Kevin leaned his elbows on the table and stared at Miranda as she fingered the handle of her teacup. “Mommy, are you mad at Daddy?”
She blinked. “Why would you think that?”
“’Cause he said so when he came by the other day.”
Debbie poked her brother’s arm and put one finger against her lip.
“What’s going on?” Miranda asked. “Has your father been talking about me behind my back?”
Debbie dropped her gaze to the table, while Kevin slumped in his chair.
“Okay, kids—out with it. What did he say?”
“Just said you was mad at him for plantin’ the flowers.”
Miranda felt a flush of heat on the back of her neck. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before responding to her son’s statement. What I wouldn’t do for a God-fearing husband in this house. If only Trent would get his act together and be that kind of man for his family. “I am not mad at him for that.” She spoke in a soft tone, glancing at her watch. “And you know what? You two need to go brush your teeth so we can leave for Heidi’s on time. You don’t want to miss her third cooking class.”
After finishing his glass of orange juice, Kevin pushed away from the table. “Wonder what she’ll teach us to make today.”
“I hope it’s something good.” Debbie left her seat too.
Kevin wrinkled his nose. “The corn dogs we made last time were okay, but they were so little.”
“Course they were, silly. That’s why Heidi called them ‘mini corn dogs.’”
“I ain’t silly.”
“Are so.”
“Huh-uh.”
Miranda put her cup in the sink and turned the water on full blast, hoping to drown out Debbie and Kevin’s bantering. She’d been tempted to tell them the reason she was mad at their father, but stopped herself in time. It wasn’t right to involve the children in her and Trent’s problems, and she certainly didn’t want them to take sides. Their separation was hard enough on the kids, and she disliked even asking them what their father had said. They were already in the middle of this mess, and the last thing either child needed was to become an informer.
Miranda turned off the water. She heard the faucet running in the bathroom and knew one of them was in brushing their teeth. She combed her fingers through her shoulder-length hair, and watched a pair of turtle doves in the yard. She thought about Trent’s comment that she was partly to blame for their relationship falling apart.
“It might be true,” she murmured. “I may have done things to drive him away.” Miranda lifted her hands with intertwined fingers, bowing her head in prayer. Lord, if it’s meant for Trent and me to be together again, please show us both what we need to do in order to work things out. And help me learn to be more forgiving.
“Are you ready to go, sweetie?” Ellen called to her daughter. “We don’t want to be late for class number three.”
“Okay, I’m ready, Mom.” Becky met Ellen at the door with a smile. “How do I look in my new blue-and-white-striped shirt?”
“You look nice, and a little nautical with your red sneakers.” Ellen winked, pointing to Becky’s feet.
She was happy to see her daughter in a good mood this morning. It seemed she was looking forward to the cooking class, which was a pleasant change. Ellen had a hunch it had something to do with the way things had gone when they’d been fishing with Darren and Jeremy. It had turned out to be a fun day for all, and for the first time since Becky met Jeremy, they’d actually gotten along.
Ellen smiled as she grabbed her cell phone and put it in her purse. She looked forward to seeing Darren today and appreciated the things they had in common. In addition to being single parents, they both enjoyed the outdoors, shared Christian beliefs, and had careers of a helpful nature. It might be too soon to think this way, but Ellen could almost see a future with Darren. It was the first time since she’d adopted Becky that she’d been seriously interested in a man.
“Are we going, or what?” Becky tugged on her mother’s arm.
“Of course.” Ellen followed her daughter out the door, locking it behind them. I wonder if Darren’s been thinking of me.
Darren eyed his son, sitting across the table from him, staring at his bowl of cold cereal. “Aren’t you hungry this morning?”
Jeremy shrugged. “I guess.”
“You guess you’re not hungry, or did you mean you are?”
“I’m not hungry. My stomach doesn’t feel right, Dad. Think I might be comin’ down with the flu.”
Darren wasn’t sure whether to take his son seriously, since Jeremy sometimes feigned sickness to get out of doing something. “You wouldn’t be trying to get out of going to the cooking class, would you?”
Jeremy lowered his head, rubbing his hand through his messy hair.
“I thought now that you and Becky are getting along better, you wouldn’t mind going.”
“She’s not my best friend, Dad.” Jeremy dropped a piece of his toast on the floor for his dog.
Darren didn’t approve of feeding the dachshund table scraps but decided not to make an issue of it this time. Bacon looked like he needed some more meat on his bones. “I wasn’t insinuating that you and Ellen’s daughter are best friends, Jeremy. I just thought—”
“Can we talk about somethin’ else?”
“Sure. What do you want to talk about?”
“I don’t know. Anything other than Becky or her mother.”
“Okay.” Darren drummed his fingers on the table. Does my son have something against Ellen. Do I dare ask?
Clearing his throat, Darren blurted the question. “How do you feel about Becky’s mom? Do you like her, Jeremy?”
“She’s okay, I guess.” Jeremy rubbed his forearms. “She did catch a nice trout the day we went fishin’.”
“That she did.” Darren chuckled, remembering Ellen’s surprised expression when she reeled in the fish. “So you wouldn’t mind if I ask Ellen to go out to dinner with me—just the two of us this time?”
Jeremy blinked rapidly. “How come?”
“Because I enjoy being with Ellen, and I’d like the chance to get to know her better.”
“Okay, sure, whatever.”
“Maybe we can plan it so you can spend the night with one of your friends.”
Jeremy frowned. “I’m not a baby, Dad. I can stay here by myself.”
Darren shook his head. “You’re not even close to being an adult yet. And until you’re a few years older, I will not leave you alone for a long period of time.”
Jeremy tossed the dog another piece of toast. “Guess if you think you have to see Ellen alone, I’ll talk to my friend, Todd. See if I can spend the night with him.”
“Good. I’m glad we got that settled. Now finish your breakfast so we can get on the road. I don’t want you to be late for Heidi’s class.”
“Sounds like you’re the one who’s excited about going,” Jeremy mumbled, picking up his spoon. “Bet the only reason is so you can see Becky’s mother again.”
Ignoring his son’s comment, Darren changed the subject. “I still need to shave, pick out a shirt, and comb my hair.”
“Okay.” Jeremy spooned some cereal in his mouth.
Darren couldn’t deny it. Ever since their time spent at the lake the previous week, Ellen had been on his mind. So much so, that he’d decided to sit in on the cooking class again today. And if he had the opportunity to speak to her privately, before or after the class, he planned to bring up the idea of a dinner date.
“I don’t want to go to Heidi’s today. Something bad will happen to me like it did before.” The muscles along Kassidy’s jawline tensed.
“Life is full of ups and downs, Kassidy.” Denise handed her husband a cup of coffee when he took a seat at the kitchen table. “Isn’t that right, Greg?”
“Absolutely.” He brushed his fingers across his mustache and looked over at Kassidy. “So you’d better get used to it, because you’ll be faced with many obstacles over the course of your life.”
Kassidy’s face slackened as she hunched over. “Well, if that’s how it is, then life really stinks.”
Denise placed her hand on Kassidy’s shoulder. “It does stink sometimes, but if we keep a positive attitude and try to do what’s right, it will be easier to deal with problems when they come along. Besides, you’ll learn over time the challenges we experience give us a chance to do things better the next time around.” Denise thought about her own situation, where the owners of the expensive house she’d hoped to sell had changed their mind and taken it off the market.
Kassidy picked up her glass of milk and took a drink. “It’s kinda hard to have a positive attitude when people make fun of my red hair or think it’s funny when something bad happens to me. Some of the kids at Heidi’s cooking class thought it was hilarious when my blouse got grass and mud stains on it.” Her forehead wrinkled deeply. “I don’t like any of those kids, and I wish I didn’t have to take any more of Heidi’s classes.”
“Just remember this.” Denise touched her daughter’s arm. “No matter what age we are, we’re never too old to gain knowledge and learn from our mistakes. Same goes for the other kids in the class.”
Kassidy grunted. “Well it doesn’t seem like they’ve discovered how to be nice yet.”
“Perhaps you could start by setting a good example. Did you read the Bible verse Heidi wrote on the back of the recipe card she gave you during the last class?”
Kassidy shook her head.
Denise rose from her seat and returned to the table with the card. “This is what it says: ‘Beloved, let us love one another.’”
Greg looked at her through squinted eyelids. “Is that Amish woman teaching cooking classes or doing a Bible study?”
“We are not studying the Bible, Greg. The Amish are God-fearing people, and I think Heidi just wants to share a little of her faith with the class.”
“Yeah, well, that’s fine and dandy. Just don’t let it go to your head so you end up coming home in a preaching mood.” Greg pushed his chair away from the table. “I’ve got to head out. I’m supposed to meet my friend Arnie at the golf course today.” He bent and kissed Denise on the cheek, then landed a quick peck on Kassidy’s forehead. “You two have fun at the cooking class.”
Kassidy’s eyes brightened a bit as she looked up at him. “Okay, Dad, I’ll try.”