“What’s that?”
“Graphic design is one of those jobs that’s suitable for working from home, so other than an in-person meeting once every quarter, it doesn’t matter where I work. It’s all turned out better than I can imagine.”
Listening to the steady rhythm of Will’s breathing and feeling warm against him, it felt like all Katie’s cares were melting away until they seemed totally inconsequential.
“That is, if I forgive you,” Katie said, raising her face up and arching an eyebrow.
Will’s smile widened, showing his straight teeth and the dimples that made Katie’s insides turn to mush. “I’ll beg and grovel and crawl on my knees if that helps you know that you’re the most wonderful woman in the world. I don’t know how I can make it up to you, but I’ll do whatever it takes to assure you that I’m not going anywhere.”
Biting her lip, Katie then suggested, “A kiss?”
“I think we can manage,” Will murmured.
Wrapping one arm around her waist and another behind her neck, he placed his lips over hers, and a warmth stirred in her insides and sent zipping tingles from her head to her toes.
“Alright, break it up. We don’t have time for this,” Charlotte said, clapping her hands and trying to hold back a grin but failing miserably.
Katie blinked at the audience she found had shuffled in the back door while she was preoccupied. Charlotte stood in front of her parents, who looked like they were absolutely thrilled to have caught Will and Katie making up.
Katie knew her cheeks were burning red as she brushed an errant lock of hair behind her ear. “What are you all doing here? It’s Thanksgiving.”
“Exactly,” Carol said, beaming. “That’s why we’re here. We’ve come to offer our services to get this feast ready.”
Katie protested, “But don’t you have your own Thanksgiving meal to prepare?”
“Don’t be shy about accepting help,” Roger said.
Skipping over to Will and Katie, Charlotte wriggled her way between them and wrapped her arms around their shoulders. “We’re eating with you.”
“With Roger’s shoulder and this harvest season, the last thing I wanted to do was cook an enormous meal for three people,” Carol said.
“Four,” Will corrected.
Carol planted her hands on her hips and said, “How was I supposed to know you were going to show up late last night to surprise me? It’s a little late to get a turkey now, anyway.”
Will edged his sister out of the way and put his arms around Charlotte and Katie, and Katie reciprocated. “What do you think, Katie? Can we make you part of our family for Thanksgiving?”
Shrugging, Katie said, “You’ll have to work for your meal...”
Everyone laughed as they got to work. Katie directed their efforts, handing out recipe cards and clearing out space for everyone. Working in the middle of them, Katie couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so happy. She was serving, she was with the people she admired and cared for, with a man she loved, and she was part of a complete family, something she’d craved ever since she was a little girl.
Time sped by as they worked, and an hour before Katie had scheduled the meal to begin, she unlocked the front door and welcomed the first of her guests. Every table and booth in the café quickly filled as people talked with each other happily anticipating the feast Katie and the Ryans had put together.
Setting down a massive basket of hot, buttery dinner rolls, Katie caught Mrs. Stanley’s eye, and the two smiled at each other. “How are you doing today, Mrs. Stanley?”
“Oh, wonderful, dear. It’s been entirely too long since Mr. Stanley and I have enjoyed a feast like this,” Mrs. Stanley said with a smile that about split her face.
“Well, you look wonderful,” Katie said as she touched Mrs. Stanley’s hand. “Everything from the color of your dress to your coiffeur is the picture of perfection.”
Leaning in close, Mrs. Stanley whispered, “The secret is the blue shampoo. Charlotte always does such a good job keeping my white hair from yellowing.”
“Charlotte?” Katie said. “You don’t do the blue shampoo at home?”
Mrs. Stanley pointed to herself and shook her head. “Me? Oh, no. I’m not going to mess with that stuff. I’m not about to dye my head blue because I’ve done it wrong.”
“I see,” Katie said as her eyes wandered around the room until she found her best friend. “Could you excuse me for a minute?”
Snaking her way through her guests, and accepting offerings of gratitude for having them at the café for Thanksgiving, she snagged Charlotte by her arm and led her to an unoccupied corner.
“What?” Charlotte said with an expression that betrayed her guilt.
“I think you know what. When you were supposed to go pick up donations with me, you called and backed out because you said Mrs. Stanley was having a hair crisis. She just told me that you do her blue shampoo for her because she’s terrified of ruining her hair.”
Charlotte’s mouth gaped open and shut before she spit out, “So?”
“So, I think you were meddling in my love life and trying to set up Will and me.”
“And?”
“And didn’t you promise you wouldn’t?”
Charlotte’s face drained of color. Pointing an accusatory finger at Carol, she said, “My mom was in on it, too! She texted me and told me when to call!”
Carol stammered as she tried to justify herself, but the two of them sunk into a bickering fit while Katie laughed at how ridiculous they were.
“What do we have going on here?” Will asked as he joined Katie, watching his mother and sister go back and forth.
“I found out the two of them were meddling with us, trying to play matchmakers,” Katie said as she rested her head against Will’s biceps.
Pretending to seriously contemplate what to do, he asked, “Think we should forgive them?”
“Yeah. I think I’ll get over it.”
Bringing out the last of the food, Katie stood behind the counter and made an announcement that the meal was about to be served. “But first, in appreciation for this bounty, I’d like to ask Roger Ryan to offer a prayer of thanks.”
Will leaned over and brushed Katie’s hair out of the way, sending a shiver down her spine, and whispered, “Is that because he was useless in the kitchen since he’s one-handed?”
Katie snorted and bumped Will with her hip, pressing her finger to her mouth to shush him.
Taking his cap off his head, Roger bowed his head as everyone else followed suit, reverently listening to his prayer. Roger spoke eloquently and respectfully as if it was a friend listening. He thanked the Lord for Katie’s efforts, for living in a free country, and for the bounty they had before them. Peeking through her eyelashes, Katie peered around the café. There were people there she’d known her whole life, and though her family was gone, she wasn’t alone. Even the café, with its intrinsic charm and occasional quirkiness of Sharon’s décor was familiar. Blessings might have been little more than a dot on the map to some, but to her, it was home.
“We know how fortunate we are, dear Lord,” Roger continued, “and recognize we’re abundantly blessed.”
Katie glanced over at Will and saw he was peering back at her. The two of them smirked, and Will leaned over, lightly kissing her cheek and taking her hand in his, intertwining his fingers through hers. Happiness fluttered through her, reminding her how fortunate she was to have Will Ryan. He’d been willing to upend his life for her, and it meant they could have a second chance at love. Squeezing his hand, and feeling him tighten his grip in response, Katie knew she was truly and most abundantly blessed.
THE BLESSINGS OF LOVE SERIES
Brushstrokes and Blessings by Danielle Thorne
Blessed by the Fake Boyfriend by Lacy Anderson
Bless His Heart by Jessica L. Elliott
Abundantly Blessed by Rachael Eliker
Twice Blessed by J. J. DiBenedetto
Backward Blessings by Rachel A. Andersen
TEASER CHAPTER FROM TWICE BLESSED
Mike Jensen couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Thanksgiving was still two weeks away, and most of his students were already going on about Christmas. Where they were going over the holiday, what new gadget or video game they were expecting as a gift, which house would have the biggest display of lights.
It was insane. He hadn’t been like that when he was their age.
Or had he?
Was he becoming his father? If he had a nickel for every time Dad had said some variation on “kids these days,” he’d be a wealthy man. Mike had promised himself he would never do that, and here he was falling into that very same trap, and the school year wasn’t even half over.
He didn’t have any excuse for it, either. The kids at Earhart Elementary were, for the most part, pretty darn good. Sure, there were a few troublemakers, but no worse than any of the class clowns from his own grade school days. Or himself, for that matter. Besides, he was only thirty-two – not nearly old enough to start ranting about how much different – and better – things had been “in his day.”
“OK, quiet down, everybody. You can compare your Christmas lists over recess, but for now we have nine planets to talk about.” Even as he said it, he realized his mistake, but it was too late, and a babble of voices called out to correct him. He held his hands up, in an effort to ward off a roomful of fourth graders delighted at the chance to tell their teacher he was wrong. “Right, I meant eight planets,” Mike said, laughing despite himself. “But you have to excuse me on this one. When I was your age, there were still nine of them. And anyway, someone has to stick up for Pluto.”
Mike spent the rest of the class trying to explain what made Pluto different than the other planets, before ending with a much more important lesson. “See, this is what’s great about science. It’s never settled. You have to always keep an open mind, and always question things, even the things that seem like they’re rock solid.”
“So we should question you?” That came from Lucy Miller, a brown-haired girl in the front row whose mother owned the only bookstore in town. Or ran it, at least.
“Definitely,” Mike answered her. “But only after you raise your hand and I call on you, right?”
“Right, Mr. Jensen,” she said, not quite grinning.
The bell rang, and the kids ran out, headed to lunch. Mike made his way to the teacher’s lounge for his own lunch: whichever microwave meal he’d pulled out of the freezer at 6:30 this morning, washed down with the world’s worst coffee. It wasn’t even a question; the stuff brewed in the ancient coffee machine in the corner could be used to strip paint. But it kept him caffeinated, which was all he really cared about, especially as the days got shorter and colder.
“Did you see the paper this morning, Mike?” It was Joyce Matthews, who taught English and had taken what Mike considered to be an inordinate interest in his living situation. And, sure enough, she was still at it. “There’s a great little house on Baxter Street, just went up for sale over the weekend. You’d love it!”
Mike wasn’t dumb; he knew exactly why Joyce was so interested in him buying a house. That would mean he was staying in Blessings permanently, which would make him marriage material. But he couldn’t let her interest – or that of several of her colleagues – go to his head. It was a simple matter of supply and demand. There were a dozen women on the faculty who were single, and he was the only man who was. And didn’t the majority of marriages start in the workplace? He was sure he’d read that somewhere, and no doubt that all his fellow teachers – especially the single women - had, too.
“I’m sure I would, Joyce,” he said, keeping any trace of impatience out of his voice. “I’ll be sure to check it out.”
Click Here to Continue Reading Twice Blessed by J. J. DiBenedetto
OTHER WORKS BY THE AUTHOR
The Pop Stars Romantic Comedy Series
A Kiss at Town Square
April Showers Anthology
Her Horse Racing Billionaire Groom
The Sister’s Spell: A Halloween Tale
The Nadia and Winny Series
The New Haven Series
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachael Eliker is an avid reader and author with eclectic tastes, but as long as the story has humor, swoony romance, and maybe a horse or two, she’s happy. Besides writing, she enjoys jogging on lonely stretches of country roads, trying new recipes, and spending time outside. Along with her tall, dark, and handsome hero and their brood of children, they live on a hobby farm outside Indianapolis.
Learn more about Rachael Eliker and her upcoming works by visiting https://rachaeleliker.com
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