The Eyes Have It

by Julie Allan

  “I am soooo happy for the two of you! When is the big day?” she asked.

  “That brings us to what we want to ask. We would love to hire you to do the food for the reception; it will be a small gathering of about forty people in the church hall. We are waiting for your Aunt Dorothy’s return so it will be April twenty-eighth. After all she had a hand in making this happen for us,” Mrs. McGantry explained.

  “How wonderful!” Lizzie exclaimed. “I would be honored and thrilled to do the food, although you do know I have never taken on a wedding or any catered event.”

  “We have no doubt that not only can you handle it, our guests will be so impressed, soon catering events will be another part of your business,” Mr. Lee assured her.

  “We will need to get our plan together. Can you stay this afternoon so we can figure it out?” Lizzie asked.

  “Marie can stay, I will have to get back to the office, but before you get caught up in the merits of butter cream versus fondant, I need to present to you what we brought to give,” Mr. Lee said and he pulled out an official document from his breast pocket and unfolded it. “Here is your official divorce decree. Lizzie, you are officially un-tethered and free to pursue your own love and happiness,” he said.

  “But, how? The year waiting period isn’t done?” Lizzie sputtered in surprise.

  “It seems Mark’s congressional connection pulled some strings. I suspect an engagement announcement between him and a certain congressman’s niece is imminent.”

  “Aaah ...” Lizzie sighed, “in that case, I guess I am not really surprised ... in fact I am thrilled I am finally free!” Lizzie said with glee. She felt like the weight of the world had just lifted off her shoulders. In her mind’s eye, she saw Mark’s condescending sneer and beady dark eyes fade out in a puff of smoke.

  “Let me just say, I am also impressed you recognize the difference between butter cream and fondant, Mr. Lee,” she teased. “Let me go get a notebook and some other things and we can get started on the plans for your wedding,” she said as she walked back towards her office. She barely felt her feet touching the ground.

  She was now officially Lizzie Long again. She was free to pursue Bennett. She never had to deal with Mark Hargrove again! Lizzie took a moment and said a silent prayer of thanks. Then she emailed Aunt Dorothy, M.A. and Amy the good news. She scooped up her big binder of recipes and a notepad and headed back out to help Mrs. McGantry plan the menu for her reception. A reception! Lizzie felt a little nervous taking on such an important event, but she was also honored that she was trusted to do so.

  Mrs. McGantry and Lizzie spent the next hour going over ideas for the menu and the cake. They settled on a shrimp and grits station, fruit and cheese display, some tea sandwiches and mini quiche as well as lemons squares, benne wafers and a red velvet cake with white chocolate cream cheese icing and they would decorate the cake with fresh flowers.

  “I do think the cheese display should feature some Clemson Blue and maybe some other local cheeses as well as the classics like brie,” Mrs. McGantry requested.

  “Of course,” Lizzie answered. Lizzie had never seen Mrs. McGantry more relaxed and friendly. She also confided in Lizzie that she had emailed Aunt Dorothy and asked her to be her one and only attendant.

  “Reverend Truett will officiate the ceremony of course and I have asked Tommy’s niece Eleanor to play the harp for the music, but I’m not sure who should walk me down the aisle?” Mrs. McGantry was saying as Bennett approached the two of them at the table, his eyes scanning the array of pictures of wedding cakes that were spread across the table. Lizzie had pulled up some gorgeous examples from Pinterest and had printed them up to get a feel for the style Mrs. McGantry preferred.

  “Who’s getting married?” he asked.

  “Mrs. McGantry and Mr. Lee,” answered Lizzie carefully watching his face for his reaction.

  Bennett’s eyes lit up with delight. “That is the best news I’ve heard for a while. I believe Mr. Lee has been sweet on you since Lizzie and I were kids,” he exclaimed.

  “Well, I guess you can say better late than never. Let that be a lesson learned,” Mrs. McGantry replied, giving a meaningful glance back and forth between Bennett and Lizzie. The three paused in an awkward silence, and then Mrs. McGantry continued, “Bennett dear would you do a crotchety old woman a favor?”

  “No, but I would give a lovely mature woman such as yourself a favor,” Bennett answered.

  “Charming as always, Bennett,” Mrs. McGantry laughed and continued, “I was wondering if you might be available April twenty-eighth to walk me down the aisle at the church.”

  “I would be delighted,” Bennett responded taking her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it with a quick bow. Mrs. McGantry giggled again and rose to take her leave.

  “That will be wonderful, then you can be Lizzie’s escort for the occasion,” she said as she quickly headed to the door and with a quick wave exited.

  “I would be happy to be your escort,” Bennett said, turning to look at Lizzie.

  “Uh, thanks Bennett that would be great,” she answered, then getting up quickly mumbled, “I’ve got to check on some bread I have in the oven.” She quickly maneuvered herself through the swinging door then pressed her back against the kitchen wall, putting her hands up to her cheeks. They felt hot to the touch.

  “You alright?” Zoe asked as she was putting away the clean pots and pans.

  “Yes, Zoe I’m fine. Just catching my breath,” Lizzie answered, then she headed to the office to call M.A. She would want to know this new development and Lizzie needed to hear her take on it.

  “Sounds to me like Mrs. McGantry is playing match maker, and yea for her if she can accomplish what Amy and I haven’t been able to,” M.A. said after Lizzie had shared the events of the afternoon.

  “I will say I have never seen Mrs. McGantry so happy and relaxed, or for that matter Mr. Lee as well,” Lizzie said.

  “That’s because they are on the path they are supposed to be on with the person they are supposed to be with. When things are aligned with the universe, it does make you happy and relaxed. Come on think about it. You might have thought you were happy with Mark in the beginning, but you were never relaxed. The only time you have been both relaxed and happy was when you were with Bennett,” M.A. responded.

  Lizzie stayed silent letting M.A.’s words settle and seep into her brain.

  “I’m just saying,” M.A. continued, “happy and relaxed are signs you are doing the right thing or choosing the right person, not that every day is a cakewalk. Did I tell you what that knucklehead love of my life did this weekend?” M.A. said.

  “No, what?” Lizzie asked.

  “Well trying to win the husband of the year award, he threw in a load of laundry while I had the girls out at riding lessons. He put his new red golf shirt in with light colored things. Now everything is pink, including his white dress shirts!” M.A. told the tale with her signature wit and Lizzie laughed.

  When the friends hung up, she said a silent thank you to Mrs. McGantry for finagling Bennett into being her date for the wedding and also thanks to the Lord for bringing Mrs. McGantry and Mr. Lee back together again. Now she needed to email Aunt Dorothy and get her take on events and as Zoe said goodbye and left for the afternoon, Lizzie turned to computer to seek the wisdom of the person she trusted the most.

  When Lizzie opened up email she found an email from Aunt Dorothy already waiting on her. She clicked and read:

  My dear child,

  Leaving for Hong Kong in a few hours. By now you should know that Tommy and Marie are getting married. I am so pleased for them both. If you don’t know their love story, I would press you to find out. They remind me a little bit of you and Bennett, although I hope you two don’t wait until your seventies to figure it out. Maggie sends her love. I look forward to seeing your lovely face at ou
r scheduled time once I am settled in Hong Kong. Gung Ho Fat Choy, that’s Happy New Year in Chinese! I must confess that I still don’t quite under- stand why they don’t celebrate it on January first like we do ... hugs and kisses and pats to Lucky and Ella.

  Love,

  Aunt Dorothy

  Aunt Dorothy had also noticed the similarities between the two couples’ love stories. Lizzie could only hope she and Bennett would have a happy ending. She fired a quick email response to Aunt Dorothy, telling her how pleased she was about Mrs. McGantry and Mr. Lee, and what a great honor it was going to be to prepare the food for their reception. She told her all about the food they had selected today and how Bennett had been so gallant in agreeing to walk Mrs. McGantry down the aisle. She was careful to not respond to Aunt Dorothy’s observations about the similar love stories. She was not sure she was ready to admit to Aunt Dorothy, or anyone for that matter, that she was finally willing to consider the idea of taking her relationship with Bennett beyond the tentative friendship they had established.

  She powered down her laptop and stepped back out into the kitchen. “Zoe, it is such a mild afternoon. If you can hold down the fort, I think I am going to head out and take a nice long walk on the beach,” Lizzie said.

  “I have it all under control. You go on and I’ll see you tomorrow,” Zoe assured her.

  Lizzie grabbed her purse and went home to change. Once again she sought the beach to help her process her thoughts and her feelings. Once again she was grateful to be home on the Carolina coast.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lizzie could hardly contain her excitement; she would be collecting Aunt Dorothy at the airport this evening. She had been gone almost seven months and although they had communicated via Skype and email on a regular basis throughout her globe-trotting, Lizzie was anxious to sit across the kitchen table from Aunt Dorothy lingering over bowls of ice cream. She longed to talk with her about everything and anything. Aunt Dorothy had been back on American soil for about forty-eight hours—but had paused in Atlanta, staying at Maggie’s to help ease her jet lag.

  Once again Lizzie was designing a new menu for The Biscuit Box. The forsythia was blooming and the daffodils bobbed their heads indicating spring had arrived. With spring came pollen season and as the trees budded and unfurled their leaves, Lizzie reached for her seasonal medicine and kept tissues close at hand. She loved the beauty of a Lowcountry spring, but dreaded the sinus pressure and post-nasal drip it could bring if she did not stay proactive and consistent with her arsenal of relief. Even with the medicine, or maybe because of it, her brain felt fuzzy and she had a hard time concentrating on the task at hand.

  The heart shaped biscuits she had offered over Valentine’s had been a great success; maybe she should try bunny shaped biscuits for the Easter season? She needed to replace the heavy winter soups with some lighter ones, maybe She-crab and cream of asparagus or maybe a shrimp bisque.

  She couldn’t decide so she put all three on the menu. She also added a ham biscuit plate and a chutney and egg salad on croissant and took off the turkey melt with cranberry. Finally she finished up by replacing the chocolate mini cupcakes with cream puffs. The menu was complete and she emailed it to the printers. They would deliver a stack of them to her in just two days. Then she tackled the orders, only pausing to drink the herbal tea Zoe brought her along with a few cheese straws.

  “Thanks, Zoe!” Lizzie hollered. The steam from the tea helped to open her sinuses and the bite from the cayenne in the cheese straws perked her up. She put in an order for some specialty chocolates to sell and put into Easter basket orders along with the never-ending supplies it took to keep The Biscuit Box running.

  As she finished she yawned and stretched, ordering and paperwork were not her favorite tasks. She looked up at the clock. It was already two in the afternoon. One nice thing was that she no longer needed to draw from her personal accounts to cover expenses for the business. Over the Christmas holidays, The Biscuit Box had entered into the black and had remained steadily there ever since.

  Thinking about the books of course made Lizzie think about Amy— she was so lucky to have a friend who was also a trustworthy and efficient bookkeeper.

  Amy poked her head around the door to Lizzie’s office space. “Here for the books,” she said, “and the scoop on how you and Bennett made a date for the McGantry-Lee wedding.”

  “You must have been reading my mind. I was just thinking about you! I guess you have been talking with M.A.,” Lizzie answered.

  “Actually I heard it from Bennett. He told me he is escorting Mrs. McGantry down the aisle, but you are his date for the occasion. He asked me what I thought about that,” Amy informed her.

  “And what did you say?” Lizzie queried.

  “I told him I thought it was the best news I had heard in a long time, plus I told him it was about time you two got on with it.”

  “What did Bennett say to that?” Lizzie pressed. “He rolled his eyes and told me to mind my own beeswax,” Amy answered. “He also grinned and his whole face lit up at the idea of there being a two of you.”

  “Good to know,” Lizzie responded, and felt her own face cast a glow.

  “So maybe there is hope you could be my sister one day after all,” Amy said as she took the seat in front of the computer Lizzie had vacated.

  “One step at time, Amy, one baby step at a time,” Lizzie grinned as she sauntered off to get busy in the kitchen.

  She decided to leave a little early and head home to make sure all was ready for Aunt Dorothy’s arrival.

  Lizzie rode her bike back towards the house and found herself looking ahead ... in a few weeks it would be Easter and in a month and a half it would be time for the wedding. She had ordered the glasses and plates and such from the rental supply place, but she needed to find out if Mrs. McGantry was having the florist handle the center- pieces or did she need Lizzie to include that in her preparations. When she got home, she picked up the phone and gave her a ring.

  “Hi, Mrs. McGantry. How is the bride to be?” she said. “I am fabulous. I am sure you are beside yourself with Dorothy’s return. What can I do for you dear?” Mrs. McGantry answered.

  “I was thinking about the tables at the reception. Do you have the florist doing centerpieces or did you need me to take care of those?” Lizzie asked.

  “Neither dear. I am channeling my inner crafter. I am making the centerpieces; actually I was hoping to rope Dorothy and Pat Wilson into helping me,” Mrs. McGantry replied.

  “Oh, good, can I ask what the craft might be?” Lizzie inquired.

  “They are glass lanterns with sand and a candle and embellished with shells and ribbon. I am going for a nautical theme, as Tommy is so fond of his boat. He is wearing white dress pants with a double breasted navy jacket and I have ordered navy with white trim table cloth toppers for all the tables,” Mrs. McGantry explained.

  “Sounds lovely,” Lizzie replied.

  “Lizzie, before we hang up, I was wondering if I could have you and Dorothy over for supper Friday night. That will give her a few days to settle in and I am sure you are tired towards the end of the week,” Mrs. McGantry asked.

  “Yes, I think I would be safe in accepting your invitation. I am sure Aunt Dorothy would love to see you. Would you like us to bring anything?” Lizzie asked.

  “Not a thing dear. See you Friday around six o’clock. Bye, now.”

  “Bye,” Lizzie responded and they hung up.

  Later that night, Aunt Dorothy and Lizzie, with Lucky and Ella sleeping at their feet, sat around the kitchen table polishing off a pint of coffee ice cream and discussing anything and everything they could think of. Both of them had missed this cherished time together. Aunt Dorothy pronounced that after a day in her pajamas lounging about the house—she wanted to start putting her scrapbook together while the memories of her adventure with Maggie wer
e fresh in her mind. She was delighted to find they had a dinner commitment at Mrs. McGantry’s and she was tickled at the huge success The Biscuit Box was becoming, marveling at the article in the paper naming it along with several other businesses as the top local businesses to watch.

  “I am not surprised this has been a success for you, child. After all you had your heart and soul in it.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Dorothy. It means the world to me to have your praise,” Lizzie answered.

  “Well I suppose we best get on to bed. You do have to work in the morning and I can’t wait one more moment to sleep in my own bed,” Aunt Dorothy rose taking her bowl and spoon toward the sink.

  Lizzie got up and swooped over her, taking the bowl and spoon from her. “I’ll take care of this. You go on up, and I’ll be extra quiet in the morning so as not to disturb you,” Lizzie said as she gave Aunt Dorothy a gentle kiss on the cheek.

  “Good night, child,” Aunt Dorothy said.

  Lizzie rinsed out the bowls and the spoon and pulled on her sweater. She took the dogs out and walked down towards the dock. The moon and stars glistened in the clear sky. Despite the chill in the air, Lizzie felt warm to her core. Aunt Dorothy was home, her business was doing well. She even had a date with Bennett. It had taken her nine months, but she had found herself again and had a clear vision of what she wanted her future to be. Now it was up to her to make it so.

  She said a silent prayer, thanking God for returning Aunt Dorothy home safely and all the blessings in her life. She also asked for intercession. She wanted wisdom and guidance to fix her relationship with Bennett. The cool air began to settle into her bones and she pulled the wrap she had around her shoulders a little tighter. She called the dogs and together they went in and locked up before following Aunt Dorothy upstairs to bed.

  Friday night at Mrs. McGantry’s, Lizzie and Aunt Dorothy got a first peek at the wedding ensemble. It was more mother of the bride in style due to the maturity of the bride, but it suited Mrs. McGantry and her nautical theme to a tee. It had a soft pleated skirt and a drop waist. The jacket had beautiful pearl buttons.