“Amen to that,” I said.
Kat nodded. “I’ll have to talk to Jay. See what he says. Maybe he’ll insist she keep her job until this season is over. After that her contract is up for renewal, anyway.”
Lizzie stood. “Thank you, Kat. We’ll leave you now. I’m sure you have a lot to do, and I know we do.” Lizzie smiled.
I stood too. “Thank you,” I said to Kat.
“Thank you, ladies. Have a good day.”
We left by the same path we’d entered, neither of us saying anything until we reached the sidewalk outside. “Let’s walk,” I said.
“Maybe stop and get something to eat,” I added. “I’m a little hungry now.”
“Sounds good.”
Lizzie and I turned to the left and strolled up the avenue, both of us silent. Finally she said, “A penny for your thoughts.”
“Well,” I said, “since you asked. I was thinking about what you said about a young woman scorned.”
“Okay.”
“And I was wondering what would happen if Amy called Bubba and told him they had to stop seeing each other. Bubba will, no doubt, work his charm on her, talk her into continuing with things the way they are. Amy is not stupid. She’ll realize she’s going to lose her job eventually. So what does she have to lose? Staying with Bubba at least guarantees her his love, or so she’ll think. You and I both know he’ll drop her like yesterday’s newspaper as soon as all this is over. He’s a player, not a true man at all.”
“I know.”
“So, she tells us she has ended it with Bubba but in fact she has not. That’s what I suspect will happen.”
Lizzie walked quietly beside me for a half block before she said, “In other words, we’ve got to watch our backs even more now than before.”
“Exactly,” I said.
Lizzie sighed. “Great.” Then she nodded. “We’d better alert the girls and the guys to this.”
“All’s fair in love and war, Liz,” I said.
“Greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world,” she countered.
“Amen,” I said. “Amen.”
Saturday morning found Team Potluck dining on an early breakfast we’d prepared in our catering kitchen in the GE building. We’d chosen to eat together so we could discuss the last-minute details for that night’s event. As I slathered melting butter and peach preserves onto my steaming buttermilk biscuit, Lisa Leann continued her briefing in our war room. “Since the entertainment and door prizes fell into our laps, we’re blowing our entire five thousand dollar stipend on food and décor,” she said.
“We have door prizes?” Donna asked.
“We have some nice things from Tiffany’s, Macy’s, as well as some restaurant gift certificates,” Lisa Leann said as she grinned at her son. “All thanks to Nelson’s hard work and phone calls.”
“Great job, Nelson,” I said as the young man crunched into a slice of thick bacon.
Nelson wiped his mouth with his napkin. “It was easy, really. Everybody wanted to help.”
“That’s terrific,” Evie said. “But what I want to know is the really important thing: what are we wearing tonight?”
Our team laughed. Mike, the ever-present cameraman, zeroed in on our smiling faces.
“Along with the Rescue Mission’s aprons and our new giant buttons that say ‘Vote Team Potluck,’ we’re wearing black eveningwear. Tuxes are being sent over for our guys, and Macy’s is sending over a complimentary selection of gowns for us girls.”
“Gowns?” Donna asked, wrinkling her nose. She poured herself another cup of coffee.
“The gowns are a must,” Lisa Leann said with a giggle. “Especially for you, Donna. Because you’re as cute as a bug’s ear, you’re playing our Vanna when I do the door prize drawing at the end of the evening. Didn’t I tell you?”
Donna shook her head and grimaced. Lisa Leann, oblivious to Donna’s angst at dressing up, began to rattle off our menu. “Most of you already know what we’re serving, but for those of you who don’t, we’re dishing up a chilled tomato soup, then triple A prime rib with sides of new potatoes, fresh lemon-zinger asparagus, and hot, homemade rolls.”
“And for dessert?” David asked, licking his lips in anticipation.
Lisa Leann actually glowed as she announced, “Peppermint patty stuffed brownies.”
I hadn’t heard this news, so I gasped. “Brownies? For such an elegant event?”
Lisa Leann nodded solemnly. “Peppermint patty brownies with real York Peppermint Patties have always been my ultimate secret weapon.” She lowered her voice. “These treats have even won me a couple of best dessert blue ribbons at a few prestigious contests back in Houston. So, I’m thinking they may be the very thing that unlocks the vault to the grand prize.”
“It’s not unlocked yet, Lisa Leann. We do have a competition to win first, you know,” Lizzie said under her breath.
“As you know, the event we’re serving tonight airs on next Tuesday night’s regular show. That’s also when the final voting occurs. Then, the following night, Wednesday, The Great Party Showdown airs a special grand finale where the winner will be announced.”
“That means two shows next week. That’s a lot of pressure,” Wade commented.
Lisa Leann grinned. “Try not to think about it like that. With the results show two hoots and a holler away, all we can do today is our best. In fact, I got a call from Pastor Kevin last night, and he told me there’s a church prayer team praying for us around the clock today.”
“Really?” Donna asked.
“Pastor Kevin said he didn’t want to put any extra pressure on us, but winning the prize will keep the church from losing our building, since we’ll be able to pay off our mortgage.”
“Plus, we’ll be able to start building that youth wing,” I added, beaming.
Nelson practically laughed. “From where I sit, I can’t imagine why God would want us to lose.”
I smiled. Nelson was only a young man, so how could he possibly know what lesson God really wanted to teach us. For all we knew, God was looking for us to respond to this event by simply trusting him with or without the bonus of a reward.
The day was an absolute blur as we carted our food and equipment back and forth to the museum in the van we’d rented. Then, once we finally got moved in to the Powerhouse event room, we still had to oversee setting up the tables and chairs, make sure everything was in place for our guest entertainers, work with the florist to display their gorgeous sunflower bouquets on the tables, and carve our roast beef.
As the afternoon drew to a close, I surveyed our chocolate-colored linen-draped tables topped with our sunflower arrangements.
I have to say the effect was stunning, especially combined with the table candles and the golden, blue, and lime green lights that backlit the room’s many columns.
With the doors scheduled to open at four, we were already in makeup and dressed in our finery, topped with our Rescue Mission aprons. We scurried to finish presetting our strawberry salads at each place setting. We were almost done when Lisa Leann called us to the terrace.
As soon as I saw her, I knew something was wrong. “What happened?” I cried.
Her face pale, Lisa Leann announced, “I just got word from Goldie that Jack is about to go into surgery for his bypass.”
Our huddled group gasped as one. “Now?” Donna asked.
Lisa Leann nodded solemnly. “The poor dear didn’t call me to tell me because she didn’t want to worry us. But Pastor Kevin called me, and I just got off the phone with Goldie.”
“How’s she doing?” Lizzie asked.
“She’s scared. I mean, she knows very well sometimes things go wrong in surgeries. She knows this could be it for Jack. But at the same time, she’s leaning as hard as she can on God, thanking him for the turnaround their marriage has seen this past year and for whatever time they have left.”
I spoke up. “Lisa Leann, do you mind if I lead off in prayer now? I don’t think I can face tonight if we don’t stop and pray.”
Donna, who was standing next to me, reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Vonnie, go for it,” she said.
I bowed my head. “Lord, somehow this news puts everything into perspective, for we see that life is not always about living for the future, but living in the now as we trust in you. So first and foremost, we come to you on behalf of the Dippels. Please comfort Goldie as we can’t. Please protect Jack as he faces this hour. Please bring him safely through the procedure.”
One by one, the other team members prayed prayers much the same as mine before Lisa Leann concluded, “Amen, and Lord, bless us tonight, win or lose, help us to shine for you.”
As the team parted to rush back to their tasks, Donna wiped a tear from her eye. “Donna, are you okay, dear?” I asked.
She nodded. “Kinda.”
Noticing we were miraculously alone as the camera crew had followed the other members back into the Powerhouse room, I pointed to a nearby cluster of chairs that overlooked the Rose Center and motioned for Donna to sit with me. “You wanna tell me what you’re feeling?”
Donna hesitated. “We don’t have time, do we?”
I sat down and patted the chair next to mine. “Let’s make time, especially now that the camera crew is following our friends.”
Donna’s laughter was strained as she sat down next to me. She took a deep breath and said, “Vonnie, this time in New York hasn’t been easy for me. But what’s happening to Goldie and Jack makes me realize I’m living my whole life on the bypass.”
I felt my forehead knit together. “Meaning?”
Donna stared at the back of her hands, which perched over the lap of her satin evening gown. She looked up through damp lashes. “My whole adult life, I’ve skirted my feelings. I’ve missed out on love because I didn’t want to risk getting hurt again. But if I continue to live like this, I’ll never experience real life. I’ll bypass it altogether.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I’ve got some decisions to make.”
“About Wade and David?” I ventured.
She nodded and dropped her voice. “Yeah.”
“Is there one you love?”
“I’ve locked my heart so tight, I’m afraid to look inside for the answer. But I’m praying for courage and the wisdom to know.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mike spy our private moment and bolt in our direction. “Here comes trouble,” I whispered, indicating Mike’s approach. “But we’d better get back to work. I’ll be praying for you, Donna.”
“Thank you, Vonnie.”
As I pushed through the terrace door to return to my duties presetting the salads, I noticed Donna reach into her apron pocket and glance at her vibrating cell phone. She stared at the display a moment, then snapped it open.
“Hello?” I heard her gasp. “Is it really you?”
I felt as if I was speaking to a ghost. I lowered my voice. “Thelma Horn? Did you know you’re classified as a missing person back in Summit View?”
“I ain’t missing; I’m in New York City. Though, I hope I haven’t caused too much trouble being gone from home so long.”
“Where are you?”
“At the diner, Café Camelot, where you came looking a couple of weeks back. Cheryl gave me your card, and I finally worked up the nerve to call.”
“I’m relieved to know you’re okay.”
“Sorry for all the fuss, but I just had to get away, to clear my head, you know?”
“But how could you leave your kids? Especially since your husband broke Pete’s arm.”
She gasped in surprise. “I … I didn’t know. The night I left, Mike slapped me around for the last time, and, well, when I picked myself off the floor, I grabbed my purse, then hitched a ride to the bus station in Denver. That night I caught a bus to the fartherest place I could think of.”
“Yeah, New York is a far cry from the Colorado high country.”
“Well, I’m only passing through. In fact, I’ve got an opportunity to get a better job over in Milwaukee.”
I felt stunned that she wasn’t ready to go back to her kids, but since I’d never walked through the abuse she’d suffered, I decided to save my judgments. “Listen, Thelma, I’m still in town, and I’d love to tell you about how your kids are doing.”
“How fast can you get here?”
“How about midnight?”
“That’s too late. I’m leaving for the bus station in an hour.”
I shot a look at my watch. The gang could get along without me for half an hour or so, I figured. They wouldn’t like it, but under the circumstances, I knew they’d understand. “Okay, here’s the deal, I’m going to drop what I’m doing here, and I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. But I can’t stay long.”
I looked up to see Mike zooming in on my conversation. I turned my back on him. “Now stay put, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am, Donna. I knew I could count on you.”
Within moments I’d pulled my apron up over my head, wadded it on top of the gift bags filled in the prep room, grabbed my wallet and cell phone, and headed out the door. I ran toward the taxis that were just arriving with our distinguished (as well as homeless) guests, a few who even applauded me. Like a beauty queen in a sparkling dress, I merely gave them a wave as I dove inside the cab. “Do you know Café Camelot?” I asked the driver, a dark-skinned man wearing a turban.
He nodded as I slammed the door shut. “Then step on it, this is an emergency.”
I flipped open my cell phone and tried to text David so he would know I would be right back. When he didn’t respond, I figured he’d turned his phone off. My only hope now was that he would check it if he noticed I was missing.
In the meantime, I could only stare out the window as New York zipped by in a blur. I must have miscalculated the distance from the museum to the café, though, because it was a good twenty-five minutes before my cab arrived. I hurried inside, but not before throwing the cabbie a twenty and asking him to wait. “I’ll only be a minute,” I said. “Promise you’ll be here when I come back.”
“Sure, sure,” he answered with a laugh. “For pretty lady, sure.”
When I barged through the door, Cheryl looked up from wiping down a booth near the door. “You look like you’re late for the ball.”
“I am,” I said. “Have you seen Thelma?”
“Poor girl, she’s in the back crying her eyes out.”
I pushed through the kitchen’s double doors, then rushed through the back hallway to the small break room. I stopped in the doorway, stunned.