I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I’m not forgiving you for you,” I said, about as meek as I’d ever been. “I’m doing it for me.” Before she could speak I said, “And I want you to know that I will do my part to help you with your daughter. With Donna. She’s got a lot of healing to do... and I want to help her with that. For both of you.”
Doreen blinked at me. “You’d do that for me?”
“I would. But more for Donna than for you. The way I see it, we only get one mother and father, Doreen. And you’re it for Donna when it comes to mothers.” I took a step toward the door. “That’s all I came to say.”
Doreen took one step toward me, then stopped. “Thank you for that,” she said. “I’d give you a hug but...”
I gave her a weak smile. “Let’s not get carried away.” I didn’t want to embarrass her, so I winked.
She looked down at her feet, and I took my leave from the same door by which I’d entered.
Lizzie called some time after lunch to see how I was doing.
“I’m okay,” I said. I had my hand pressed against the kitchen table where Peggy was applying another layer of clear topcoat to my painted nails. “Peggy’s doing a touch-up on my manicure.”
“So, have you heard the news?” she asked from the other end of the line.
“About Michelle and Adam? Of course. Who hasn’t? Pretty soon you’ll be the mother of the bride, sitting pretty on the front row of Grace Church.”
“Another thing for my already overfilled plate,” she said. “But they want a year to plan the wedding, so... But that’s not what I meant. Lisa Leann’s daughter just had a baby.”
“You’re kidding!”
“A boy.”
“A boy,” I echoed. “How precious. I’m sure Lisa Leann is beside herself... Wait a minute. Lisa Leann! What about my wedding?” I jerked my hand away from Peggy’s ministrations.
“Evangeline!” she snapped.
“Sorry,” I said and laid my hand back against the tabletop. “What about my wedding?” I asked Lizzie again.
“Don’t fret. The Potluck Club Catering Party is at your service.”
“The what?”
I could practically hear Lizzie smiling. “That’s what we’ve been calling ourselves all morning. When Lisa Leann and Donna flew out of here—oh, and Donna birthed the baby, but I’ll tell you more about that later—Lisa Leann left us with a flurry of instructions. Vonnie, Goldie, and I have had a blast all morning. The food. The floral arrangements. The musicians. The nonstop ringing of the phone. Oh, and your veil arrived. Wait till you see it, Evangeline.” She took a breath. “Well, anyway... I don’t know when I’ve had so much fun and worked so hard at the same time.”
I frowned. “Will Lisa Leann make it back in time for the wedding? I don’t want to sound selfish or anything, but I’m not sure I can do this without her.” I gulped. “Oh dear Lord, what did I just say?”
Lizzie called out, “Vonnie! Goldie! You won’t believe what Evangeline just told me.” I heard the “whats” in the background, but Lizzie didn’t answer them. “Okay, sweet bride. I’m going to say good-bye for now. We’ll see you in the bride’s room of the church in a little bit.”
I hung up the phone and shook my head. Oh Lord, I prayed. Not that I want to be selfish, but... I need Lisa Leann!
Oh, dear Lord, what did I just pray?
I stood in the bride’s room at Grace Church, staring into the full-length mirror before me.
“You look wonderful,” Vonnie said from behind me, giving my shoulders a squeeze.
“I do, don’t I?” I whispered back.
“Your gown is exquisite,” Goldie commented from the other side of the room, where she was applying a last-minute touch-up of lipstick in front of a small table mirror.
“It’s called ‘Grace Kelly,’” I said. I had chosen for my wedding gown a lovely one-piece, lace over satin A-line gown with a satin sash, which accented the empire waistline and wrapped to the corset back, finishing the gown with cascading streamers.
“Oh, now there was a bride,” Lizzie said. “When she married Prince Rainier, what a fairytale that was.” In my mirror I could see her reflection behind me. She was slipping her feet into the shoes Lisa Leann had dyed to match the color of the bridesmaids dresses.
The door opened, and Peggy stuck her head in. I turned in her direction as she said, “Never fear. Lisa Leann has just arrived. And, might I say, she looks no worse for the wear.”
I smiled. “Of course she doesn’t. She wouldn’t have it any other way.” I took a deep breath. “Are you going to come in or just your head?”
Peggy stuck her tongue out at me playfully. “I’ll be back in a second. I’m scoping everything out.” Her head disappeared, then reappeared. “Oh, girls. You should see Vernon Vesey in his penguin suit.” The door closed, and I made a sound that reminded me somewhat of a drowning woman taking her last breath.
Next to me, Donna sat in a chair positioned against the wall. “My father. In a tux. Who’d-a-thunk-it?”
We all laughed. Well, all but me. I was too nervous to think about Vernon in a tux. I turned from the mirror and walked over to the table where our bouquets of roses and daisies awaited us. “Perfect,” I said to no one.
Peggy walked back through the door. “Ladies, if you’re ready, Clay is here to photograph the bride’s side.” She smiled at me. “You look beautiful, baby sister,” she said. “If only Mama...”
I pressed my lips together. I will not cry... I will not cry... “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” I said, then jutted out my chin and walked toward the door.
I stood at the side of the vestibule and listened as the bridal march played. First Goldie walked down the aisle, then Lizzie. Lisa Leann, standing near the doorway, was ordering their steps. “One-two-three-four-one-two-three-four... glide... glide...” she whispered. “Oh, perfect. Perfect.”
After Lizzie, Donna took her place at the door’s entrance. I saw her breath catch in her chest. She turned and looked at me, mouthing “He’s so handsome. My daddy...” and then she began her march down the aisle.
Vonnie followed behind her, taking her position. She, too, turned her head toward where I stood waiting alongside Matthew. She smiled, and I blinked. When she’d disappeared from my view, Lisa Leann stepped over and closed the double swinging doors. She motioned to me. Matthew and I moved toward her as the music from within changed and the rustling of people standing followed.
Matthew and I took our positions as Lisa Leann fluttered over my gown.
“Are you ready?” Matthew asked, extending his arm.
I placed my gloved hand on top of his forearm as Lisa Leann had instructed I do. “It’s more formal,” she’d said.
I looked up at him and whispered, “I am.”
I turned my gaze back to the closed doors.
“Here we go,” Lisa Leann practically sang.
She opened the doors in one swift, melodramatic moment. Through the shimmer of my veil I saw Vernon standing at the end of the aisle beside our pastor and alongside his groomsmen. He pressed his hand to his chest, and I took one final deep breath.
At Lisa Leann’s lead, I took my first step toward my future.
53
What the Journalist Saw
With Britney beside him, Clay had snapped about eight rolls of film. As he removed each roll from his camera and handed them back to her, he’d say, “These are all going to be great. Just great.” He carried a digital camera, taking first one shot with it, then the final shot with his trusty 35mm, which allowed him more options for effect.
At the reception, he’d snapped pictures of the bride and groom dancing, the guests who followed them on the dance floor, and the clusters of well-wishers who waved or raised their toast glasses. He’d shot an entire roll of casual poses, catching the guests when they least expected it.
At her command, he’d taken several pictures of Lisa Leann as she “did her thing” so she could blow them
up and have them matted and framed for the wall behind the counter of her shop. She was as big a ham as the pork she’d glazed and garnished and placed on one of the food tables.
Two days after the wedding, Clay and Britney worked with the photographs at her family dining room table, separating them by time sequence, placing the “good shots” in one pile and the few “not-so-good shots” in another.
“Eyes are closed,” Britney said from beside him, placing another in the latter pile.
He glanced over, then pulled the photo toward him for a look-see. It was a photo of Peggy and Matthew with all their children and their grandchild. Leigh’s eyes were closed tight as a drum, and she looked as though she were about to sneeze. He pulled the picture toward him, remembering the excitement from just a few months ago when she’d shown up pregnant and unmarried. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Now, there she stood, next to her husband.
“Fortunately, you took two,” Britney interrupted his thoughts. “And this one of the whole family is perfect.”
Clay went to place the picture back in its proper pile when something caught his eye. Something in the background. “Well, would you look at that,” he said.
“What?” Britney looked over.
Clay pointed to two figures in the background of the shot. “Right there.”
“My, my,” Britney said. “My, my, my.”
Donna and Wade, hands locked together, her head on his shoulder, his lips pressed against the top of her head.
“Well, would you look at that,” Clay repeated.
“I wonder what it means,” Britney said.
Clay pursed his lips, then smiled. “I have no idea.”
The Potluck Club Recipes
Crushed Pineapple Fruitcake
¾ cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups golden raisins
½ cup red candied cherries
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup candied mixed fruit peel
3 tablespoons (melted) butter for later
Line the bottom of your angel food pan with parchment paper then spray pan and paper with Pam.
Cream butter then beat in sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in extract. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in raisins, cherries, pineapple, and mixed peel. Allow dough to sit in covered bowl overnight.
Bake at 300 degrees for 2½ hours. Place a pan of hot water on the lowest rack of your oven during baking. Remove cake from oven then brush with melted butter.
Lisa Leann’s Cook’s Notes
This fruitcake recipe has a little something extra, with the crushed pineapple. My mother used to make it every Christmas, and I don’t think I could go through the season without doing one up myself.
Pumpkin Dessert
36 large marshmallows
1 cup pumpkin (cooked or canned)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup cream (whipped)
1½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs (crushed)
½ cup brown sugar
⅛ cup butter (melted)
whipped cream for topping (optional)
6–8 candied or fresh cherries (optional)
Melt in a double boiler: marshmallows, canned pumpkin, cinnamon, salt. Mix thoroughly and let cool for 1 hour. Add 1 cup cream, whipped, and put the mixture in the refrigerator.
In separate bowl, mix vanilla wafer crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter together. Put half of crumb mixture in bottom of 9-by-9 pan.
Pour pumpkin filling over crust and cover with remaining crumbs. Chill until firm (overnight). Garnish each serving with whipped cream (sweetened) and top with a cherry.
Serves 6 to 8.
Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes
If you like pumpkin like I do but want to do something a little more creative than your average pumpkin pie, this dessert is for you. Now that I’m building memories with David, I think this is fast becoming one of his favorite homemade desserts.
Sour Cream Blueberry Coffee Cake
INGREDIENTS FOR STREUSEL
½ cup flour
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
INGREDIENTS FOR COFFEE CAKE
Directions for Streusel: Combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add diced butter and blend with your fingertips until crumbly. Set aside.
Directions for Coffee Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13 baking pan. In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating well each time. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Fold in blueberries gently with a rubber spatula to create this very thick batter.
Scrape batter into greased pan. Spread batter evenly with the spatula. Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the top.
Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45–50 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pan about 10–15 minutes. Serve.
Goldie’s Cook’s Notes
This takes a little time to prepare, but it’s worth it in the end!
Larry’s Spice Apple Muffins
2 cups flour
½cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup chopped apples
Topping
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Sift flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and teaspoon cinnamon together. Combine egg, milk, and melted butter in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Beat well; fold in apples. Drop batter by spoonfuls into greased muffin tins, filling. full. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over muffin batter. Bake at 425 degrees for 15–18 minutes.
Yield: 12 muffins.
Donna’s Cook’s Notes
I got this recipe out of Larry, and I have to admit I make it from time to time. If you like muffins as much as I do, give it a try.
Hamburger Quiche for Real Men
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 can condensed tomato soup
½ cup soft bread crumbs
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 large fresh tomato, peeled
Sauté onion and green pepper in oil until soft. Add beef and brown well. Remove pan from heat. Combine soup, bread crumbs, ½cup cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Add to meat and stir until well blended. Pour mixture into pie crust.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30–40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cut tomato in eighths and arrange in circle on top of pie. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and return to oven for 3–5 minutes.
Yield: 6–8 servings.
Goldie’s Cook’s Notes
Though Jack hates this (he says real men don’t eat quiche) I am here to tell you that it’s a wonderful feast for the mouth!
Million Dollar Pound Cake
2 cups butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs (large)
4 cups cake flour
¾ cup milk
1 tablespoon butter or vanilla flavoring
½ teaspoon almond flavoring
Cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after ea
ch addition. Add flour alternately with milk. Add flavorings. Beat well. Bake in 10-inch greased and floured tube pan, in preheated oven at 275 degrees for 2–2½ hours or until done.
Lizzie’s Cook’s Notes
If this were any easier you’d have gone down to the bakery to purchase it! I’ve used this recipe for years as a quick dessert that’s delicious, and there’s never a crumb left over.
Meat and Potatoes in a Dish
3–6 medium potatoes
1½ pounds hamburger, cooked
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can tomato soup
Slice the potatoes in a greased 2-quart casserole dish and crumble hamburger on top. Sprinkle on half the salt and pepper. Slice onion and spread over hamburger. Spread kidney beans over onion. Cover all with the undiluted tomato soup. Add remaining salt and pepper. Bake for 1½ hour in 375-degree oven.
Yield: 6 servings.
Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes
Everyone in Summit View knows I hate to cook, but they also know how much I love this dish. Why? It’s simple and easy, that’s why. And it has everything in one dish!
Coach Dippel’s Favorite Mexican Casserole
The Potluck Club—Takes the Cake Page 29