by Debby Mayne
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“No need to apologize, sweetie. It happens. It’s normal. I’m sure I did it too. Now try to enjoy the rest of the festival and stop worrying about your relationship with Ashley, because it’s as wonderful as ever. She loves you, or she wouldn’t have brought her guy home to meet you.”
“Good point.” Bethany nodded. “I am having a great time.”
“And you do realize that vacation you’ve been talking about taking with Ashley might not happen, right?”
Bethany frowned. “I don’t think—”
“Good.” Naomi grinned. “Do yourself a favor, and keep on not thinking. You’ve had so many excuses to put what you really want on hold for so long, you don’t know what to do, so you think.”
“Huh?” Bethany looked at her mother who’d resorted to talking in circles.
Naomi tilted her head back and laughed. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Her expression grew more serious. “Didn’t know getting involved would be this much fun, did you?”
“No, but I do now, and I intend to get out even more after the festival.”
Naomi grinned. “Good girl. I’ll see you a little later at the mayor’s dinner.”
“Oh, where is that?”
“Inside City Hall. He’s having it catered by the Pink Geranium.” Naomi wiggled her eyebrows. “After all the fuss he made about having too many festivals, we’re surprised he’s springing for the whole thing out of his own pocket. Pamela told me he likes to kick up an argument to make us think he’s doing us a big favor. I’m starting to think she may be right about way more than I realized.”
Bethany had the sense not to openly agree with her mother. Instead, she chose to change the subject. “I’m so relieved we had good weather.”
“Yup. I looked up the weather on the Internet, and it looks like we might have some light flurries next week.”
“Hey, Bethany! I need your help!” Bethany glanced up and spotted Gina across the street, waving her arms. “Do you have a minute?”
“Go on and give her a hand,” Naomi said. “We can talk later.”
Bethany took off to help Gina settle a dispute between two different vendors who’d claimed the same space. Then another disaster beckoned, and they were off to deal with that. Nothing was critical, but solving even the minutest problems gave Bethany a stronger sense of belonging and being needed.
“This is so amazing,” Gina said when they finally had a moment to catch their breath. “I have never felt so much a part of anything in my life. It’s like . . .” She looked around and turned back to Bethany with her arms out. “I finally belong.”
“I feel the same way.”
Gina tilted her head and gave her a curious look. “Seriously? You’re from here. How can you say that?”
Bethany shrugged. “I know, but until now, I always felt like I was on the outside looking in.”
Gina opened her mouth, but the mayor approached and said some of the city council members wanted to talk to them. They agreed to chat more later.
The dinner with the mayor and city council solidified something Bethany already knew—that the town relied on all the hard work of the Bloomfield Garden Club. In spite of the few sputterings about too many festivals, everyone seemed happy with the turnout.
By the end of the day, Bethany was exhausted, but in a good way. She looked around for Pete, but he’d obviously gone on home. That was fine, though. She needed to get some rest. Tomorrow morning, she had church, and then the festival would be back in full swing at noon. She’d promised to help out at the booth until closing, and if it went anything like the first day, Gina would need her.
On Sunday morning, Pete spotted Bethany as soon as he walked into the church, but she was busy chatting with a group of garden club members, and he didn’t want to interrupt. Ever since getting involved with the festival committee, she’d been busier than he’d ever seen her. And happier too.
The quiet Bethany Hanahan had blossomed into a smiley, bubbly version of her old self, and as difficult as it was for Pete to watch from afar at times, it brought him great joy to see her thrive like this. Her sadness after Charlie passed broke his heart. Now he faced a conundrum he didn’t know how to handle. Since she obviously enjoyed hanging out and staying busy with her garden club pals, should he keep his distance and not interfere? Or should he try to join in and risk getting in the way or annoying her?
Pete had headed toward the opposite side of the church when he heard his name. An out-of-breath Naomi approached him. “Where do you think you’re going, young man?”
“Over there.” He pointed to a half-empty pew.
“Oh, no ya don’t.” She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward Bethany. “I don’t want you sitting all by yourself when you can sit with Bethany.”
“But she’ll probably want to sit with her friends.”
“Nope. She wants to sit with you.”
“Did she say—?”
Naomi silenced him with one of her head-tilted glares. “I’ve known my daughter since before she was born, and I know what she wants before she does.” She gave him a gentle push in Bethany’s direction. “So go on and sit with her.”
Pete hesitated until Pamela joined them. “You heard the woman.” She wiggled her fingers toward Bethany. “Go on before it’s too late.”
Naomi cackled. “Too late for what?”
Pamela scowled at Naomi. “Church is going to start soon, and if he stands around waiting much longer, he’ll have to sit in the back.”
Naomi leaned and looked at the people who’d crowded around them. “Pete, I’m not trying to tell you what to do, unlike some people I know.” She darted a quick glance at Pamela. “But if you want to sit with my daughter, go on. Or if you’d rather, you can sit with me.” She laughed. “Now that could set some tongues to waggin’, couldn’t it?”
Pamela grunted and took off toward Andy who’d just walked in. Suddenly, Pete took Naomi by the hand and pulled her toward Bethany. “We’ll both go sit with her.”
Naomi grinned. “Atta boy. I like seeing this take-charge side of you.”
Chapter 26
Since most people at church planned to attend the festival afterward, the pastor kept his sermon short. Immediately after the benediction, he lifted a piece of paper from the podium.
“Pamela Jasper has informed me the garden club booth is selling out fast, so if you want any of the collectibles or handmade items, you need to act soon. If you want some of the jams and jellies that have already sold out, you can place your order at the Pink Geranium.” He folded the paper, put it in his pocket, and added, “And I’ll be happy to see anyone who wants to stop by the church booth. We’ll be handing out CDs, DVDs, and information about our programs for children, youth, and adults.”
Bethany glanced at Pete who’d surprised her and sat down right before the service started. Her mother, no doubt, had pushed him. She liked the fact that he’d joined her, but she wished he’d taken the initiative on his own. As things were, she wondered how much of his attention came from his own desire to be with her and how much was the result of not knowing how to say no to Naomi.
“I really need to run,” Bethany said. “There is so much to do, and I don’t want to neglect my responsibility.”
A sly smile curved the corner of Naomi’s lips as they all stood to leave. “Pete, why don’t you go help Bethany at the garden club booth?”
“I’m sure he has better things to do,” Bethany said.
“I really don’t mind helping.” Pete shoved his hands deep into his pockets and glanced back and forth between Bethany and Naomi. “That is, if you want me there.”
“Of course she wants you there.” Naomi scooted out into the main aisle and waved over her shoulder as she turned and scurried off.
“I am so sorry,” Be
thany said. “My mother knows what she wants, and she forgets to ask if that’s okay with everyone else, whether they’re involved or not.”
Pete’s expression momentarily flipped to dismay before he caught himself. “She’s a sweet woman. I’m sure she doesn’t mean any harm.”
“Of course not. You really don’t have to help. We have everything under control.” Bethany wanted him to argue with her, but his hesitation said more than words ever could.
He slowly shook his head as he took a step back. “Maybe I better let you go work the booth with your pals. I think I’ll see if the pastor needs me to help hand out literature at the church booth. I’m pretty sure he can use the extra hands.”
Bethany’s heart sank as she nodded. “You’re probably right. See you around later. Stop by if things get slow.”
She stood transfixed to one spot as she watched Pete wander out the side door of the church. Memories of the fun she’d had yesterday faded a bit.
“Why’d you go and do that?” Pamela’s voice startled her.
Bethany spun around. “Do what?”
“Let him get away.” Pamela gave some semblance of a smile, but it quickly faded as she shook her head. “Why is it you young people are so afraid to go after what you want? After all you’ve been through, I would think you’d grab hold of the reins and make sure you jumped on your own personal path to happiness.”
Somehow, that made sense to Bethany, but she didn’t have an answer. “Pete said he wants to help the pastor.”
Pamela rolled her eyes. “No, he doesn’t. He just told you that, hoping you’d argue with him and beg him to be with you.”
“Beg him?”
Pamela snorted. “You’re still young, but you’re not a schoolgirl, Bethany. You know how guys think.”
Bethany frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t.”
“Well then, let me teach you. I would have thought Naomi would have done that by now.” She planted her hand in the middle of Bethany’s back and guided her toward the door. “I’ll go to the garden club booth with you and hang out for a few minutes, but at some point, you’ll have to do this on your own.”
“Where’s Andy?”
“I told him to run along and hang out with some of his fireman buddies.”
“Did he leave Murray at home?”
Pamela made a face. “Yes, and that means he can’t stick around long. I have a feeling he’ll want me to take turns bird-sitting, but that’s not something you need to worry about.”
As they walked down Main Street, Pamela lectured Bethany on the inner workings of a man’s brain. “They want to feel needed, but they will not go where they don’t think they’re wanted.”
Now Bethany was confused. “I told him he could go with me.”
Pamela shook her head. “I was listening, and that wasn’t exactly how it went. You acted like you really didn’t care what he did.”
“But the pastor needs his—”
“No, he doesn’t. The pastor is perfectly capable of getting his own crew to hand stuff out. In fact, look over there.” Pamela pointed her bright red fingernail toward the church booth on the corner, where Pete and several other men from the church stood around talking. “They already have too many people working there, and they don’t have anything to do but talk to each other.”
“Oh.” Bethany slowed her pace. “So maybe if he comes by later, I can let him know I want him to stay.”
“You can do that,” Pamela said, “or you can go over there right now and tell him you really need him.”
“Now?” Bethany’s insides churned at the thought of approaching him in front of so many people. What if he said no, or worse went along with her but didn’t want to?
Pamela looked at the church booth, tapped one of her fingernails on her chin, and made a face. “I suppose that could be rather awkward for a shy girl. Maybe you shouldn’t.”
Bethany didn’t like the idea of getting rejected in front of an audience, but she absolutely hated being called shy, especially now that she was coming back out of her shell. “Okay, I’ll do it. What’s the worst that can happen, right?”
“Exactly.” Pamela smiled. “Now go break a leg.”
Bethany shoved her damp hands into her coat pockets and walked straight toward the church booth. Pete’s back was to her, but Jeremy nodded and said something that caused him to turn around. The smile on Pete’s face completely rocked her world and made everything else around them invisible.
“Pete, I would really like for you to help me . . . I mean, I really need you to help out at the garden club booth . . .” She cleared her throat that had tightened with nerves. “That is, if the pastor doesn’t mind.”
His eyes crinkled as he grinned. “I’m sure he doesn’t mind. Let me tell them where I’m going, and I’ll be right there.”
She nodded, turned, and scurried back to where Pamela stood watching and grinning. “There now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Bethany shook her head. “Now I need to go to the booth and find something for him to do so I won’t look like a liar.”
“Whatever are you talking about?”
“I said I needed him to help me.”
Pamela nodded. “No problem. Bailey is supposed to work with you, but I have another job for her. We don’t want anyone to work alone, so that solves your problem.”
There was nothing Bethany could do now but go to her duty station at the garden club booth in the community center. As she walked past covered booths, she thought about how Pamela and her mother always managed to show up in time to make things happen the way they wanted. She wondered if she’d ever be like that, and then she shuddered. For Ashley’s sake, she’d work hard not to be.
Claude and Howard had put away their game table, but they hovered over the spot where they spent most of their days. As soon as they saw her, they smiled and waved. Claude whispered something to Howard before walking over to her.
“Need any help?” he asked.
“You’ve been pretty wonderful, but I don’t need you today. I have all the help—” She noticed his attention diverted to something behind her, so she stopped talking and turned around in time to see Pete heading in their direction.
“I take it he’s the help you’re talking about?” Claude chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows. “Do I sense romance in the air?”
Bethany’s cheeks heated up. “Thanks for the offer.”
“No problem.” Claude waved to Pete and returned to his spot by Howard. He whispered something to his friend, and they both looked at her and laughed. Bethany’s cheeks flamed even hotter.
Pete followed Bethany’s lead and helped her uncover the tables and rearrange items to fill in the empty spots. Every now and then their hands touched. Pete wanted nothing more than to pull her into an embrace and let her know how good they could be together. But he wasn’t sure she was ready, and he didn’t want an audience.
As the crowd grew, Bethany’s smile widened. Her obvious joy delighted his heart. He knew being part of something bigger than herself was exactly what she needed. Too bad he hadn’t been the one to show her.
All afternoon, they stayed busy replacing items from the boxes beneath the table. “Where did all this stuff come from?”
She tilted her head and gave him a sweet, puppy-dog look. “More than half from my house.”
Pete gave her what he hoped was a sympathetic look. He’d forgotten to look at the clock, so he didn’t realize they were nearing the end of the festival until Howard approached them and said, “How much do you want for everything you’ve got left?”
Bethany walked over to Pete’s side. “Everything?”
Howard nodded. “Yeah, I’d like my wife to pick out a few things she likes, and then I can take the rest of them down to the V.F.W. hall for their rummage sale this spring. Last time I asked my wife to give me some
of her useless things to donate, she just about took my head off.” He shrugged. “So I reckon bringing her something nice from here will be like a peace offering.”
“Peace and love . . . squawk . . . peace and love.”
Everyone turned toward the sound of Murray by the door. Howard groaned. “Oh, no, not that bird again.”
“Oh no . . . squawk! It’s that bird again.”
Pete leaned toward Bethany. “I sure hope Andy stays with him this time. I’d hate for Murray to get loose right now. There’s so many people here we might never catch him.”
“Don’t you worry,” Andy bellowed from twenty feet away. “I put a twist tie on the cage door. It’ll take Murray a long time to figure it out.”
“What’s wrong with a lock that he’ll never figure out?” Howard asked. “I don’t wanna hear how sensitive Murray is. He’s a bird, not a kid.”
Andy widened his eyes and lifted his finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. “Don’t tell him that.”
“Murray wants candy . . . squawk . . . Murray wants candy.”
Pete groaned and whispered, “I’m surprised Pamela puts up with that noise.”
“I know.” Bethany smiled up at him. “Me too. And speaking of Pamela, look who’s coming this way.”
Pete glanced up and spotted Pamela strutting directly toward the table, looking around in confusion. “Where is everything?”
“We sold most of it,” Bethany replied.
Howard jumped in. “And the rest of it is mine, as soon as someone tells me how much I owe so I can pay and get outta here.”
“Three hundred dollars,” Pamela said without batting her false eyelashes. “Still want it?”
Howard frowned. “That’s a tad more than I expected.”
Pamela shrugged and turned her back on him. “We’ll get more than that if we keep the booth open another hour, so take it or leave it.”
Howard dug his hand in his pockets and pulled out the rattiest looking wallet Pete had ever seen. “Okay, Miss Pamela. Three hundred dollars it is. You drive a hard bargain.”