Chapter 9

 

“Are you sure that’s what the doctor said?” Macy asked, trying to position the phone between her chin and shoulder. It wasn’t easy carrying on a phone conversation while trying to arrange the newly arrived candles.

“Sure as I can be! I’m so excited, Macy. Howie and I were going to wait until after Thanksgiving to get married. But now, we’re thinking next week. The day of the holiday.”

“Next week!” The pumpkin scented candle slipped from her fingers and hit the wood plank floor, the glass container rolling across, stopped only by the leg of a display table that held a mixed supply of blackberry and cherry jams.

“Yes. And you’re not going to talk me into waiting,” Alta insisted.

Breathe slowly, Macy. “But, Aunt Alta —”

“Now you just stop, Macy. You’re ready for this. I’m ready for this. Howie and I have waited a long time to find each other, and now we have. And I’ve waited a long time to give you the shop. I’m just glad I’m still alive while you’re getting it.”

Well, when she put it that way. “OK. Let’s start planning the wedding.” She did her best to sound enthusiastic.

“No planning necessary. We’ll be married at the house Thursday morning. I’ve already talked to Judge Scully and he says as long as he’s home for his family dinner, that’s fine with him. Then, the three of us can go to Dixie’s for Thanksgiving lunch, before me and Howie take off for California.”

What? After waiting all these years for the right man, she wasn’t even going to have a church wedding? “But don’t you want Reverend Miller to marry you?”

“I’d love for him to, sweetheart. But he retired last month. Moved back home to Michigan with his wife. The church is in the process of looking for a pastor.”

“Oh. I just thought he’d gone somewhere for the week. No one mentioned it last Sunday.” The fact that she had entered the service late and only talked to two people afterward might be part of the problem. She had meant to visit more, but she had hurried on up to the hospital to see Aunt Alta.

“Don’t worry. It will all work out. Now, you’d better be getting back to work.”

 

 

***

 

 

The bell over the door jangled and she looked up to see a blond haired young woman enter. She was dressed in a brown jacket and matching skirt. Her hair and makeup were perfect. She was carrying a stack of papers in her arms. Definitely not a customer, Macy surmised.

“Good morning,” she greeted the woman. “May I help you?”

The woman flashed a smile of perfect white teeth, and began pulling a sheet from the stack. “I’m Rhonda, from the mayor’s office. We hoped you would be willing to put one of these in your shop window.”

Macy walked to meet her. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Macy Colbert, Alta’s niece.” Macy reached for the paper and studied the front. Printed in western style font, it was an announcement for the upcoming Annie Oakley Western Day. She smiled. “Of course I will. I’m looking forward to that weekend.” Aunt Alta had said it was a very good day for business.

Rhonda nodded her head, sending wisps of yellow hair flying around her face. “It will be a lot of fun.”

Macy studied the list of events. “Is Main Street going to be blocked off?” It had always been closed when she had lived there, but rules sometimes changed.

“Yes. There will be parking at the school, as well as outside the Community Church.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to it.”

Rhonda laughed. “It’s a lot of work, but we’re hoping to draw in more people than last year. If we can make it a success and keep it growing, it will do wonders for the town. And being the week after Thanksgiving gets people out to do their shopping.”

“Anything I can do, just let me know,” Macy called after Rhonda, as she left the shop.

“Do you want me to put it in the window now?” Janet offered, entering from the back of the shop. Janet was Aunt Alta’s long-time employee, the first person she hired to work in the shop, many years ago.

“Thanks, Janet. Are we usually pretty busy that day?” She had rarely spent time in the store on those weekends, having fun wandering up and down Main Street.

Janet grabbed the tape dispenser from beneath the front counter and took the paper from Macy. “Sometimes we do very well, especially with the quilts. You might check with all of our quilting ladies and see if any of them have more ready to sell. And we might could do with some extra jam and candles, too.”

“Good idea,” Macy said, adding that to her list of ‘things to do’ for the shop. It was becoming clear that this was no easy job. It was going to take business know-how, planning, and a lot of praying to keep the store up and running. Her admiration for Aunt Alta was increasing daily.

 

 

***

 

 

Macy found her thoughts wandering. It was hard to keep her mind on the sermon this morning. Aunt Alta had come home from rehab two days ago, and Thursday, she and Howie were getting married. The big blue and white RV was parked out in front of the little Victorian house, and Howie was staying in it, since he had given up his apartment in town.

The guest preacher pounded the pulpit to make a point, and she jumped, as did most of the congregation. But it only took a moment to lose track of the lesson again.

Time had sped by and the big day was nearly there. This afternoon, she would help pack the rest of Alta’s belongings in the RV. And Thursday, just after the ceremony, and lunch at Dixie’s, Aunt Alta would be gone on to a new life.

Macy smiled. She had so much to be thankful for. For Aunt Alta and her new-found love. Howie was going to make a good husband for Alta. Macy sighed. And as for herself, she should be exhilarated at the thought of owning her own business, as well as her own house. But it was too soon for all of that. She reached for the hymnal as the music director called the number for the last hymn. She would sort all of this out soon. With your help, of course, Lord.