by Corbit, Dana
Earlier in the week, she and Amy had agreed to avoid continually mentioning their matchmaking plan in front of the others. A love match might be more likely to sneak up on their children if they weren’t being so up front about their roles as catalysts for the intended happy developments.
She waved away Amy’s worries with a brush of her hand. “When did you become such a naysayer?”
“I’m not a naysayer. It’s just—”
“Just that you’re being a Gloomy Gail. ‘Oh ye of little faith.’ Come on. We just haven’t given our plan enough time to play out yet. These things take time. Caroline and Matthew are just getting to know each other.”
Amy raised a brow but sipped from her cup again rather than making a cynical comment.
“You know what I mean,” Trina said with a frown. “Sure, they know each other, but they’re hardly acquainted at all as adults. They haven’t had time to see the incredible people they’ve become.”
Amy drew her eyebrows together. “I don’t know.”
“It might have been easier if Matthew weren’t the only guy around all week. What really happened to Dylan and Logan, anyway?”
“I just can’t figure those two out.” With a huff, Amy folded her arms across her. “As you can tell, they’ve come out of hiding now that they know all the big family gatherings are over.”
Trina nodded, sharing her friend’s disappointment. “Even without their absence, this week wasn’t exactly the perfect matchmaking moment. Especially with all that fuss to deal with over the wedding that never was.”
“And never should have been,” they said in chorus and laughed.
Trina turned to stare out the window, where the sky stretched in miles of gray. “Haley doesn’t realize yet what a blessing she’s been given. One of these days, though, she’ll figure it out.”
“She always does eventually.”
Trina nodded. Her friend was right as she’d been about so many things over the years. Haley would find her way just as her sisters had. Only it would take her a little longer than the others. “At least Matthew and Haley worked out whatever differences they were having about Elizabeth’s care.”
“Did Haley tell you anything?”
“Not a word.”
“These ungrateful children,” Amy said. “Can’t even give their long-suffering mothers a morsel of information when the story looked so interesting.”
Trina’s hand shook as she chuckled, causing the tea to slosh in her cup. She set it aside before she made a mess.
“That Matthew would be tight-lipped about something shouldn’t surprise either of us,” Amy continued. “Stacey had been gone three weeks before I found out about it, and we lived across town.”
“But Haley’s been silent, too.” Trina shook her head. “She hasn’t kept a secret from me in her whole life. I even patted her on the shoulder a few times the other night, and I got nowhere.”
“Boy, you were trying.” A knowing smile played on Amy’s lips.
Trina smiled back. Of course, her best friend knew how hard it was for her to be the soft, comforting mother. It just wasn’t in her nature. How blessed she’d been to have a friend who knew her failings and loved her anyway.
“Elizabeth sure made her presence known at The Pie the other night.” Amy grinned as she settled back in her chair. “The way Matthew looked at Haley, I thought he was going to fire her on the spot.”
“Well, at least they worked it out. Haley needs something she can count on right now, and Matthew can stop worrying about child care long enough to look at his other personal options.”
“Like your Caroline?”
“I like the way you think, sister.”
Still, Amy took on a pensive look then. “Have you ever considered that they might not be right for each other?”
“Are you kidding? Have you ever met our two oldest children?” She tilted her head to the side, giving Amy her best look of incredulity. “God couldn’t have made a pair with more in common than those two.”
“You’re right. But neither of them seemed that enthused with our hints.”
“When have our children ever accepted our advice? At least the first time we gave it.”
“Never.”
“That’s right,” Trina said with a firm nod. “And I don’t know about Matthew, but Caroline is stubborn enough to frustrate anyone. She’s always had to do everything her way. I told her she would have made a lovely teacher or nurse, but, no. She just kept going on about her business plans and breaking glass ceilings.”
“Jenna told me Caroline’s on this kick about never marrying.”
Trina rolled her eyes. “She thinks that’s what she wants, but she’ll change her mind when she finds the right man. And we both believe Matthew is the right man for her, don’t we?”
“Of course we do. It’s just that—I don’t know. It seems like we might be pushing too hard.”
“Or not hard enough. In biblical days, we would have made the deal before either of them was weaned.”
“And I would own your cow now.”
Trina shrugged. “You’re right. Families with daughters didn’t exactly make out during those times.”
“Times have changed, too. Arranged marriages aren’t in vogue anymore.”
“Well, they should be,” Trina said with a firm nod. “The divorce rate sure would be lower.”
Leaning her elbow on the arm of the chair, Amy stared off into space before turning back to her friend. “When do you think the plan went from being just a joke to something we might be tempted to call serious?”
“When Matthew did such a poor job of choosing for himself and ended up miserable.” Trina didn’t even have to mention the fiasco of a marriage and divorce that poor Amy had suffered through, as well. Neither of them would ever wish that kind of pain on any of their children, and Amy’s son had already experienced it.
“And the plan changed when Caroline refused to choose at all.” Trina crossed her arms, settling back into the chair. “I don’t even know what to say about the others. Just look at the king-size mistake Haley almost made, and the others don’t seem any closer to making good decisions, either.”
“We have to do something.”
Amy hadn’t been on board with their discussion, so Trina was pleased by her friend’s change of heart. Infused with new energy, Amy scooted to the edge of her chair.
“Our kids need our help, but what we’ve tried so far hasn’t worked,” Amy said.
“Okay, so what will?”
“Up until now, most of our plans have been more like subterfuge.”
“We have been pretty sly, haven’t we?”
Amy nodded, on a roll now. “We need to step up our game. I’m going to tell Matthew he needs to ask Caroline on a date, and I’m going to tell him why.”
Now it was Trina’s turn for misgivings. “Are you sure that won’t just put him off?”
“I’ve been honest and up front with him about everything else, haven’t I?”
“Except in giving him child-rearing advice.”
“Okay, except that. And he appreciates my restraint on that.” Amy paused as if reclaiming her momentum. “Anyway, I’m going to suggest that he ask Caroline to dinner the next time she visits Markston.”
“Have I mentioned how hard it is to get my firstborn to take any time off from work?”
“Well, you’ll just have to insist that she visit her dear widowed mother more often. Tell her that she has a jilted younger sister who needs her company, too. That should soften her up some.”
“Remind me never to get on your bad side, dear pal. You’re good at getting your own way.”
“God does give us special gifts, doesn’t He?” Amy grinned.
“So what do we do if Matthew is too shy or…er…reluctant to ask Caroline out himself?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that.”
“Why is that? Not twenty minutes ago you weren’t even certain we were doing the right thing or that
things between those two would ever work out.” Trina planted hands on the sides of her skirt and tilted her head.
“Well, twenty minutes ago I didn’t have a plan.” She held her hands wide. “Now I do.”
From the sparkle in Amy’s eyes, Trina could only guess that her friend had other ideas brewing, as well. This new enthusiasm was contagious, and anticipation ran through her veins. She was certain they’d be having a family wedding to celebrate before they knew it.
A squeal of glee caught Haley’s attention as she rinsed the last of the lunch dishes, so she shut off the water. She and Elizabeth had some creating to do. The dishes could wait.
She approached the table where Elizabeth was building a fluffy white creation with a huge pile of shaving cream. Each day since her sisters had left, Haley had been coming up with creative activities to do with Elizabeth. She was especially proud of her plan this time as she’d packed a roll of wax paper and the can of shaving cream in the satchel of surprises she brought each morning.
Not only would shaving cream creations be fun, but, because she and Elizabeth had taped the wax paper to the table, the cleanup would be easy. The lime scent of the shaving cream would probably be harder to get rid of, but she’d cross that bridge when she reached it.
Elizabeth squealed again, and Haley smiled.
“What’s that all about?” She glanced across the table where the child had squished the mound of creamy white into big globs and smeared imaginary roads all over the table.
“Look, Miss Haley. It’s an igloo.”
She bent so that her head was about level with the tabletop. Sure enough, there was a rounded mound of shaving cream with some sort of dent in the side. A door maybe?
“You’re right. It’s a wonderful igloo. Your fingers are probably freezing just building it.”
“Ooh, it’s cold.” Elizabeth shivered and then giggled. She was wearing a sweater because her father liked to keep the heat low in the house, but she was unlikely to need a parka anytime soon.
“Can you see the Eskimos?” Elizabeth asked her.
Haley studied the creation for a few seconds longer. Unless those smaller lumps around the bigger lump were the dwelling’s inhabitants, she didn’t see them.
“I know you do,” she said finally and was pleased to find that her young charge accepted that answer.
“You can’t see all of the Eskimos,” Elizabeth said importantly, “because they’re inside having tea.”
“With crumpets, I hope.”
The child nodded. Her smile made all the effort to create little projects like this one worthwhile. Haley loved that Elizabeth still had a child’s imagination, where clouds could be mountain ranges and where a tent made of old quilts could be a spaceship to Mars. She had many years ahead to learn life’s realities, so Haley wanted to encourage her to enjoy the innocent optimism of childhood for as long as she could.
“What else do you think I can make? What about the Adominable Snowman?”
Haley laughed. “Do you mean the Abominable Snowman?”
Elizabeth cocked her hip and planted a sticky hand on side of her jeans. “You know, the one with Rudolph?”
She glanced at the clock that had not been her friend lately. “You might have to wait until next time because you have to cleanup now for your rest time.”
“Oh, can’t we play a little longer?”
“Sorry. It’s important that you get a little rest, so you’ll be all ready to have fun when your daddy gets home.”
“But I’m not tired.”
“Well, that’s wonderful because you’ll have more time to read books in your bed.” Already, Haley had learned that the more positive a spin she put on the afternoon schedule, the easier it was to accomplish.
“Just a few more minutes.”
“Okay. Five.” Haley smiled to herself. At least she’d remembered this time to build a little extra time into this process so she could “give in” for a few minutes and keep with the schedule.
“Yippee!”
Elizabeth picked this moment to slap both hands on the table, wreaking creamy white havoc on her igloo and all of its inhabitants. Unfortunately, the shaving cream also landed with multiple splats on the wall, the other dining chairs, the hardwood floor, even the oval-shaped rug beneath the table.
“Uh-oh.”
“Yeah. Uh-oh, Lizzie. I mean Elizabeth.” Haley pulled a glob of shaving cream from her own hair, while glancing at the spattering of white dotting the child’s braids. So much for her amazing idea for fun with an easy cleanup.
“Daddy’s going to be mad.”
“Of course he won’t. We’ll just get it all cleaned up before he gets home.” She didn’t even delude herself with the hope that Matthew wouldn’t learn the whole story later. He did live with a four-year-old reporter after all. “Here, let me wet some washcloths.”
She hurried over to the sink and put a few cloths under the faucet. A noise from behind her caught her attention, so she glanced back over her shoulder to find that they weren’t alone. Matthew stood just inside the door with his arms crossed.
Swallowing hard, Haley shut off the faucet, wrung out the cloths and turned to face him. “Hi, Matthew.”
“Daddy!” Then, as if she’d just remembered the mess that surrounded her, Elizabeth added, “Oh.”
“Right. Oh,” he repeated.
Haley grabbed the rags and headed back to the table. “Look, we just had a bit of an accident here, and we’re hurrying to clean it up so Elizabeth will be on time for her—”
“Here. Let me help.”
Haley opened her mouth and then closed it. She didn’t know what she’d expected him to say, but it wasn’t that. Probably something about messes and lack of responsibility. Definitely not this. She stared at his outstretched hand before finally thinking to pass him a cloth. She put another cloth in Elizabeth’s hands.
“Hey, sorry about this. It’s only shaving cream. We’ll get it cleaned up. Really.”
But Matthew didn’t seem to be listening. He was bending instead, his suit jacket draping forward, as he wiped white globs from the bright yellow kitchen wall. Across the room, his daughter was smearing circles of shaving cream on the formerly shiny hardwood.
Haley settled on her hands and knees and started scrubbing the rug. With each swipe, the mess foamed more, and another whiff of lime filled her nostrils. Would this stuff ever come out?
Finally, Matthew stood up again. He stepped over to the table and leaned closer, studying the mess that remained on the wax paper.
Elizabeth scrambled to her feet, her cloth dangling from her fingers. “I’m sorry, Daddy. We were just having fun and…” She chewed her lip and stared at the floor.
“Hey, why the sad face?”
Matthew reached her in two long strides and awkwardly messed with her bangs. The tenderness of the moment squeezed Haley’s heart.
“I was just admiring some of your artwork.” He waited until she looked up at him before continuing. “What were you building here before the…er…explosion?”
“Igloo,” Elizabeth mumbled.
“I’m sure it was a great…uh…igloo.”
“It sure was,” Haley agreed.
Haley was tempted to say more, to rave about Elizabeth’s creations, but she kept quiet instead and continued to scrub the rug. This was Matthew’s time with his child, not hers, and even if he felt uncomfortable with imaginative play, he was trying.
She continued to watch as Matthew followed Elizabeth around the table and patiently listened while she described her artistic vision. It couldn’t have been more endearing. Haley had always thought Matthew was handsome, but to her, he’d never been more attractive than he was right now, simply being daddy to his little girl.
“I messed up my igloo.” Elizabeth pointed to the spot where her structure had once stood. “I made a mess, too. It was supposed to be clean.”
“Messes are okay sometimes, especially when you’re having fun,” Matthew tol
d her. “Were you having fun?”
She nodded. “Miss Haley said I needed to stop because it was time to rest. I didn’t want to stop.”
“I know. Maybe next time you can play longer with the shaving cream. Why don’t you head upstairs and read while Miss Haley and I finish cleaning this up?”
“Okay, Daddy.” With a hug and a kiss for him and for Haley, she headed toward the stairs.
That left Haley alone in the kitchen with Matthew. The last time they’d been alone in there, just over a week before, he’d shown her his list of mandates taped to the counter. Although he’d moved those documents—they could be found hanging from the side of the refrigerator with a magnet—that didn’t mean the rules had changed. Haley braced herself for the worst, which was what it would be if he decided she couldn’t be with Elizabeth anymore.
Chapter Nine
Matthew watched as Haley sat crisscross on the floor and continued to work on the mess. Having already wiped the remaining spots from the wall, he walked to the sink to rinse his washcloth. She was still scrubbing when he stepped back over to her. Was she that worried about what he planned to say?
“This place is going to smell like lime air freshener for a long time, don’t you think?”
At his words, Haley’s hand stilled. “Really, Matthew, I’m sorry.”
“Lime’s not a bad smell.” He waited for her to look up at him before he continued. “Definitely better than that menthol stuff.”
“That’s what I thought.”
He moved over to the table and started to lift the wax paper only to find it secured with tape. Just like his list of rules had been. “So, what was the plan here?”
Haley twisted out of her seated position and stood, resting her hand on the table’s edge. “Supposedly to keep the table clean and be an easy cleanup.” Her smile held as much irony as her words.