep from trying to spoil her rotten. Seth had only known about her being his grandchild for a little while; he couldn’t imagine having had her in his life for more than twenty years.

  “It’s Mother’s Day, Emmy Jo,” he said, but his eyes didn’t leave Tandy’s. “Drive me home and she’ll go with you. You should spend this day with her.”

  “I’m not afraid of you or to sit at the same table with you, Seth Thomas. Emmy Jo, you can ride with me so we can visit, and Logan, you can drive Seth to the diner.” Tandy issued orders before she looped her arm in Emmy Jo’s and turned her back on Seth.

  “Well, that went well,” Logan whispered.

  “I’m still breathing, so I guess it did,” Seth said. “Lord, that woman has always been able to push my buttons. That’s one of the reasons I stayed on my hill and away from Hickory after I retired. I flat out didn’t want to run into her.”

  “You mean,” Logan opened the door for Seth, “that you haven’t seen her in twenty years?”

  “I mean I’ve managed to avoid her for more than sixty years,” Seth said. “I might have seen her walking down the street or even caught a glimpse of her once a year as I drove to work or home, but I have not spoken to Tandy since the night my mother died.”

  “But that’s crazy in a town as small as Hickory,” Logan said.

  “Yep!” Seth fastened his seat belt and shut the car door.

  Dinner could have been awkward, but bless his heart, Seth tried to fix things when he pointed to the chairs. “Why don’t you sit right there with Emmy Jo beside you, Tandy, and Logan can sit beside her? I’ll take this seat and Jack can sit beside me with Diana across from Tandy. That’ll put you lovely ladies together and us old ugly guys down on the other end.”

  “Don’t you bark orders to me,” Tandy said.

  “Tandy, darlin’, would you please sit right here beside Emmy Jo?” Seth grinned.

  “Don’t call me darlin’, either.” She glared.

  “Okay, then, sweet—”

  “Hush! If you call me that in front of these kids, I’ll kill you with the sugar bowl.”

  “What?” Emmy Jo asked. Were Tandy and Seth flirting or fighting? It was hard to tell.

  “Nothing that you need to know.” Tandy sat down in the chair where Seth had told her to sit in the beginning. “More than sixty years of raisin’ kids should get me a seat at the head of the table.”

  The bell above the door jingled, and Emmy Jo glanced up to see Wyatt, Paula, and Jesse entering Libby’s. Jesse’s expression left no doubt that he’d rather be eating his Sunday dinner in a pigsty as in the same café with them. Emmy Jo wanted to slap the meanness out of him and had to remind herself that he was a bitter old man.

  “Excuse me, darlin’.” Logan pushed his chair back. “I want to say happy Mother’s Day to Mama.” He went to the table where his family was sitting, kissed his mother on the cheek, and talked to them for a few minutes before he returned. “I’m having Mother’s Day with them tonight. Mama wants to go to the Dairy Queen for banana splits before Sunday night services at the church,” he said. “She’s of the opinion that nothing is fattening on Mother’s Day.”

  “Smart woman,” Tandy said. “Are they staying in Hickory?”

  “Yes, they are,” Logan said.

  “I have an idea for after we have dinner,” Seth announced to the whole table. “Why don’t you take me home, Logan? Jack and Diana can follow us and pick you up there, and Emmy Jo can ride with Tandy out to the farmhouse. That way y’all can show it to your friends and to Tandy.”

  “What about the cemetery?” Emmy Jo asked.

  “We’ll go after Tandy drops you off at the house. I’ve got a bouquet of real lilacs to go on her grave today, since this is Mother’s Day. Do you realize that the anniversary of her death is coming up real soon? She was born a hundred years ago this fall.”

  “We’ll have to do somethi
ng special that day,” Emmy Jo said.

  “I always put fresh lilacs on her grave on this day and her birthday.” Seth smiled. “It’s a ritual that I won’t stop as long as I’m alive.”

  “And one I’ll keep up after you are gone,” Emmy Jo said seriously.

  Tandy shot one of her sideways looks toward Emmy Jo.

  “Hey, I’m her great-great-granddaughter, so don’t give me that evil eye,” Emmy Jo said.

  “I swear, she looks like Nora and acts like you, Tandy,” Seth said. “And Emmy Jo, thank you for doing that for me. It brings an old great-grandpa comfort to know that you will take care of things. Here comes our waitress. I’m having the chicken and dressing special.”

  The baby steps were turning into giant steps where Seth was concerned, but the way Jesse kept shooting dirty looks their way said that his feet were firmly glued to the ground.

  Diana disappeared into the kitchen for a little while to wish Libby a happy day and returned with two plates of fried green tomatoes and three kinds of dipping sauce on each. She set one on each end of the table along with smaller plates for individual servings. “Mama says that this is on the house. She knows how much Tandy and Seth both love her fried green tomatoes.”

  “Well, thank you, Diana,” Tandy said as she loaded her small plate and spooned out the white sauce on the side. “I do love these. My mother made them every spring when we were growing up.”

  “So did my mother,” Seth said as he did the same. “We could hardly wait for the tomatoes to get big enough to slice so my mama could fry up a bunch for us. That and when we busted the first watermelon of the season were big days for us.”

  “Or when the new potatoes got big enough to dig a few to go in a pot of fresh green beans with some salt pork to season them. Add a pan of corn bread and we had a meal,” Tandy said. “Kids these days don’t know anything about gardening.”

  They’re talking! It might not be about anything but food, but neither of them is acting like Jesse. I bet his heart is so hard that a jackhammer couldn’t break it up.