With a bounce of her ponytail, Tess hiked her chin in a tease. “Oh, come on, you big babies—surely an English major with a masters in both communications and theology and a cardiac surgeon with a high-powered vocabulary can hold their own against a little old hospice nurse and a trophy wife.” She winked at Karen, who smiled at the teasing nickname she’d coined for herself as Ben’s wife.
Karen lifted her near-empty glass of wine with a shy smile in Ben’s direction, evidence of just how much she adored her husband, a dangerously handsome heart surgeon with Kevin Costner eyes. “Uh-oh, Tess, better not use the word ‘trophy.’ Might remind these poor boys of all the times they’ve lost.”
Adam chuckled, a twinkle lighting his eyes as he grabbed a handful of peanuts. “I think that sounds a little bit like a challenge, don’t you, Ben?” He tossed some peanuts in his mouth and grinned, rocking back on two legs of his chair.
“Sure does.” Ben folded sculpted arms across a well-muscled navy blue Polo that confirmed he worked out at a gym, his laid-back half-smile a trademark of the reticent neighbor next door. Generous lips inched uphill while hazel eyes zeroed in on his wife with deadly precision, speaking volumes without ever saying a word. “Deluded as it may be,” he said, conveying a dry humor that seemed laced with secrets. Taking a long, slow sip of his Stella Artois beer, he returned his attention to Tess with a glint of tease that veered dangerously close to a smirk. “I suppose we should put them in their place, Adam, but I say we pass and let them enjoy their delusion.”
That did it. Tess shot up and slapped two palms to the table, leaning in to laser Ben with a mock glare, not a bit intimidated by the calm, patient look she imagined he used on all his patients. “Ha! Speaking of delusion, Ben Carmichael, that would be you if you think you’re going to weasel out of this challenge, because we girls are more than up for it, right, Karen?”
“You bet.” In an unusual show of pluck, Karen jutted her chin like Tess, the motion so out of the norm for a sweet woman who always deferred to her husband, that Tess fought the squirm of a smile. “I’m all for a challenge,” Karen said with a quick gulp of wine, her smile a tad timid while she chewed on the edge of her lip. “After all, I married Ben, didn’t I?”
“Oooo … trophy wife, one, goose egg for the doc.” Tess quickly clinked her peach iced tea to Karen’s wine glass before taking a long draw, clunking it down with a sassy smile aimed at the boys. “Besides, odds are pretttttty good there will be no peach pie with homemade ice cream unless there is a Scrabble board on this table tonight.”
Grinning, Adam rose to hook strong arms around Tess’s waist from behind, his low laughter tickling her neck. “Hate to break it to you, Mrs. O’Bryen, but blackmail and bribery qualify as bona fide sins, especially for a pastor’s wife.”
Ben angled back in his chair with a droll smile, finishing off the last of his beer. “Ah, but apparently not when it comes to food,” he said with a nod of assent, the quiet humor in his eyes validating his fondness for both Tess and anything she baked. He reached into his personal cooler to refill Karen’s chardonnay before popping another Stella for himself. “Or your wife would be doing time in the big house, Adam.” Raising a toast, he surprised Tess with a wink so out of character, she could only blame it on the beer. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you—I’d sell my first-born for one of her decadent monster cookies, and she knows it.”
Adam chuckled, his laughter a stark contrast to Tess’s own smile, which suddenly felt as stiff as a Scrabble board from Ben’s reference to his first-born. It was no secret he and Lacey butted heads, but Tess knew firsthand from Jack and Cat that Lacey’s father bore a monumental grudge against his only daughter. With a final light squeeze to her shoulder, Adam returned to his chair, dispensing a friendly slap on Ben’s back on the way, his grin as decadent as Tess’s cookies. “Change that to selling your soul, my friend, and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
“I second that,” Tess said too quickly, anxious to shake off the awful feeling she always got when reminded of Lacey’s and Ben’s dysfunctional relationship. She and Adam had been best friends with Karen and Ben for years now, sometimes even spending vacations and holidays together since the kids were so close, so she loved Lacey like a daughter. And she loved Karen and Ben too, although it saddened her to sense an underlying strain in both their marriage and their family. Shoving the unsettling feelings aside, she forced a bright smile on her way to the kitchen to grab the Scrabble game. “No need to sell your first-born, Ben,” she called over her shoulder, “Lacey’s already a member of our family, so your soul sounds like a fair price to me. And I’ll even throw in some peach pie with ice cream.” Take that, Dr. Carmichael, she thought with a smug smile, screen door banging closed behind her.
Humming while she cut the pie, Tess startled at the sound of a key in the front door. Who on earth? The twins were spending the night at a friend’s house, and Jack and Lacey were out on a date. Brow screwed in a frown, she glanced at the clock over her sink before tiptoeing down the dark hallway with a knife in her hand.
“Jack?” she whispered, alarmed at the tall silhouette that loomed in the doorway. “Is that you?”
Her son’s husky chuckle eased the tension in her shoulders before he flipped on the foyer lamp she’d forgotten to turn on. He nodded at the wicked knife in her hand, the grins on both his and Lacey’s faces assuring her she was a true paranoid. “Uh, I don’t know, Mom—first tell me if I’ve done anything wrong.”
“For heaven’s sake, what are you doing home already?” she whispered, obviously still in stealth mode. She glanced at her watch. “It’s only half past eight.”
Jack quietly closed the door and hooked Lacey’s shoulder, leading her forward with a sheepish grin. “We did it, Mom—I gave Lace the ring last night, so you’re one step closer to having another daughter.”
Tess blinked, jaw unhinged as she processed Jack’s statement, finally homing in on the tiny diamond that glittered on Lacey’s outstretched hand. Euphoria bubbled in Tess’s chest as her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, Jack!” Carefully disarming her of the knife, Jack stepped aside while Tess swallowed Lacey up in a tearful embrace, the two of them leaking saltwater like a sieve. “This is one of the happiest days of my life, Lacey Carmichael,” she said, her tone as watery as her gaze, “and I couldn’t be more pleased!”
Lacey grinned and swiped at her eyes, looking more like the little girl whose hair she used to braid at the age of eight than a woman who would marry her son. “Me either, Mrs. O’Bryen.” She glanced at Jack, and he immediately looped a protective arm around her shoulders. “Except for one thing,” she whispered. A lump bobbed in her throat. “We still have to tell my mom and dad.”
Some of Tess’s euphoria siphoned out as she drew in a deep breath, well aware that Lacey’s concern was not unfounded. Not with Karen, of course, who would be as ecstatic as Tess, but with the less agreeable party in this equation: Ben Carmichael. A weary sigh seeped through Tess’s lips at the thought, knowing full well that Ben’s affection for the O’Bryens hit a brick wall when it came to Jack. From the moment her son had asked out Ben’s daughter, everything had changed between Jack and the neighbor whose lawn he used to cut.
“Ben’s just a normal father, Tess,” Adam said when the tension between the two became clear, “protective to a fault of his little girl, and I can’t say I blame him. I’m pretty sure I’ll be the very same way when any kid comes sniffing around my daughters.” He’d wrapped Tess in a hug when he’d said it, assuring her it was just a phase.
But Tess wasn’t so sure. Especially given the look of trepidation that flickered in Lacey’s eyes right at this moment. And from that very look, Tess knew exactly what Lacey was asking. Giving her a final squeeze, she pulled back, hands still clasped to Lacey’s arms. “Which is why you’re home early tonight, I suppose? You want moral support when you tell them?”
Jack laid the knife on the foyer table and hooked his mom into a three-way hug. “Nobody d
iffuses a potential situation like you, Mom—it’s one of your gifts.” He paused, a smile creeping into his tone. “Along with baked bribes.”
She slapped him away with a twitch of a smile. “They are not bribes, Jack O’Bryen; they are nothing more than gentle suggestions wrapped in love.”
He chuckled. “Whatever you say, Mom, but whatever they are, both Lacey and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we wanted you around when we told her parents. And since the Carmichaels were coming over tonight for dinner and game night …” He pressed a kiss to her head. “Here we are.”
“Indeed.” With a half cross of arms, Tess fisted a hand to her mouth, eyes in a squint while she processed the situation. “Well, I can certainly serve dessert now instead of later—” She glanced up to give Lacey a wink. “One of your dad’s favorites—so that’s a positive right there. Plus he seemed in good spirits when I finagled a Scrabble game with peach pie and ice cream …”
Jack tweaked the back of Tess’s neck. “You mean offered a ‘gentle suggestion wrapped in love’?”
Tess elbowed him with a thin gaze. “It’s not smart to bite the hand that feeds—or buffers you—Son.” She suddenly caught her breath, eyes sparking wide with excitement. “Oh, and I have some of that to-die-for cinnamon hazelnut coffee your dad went gaga over last time, so that’s a plus too.”
Jack’s chuckle bordered on nervous. “Uh, not sure ‘to-die-for’ is the best phraseology, Mom, given what we need to do.”
Dismissing him with an exaggerated roll of eyes, she crushed Lacey in another giggly hug. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, when I’m done with your father, he’ll be sweeter than my home-made ice cream.”
“And just as cold, no doubt, with me laying claim to his daughter.” Jack’s tone was dry.
Gaze softening, Tess stroked a gentle hand to his cheek. “Your father and I have already prayed about this, Jack, so you need to relax and put your faith in God, all right?” She stood on tiptoe to deposit a kiss to his cheek before spinning around and dashing toward the kitchen. “Come on, you two—we don’t have a moment to waste. Jack, grab the Scrabble game out of the hutch in the dining room while Lacey and I dish out dessert.”
A few moments later, Tess breathed in the heavenly aroma of cinnamon hazelnut coffee, never more grateful for the fast-brewing process of her Bunn coffeemaker. Lacey had cut and zapped the pieces of peach pie while Jack doled out generous scoops of Tess’s homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Eyes squeezed tight, Tess silently said a prayer before the three of them toted dessert and mugs of coffee outside, along with plenty of cream and sugar.
“Hey, look who’s here,” she announced in a perky tone, easing the screen door closed while Jack and Lacey delivered their trays to the table. “Just in time for dessert!”
Chattering a mile a minute, Tess poured and doctored Ben’s coffee just as he liked it while Lacey and Jack greeted everyone. Karen quickly gave her daughter a hug as Jack retrieved two chairs and Tess placed Ben’s coffee before him. Her heart stuttered at the tight smile on his face, but her bubbly voice never missed a beat. “Here you go, Dr. Carmichael,” she said a little too cheerily, “a little ‘bribery’ with that cinnamon hazelnut coffee you so adore.”
His mouth crooked as he slowly reached for his cup, those hooded hazel eyes piercing Tess straight through. “Thanks, Tess, but I’m a little worried what this is going to cost.”
“Oh, nothing much,” she said with a jaunty toss of her ponytail, giving Karen a sly wink as she poured her a cup of coffee. “Just a little humility and a whole lot of pride.”
Karen offered Tess a smile of thanks before turning to Lacey and Jack. “I thought you two had dinner and a movie planned for tonight.” She glanced at her watch before gently brushing Lacey’s hair over her shoulder. “Either you bolted your food, sweetheart, or it was a really short movie.”
Lacey and Jack exchanged glances before Jack lumbered to his feet, pulling Lacey up along with him. “Actually, Mrs. Carmichael, we passed on the movie because we had something more important in mind.”
Tess stole a peek at Ben out of the corner of her eye, stomach looping at the hard clamp of his jaw.
Smile cool, Ben slanted back in his chair, coffee cup in hand. “And what’s that, Jack?” he said too casually, eyes void of all humor. “Free dessert?”
Tess shot up like one of those silly vinegar and baking soda rockets Jack made for his 3rd-grade science fair. “Well, my dessert’s good, I’ll grant you,” she said in a rush, stifling a silent groan that Jack hadn’t waited until Ben was at least sated with pie. She quickly doled out plates around the table. “But I’m not sure it’s worth ditching a movie, so dig in, everybody—ice cream’s a-meltin’.” She took her seat and picked up her fork, fingers quivering as she encouraged Jack and Lacey with a blazing smile. “You were saying, Jack?”
Casting a grateful look in Tess’s direction, Jack squared his shoulders, chest expanding and contracting with a deep breath while he scanned the table. “Mom, Dad, Dr. Carmichael, Mrs. Carmichael—I want you to be the first to know I gave Lacey a promise ring last night because I love her and want to marry her someday.”
Tess launched up again, desperate to spin the announcement in a positive direction. “Oh, Lacey,” she squealed, darting around the table to dispense a giddy hug, “I’ve always hoped and prayed you and Jack would end up together. You’re perfect for each other, don’t you think, Karen?”
Lacey’s mother rose with a sheen of tears, her smile wobbly as she embraced her daughter. “Absolutely,” she said with a shaky caress of Lacey’s hair before lifting her hand to admire the ring. “Oh, honey, it’s beautiful, and what a lovely way to promise someone your heart, Jack.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Carmichael.” Jack drew Lacey close, the pride in his eyes glowing brighter than the pillar candles in the center of the table. “Lacey’s the one for me, and I don’t want to take any chances.”
“Smart move, Son.” Adam gave Lacey a hug and then shook Jack’s hand. “This girl’s too special not to stake your claim. Right, Ben?”
All eyes converged on Lacey’s father whose silence was deafening as he appeared welded to the chair. Arms barricaded across his chest, he simply stared at Jack, gaze as hard and steely as the wrought-iron table. His smile could have cracked when he drilled Jack with a chilly look. “Eighteen’s a little young to be engaged, don’t you think?”
“I was eighteen when we got engaged, Ben,” Karen said with a tremulous smile, “and married not long after.”
Ben frosted her with an icy stare. “My point exactly. It wasn’t easy for either of us and you know it, with both of us still in school like we were.”
“It’s not an engagement ring, Dr. Carmichael,” Jack was quick to point out, “it’s a promise ring that simply states our intentions while we’re both in school.”
“A promise ring,” Ben said carefully, his formidable chin appearing to rise for battle. “And what exactly are your ‘intentions’ with my daughter, Jack?”
A rare blush crawled up Jack’s neck. “Purely honorable, sir, I assure you. We both have a lot of schooling ahead, so I just want Lacey to know that I love her and I’m committed to her until we’re both in a position to get married.”
“Really.” Ben’s tone was as flat as his smile. He leaned forearms on the table, the planes of his chiseled face appearing to be carved in rock. “And when might that be, Jack?”
Jack stood his ground, gaze never wavering. “At least four years, sir, for me to graduate from seminary and Lacey from college, with our official engagement somewhere in between.”
Adam gripped Jack’s shoulder in a show of support. “Ben …” he said, returning to his seat, “Jack discussed his intentions with Tess and me prior to asking Lacey, and although we weren’t in love with the idea at first given Lacey’s age, we felt Jack’s reasons were sound.”
Tess’s ribcage contracted with a slow exhale of relief at Adam’s words, hoping his calm and confident demeanor would
help diffuse any volatility.
Her husband continued, his steady gaze locked on Ben’s. “We trust our son, Ben, and he convinced us that all he wants right now is some way to officially commit to Lacey, hoping to provide a comfort level for her, if you will, while he’s away at school.”
The pinch of Ben’s mouth was not a good sign. “Yes, well, it’s the ‘comfort level’ that has me worried, Adam, where a so-called ‘promise ring’ could make it all too ‘comfortable’ for behavior that will only get them in trouble.”
“Daddy!” Lacey’s face leached as pale as the vanilla ice cream melted into puddles on everyone’s plate.
A tic flickered in Jack’s cheek as he clutched Lacey all the closer. “Then let’s not call it a promise ring, sir. Let’s call it a purity ring instead, because I assure you as a man committed to the ministry, those are my intentions—to remain faithful and pure with Lacey until the day we become man and wife.”
Ben’s eyes shifted to his daughter, his angular features as stony as Jack’s. “And what about you, Lacey?” His linear smile curled almost imperceptibly, shrinking Tess’s ribcage till she thought she couldn’t breathe. “Are you as committed to purity as Jack appears to be?”
“Ben, please!” Karen rose to slip a protective arm around Lacey. “Have a little faith in your daughter as well as in the son of our dearest friends.”
“I don’t think ‘faith’ is exactly Ben’s strong suit, Karen,” Tess said with a sweet smile as cool as her ice cream, Ben’s surly attitude prickling the mama bear within. “At least not according to Adam, who I assure you, has been around the mountain with him on that issue alone more times than we can count.”
Adam’s chuckle helped break the tension as he raised his coffee cup in a toast. “I’m afraid she’s nailed you there, Doc, but unlike you, my friend, I have enough faith for both of us that someday that, too, will change.”
Ben grunted. “It’ll change all right—when you finally realize faith is highly overrated.”
A Glimmer of Hope Page 5