“Since you’ve been here from the beginning, it’s our show. I’ll start, and then you elaborate.”
In no time at all, everyone knew their jobs. The sounds of hammering and sawing filled the air, while others added to the tissue paper and chicken wire for the sides. From atop the platform, where he was assembling the riser where the students would stand, he searched for Natalie. Over the past hour, he’d seen her glancing his way, and now he returned the favor.
Knowing someone with her ability to bring people together like this made his world feel a little happier, a little more secure.
“Major Murphy!” Belinda’s no-nonsense voice made him blink until she came into focus on the other side of the truck.
Her gray sweatpants and sweatshirt were the complete opposite to Hyacinth’s multicolored polka-dot dress. Belinda thrust a knitted scarf in the air.
He was afraid to ask for he already knew the present was for him. Politeness still demanded a response, and he laid down his tools and jumped off the float. “Belinda, what a surprise.”
Not really, considering neither could bear to let the other one get the upper hand. The birdhouse caught his eye, and he considered how to play this. He wouldn’t choose favorites, same as Danny didn’t play favorites with him and Natalie.
“It matches your blanket. Wear it in good health.” She stormed back toward the pavilion before he could end this escalation of gifts.
He had to put a stop to this, one way or another.
But how?
* * *
HIP-HOP MUSIC FILLED the air, drowning out the laughter from the splash fountains. Nearby, Lucie and her husband, Caleb, took turns at the grill, along with his cousin, Jonathan Maxwell. The smell of those hamburgers was too tempting to resist any longer. Grabbing a paper plate, Natalie headed toward the food line, where her sister-in-law, Georgie, tapped her fingers against the wooden table.
“Serious decision?” Natalie breezed over and fanned herself with her empty plate.
“If you call deciding between a cheeseburger and a hot dog serious, this has the makings of a doozy.” Georgie shrugged and chose the burger option. “Tell Aidan I’m giving the Thunderbird the total works tomorrow. Detailing with my favorite chenille washing mitt, using the best professional car wash soap and washing the wheels last to ensure no grime or brake fluid of any kind. Nothing but the best.”
“For Aidan or your Thunderbird?” Natalie couldn’t help but interject a teasing tone.
Her sister-in-law was a bit on the serious side, a good balance to her laid-back brother.
“Your Aidan as well as my classic convertible.”
Natalie stopped her hand halfway to her mother’s contribution of potato salad. “Huh? My Aidan?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.” Georgie moved down the line, plucking a handful of chips and a scoop of pasta salad. “Rachel’s upset she won’t get to play matchmaker again as the two of you are doing fine on your own.”
Even her niece Rachel had noticed sparks between her and Aidan? Natalie gulped and was about to refute Georgie’s claim when loud voices came from the other side of the picnic pavilion.
“A scarf is useful and utilitarian! Why on earth would a bachelor soldier need a birdhouse? It’s not like he can carry it through the airport without everyone and their cousins looking at him.” Belinda’s raised voice sent shivers down Natalie’s spine.
Of all the places for Belinda and Hyacinth to finally have it out, why here? Why now?
Natalie placed her still-empty plate on the table and rushed over, meeting Aidan, who came from the direction of the float.
“My birdhouse is beautiful.” Defensiveness laced Hyacinth’s words. She pointed at her gift for added emphasis. “It’ll remind him of his home. There’s little more beautiful in this world than home. A colorful home full of spirit and liveliness can brighten anyone’s life.”
Hyacinth raised her chin, and Natalie stepped in the middle.
She handled kindergartners, and these two were acting even younger than her students. “Ladies. Let your pies do the talking.”
Belinda pursed her lips into a straight line. “Tell her that. Coupon books, birdhouses, cake. Humph.”
Hyacinth shrugged. “If some of us manage to combine simple ingredients into an edible work of art, so be it. Pies are art in their special unique way and can put a smile on anyone’s face.” She arched her eyebrow and sent a scathing look Belinda’s way. “Besides, I know I’m not the only one who bestowed a cake upon our grand marshal.”
This time, Aidan folded his arms. “I can’t return the cakes as those have already been consumed, but tomorrow I’ll be returning the other bribes.”
“Bribes!” Both women spoke at once, horror reflected in each of their voices and faces.
Natalie turned to Aidan as Hyacinth stumbled toward them. Her plate flew through the air and landed on Belinda. Potato salad, baked beans and mustard dotted Belinda’s sweatpants.
Fire shot out of Belinda’s eyes. “You did that on purpose, Hyacinth Hennessy.”
Without another word, Belinda tipped her plate onto Hyacinth.
“Food fight,” yelled someone in the crowd.
Natalie scrambled onto the wooden bench seat and placed her index finger and thumb in her mouth, emitting a loud, shrill whistle. All eyes turned her way, and she stopped the music. “There will be no food fight.”
Aidan scrambled up next to her and glared at the two women covered in food. “If you two continue this, I’ll disqualify you both from the pie contest.”
Belinda stiffened her spine, her regal manner showing through as much as it could with baked beans dripping off her sweatpants. “You don’t have that kind of authority.”
“As judge of this contest and grand marshal, I do.”
The gasp of the crowd heralded silence. Mayor Wes pushed his way to the front of the pavilion. “I agree with Aidan. Enough is enough. You two will apologize to each other and Natalie, or you’ll be disqualified.”
“Well, I never,” Belinda started but then looked around and hung her head. “I’m sorry, Hyacinth and Natalie.”
Hyacinth’s cheeks reddened. “Oh, sweet Natalie, I’m most grievously sorry for our behavior. It was disgraceful and not befitting to the tradition of the Fourth of July pie contest.” She reached up and helped Natalie down before turning to Belinda and extending her hand. “Please accept my most humble apology.”
“Why does everything have to be so flowery?” Belinda grumbled before shaking Hyacinth’s hand.
“Because life is all the sweeter when we strive for that extra flavor. You, as a fellow baker extraordinaire, should understand that.” Hyacinth continued to shake until Aidan stepped in.
“Maybe you two ought to call it a day.”
Hyacinth and Belinda broke away and sized each other up before going to their respective cars. Everyone seemed stunned, the mood much more somber than minutes before.
Aidan’s mouth brushed her ear. “How do you want to proceed? I can make an announcement if you’d prefer any bad news to come from me.”
Thankful for his offer, she shook her head. “My party, my disaster.”
No sooner had she finished her speech than most of her friends collected themselves and went back to work. Within an hour, though, the pavilion had cleared out, except for a faithful few.
Caleb came toward her. “Normally it takes Fred and Ethel at a wedding to make everything this quiet. I didn’t start on the big ‘Happy Fourth from Hollydale Elementary’ sign for the front yet, but I have plenty of time. One of Lucie’s coworkers is watching Mattie and Ethan at the splash area, so I’ll stay and knock that out.”
“Thanks.”
Aidan approached with a plate of food, and Natalie couldn’t look at him. Not after her big plans were derailed in a split second. That was the problem with plans. Someti
mes they went horribly wrong and she had to clean up the aftermath.
Georgie completed the circle of four and stared at the truck. “Monday morning before the parade I’ll come and give everything a once-over. I’ll make sure those tires are properly inflated for the adjustment in the hauling weight for Carl, since he’s driving you in the truck and I’m taking the grand marshal here. I’m not trusting anyone else to drive the Thunderbird in the parade.”
Aidan pushed the plate in Natalie’s direction. “You haven’t eaten. You seem fond of potato salad.”
She glanced at four different types on one side of the plate with a chicken leg, a hot dog with relish and mustard and a taquito on the other. Aidan covered all her possible taste preferences with this selection. It was more food than she could ever eat in a day. The fact that he’d noticed she hadn’t found time for a meal yet struck her to her core, as much as the thought behind his food choices.
Natalie smiled, a real smile this time. She had the best friends, ones who had her interests at heart.
They’d taken Danny in, too.
Her heart swelling, she glanced at the float. A couple of weeks ago, her mother was right. She had taken on more than she could chew, but now she’d corral every resource, rely on every volunteer and make this happen.
* * *
AIDAN APPROACHED MAYOR WES, who stood on the edge of the play area, talking to a young couple. The man pushed a stroller back and forth while the woman sat perched on the edge of the rock-climbing wall, keeping an alert gaze on the young girl of not more than four on the swings.
Mayor Wes waved him over. “Aidan, come meet my son and daughter-in-law, Leo and Zoey.” With fondness, he pointed to the stroller, keeping his voice low and steady. “And my little namesake and first grandson is asleep in there. That’s my granddaughter Halley on the swings.”
After the introductions, Aidan shifted his weight, a polite way of trying to get the mayor alone for a few minutes to discuss Hollydale. Natalie must be rubbing off on him if he considered tactfulness in his approach.
The mayor patted Aidan on the back. “This great guy’s keeping me on my toes. We’ve accomplished more with him at City Hall in the past week than in the past three months, but let’s keep that our little secret so we don’t all look bad! Nancy and I’ll be over tonight, kids. I have a feeling Aidan wants a minute of my time.” He turned toward the swings. “Bye, Halley. See you later.”
Within minutes, they strolled along the outer perimeter of the park, the trail almost deserted with the heat of the day bearing down on them. Aidan shed his windbreaker, tying it around his waist.
The amiable silence lasted a couple of minutes before Aidan got to the point. “Something’s got to be done about Hyacinth and Belinda.”
Mayor Wes pointed to the flowering bushes blooming nearby. “This part of North Carolina’s famous for our rhododendrons. My wife, Nancy, is especially fond of the purple ones, so a couple of years ago she and the other ladies in her garden club planted them along the path.”
“Nice.” Did anyone in Hollydale respond to a direct statement?
“Take that spiky white flower growing over there. Do you know its name?” Mayor Wes waited until Aidan shook his head.
Even with all his training in local flora and fauna, he was unfamiliar with this one.
“I’m not making this up, but it’s turkeybeard. I’m especially fond of them. Not normally a flower one would plant near rhododendrons. They look a little like weeds, but Nancy knows they’re one of my favorites. She accommodated me and blended the two in an artistic way. Fast forward a couple of years, and this trail is more calming than I envisioned after signing off on the artistic renderings.”
The mayor guided them toward a cast-iron bench and fanned himself with his hand. Without a hammer in hand, Aidan itched to get back to something, anything. Sitting around watching flowers grow wasn’t his passion.
“Sir, with all due respect, do I have your permission to disqualify them? That would send them a strong message about their conduct.”
“Permission denied, Major.” His firmness, so unlike his usual geniality, caught Aidan off guard. “Permission, however, to sit back and enjoy the flowers, granted.”
He sounded like Natalie. Was there something in the water here in Hollydale? Didn’t they know how precious life was? How it could be snuffed out in a second? First his mother and then the rest of his family, including Shelby, all gone too soon. There was a limited amount of time in a day with so much on the agenda.
Aidan blinked. He’d been coming at everything from the opposite point of view. Had he been filling every minute of every day with plans and schedules to avoid coming to terms with life?
Natalie had told him she tried to live each moment to its fullest, but had gone overboard to make everything fun for everyone else. Was he also avoiding real emotion in an attempt to shelter himself? Was he distancing himself from caring?
As his gaze fell upon a deep purple rhododendron bush, its small blooms so deep a purple as to almost appear black, he knew he’d done just that.
But that didn’t excuse people from acting badly. Belinda and Hyacinth had created a real mess, and he refused to have this carry over to the Fourth’s festivities.
“How do I avoid any further trouble?”
“You want to know something else about my wife, Aidan?”
Not particularly. He wanted a solution about Hyacinth and Belinda, but the mayor seemed to like talking in circles. He’d just have to wait until the mayor made his point. Same as almost everyone else around here, as opposed to the straightforward style he loved about the military. Settling in, he leaned back against the hard rail. “Sure.”
The mayor laughed. “Thanks for humoring me.” He leaned forward, his gaze trained on a white bush on the other side of the trail. “She’s a master of compromise. She took all the suggestions and blended them together, designing the trail so the scent would linger while not being too strong, so there’d be enough visual stimulation without being overwhelming.” He tapped his fingers together and turned toward Aidan. “I don’t want you saying no right off, but will you consider something for me? As a personal favor.”
“Depends on the favor.”
“Apply for the city manager position.”
No. Nyet. Nada. Nein. Not about to do that in a million years. He gave himself points for admirable restraint for not blurting out his answer. How soon did the mayor consider “right off” anyway?
“Thanks.” The “but” was in his voice as Aidan wasn’t that good of a liar.
The mayor rose and gestured for Aidan to follow. They walked along companionably. “You’re at the top of my list of candidates to replace Bob.”
“How many others are on the list?”
“You get straight to the point. I like that. That’s why this town needs you. We’re growing, and we need strong leadership and wise planning.”
“I’m honored.” To his surprise, he was, but that wasn’t enough to make a difference. “However, I have another position lined up when my discharge goes through next year.” One that would make a difference in so many ways.
“I’m not from these parts. Grew up in Nashville. It took some of the old-timers quite some time to get used to me. It helped I married Nancy, who’s a cousin of Frederick Whitney. Timber built this town, and the Whitney family made their money in that industry and then converted to furniture. Frederick and Agnes are now turning toward more philanthropic pursuits, especially given that their daughter, Charlotte, has no interest in settling in this area.”
Not once had Aidan thought the mayor’s accent was different from the one in these parts, and he’d had quite a bit of training in that respect. “Couldn’t tell you hailed somewhere other than North Carolina.” Aidan took a second glance at the turkeybeard on the trail. Darned if it wasn’t growing on him.
“Nanc
y wasn’t interested in me at first. She calls me an acquired taste. However, there was something about Hollydale that appealed to me. Besides her, that is. Long story short. I had connections and could have been on the fast track to the mayor’s seat in Nashville that would have been a springboard to other political aspirations. Never regretted being a small-town mayor, though. Pay’s not the best. Hours are a sight better here, though. People give Nancy and me some of their best casseroles, too.” Mayor Wes stopped walking, and Aidan did likewise. His face grew somber. “I remember one tornado warning when I flagged down a woman who had made a U-turn at the high school, which was set up as a shelter. She’d brought her dog with her, and she was going to go home when she realized they wouldn’t let him in. I convinced her to stay and settled her and the dog away from anyone who might have allergies. When she left the school, I held her hand when she found her home a pile of rubble. I know every resident by name, and I listen to their stories. Someday, I want to hear about that scar when you’re ready to tell me. As far as Belinda and Hyacinth are concerned, you’ll figure it out.”
Humbled, Aidan walked back to the picnic pavilion without saying another word, the mayor joining him.
* * *
NATALIE YAWNED AND STRETCHED, her muscles rebelling. She lifted the star fashioned out of bent wire hangers and outlined with red garland. Stripes of blue pipe cleaners divided the middle. She placed it carefully on the pole.
She gasped and hopped off the platform. Dare she even think it? With a little over thirty-six hours to spare, the float was finished.
“Aunt Natalie!” Danny skipped along the path, dripping wet from his time at the splash area with Aidan, who trailed behind the boy.
She ran forward and hugged Danny. “It’s done! Come and see.”
“Now you’re all wet.” Aidan handed her Danny’s dry towel. “You need this, seeing how he didn’t wait to use it.”
“Thanks.” She accepted his offering and smiled.
Together, the three of them stood in front of the float, and Danny clapped. “It’s happy, just like you, Aunt Natalie.”
Harlequin Heartwarming March 21 Box Set Page 63