by Debby Mayne
“That’s ridiculous. If he’s too busy to talk to us, he’s too busy.” Naomi set her jaw in her take-no-prisoners way, letting Bethany know it was pointless to argue.
“Do what you think is right,” Bethany said, “but I’ve got a bunch of garden club business to deal with right now, and—”
Naomi held up her hands to stop her. “Say no more. I understand.”
“You do?”
“Yes, of course. I was there once.” Naomi snickered. “I remember being president of the Bloomfield Garden Club. It was the third most important thing in my life—after faith and family, of course.” She smiled. “I loved every minute of it, which is why I’m glad you’re getting so involved. It made me feel useful. Important.”
“So you’re saying it wasn’t important—?”
“No, of course not,” Naomi interrupted. “In fact, it was very important. The garden club serves a big need in this town. If it weren’t for us, our city council would have no idea what to do next. In case you haven’t noticed, they lean quite heavily on our expertise in most matters.” She made a face and laughed. “Including getting elected.”
“So what are you saying?” Bethany asked.
Naomi grinned in silence for a few seconds. “Never mind. You go on about your garden club business and let me deal with Pete.”
Bethany sighed. She was happy to work on garden club business. It was her mother’s dealing with Pete that had her worried. No telling what that involved.
Over the next few days, Bethany worked on the upcoming bake sale, securing commitments from each garden club member. She was surprised that so many people had to be persuaded to contribute.
“Last time I brought two cakes to the sale, and neither of them sold,” Lydia-Sue, a woman who rarely came to the meetings, admitted. “When I found out the reason, I said never again. Pamela put a seventy-five dollar price tag on one and sixty on the other. I told her not to do that, but she claimed people would pay more since some of the money went to the children’s unit at the hospital.”
Bethany had to admit that was steep, even though the money was for a good cause. “What if I promise not to do that?”
“How much would you charge?”
Bethany shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess that would be up to you.”
Lydia-Sue grew quiet before finally clearing her throat. “I reckon I can support the cause one more time. After all, since you’re new, I should give you a chance. If you promise to leave the price as I have it, I’ll donate, but only one cake—at least until you prove yourself.”
“That’s fine.” Bethany was happy for anything at this point. “I just appreciate anything you can do.”
Another woman had the same reaction. “I wound up picking up all six dozen cookies I brought. They were good, but even I wouldn’t pay the price Pamela put on them.”
“If I let you price them, would you reconsider?” Bethany asked.
It took a little more arm-twisting to get an affirmative answer this time, but she managed to get a commitment of two-dozen cookies. Almost everyone who didn’t regularly attend garden club meetings repeated this scenario. Those who did attend actually came to her with what they planned to bring, but with the same stipulation—that Pamela wasn’t involved in the pricing.
The following Saturday, Pamela called Bethany. “So how are you coming along with the bake sale? Got anyone willing to donate anything after last year’s fiasco?”
“Um . . . yes. Everyone I asked has agreed to donate something.”
“You’re kidding.” Pamela’s sounded shocked. “I’m surprised since we didn’t even sell a quarter of what we had last year. People were furious when they had to bring everything home after all the trouble they went to, and every last one of them threatened to never contribute again. To be honest with you, I thought we might even have to cancel this year’s sale. You must be a better salesperson than I realized.” She paused. “What did you say to get them to participate?”
“I just told everyone they could put whatever price they wanted on it.”
Pamela groaned. “That’s a huge mistake. They have no idea what home baked treats are worth. You’ll wind up doing a lot of work for very little.”
“I don’t mind.” Bethany smiled. “In fact, I’ve really enjoyed working on the bake sale.”
“Good. Just make sure you come up with a detailed report for the meeting. I like to have everything in the minutes.”
After Bethany hung up, she sank down on the couch and thought about how difficult and demanding Pamela could be. Now that she saw things from the inside, she was surprised Naomi and Pamela ever worked together and got things done. Her mind drifted back to all the events that had transpired since she’d arrived back in Bloomfield. Too bad it had taken her this long to finally hit her stride in the community. At least she’d finally gotten involved.
She smiled as she thought about what she’d accomplished. Not only had the festival booth sales hit an all-time high, she heard rumors that several out-of-towners had spent some time looking at houses in town. And to top it off, her house was practically clutter-free.
“Why don’t you call Bethany and see if she’d like you to pick her up for church in the morning?” Pete’s mother said. “I’m sure she’d love your company.”
Pete shrugged. “I don’t want to bug her too much. She’s been busy lately and all . . .” He glanced up at her, smiled, and lowered his head. “The garden club really has her hopping.”
His mother took a step in his direction and leaned toward him until he looked her in the eye. “The garden club is only a small part of her life. She needs more.”
“Looks to me like her life is pretty full at the moment.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what to do about you, Pete. It’s almost as though you really don’t want to be happy.”
“What are you talking about? I’m very happy.” He forced a smile and pointed to his lips. “See?”
“Right.” She laughed. “So make me happy now and call Bethany.”
Pete shook his head. “You sure do know how to turn things around.”
“It’s all that practice from having to outsmart you when you were a teenager.” She gestured toward the kitchen. “Why don’t you go on in there and call her? I’ll stay out here and give you some privacy.”
He whipped out his cell phone. “I’m only doing this for you.”
“Good boy.” She grinned. “Now go on into the kitchen. I’ll make sure no one bothers you.”
Pete chuckled as he made his way back to the kitchen. There wasn’t anyone else in the house to bother him, unless Dad came home. But Pete doubted that would happen since his dad was out looking at space to rent for his new train shop. He was glad his dad finally had something to work on besides his mother’s nerves.
He pressed Bethany’s speed dial number and started preparing a message to leave. But she picked up in the middle of the first ring.
“Hey, I wondered if you needed a ride to church in the morning.” The instant those words came out, Pete cringed. Be smooth, man. Like Charlie used to be.
“Sounds great!” Her voice lilted just like it did years ago. “I have so much to tell you. It’ll be fun to catch up.”
“Yeah . . . um . . .” Her response was so quick he didn’t know what to say. “It will be. Maybe we can go somewhere afterward.”
“Funny you should say that. Mom called me right before you did. She wanted to know if you and I would like to join her for lunch.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ve intruded on your mom enough. Besides, Mom is the one who invited you, so you really won’t be intruding.”
Pete laughed. “If you’re sure she doesn’t mind.”
“I’m positive. See you in the morning.”
&nb
sp; He hadn’t even disconnected the call when his mother entered the kitchen grinning from ear to ear. “So did she say yes?”
He narrowed his gaze. “Did you and Naomi get together on this?”
She glanced away quickly. “Why don’t you set the table so we can eat as soon as your dad gets home.”
As Pete pulled three dishes down from the shelf and placed them on the table, he thought about how little he’d seen of Bethany lately and wondered if there ever would be a chance for the two of them to have a romantic relationship. She’d been so busy with her gardening club friends and enjoying her new zest for Bloomfield, he figured she didn’t have room in her life for him. That bugged him to no end, but he didn’t want their mothers forcing things. He wanted Bethany, but not if she didn’t want him back. There was no getting around the fact that Charlie was the love of her life.
As soon as that thought hit Pete’s mind, he nearly dropped the spoon he was holding. He still felt the competition from Charlie—long after Charlie had passed. Back in high school, Charlie was the one who made things happen, while Pete stood back and watched, admiring his friend for having so much spunk. By now, Pete realized the only reason he hadn’t settled down with a woman was because Charlie had the only one he’d ever wanted. Now she was available, and the only thing holding him back was the memory of Charlie.
Chapter 29
Pamela stared down at Andy’s bird. “Oh, for crying out loud. He’s a bird. Don’t worry about him so much.”
Andy stood at the door and picked up Murray’s cage. “So if you don’t want to help me out, I reckon I’ll just take my bird and go home.”
“Stop it, Andy. I didn’t say I wouldn’t help. Come in and bring the bird with you.”
Andy pouted. “Not if you’re going to be mean to him.”
Pamela rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Since when have I ever been mean to Murray? I’m always nice to him.” She leaned over and looked the parrot in the eye. “Isn’t that right, Murray?”
Murray stepped side-to-side, not looking back at Pamela.
“He’s mad,” Andy said. “He’s been giving me the cold shoulder all morning.”
“Did you give him some . . .” Pamela slowed down to clearly enunciate, “. . . candy?”
Andy set the cage on the table. “Did you hear that, Murray? Pamela asked if I gave you some candy.”
Murray completely turned his back on them and faced the wall. No Murray wants candy or squawking.
Pamela took a step away and shook her head as she continued looking at the cage. “Yeah, I’m afraid there’s definitely something wrong with him if he doesn’t want candy.”
“I think I might have offended him.” Andy stuck his finger inside the cage, but Murray moved away. “He doesn’t even want to nuzzle.”
“That is bad.” Pamela couldn’t remember a time when Murray didn’t lean his neck into Andy’s finger. “I wonder what happened.”
Andy shrugged. “He was fine this morning when we first got off duty at the fire hall. In fact, he chatted all the way home. I brought him inside, set him on the kitchen table, and made myself some breakfast.”
“That sounds perfectly normal. Did you feed him then?”
“He ate some birdseed and an apple slice.” Andy shook his head and blew out a breath. “I called the vet, but the office is closed until Monday. I don’t think this is an emergency because he’s eating.”
“Yeah, I don’t think a moody bird constitutes an emergency, and it doesn’t sound like he’s sick.”
Andy and Pamela both leaned over and studied Murray. Finally, Pamela straightened up and took a step back. “Why don’t I fix us some supper, and maybe we can come up with a solution.”
“What’re we having?” Andy lifted the birdcage off the table and placed it on the floor beside his chair.
“Stir fry.” She pulled some vegetables from the crisper in the refrigerator. “Mind if I cut up some carrots for Murray?” She offered a sympathetic smile. “Just in case he drops the mood?”
Andy shrugged. “Sure, that’s fine. Just not too much.”
Pamela handed Andy a small bowl filled with sliced carrots and a celery stick. As she cooked, they chatted, and Murray didn’t interrupt them—not even once.
As soon as she plated the food, she sat down next to Andy. He said the blessing, and they started eating immediately afterward. Murray hadn’t touched any of the vegetables in his cage.
“Maybe he is sick.” Pamela looked at Murray with concern. As annoying as his squawking was, she really did care about the little fella. “Murray, are you not feeling well?”
He let out a faint squawk and buried his head beneath his wing.
“Maybe he’s depressed,” Pamela said. “Has anything changed in his life?”
“Nope. In fact, he had a great time at the fire hall. It was Smitty’s birthday, and he even joined in singing ‘Happy Birthday.’ All the guys thought it was funny that Murray can carry a tune better than I can.”
“What else happened?”
“Nothing. We did the usual. Gag gifts, lots of jokes.” Andy paused. “And then we ate cake.”
Murray shuddered, hopped down off his perch, and stood on the floor of his cage—something Pamela had rarely seen him do. She looked up at Andy. “That all sounds normal, but as soon as you said cake, something happened.” Murray shuddered again. “There’s something about the word . . .” Pamela lifted her hand to shield her face from Murray and whispered, “Cake.”
Andy frowned. “Let me go make a quick call.” He headed toward the door to the hallway but stopped and turned around. “Mind if I leave you and Murray alone for a few minutes?”
“Don’t be silly.” Pamela waved him away. “We’ll be just fine. Won’t we, Murray? In fact, we might even have a party while you’re gone.”
The instant she said that, Murray hopped right back up on his perch and started dancing around and squawking. “Party like it’s your birthday . . . squawk! Party down, boys.”
Andy rushed back to Murray’s cage. “What did you say?”
“He said, ‘Party like it’s your birthday.’”
“I know what he said.” Andy looked back and forth between Pamela and Murray. “I’ve never heard him say that.”
“Party like it’s your birthday . . . squawk!”
Andy snapped his fingers. “Okay, that does it. I’m definitely calling Smitty. I need to find out what’s going on.”
Pamela nodded. “We’ll wait right here for you, okay, Murray?”
Murray turned his back again and lowered his head. As Andy left the room, Pamela tried to think of what could make Murray act this way, but nothing made sense. Finally, after about five minutes, Andy returned.
“Well, I think I know what happened. Apparently, Smitty got such a kick out of making Murray talk, he rewarded him with chocolate.”
Alarms went off in Pamela’s head. “Isn’t chocolate poisonous to animals?”
Andy nodded. “It is if they get too much, but the small amount Smitty fed him will only make him sick.”
Pamela looked at Murray. “Are you sure? I mean, shouldn’t we have his stomach pumped or something?”
“No. We just need to give him some time for it to go through his system.”
“No more treats for you, Murray,” Pamela said. “At least no cake.”
“Murray wants candy . . . squawk!” His voice came out weak this time, and after his squawk, he shuddered.
“I hope he’s okay,” Pamela said. Why would anyone feed chocolate cake to a bird?
“He’ll be fine.” Andy shook his head. “According to Smitty, he only had a few bites. If I’d known that’s what happened, I would never have brought him over here and worried you.”
Pamela sighed with relief. “I’m glad you brought him.”
“You are?”
Andy’s gaze gave her a tingle from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
She nodded. “Yes. I really care about Murray’s well-being. I mean, he’s just a bird, but there’s definitely something special about him.” Her mouth went dry as he watched her. “In fact, I’m wondering if it might be a good idea to call the emergency number for the vet right now . . . you know, just in case.”
Andy laughed. “He’ll be fine in a day or two.” He looked at the bird. “Right, Murray?”
Murray didn’t reply and continued to hang his head.
Pamela let out a sigh of relief. “I’m just glad it’s nothing serious.”
Andy closed the distance between them, tucked the tips of his fingers beneath her chin, and tilted her head up to face him. “You really do care, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Yes, I do. Probably too much.” The look Andy gave her caught her breath. Maybe one of these days they’d both be ready for marriage. In the meantime, she’d enjoy moments like this.
“Thank you.” Andy gave her a feather-light kiss on the lips and looked back down into Murray’s cage. “As for you, too bad you have a tummy ache, but that’s what you get for being such a party animal.”
“Party hearty . . . squawk!”
Chapter 30
Bethany settled into the pew with Pete on one side and her mother on the other. When she and Pete first walked in, he made a beeline for Naomi, who did her best to shoo them away. But Pete said he liked sitting there, so she finally relented.
As the pastor preached, Bethany stole an occasional glance at Pete, who remained steadfastly riveted to the sermon. She liked the feeling of being in church with Pete. The combination of romantic flutters and mutual respect let her know what they had was special.
Occasionally, Pete glanced down at her and smiled, warming her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. During the hymns, her mom sang slightly off-key, which would have thrown Bethany off on the melody if Pete hadn’t been such a strong tenor.
Naomi occasionally leaned forward, turned, and grinned as her gaze met Bethany’s. After the service ended, her mom told them to take their time getting to her place since she still had to warm up the food.