The Construction of Cheer

by Liz Isaacson

  “I like you a whole lot,” she said. “I knew the minute you sat yourself on down on my blanket at that movie that we’d be great together.” She gestured to him and back to herself. “This is me saying I’m ready to be together.”

  The tightness in her chest released, and she drew in another breath. “That’s it. That’s all I’m going to say.” She turned away from him and took off the lid on the nearest bin. Her brain spun, and it took her twice as long to catalog what she was looking at. Buns. That was right. She was making hot meatball sandwiches tonight, from scratch. She needed to get those in the oven so they had time to slow-cook to perfection.

  She started taking everything out of the bins, and Ace stepped over to help her.

  “Would you please say something?” The words just burst out of her mouth, and they sounded so loud in this echoy kitchen.

  “What do you want me to say?” he asked, his voice the complete opposite of hers—calm, quiet, in control. He was her complete opposite in a lot of ways, actually. She could barely lift a gallon of milk, and he could probably lift her right up over his head. She talked too much; he never said more than needed to be said. She always wanted to be outside, and he said he’d rather spend evenings indoors, as he worked outside all day long. She’d told him about her pillow obsession, and he’d said he used one pillow on his bed. One.

  Holly Ann had pillows on the back seat of her sedan, for crying out loud.

  “I want you to say you like me too, and that you want to be together with me too,” she said, throwing him a darted look. “Or I want you to say you don’t like me a whole lot, and that you’d rather I just made this meal and we can just say the kiss was a mistake of the heat.”

  She swallowed, because if he said the second thing, she wasn’t even sure she could stay to make the meal.

  “Holly Ann,” he said, really hanging onto the vowels in her name in a sexiest way possible. Had he practiced that? Had he called Bethany Rose and asked her how to say Holly Ann’s name so she’d swoon? Bethany Rose would’ve told him, Holly Ann knew that. She’d dated Ward Glover once, and she’d been infatuated with all the Glover men since.

  When she’d found out it was Ace who’d sat down on the blanket during the Christmas movie, Bethany Rose seemed more excited than Holly Ann.

  “I thought it was pretty dang obvious that I liked you a whole lot,” he said. “Was that part not clear with all the texting, and calling, and me hiring you to cater this party just so I could see you?”

  She looked at him, and he did look a little perplexed. “A girl likes to hear it too,” she said, foolishness racing through her. “Especially after she says it right out loud to a frowning cowboy with his arms all folded.”

  Ace laughed, and Holly Ann basked in the wonderful sound of it. He stopped taking breadcrumbs out of the bin and swept her back into his embrace. “Holly Ann,” he whispered, his breath trailing down her neck and making her shiver. “I sure do like you. A whole lot, like you said. I’ve thought we’d be great together since the day I missed my ride back to the ranch just so I could stay and talk to you after church.”

  With that, he dipped his head and kissed her again. Holly Ann let his touch sweep her away, because he really was the very best kisser in the whole wide world.

  He stopped much sooner this time than last time, and he said, “I’m ready to be together, sweetheart. You tell me when you can go to dinner, and I’ll be there to take you.”

  “Okay,” she said, giggling. She playfully pushed him away. “Now get. I’m makin’ dinner for your aunt, and it has to be perfect. I don’t need you hangin’ around makin’ me nervous.”

  He chuckled, straightened his hat, and said, “Yes, ma’am,” before leaving her alone in the kitchen. Holly Ann took a deep breath, giggled again, and got to work. Ace would give her a five-star review no matter what. But she wanted to earn it.

  Hours later, Holly Ann took the last tray of coconut brownies out to the serving buffet. Ace and Ward had set them up for her, and she admired them in this gorgeous barn. This space was simply stunning, with a dark, rich floor, and pure white wood on the walls.

  The exposed beams in the ceiling reminded everyone where they really stood, as did the scent of hay and dust. But the fixtures were high-quality, and all of the amenities top-notch. Even the bathroom she’d used a couple of times throughout the afternoon was nicer than anything she’d ever seen.

  It helped that everything was brand-new and hardly used, but she loved every detail, down to the old barrels that had been restored and sealed and stood at the entrance to this big room where they had tables set up now.

  She’d heard there’d been dancing here after the double-wedding in March. She hadn’t come to the wedding, despite being Ace’s semi-girlfriend. He’d asked her to come, but that was when she’d said she needed to focus on her catering.

  Idiot, she told herself now. This place would steal her breath if it were decorated for a wedding. As it was, someone had put potted plants on the barrels, and they brought life into the barn where none had been before.

  At some point, someone had hung a banner at the front of the barn that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHER in huge letters. A wreath of horseshoes hung there, and someone had tucked a few greeting cards through the loops created by the shoes.

  She turned in a full circle, the cleanliness of this place speaking to how much someone cared about it. She took a couple of pictures of her fully filled buffets and wiped away a drop of sauce. Everything was covered so it would stay hot and ready for eating, and she wondered where everyone was.

  The party was supposed to start in only five minutes.

  Through the wide entrance to this room, someone opened the sliding door that had first captured Holly Ann’s love. She wanted a barn door like that in her house, though it wasn’t even big enough for such a thing. A small foyer sat beyond that door, so it didn’t take long for Ace to appear. “Ready?” he asked. “They just did the surprise at the homestead, and they’re literally seconds behind me.”

  “I’m ready,” she said, sweeping her hand toward the buffet. “Look.”

  “Were you taking a picture?” he asked, noticing her phone. “Do you want me to take one with you in it?”

  “Yes,” she said. “By the desserts, okay?” She quickly swept the wispy hair off her face and debated removing her apron. In the end, she left it on. It showed the wear and tear of her work in the kitchen, and a chef should display their apron in any picture they took.

  She pressed one hip into the buffet and away from the camera, as per Bethany Rose’s posing instructions. She knew she carried more weight than other women with hot cowboy boyfriends, but she didn’t mind that much. She thought her curves were beautiful, and she didn’t want a man who didn’t feel the same way she did about her body.

  Besides, she didn’t trust a skinny chef.

  She did want to look good in pictures, though, and Bethany Rose had taught her how to put her weight away from the camera to hide their thick Broadbent behinds and accentuate their better features.

  “Gorgeous,” Ace said, stepping over to her and turning the phone so she could see it. “If I didn’t hear my brother’s voice right now, I’d kiss you again.”

  Holly Ann took her phone, her smile in the picture just as happy as the one still on her face. “Later, cowboy,” she promised, and then she headed for the kitchen. “I’ll be in here if you need anything. I’ll keep an eye on the food from a distance.”

  That was the mark of a great caterer, and Holly Ann wasn’t under any delusion that she was at this party as anything other than the woman who’d done the food.

  She’d barely made it through the door when the noise level increased. Men and women talked and laughed, and she heard the moment when they entered the hall and found everything set and ready.

  A rousing round of Happy Birthday filled the air, and Holly Ann dared to move back to the doorway to watch the Glover clan celebrate one of their revered members. She caught si
ght of Ace standing next to his mother, one arm linked through hers as he sang his heart out. He grinned and laughed when the song ended, and nearly everyone else clapped.

  Ward stood on their mother’s other side, and it was him who took her carefully to her seat. She sat right next to Lois Glover, and the two of them clasped hands. They clearly shared a special bond, and Holly Ann knew exactly what that looked like and felt like.

  She had that with her sister and father. In fact, she couldn’t wait to get back in her car and head down to town. She’d call Bethany Rose first, because that would be the longest conversation and she could end it when she pulled into her garage. Then she’d call Daddy and tell him she did the brave thing and told Ace how she felt.

  He’d congratulate her and warn her not to go too fast with the man. He’d suggest she have him come pick her up at her childhood home, where he still lived, so he could meet Ace. She’d laugh and say no.

  He’d make her promise that when Ace fell in love with her and wanted to marry her, that she’d make him come ask him for permission. Holly Ann would promise him and then she’d go inside, sigh, and flop down on the couch to relive the afternoon, starting with that very first kiss she’d shared with Ace….

  “Amen,” chorused through the barn, and Holly Ann hadn’t even realized they’d welcomed everyone and said grace already. She sometimes lost a lot of time to her fantasies, another thing she was trying to tame. She failed at that too, but so far, it hadn’t caused her anything too damaging.

  “Maybe we can get her to come tell us what it all is,” Etta said. “That’s all I’m saying. That’s what we do.”

  “No,” Ace argued. “That’s what you do. I was in charge of the food, and it’s here. You can’t look at it and see what it is?”

  “Just ask her,” Bishop said, and Holly Ann peeked out of the doorway. “It looks amazing, and maybe Mother would like to know if any of it is spicy.”

  “Fine,” Ace grumbled, and he turned toward the kitchen door. Holly Ann caught his eye and he gestured for her to come join him. “They want a quick run-down of the food.”

  Holly Ann looked out at the sea of men and women. Definitely way more men here than women, though a few dotted the crowd. She swallowed, because women tended to like her food more than men.

  Customer service, she recited to herself while she hitched her smile in place. “Sure thing,” she said, trying to tame her accent into something softer. “Ace said his aunt used to make an amazing hot meatball sandwich. So, because it’s her birthday—” She paused and smiled at Lois Glover, who beamed back at her with the brightest pair of blue eyes Holly Ann had ever seen on a person. “I made a menu surrounding hot meatball sandwiches. So you’ve got the buns for those here. They’re not terribly spicy, but they are made with pork, beef, and veal. They’re slow-roasted and then slathered with homemade marinara sauce with a secret ingredient.”

  She continued to perform as she went through the rest of the menu, which was fairly basic fare for a meatball sandwich. “For a hot item, we have butter-lemon asparagus. There are three cold items, as it’s summertime. This is a creamy cucumber salad. Very cool with mint and sour cream. It’s perfect to put right on top of the meatballs, if you dare.” She grinned out at everyone, noticing several other smiles.

  “This is a classic green salad with plenty of veggies, and an Italian balsamic vinaigrette. Ace said Aunt Lois loves balsamic, so I made a reduction of it and that’s over vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese chunks in a family-style Caprese salad. And lastly, there’s a kale and broccoli salad with a creamy dressing that has craisins and sunflower seeds in it.”

  She moved down the buffet to her personal favorite part—dessert. “Aunt Lois loves coconut, I heard, so your choices for dessert are coconut cream pie. I understand Uncle Stone used to make this for your birthday every year, Lois, and I figured it would be okay if I tried my hand at it.” She smiled at the older woman, the gesture wobbling when Lois Glover wiped her face as if she were crying. Her sons rallied behind her, and Holly Ann took her enthusiasm down a notch as she read the crowd.

  She met Arizona’s eyes, and while they didn’t know each other well, Arizona nodded and smiled at Holly Ann, so she continued.

  “There’s a traditional chocolate birthday cake. It has five layers and is infused with a bit of coconut cream. And there are coconut Rocky Road brownies, which have marshmallows, plenty of chocolate—Ace said y’all are addicted to chocolate—and the addition of toasted coconut.”

  She surveyed her buffet again, her pride surging one more time. This was an amazing menu, and she needed to make notes of the prep it had taken, as well as the timing of the items to get them all out on time, hot things hot and cold things cold.

  “I’d get one of these first,” she said. “They’re that delicious. In fact.” She used a pair of tongs to pick up a brownie and place it on the delicate dessert plates she’d brought. She walked over to Lois and handed it to her. “Happy birthday, Lois. May it be filled with the love I can feel at this party for the whole year.”

  She hugged the older woman and stepped back. “Okay, eat. Enjoy. I have more in the kitchen, so I’ll keep my eye on everything.” With that, she walked into the kitchen and ducked around the corner.

  She pressed her back into the wall and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She loved performing like that, but hated it at the same time. It drained her every time, and she needed to remember to pack a hygiene kit from now on. Something with a stick of deodorant, an extra blouse, and plenty of mint gum. Then she could freshen up before she had to present her food.

  A presentation didn’t happen at every event, but she had been doing them more and more, especially for the custom menus she put together, like this one.

  “This is incredible,” someone said. Holly Ann didn’t know all of the men well enough to distinguish their voices.

  “I apologize for thinking you shouldn’t have hired her,” another man said. “I want to eat all of this.”

  Holly Ann smiled as the chatter started to overlap and she couldn’t hear more than snatches of it. She stepped over to the sink and washed her hands again, then got busy cleaning up the kitchen. She should be completely packed and ready to go by the time they finished eating. Then she could load up and get home. Most people didn’t pay her to stay the whole time, and Ace had asked for an hour after the party started.

  She looked up as someone entered the kitchen, and she found Lois Glover entering through the doorway. “Hello, ma’am,” she said. “Everything okay?”

  “No, it is not,” she said, coming closer. “I don’t have the recipe for these brownies, and I need it.” She took the last bite, a smile filling her wrinkled and aged face. “I love them.” She took Holly Ann into an embrace. “You are a Godsend, my dear.”

  “Oh.” Holly Ann hugged her back. “Thank you. I can send you the recipe.”

  “I’d like that.” Lois stepped back. “How’s your father?”

  “He’s doing great,” Holly Ann said, surprised Lois knew her dad. He wasn’t quite as old as Lois, and he’d been single for the last twenty years despite Bethany Rose and Holly Ann telling him he was handsome and should date.

  He claimed to have loved Mama too much to ever marry again, but he hadn’t even tried. Holly Ann had given up talking to him about it, and they just talked about her sporadic love life now.

  “Good.” Lois patted her hand. “Now, there’s a certain young man out there who would like you to come eat with him.”

  “Oh, no,” Holly Ann said, holding up both hands. “I don’t do that.”

  “I insist,” Lois said, and she linked her arm through Holly Ann’s. Since she could barely lift that gallon of milk, and with her surprise rendering her usually active vocal cords dormant, Holly Ann found herself getting towed back into the hall.

  Ace had an empty spot next to him at the table with his brothers and sisters, and he gestured to her to come fill it.

  You’re doing a
ll kinds of different things today, she told herself. What’s one more?

  So she filled a plate with her own food and sat down beside Ace. He introduced her to his brother Ward, then Ranger and his wife Oakley, then his twin sisters, Etta and Ida. Ida had her boyfriend with her, and Holly Ann nodded at all of them in turn, lastly Brady Burton, the cop that lived just across the street from her.

  He gave her a look that wasn’t hard to read, and Holly Ann dropped her eyes to her plate. He’d said she’d fit in soon enough, and that he knew how hard it was to show up with this family and not feel out of place.

  That was exactly how Holly Ann felt, and she knew Brady had been dating Ida for a while now.

  Then Ace put his hand on her knee under the table and squeezed, and Holly Ann suddenly fit right there at his side.

  “All right,” Bear Glover said. “Mother, we have a gift for you.”

  Holly Ann watched as he presented Lois with a carefully wrapped package. She fussed over the ribbon, finally untying it and peeling back the paper.

  She looked up at the sight of the book, her eyes bright. “Children?”

  “It’s the love letters, Mother,” Bishop blurted out, hurrying forward. “We found them in that old cabin Daddy liked to hang out in.”

  Lois looked down at the book and opened it. She pulled in a sharp breath and traced one finger lovingly down the page. “Oh, my goodness. Stone.”

  The whole room held its breath, and Holly Ann enjoyed the presence of love and peace that came with this loud family.

  “We think he was working on that cabin while he was gathering all of these for you,” Cactus said. “That’s why they were there. And then at some point, someone just shoved them in the wall, where Bishop and Montana found them.”

  Lois nodded as she turned the page, and Ace leaned toward Holly Ann. “They’re letters from her husband.” His soft, warm voice made her shiver, and Holly Ann nestled a little closer to Ace, where she’d like to stay for a good, long while.