by Judy Baer
“You doubted that for an instant?” Relief was written all over her face. “Now it’s your turn.”
I glanced at the clock, and the jittery butterflies in my stomach all took flight.
“Am I doing the right thing, Jane? Adam and I are very different.”
“Are you happy?” Jane opened the closet door and removed my dress.
“Blissfully.”
“Do you love him?” She spread the elegant satin creation across the bed.
“With all my heart.”
“Does he love you?” Jane unzipped the zipper.
“With every fiber of his being.”
“And he’s a Christian. What’s the problem?”
“Our lives are so different. A globetrotting journalist and a woman who wants to make a home and work with children.”
“But your passions are the same.” She picked up the dress. “Now hold up your arms.”
I squirmed into the dress, thinking hard. “We do care about the same things—God, family, Burundi, doing good in the world, pets….”
The dress fell around me in a graceful puddle.
“Like I said, what’s the problem?”
I breathed in when she zipped the dress, but I didn’t have to. It glided into place.
“There’s no problem except the one I’m trying to make.”
“So quit it.” She took my cheeks in the palms of her hands. “Honey, everyone is happy for you. Everyone knows it’s right. All your friends from the lottery are here—Stella, Cricket, even that lady who carries her purse clutched to her chest—and the strangest little couple. They said they were ‘Mrs. Carver and George.’ Do you know who they might be?”
“Neighbors.” I wanted to smile. “Watchful neighbors.”
“Even Ken and Randy gave you their blessing.”
Jane is right. I couldn’t have asked for more beautiful responses to the news about Adam and me. Randy says he’s still kicking himself for not speaking his feelings earlier. “I could have had a chance, Cassia. I blew it.”
The good news is that Randy has learned something from our star-crossed relationship. Parker Bennett recently hired a new accountant, a pretty blond, blue-eyed one. Randy liked her immediately and didn’t waste any time telling her. They promised they’d be here for the wedding.
Ken took it the hardest. He was angry at first, then hurt, and finally, after hours of our talking together, he was happy for me. Not happy in a giddy, how-fabulous kind of way, but glad that I’d found someone like Adam.
“You know, Cassia, I never wanted to think it, but I guess I’ve been afraid of this happening for a long time. I’ve always been a little rough around the edges and forget, sometimes, that it doesn’t always come off as endearing.” There were tears in his eyes when he added, “I’ve always loved you and, no matter how I feel, I want you to be happy.”
I don’t think I’d ever loved Ken more. He did the right thing, even when it was the hard thing.
“Is Ken going to be at the wedding?” Jane asked.
“No. He said it would be too difficult.” I heard a quiver in my own voice. “But he sent us a gift.”
“No kidding?”
“Look.” I pointed to an enormous gift basket on the floor by the dresser.
“That thing is the size of a twin bed!” Jane shuffled to the basket, but was careful not to bend over. “What is it?”
“A supersize Ken’s Custom Homes’ Welcome Home basket. Pounds of coffee, chocolates, toilet paper, coupons for milk, everything he leaves in his clients’ new homes.”
“Okay…” Jane backed away looking puzzled.
“And in the bottom there’s a gift certificate for all the materials needed to build a house—at cost. He said he’d have them delivered anywhere between Rapid City and Minneapolis, but if we want to build outside the two-state area, we have to pay shipping fees. Ever practical, that Ken.”
Jane’s jaw dropped. “Well, that’s the best gift you’ll be getting!”
“No, the best gift is that we parted friends.”
There was a knock on the door. “Honey, can I come in?”
“Sure, Mom. We’re almost ready.”
My mom looks a great deal like Jane—dark hair, pleasant features and she carries and fights the same roly-poly gene my sister inherited. She took my hand.
“You are a vision, Cassia. Have you even looked at yourself?”
I turned toward the mirror and gasped. At Adam’s request, I’d more or less left my hair in its natural state, a red curly cloud. My skin, which doesn’t really tan but goes directly from lobster colored to peeling, and my pristine white dress made me look fragile and ethereal. I’m neither, but it’s a look I like.
“We are so glad for you, darling.” Mom’s expression clouded. “I wish Dad and I could have been more a part of this romance of yours.”
“Trust me, Mom, you wouldn’t have enjoyed it. I didn’t exactly enjoy most of it myself.”
My poor mother, who has no idea of all the confusion and miscommunication that has gone on, smiled weakly. Ignorance is bliss sometimes, and that’s what I wanted for her today—bliss. There will be time later for Adam and me to unroll the entire story of our meeting and falling in love.
“Is Daddy ready?”
“He’s been at the church for two hours. It’s a big day when he gets to walk his daughter down the aisle and then marry her to her new husband.”
“And Mattie?”
“Holding court at the door of the church with your friend Whitney. She’s in her element.”
“Well, then,” I said, “I guess it’s time.”
My heart pounded so hard as I stood at the back of the church that I feared it might thrash its way out of my chest and escape. Even the prospects of that, however, couldn’t make me take my eyes off the most handsome man in the world, the one who was waiting for me at the end of the long, white-carpeted aisle.
Adam’s white teeth flashed in his deeply tanned face when he smiled. He and Chase are a devastating duo. The ladies in Simms will have much to talk about at Estrogen Hour on Monday. Adam’s hair, just the length I like it, made my fingers itch to touch it. I’d never seen him in a tuxedo before, but it does even more for him than those trim jeans and soft shirts he wears.
Dad fidgeted like a nervous bridegroom while Adam looked calm and collected, as if he did this sort of thing every day. When the music started I put my foot forward, the first step of the journey into my new life.
“Don’t you dare give Winslow another piece of cake!” I instructed Adam. “He’ll be sick.”
Adam had planned ahead and arranged for a little mesh zippered tent from which Winslow and Pepto could watch the festivities. Winslow looked happy enough in his extra-extra-extra-large bow tie. Pepto only tolerated the white velvet bow tied around his neck, but he hadn’t shredded it either, so I took the fact that he hadn’t destroyed his wedding garb as an indication he was having a wonderful time at the party.
“Why not? There’s plenty to go around.”
We turned to look at Tulip’s most outstanding masterpiece yet. The cake was a series of tiers, bridges and waterfalls laced in elaborate frosting lattice and lace. There were plastic swans swimming in the mirrored glass pool at the bottom of the cake. Even she knew she’d outdone herself, and was proudly giving out business cards saying “Tulip’s Cakery.”
The children of Simms were playing soccer in a field visible from the yard, while neighbors and friends were wearing out both eyeballs and tongues discussing the interesting group of people Adam’s side of the wedding invitation list had brought. Adam’s family, which is huge, just as he’d warned me, mingled easily with everyone. Dad and Adam’s father, who I’ve only just discovered is a professor of religious history, were involved in a spirited discussion. Mom and his mother were regaling each other with “When Cassia was little she…” and “Before Adam was potty trained he…” stories.
Everyone was so busy, in fact, that no one seemed to n
otice when Adam took me by the hand and led me to a secluded corner of the yard.
“Well, Mrs. Cavanaugh, what do you think about this party and your new status in life?”
“I’ve never been happier, or more grateful. God is good, Adam.”
“Psalm 119:65,” he said.
Lord, I am overflowing with Your blessing, just as You promised.
Amen!
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. What would you do if you accidentally won the lottery the way Cassia does? Did you learn anything from Cassia’s handling of her windfall?
2. Do you think Cassia could have found happiness if she’d married Randy or Ken? Why or why not?
3. Among Cassia’s family and friends, who did you think was helpful to her as she tried to discern what she should do with the money, and who wasn’t helpful and why?
4. What did you think about Cassia’s relationship with God? Is it similar to or different from your own relationship with God?
5. Did you think Cassia’s response to Adam’s lack of honesty was appropriate? If you were deeply disappointed by a man, how would you react?
6. Adam had a rationale for his behavior that he ultimately found unsupportable—do you judge him as harshly as he judges himself? How could he have remained true to his goal of helping the Burundian orphans without deceiving Cassia?
7. Did you think of Winslow and Pepto as characters in the same sense as Cassia, Jane, Adam, Randy, etc.? Do you have any favorite books where animals play prominent roles, and how does the “humanizing” of animal characters add to your enjoyment?
8. Have you ever gone through a crisis of faith like Adam’s? How was it resolved?
9. Were any of the secondary characters in the novel especially appealing to you? Who and why?
10. Have you ever faced a situation like Cassia’s where a decision led to a radical change in your life or lifestyle? Did you feel you had divine guidance in the situation and what form did that take? How do you feel about the decision and the changes now?
STEEPLE HILL BOOKS
ISBN: 978-1-4268-1733-5
MILLION DOLLAR DILEMMA
Copyright © 2005 by Judy Duenow
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