The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don’t know what you’re doing, someone else does.
Immanuel Kant
My visit with Nadia went better than expected. I got so drawn into her design, so overwhelmed by her kindness and love toward me, that I totally forgot I wasn’t getting married. We talked for nearly an hour and I gave her idea after idea, all of which she took to heart.
We went back and forth by email until Thursday morning, at which time she presented me with a rough draft of my gown, one that simply took my breath away. I could see myself—really see myself—walking down the aisle in that. Obviously she could see it too. After promising to email me the final design before passing it off to seamstresses, she hopped on a plane for Paris and left me in Dahlia’s capable hands.
The following morning I headed home to spend time with the family. My parents’ thirtieth anniversary party was scheduled for the next day, and I needed to be there for them.
Mama thought I was coming back for good. Pop likely did too. But I had to return to Dallas so I could figure out how to deal with the guy from Texas Bride. With a Monday morning interview scheduled, I had to think quickly.
I couldn’t tell my parents that, however, so I prepped myself to tell them that I needed more time with Lori-Lou and the kids. I arrived in Fairfield on Friday evening just in time to have dinner at Sam’s. I ate my fill of coconut cream pie and shared funny stories about my time in Dallas, excluding all of the parts about the bridal salon, of course.
I couldn’t help but notice Jasper giving me odd looks. He managed to catch me alone at the dessert bar and leaned in close to whisper a very unexpected question. “What’s this I hear about you hanging out with Brady James?”
“W-what?” I stared at him, completely stunned. “Who told you that?”
“Josh. Queenie emailed him to check up on you, and he said you and Lori-Lou were all gallivanting with a pro ball player.”
“Oh no.” I dropped my pie plate and Jasper caught it on the way down. “Does Mama know?”
“No way. Queenie only told me because she wanted to know who Brady James was,” Jasper said. “I think she was hoping he was some sort of secret love interest.”
“No way!” I shook my head. “I barely know the guy.”
“Well, maybe you should take a minute to tell her how you came to spend time with him. Josh said it had something to do with wedding gowns? Didn’t make a lick of sense to me.” Jasper grabbed an extra slice of pie and headed back to the table.
I couldn’t get past what he’d said. So Queenie knew I’d been at a bridal salon, and she knew about Brady? Why oh why had Josh told her all of that?
I made my way back to the table and did my best to make it through the meal. I could feel my grandmother’s eyes on me and knew a conversation would follow. Sure enough, it came in the parking lot, after everyone else had left for the night.
“Something you want to tell me, Katie?” she asked. “About a certain fella you’ve been seen with in Dallas?”
“It’s nothing like what you think, Queenie.”
“You’ve been spending a lot of time in a bridal shop, Josh says. Is there a reason for that?” She gave me a pensive look. “Still holding out hope that Casey will change his mind?”
“No, it’s not that at all.” To be honest, I hadn’t spent as much time thinking about Casey as she might’ve thought. All of the hustle and bustle of the past week had pretty much taken precedence. That, and a houseful of unruly toddlers.
My grandmother reached to take hold of my hand, and her eyes moistened. “Can I ask you a question, Katie, and answer me honestly.”
“Sure, Queenie.” Oh. Help.
She gave me a thoughtful look, her soft skin wrinkling in concern. “Do you think maybe you’re not really in love with Casey?”
“W-what?”
She squeezed my hand. “I’m going to venture a guess that you’ve been so excited thinking about your wedding that you haven’t really had adequate time to think about the groom. Is that why you’re still shopping for wedding items, even though he’s gone?”
“Queenie! Of course I’ve thought about the groom. I . . . I love Casey.”
“You hesitated.”
“No, I do. I’ve loved him since we were kids. Everyone knows it. Mama knows it. His mama knows it. You know it.”
“But do you know it? I mean, do you really think you’re in love with Casey, or are you just in love with the idea of a big wedding with all the trimmings? Is that why you won’t give up on this idea?”
I clamped my lips shut before saying something I might regret. How dare she suggest such a thing? Sure, I wanted a big church wedding. And yes, I’d collected enough issues of Texas Bride to paper our house. But did that mean I didn’t love Casey? Of course not.
“I’m just asking you to pray about it, honey.” Queenie attempted to shift her weight, but her arthritis must’ve gotten the better of her. She almost tumbled right into me.
“I-I have. I’ve had plenty of time to pray. And to think.”
“And?”
“And . . .” I sighed. “I have to confess, I’ve always wanted a big church wedding. That part is right. But I was in love with Casey.”
“Was?”
“Am. I am.”
“You hesitated again.” She pulled me into her arms and planted a kiss in my hair. “Remember what I said that day at my house. Be methodical. Don’t dive in headfirst. Take your time. God has big things for you, sweetheart. Maybe even bigger than you dreamed for yourself.”
“Yes ma’am.” I returned her hug, then thought about her words as I drove home. I pondered them as I climbed into my bed—ah, how wonderful to sleep in my own bed! And I even dreamed about weddings that night. Oddly, I didn’t see Casey in my dream. He was nowhere to be found.
When I awoke Saturday morning, the whole Fisher clan was in an uproar, preparing for my parents’ anniversary party at the church. I’d never seen Mama so frazzled. Or Pop, for that matter. He’d actually closed down the hardware store for the day. This probably wouldn’t be a good time to tell them I planned to go back to Dallas for another week. I’d have to do that after the party.
We ran into a situation when we prepared to leave the house. “Katie Sue, there’s something you need to know.” Mama stood next to my car with a concerned look on her face. “The party has been moved to the Presbyterian church, which has raised all sorts of problems with Queenie.”
“Wait. Why isn’t it at our church?” I asked.
“There was a flood three days ago. Well, not technically a flood. A toilet overflowed in the women’s restroom and leaked under the wall into the carpet of the fellowship hall. The whole place smells like a sewer.”
“Ew.”
“Yeah. We tried to get the Methodist church at the last minute, but they’re doing a community outreach today and have over a hundred elementary school children on the premises.”
“That might be a problem.”
“Right. So obviously, that left us with the Charismatics and the Presbyterians.” Mama’s gaze narrowed. “I weighed my options. I really did. But in the end, I went with the Presbyterians.”
“Mama, are you saying Queenie won’t come to her own son’s anniversary party just because of where it’s located?”
“She’ll come, if Bessie May has to drag her kicking and screaming. But she’s not happy.”
“But this isn’t about her. It’s about you and Pop.”
“Right. Your father tried to tell her that, but would she listen?”
“I talked to Queenie last night. She never mentioned any of this.”
“He didn’t call her until this morning. If we’d given her time to think about it, she would’ve left town.”
“I just don’t understand her issues with the Presbyterians. It’s the strangest thing.”
I pondered this dilemma as we drove to the church. The fellowship hall at Fairfield Presbyterian was a lovely room, even larger than what we boasted at the Baptist church. And with the WOP-pers doing the decorating, the whole place was festive and bright, just perfect for an anniversary celebration. Still, 10:00 a.m. came and went and the guests arrived in droves, but no Queenie.
For whatever reason, the WOP-pers took it upon themselves to spend the first forty-three minutes of the party focused on my love life, or lack thereof. They somehow involved my mother in the conversation, which only made things more awkward.
The women gathered around me like chicks around a mother hen. Bessie May slipped her arm through mine and patted me like a small child. “Have you been enjoying your time in Dallas, sweet girl?”
“I have.”
“Have you had a chance to visit with a certain handsome young man while there?” Bessie May giggled.
My heart lurched as an image of Brady James flitted through my mind. Had Queenie told my mother that I’d met the handsome ball player?
“We’ve been sending up prayer after prayer that the Lord would send him a godly wife,” an older woman named Ophelia said with a wink. “And it’s occurred to us that perhaps you are it!”
“Wait . . . who?” I asked.
“Why, Levi Nash, of course.” A faint humor lit Bessie May’s eyes. “You haven’t figured that out yet?”
“Levi Nash?” I shook my head, unable to process her words. “Are you serious?”
“I believe she is serious, Katie,” Mama said. “The WOP-pers have been praying for Levi for quite some time, as you know. He’s walking the straight and narrow now.”
“And you all”—I gestured to the group of women—“believe Levi is the perfect fella for me?” When they nodded, I turned to face my mother. “Mama! I can’t believe you of all people really think that. Levi and I have nothing in common.”
“You both love the Lord.”
“Well, yes, but if that’s grounds for matrimony, then I could marry millions of single men across the continent.”
“Ooh, that reminds me of a show I watched on television where a fella married seventeen wives.” Bessie May fanned herself with her hand. “I can’t believe he got away with that. I do believe he went to jail in the end, if that counts for anything.”
“That wasn’t my point, Bessie May,” I said. “And I guess I should go ahead and say that I plan to go back to Dallas for the next week or so to spend more time with Lori-Lou.”
“Poor thing.” Ophelia patted me on the arm. “That Casey Lawson really did break your heart, didn’t he?”
“That snake.” Mama’s eyes narrowed.
“That scoundrel.” Bessie May shook her head.
“A wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Ophelia chimed in.
Before I could come to my almost-fiancé’s defense, Mama clasped her hands together at her chest. “Well, forget about him, honey! I happen to know that Levi is back for the summer, serving as an intern at the church. Maybe you can connect with him while you’re home. He’s heading up the youth department now, you know.”
“Interning?” I asked. Crazy to think that the guy who’d once wreaked havoc in the youth group was now heading up the whole thing, but whatever.
“Yes. And if you’re in Dallas too long, you won’t get to connect with him. Do you really have to go back?”
I thought about the interview with the reporter and made up my mind in a hurry. I’d have to go back, if for no other reason than to let Brady know the truth. In fact, I should probably call him today just to put him on alert so that the reporter wouldn’t show up.
I didn’t have time to say anything else, though, because Queenie arrived. Turned out she’d been in the parking lot for a good fifteen minutes, unwilling to come in the door. Go figure. Reverend Bradford, the Presbyterian pastor, greeted her with a smile, but she huffed right past him and went straight to the food table.
After filling her plate, she took a seat at a table on the perimeter of the room. I walked over and sat beside her, ready to get to the bottom of this.
“Okay, Queenie, enough already. What’s your beef with the Presbyterians?”
“Hmm? What?” She glanced my way, the soft wrinkles in her brow deepening.
“You know what I mean. Whenever you talk about how the WOP-pers allow all denominations in their group, you always add the words ‘even the Presbyterians,’ as if they’re somehow different from the rest.”
Her cheeks blazed pink. “Do I? I didn’t realize.”
“Mm-hmm. And Mama said that you had every intention of coming to the party today until you found out it was going to be held here, at the Presbyterian church. Why should that make any difference?”
“Well, the Presbyterians are godly folks, just like all the rest. I suppose . . .”
“You have a problem with their doctrine?” I asked.
“Oh my goodness, no. Nothing like that. I don’t claim to be a theologian. Denominational doctrines aren’t my specialty. To be honest, I always get a little confused where all of that is concerned. If they’re Jesus-lovin’ people, well then, they’re all right with me.”
“Okay, then what is it? Why do you always hesitate when it comes to the Presbyterians?” I glanced up and noticed that Reverend Bradford was waving at us from across the room. I responded with a little wave, but my grandmother ignored him. “Don’t you like Reverend Bradford?” I whispered. “Is that it?”
“L-like him?” Her face grew redder still and she reached for a napkin, which she used to fan her face. “Who said anything about liking or disliking Paul Bradford?”
Very. Odd.
“So you don’t like him?” And why did you call him by his first name?
“I never said that either.” She attempted to stand, but her arthritis kicked in. “I’ve been told he’s a fine pastor. Just fine. I’m sure he’s very good at what he does.” She glanced up at him and her cheeks flamed again. “Whatever that is. Now, if you don’t mind, I have more important things to do, please and thank you.”
“Queenie . . .” I stood and helped her up but didn’t release my hold on her arm. “There’s something you’re not saying. What is it?”
“I believe they need to adjust the thermostat in here,” she said. “It’s so hot I could fry an egg on this table. Don’t these Presbyterians know anything about how to cool a building?”
“No, it’s perfectly comfortable. Now, let’s talk about Reverend Bradford. Why did you say—”
“You two are talking about Paul Bradford?” Bessie May sidled up next to us and gave Queenie a funny look. “I thought you gave up talking about him fifty-some-odd years ago, Queenie.”
“W-what?” I looked at my grandmother, stunned. “Gave up on him?”
“You’re a silly old fool, Bessie May.” Queenie’s eyes narrowed to slits. “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll . . . Stop. It. Right. There.”
“Just saying, it’s not good to hold a grudge. Even against the Presbyterians.” Bessie May leaned toward me and cupped her hand next to my ear. “It’s not really the denomination as a whole, you see. It’s just one very ornery fella who broke her heart back in the day.”
A little gasp escaped as I turned to my grandmother. “Queenie?”
She put her hand up. “I forbid you to discuss this further. Let it go.”
Bessie May giggled and then moved toward the food table. “Aptly put, my friend! Let it go. Let it go.”
My grandmother released a groan. “Honestly! That woman is filled with enough hot air to fill the Hindenburg and is equally as dangerous. Maybe more so.”
“But Queenie—”
“No.” She glared at me. “This conversation has ended. You just forget you heard any of that, all right?”
I doubted I could ever forget it but offered a lame nod. I couldn’t say which bothered me more—the fact that this conversation centered on a man other than my grandfather, God rest his soul, or the fact that my grandmother seemed to hold a grudge against an entire denomination because of one man. The idea of my grandmother having her heart broken by any fella really set my nerves on edge, but . . . a reverend? No one messed with Queenie Fisher, even a man of the cloth.
I scurried over to the food table to chat with my father, who was filling his plate. “Pop, I have a question.”
“Sure, kiddo. What’s up?”
I lowered my voice to a whisper. “What in the world happened between Queenie and Reverend Bradford?”
My father nearly dropped his plate. I had to reach out to help him steady his hand. “Who told you about Reverend Bradford?”
“Bessie May.”
My father shook his head. “That’s one story best left untold, Katie.”
“But Pop—”
“Your grandfather was an amazing man. Best dad I could’ve asked for. I sincerely doubt Reverend Bradford”—my father spit out the words—“would’ve made my mama half as happy. So let’s just let sleeping dogs lie, Katie.”
Okay, I had no idea what dogs had to do with this. And all that stuff about making my grandmother happy? Maybe I was reading too much into this. Still, I couldn’t seem to let go of the fact that my grandmother had some sort of secret from her past. And a broken heart to boot.
I decided to bypass my dad and go straight to the one person who could—and probably would—give me the gritty details. I found Bessie May at the dessert table, reaching for a slice of my parents’ anniversary cake.
“Okay, Bessie May,” I said. “Fess up. What happened between Queenie and Reverend Bradford?”
“E-excuse me?”
“I have to know the truth. It’s not fair that I only have bits and pieces of the story.”
The fork in her hand began to tremble. “Well now, Katie Sue, we’re talking about a tangled web here. And I’m not sure I’m the right one to be telling this tale.”
“You’re exactly the right one. Please, Bessie May. I want to know.”
She set her plate down on the edge of the table. “Did you ever see Coal Miner’s Daughter, Katie?”
“Is this a trick question?”
“Alrighty then. Remember that scene where Doo cheated on Loretta?”
“Which time?”
“Good point.” Bessie May paused. “Well, anyway, after one of the many times, Loretta went back to the tour bus and wrote that song, ‘You Ain’t Woman Enough to Take My Man.’”
“I remember it clearly.”
“Loretta was angry. Very, very angry.”
“Right.” I stopped to think through what I’d just heard. “Are you saying that Reverend Bradford cheated on Queenie?”
Bessie May reached to clasp her plate with her left hand, but her right hand went straight up in the air. “I didn’t say that. If anyone asks . . . I. Did. Not. Say. That.” She lost her grip on the cake plate and down it went, straight to the floor.
I leaned over to pick it up, but Reverend Bradford came straight for me. Oh dear.
“I’ll take care of that, Katie,” he said with a smile. “You just help Bessie May get another plate, okay?”
“O-okay.”
I went to work doing just that but leaned in to whisper to Bessie May, “When you say cheat . . .”
“I did not say cheat. You did.”
“Okay, but when you say cheat, do you mean, like . . .” This time I almost dropped the plate.
“Heavens, no. He’s a reverend. A man of the cloth. But his heart was all twisted up with two different gals at once. One of them, Queenie, pretty much climbed on the proverbial tour bus and wrote ‘You Ain’t Woman Enough to Take My Man’ so the other gal would know to back off. But the other gal didn’t back off.” Bessie May glanced at Reverend Bradford as he drew near with a rag in one hand and a mop in the other. “You get my drift?”
I wanted to say yes but still felt confused. Very, very confused.
“The, um, man in question . . . married the other gal—er, girl?” I whispered as I glanced down at the good reverend, who now worked cleaning up Bessie May’s mess.
“Nope.” Bessie May grabbed me by the arm and pulled me over to a nearby table. “In the end, he didn’t marry either of them.” She chuckled. “Ain’t life strange? Just when you think you’ve got everything figured out.”
Right now I couldn’t figure anything out. Mostly this conversation. One thing I did understand: Queenie’s heart had been broken by Reverend Bradford years ago. And her broken heart had obviously never mended—thus her beef with the Presbyterians. Thank goodness Reverend Bradford wasn’t Baptist. Queenie’s bitterness might’ve changed our entire family’s denominational leanings.
Still, it seemed really, really odd that my grandmother had all of these skeletons in her closet. She’d done a fine job of keeping her emotions to herself.
Or maybe she hadn’t. I glanced across the room and watched as she sat alone at her table, eyes fixed on Reverend Bradford as he worked. He glanced up and caught her gaze, then gave her a little wink.
Alrighty then. Maybe the skeletons in Queenie’s closet had a little life left in them after all. And maybe, just maybe, I would get to watch them make their way out into the open.