Wade, who was plopping a sugar cube into his cup of coffee, interrupted, “Now don’t get me wrong. Pete’s a great kid, but he cries himself to sleep at night. In my opinion, the boy needs his mom in his life any way he can get her.”
“But do you really think she’s ready to be a mom again?” Donna asked.
“I don’t know,” Wade said. “That’s something my family will have to work through.”
“Not to change the subject,” Lizzie said as she perched on the bed next to the nightstand. “But has anyone heard from Goldie this morning?”
I stood up and walked to the window, next to David. “It’s still early back in Colorado. She’s probably not even up yet.”
Vonnie leaned back in her padded chair. “I had a hard time sleeping last night on account of her and Jack.”
I nodded. “The same goes for me. I was up most of the night.”
David smiled down at Donna. “Makes you think about what’s really important.”
Nelson walked over to the tray on the edge of the bed and reached for another muffin. “Until now I’d thought the point of this venture was to win the million.”
Lizzie leaned over and pulled the Gideon Bible out of the drawer and thumbed through it. “It’s not the money that’s the issue,” she said. “It’s our relationship with God. Listen to this, from Hebrews chapter 13: ‘Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” ’ ”
“That’s a good word, Lizzie,” Vonnie said, “and trusting God is exactly what we need to do here. We don’t know how the show’s going to portray the events of last night, or how America will vote. But win or lose, I know we can trust in the Lord.”
“Even if losing means I can’t pay my rent?” Donna asked. “I hadn’t planned to be gone from work this long, and paying my bills was how I planned to use the stipend we agreed we’d each receive if we win.”
Wade muttered under his breath, “You’re not alone in that, Donna.”
Nelson asked, “But can we trust God when it comes to Goldie and Jack?”
I nodded. “What other choice do we have?”
As we slid into our places in the limo, Lizzie grabbed my hand. “Donna, I just got a call from Kat before I left my room.”
“What did she say?” I asked.
“Amy hid our packages and wrote the note. They have it on tape. In fact, Kat just called to tell me Amy was just escorted out of the GE building between a couple of security guards.”
“But why did she do it?” Nelson asked. “She knew she’d be caught.”
Lizzie replied, “According to Kat, Amy felt she was going to be fired anyway, so hiding our door prizes and leaving that note was her parting gift to us.”
“Nice,” I said. “But why did she sign her name ‘B’?”
“That stood for ‘bebe,’ meaning ‘baby’ in English. I guess that’s what Bubba called her.”
I blinked. “Oh, brother. That’s what he calls everyone.”
As the show aired live from New York and we watched the clips about Bubba and his team, we were treated to details about their lives. But most shocking to me was the footage of Bubba with his wife and their darling two-year-old son.
I leaned over to David. “Who would have guessed Bubba to be a family man?”
David shrugged. “I’m not surprised.”
Still, I was impressed with the job the Wild Cajuns did, hosting their event at the New York Public Library Sunday night for the oncology department of the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York–Presbyterian. It was a nice affair. I was especially captured by the sweet children, their parents, the hardworking doctors, plus the testimonies of children whose lives had been saved by the hospital’s team of specialists. But even with such a great client, the Wild Cajun’s event was not without complications.
Astor Hall, the grand entrance hall of the New York Public Library, which served as the event’s location, had no air-conditioning, which was always a problem at summer events. The Wild Cajuns’ chocolate cake was half melted before the night was over, plus the children absolutely refused to eat the crawfish etouffee, though the fried okra seemed to fare better. But despite the problems, Judge Brant Richards gave the Cajuns his highest recommendation directly into the camera. “America, I’m dining here with the winners tonight. All you have to do is vote so we can award Bubba and the boys the million dollar check they deserve.”
A few minutes later, when our half of the program finally started, I felt David lean against me. “Hang on,” he said. “How bad can it be?”
“We’re about to find out,” I whispered back.
It was bad. The camera team had done a great job showing me running away from my duties and leaving the team short of waitstaff. One gentleman from the mission even cracked a toothless grin as he told the camera, “Tomata soup’s cold, but it’s still good.”
Evie whispered loudly, “It’s supposed to be cold, it’s chilled.”
Judge Teresa Juliette smiled for the camera. “I don’t know what’s going on here tonight. The stage was set for this team to knock home a winner, but the beef was dry and one of their main players, Deputy Donna Vesey, left the party without so much as a word.”
I slid down into my seat but perked up when the next clip showed Thelma back at Camelot Café.
“The deputy had a good reason for leaving tonight. She did it to help me get back with my kids.” The camera panned back, showing Thelma with her arm around Pete and his little brothers and sisters, whom the studio must have flown into New York earlier today. Thelma continued, “Thank you, Donna. You saved me from making the biggest mistake of my life, walking out on my kids forever.”
The next clip showed Lisa Leann. “We’re a team,” she said. “We were down two members, Goldie, who had to fly home to Colorado when her husband had a heart attack, and Donna, who was on a life-saving mission of her own. But we survived it.”
Vonnie’s face appeared next. “If one of our team members fall, we’re here to stand in their place. Things might not have gone as smoothly as we’d have liked, but tonight, we were here with the fine people of the New York City Rescue Mission. Tonight, win or lose, Team Potluck made a difference.”
The next clip showed Wade and David handing out the door prizes to the patrons and staff at the mission itself, a duty they had performed Monday afternoon. The director’s face came onto the screen. “We thank Team Potluck for all they did for us this week. You’re not only great cooks, you’re our heroes. And thanks for the wonderful gifts you collected for us.”
The last clip was actually a live feed from back home, showing our entire town wearing hot pink “Go Team Potluck” T-shirts as they shouted, “Good luck, Team Potluck, we love you!”
“How do you think the voting will go?” Nelson asked his mother for the umpteenth time Wednesday afternoon.
“I don’t know,” she replied as we’d gathered back in hair and makeup for the last time.
“Forget the vote,” Lizzie said as Sasha combed her hair. “It’s been two days since we’ve heard from Goldie. I’m worried sick.”
Lisa Leann put down the magazine she’d been staring at for the last ten minutes without turning a page. “I haven’t been able to reach Henry, either, and I’m really worried.”
From my chair across the room, I shot a look at Nelson. I wanted to ask Lisa Leann more questions, but I wasn’t sure just how much Nelson knew about his mother’s past affair or the state of his parents’ marriage, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Well, the waiting will be over soon,” David said as he rubbed his cleanly shaven chin. “Then we can get on with our lives.”
“Any word from Kat about what’s planned on the program tonight, besides announcing the winner?” I asked Lisa Leann.
“She told me to prepare everyone for some special surprises.”
“Like?”
“Like we’ll have to wait, like the rest of America, to find out.”
When the show finally started, both Team Potluck and the Wild Cajun Cooks were perched on stools on either side of the stage in Studio 8 H while Dolly Parton returned to sing “Here I Come Again.” As she sang, different family members walked onto the center of the stage and joined their individual team members. First it was a reunion between Bubba and his wife, then other family members of the Wild Cajun team. Next, Dad walked in and gave Evie and me a hug. Fred came along beside David and Vonnie, and Pete ran to Wade. It seemed everyone had someone from home, that is, except Nelson and Lisa Leann.
When I saw Lisa Leann’s face when she realized Henry hadn’t flown in with the rest of our family members, my heart nearly lurched out of my chest.
But a sparkling Gianne was soon at the microphone, announc- ing, “We have one more surprise to introduce tonight. A certain someone wants to give the woman he loves—a proposal.”
My heart lurched again. Surely David and Wade knew not to try a proposal on me on live television!
I gave the boys a sideways glance, then followed the studio audience’s gaze to the monitor. Henry appeared on the screen. He said, “There’s been a lot of speculation about my marriage to Lisa Leann, and I have to admit, we certainly hit a rough spot in the road these past few months. Until recently, I was ready to throw it all away. But tonight, I’m announcing to the world my undying love for the bride of my youth.”
Henry stepped out from behind a curtain and walked directly to Lisa Leann, who was already wiping the tears from her eyes. Henry dropped to one knee and held a ring consisting of a circle of diamonds that sent prisms of rainbows in every direction. “Lisa Leann, would you marry me all over again?”
Lisa dropped to her knees too as she tossed her arms around Henry’s neck and smothered him with kisses. “Oh yes, yes! Yes!”
I turned to see Gianne wipe a tear from her eye. “Team Potluck, we have one more surprise. This clip was recorded earlier this afternoon at Saint Luke Presbyterian Hospital in Denver.”
Suddenly Goldie’s smiling face appeared on the screen. “Friends, I’m happy to report Jack is officially on the mend.” The camera swept back to show she was indeed sitting next to her husband, who had his arm around his wife. Jack said, “Thanks for praying for us, America. We wish we could be in New York with all the festivities, but we’re still thrilled because I get to go home today.”
The next clips and packages the producers came up with were in honor of the Wild Cajun Cooks. It was good to see them in their real lives. In fact, seeing them with grandmothers, spouses, and children made them seem less like villains. Even Bubba seemed less threatening when hugging his grandmother.
But the clincher of the evening was the final dramatic moment of the show, as the producers had arranged live feeds from both Summit View, Colorado, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As our hometowns cheered, Gianne finally opened the envelope after the final commercial break.
“Your winner, America,” Gianne announced as a hush fell across the land, “is … Team Potluck!”
The stark silence exploded into cheers.
We jumped, we hooted, we hugged, we fell to our knees. When the microphone came to Lisa Leann, she grabbed it, though she was still holding onto Henry. In a voice almost overcome with tears, she said, “All I can say, America, is thank you.”
Lizzie leaned into the final shot. “We faced so many challenges in this competition, and God’s carried us through each one. God bless you all!”
The Potluck Catering Club Recipes
Leek Quiche
1 frozen pie crust
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon water
2 cups chopped leeks
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 diced red pepper
3 cups chopped spinach
1 cup cubed ham
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 eggs
1 cup half and half
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1
/
2
teaspoon salt
1
/
2
teaspoon pepper
Defrost frozen pie crust for 15 minutes while oven heats at 425 degrees. Bake pie crust for 10 minutes, remove, and allow to cool. Next, in pan on stove top, melt butter, add water and leeks, then cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and peppers and stir until liquid evaporates. Add spinach and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove cooked vegetables to mixing bowl. Add ham and cheese and mix gently. Pour mixture into pie shell.
In medium bowl, whisk eggs, half and half, dried parsley, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
Yield: 8 slices.
Lisa Leann’s Cook’s Notes
Double this recipe and cook two pies. Put one in the freezer for a quick fix when you’re in a pinch
.
Mississippi Mud Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
4 eggs
1
1
/
2
cups flour
1
1
/
3
cup cocoa
1
/
4
teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1 bag miniature marshmallows
Frosting
1
/
3
cup cocoa
1 box powdered sugar or 3
2
/
3
cups, sifted
1 stick margarine
1
/
2
cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each. Sift flour, cocoa, and salt. Add to mixture, mixing well. Stir in vanilla and pecans. Bake in a greased and floured 9-by-13 pan for about 35 minutes at 300 degrees. Remove from oven and spread a large bag of miniature marshmallows on top while cake is hot.
To make frosting, sift cocoa and sugar. Add melted margarine, milk, vanilla, and nuts. Mix well and spread over marshmallows while cake and frosting are both still warm.
Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes
This is the best chocolate dessert in the world. It’s really like a giant brownie with marshmallow fudge icing. I gained 5 pounds just thinking about making it
.
Vanilla Latte Mix
1
/
3
cup instant coffee
1 cup instant dry milk powder
1
/
2
cup powdered coffee creamer
1
/
3
cup sugar
1
/
4
cup instant vanilla pudding mix