ANABELLE WATCHED OUT THE WINDOW AS EVAN and Maureen pulled into the driveway shortly after six—just in time for dinner. Kirstie had come earlier, but Ainslee had called to cancel as Lindsay Belle was running a slight fever and had a runny nose—no doubt from teething.
Evan walked in and greeted the children as if they were his own. Holding Jacob in one arm he extended the other to give Anabelle a hug. Her heart tripped over itself.
“Thanks for keeping the kids this weekend so Maureen and I could go to Chicago.”
Anabelle kissed his cheek. “You’re welcome, but you need to thank your father. He, Kirstie, and Mark did most of the babysitting while I quilted.”
Maureen, with Olivia in her arms, thanked them as well. When the hugs and greetings ended, Anabelle announced that dinner was ready.
For the next hour Evan and Maureen entertained them with stories of their trip. The children shared their weekend adventures as well.
“You should have been at the show, Mother,” Evan said. “You’d have gone crazy over all the plants.”
“We bought you another orchid.” Maureen grinned at her. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind?” Cam laughed. “Surely you jest.”
Anabelle beamed. “Thank you. I can hardly wait to see it.”
“You’ll have to wait a few days. It’ll be coming in with the other orders. Dad, we ordered a ton of stuff for the nursery. We’re going to expand into hydroponics. Small scale for now, just enough to keep our family in fresh fruits and vegetables through the winter.”
Anabelle hadn’t seen Evan quite so animated in a long time, and her stomach did one of those zippy elevator rides when she caught the look Evan and Maureen exchanged. She listened to them chatter, very much aware of Evan’s admiration for Maureen.
Over dessert, the topic shifted when Kirstie asked Maureen if she’d come to Candace’s shower. “Mother, Ainslee, and I are putting it on with Riley, her nursing supervisor.” Kirstie glanced at Anabelle.
“When did Riley sign up?” Anabelle asked.
Kirstie chuckled. “Ainslee texted me just before dinner. She couldn’t believe the nurses in her unit weren’t doing anything, but it turns out that Riley had been planning to call us. Ainslee thought it would be good if we combined our efforts. She bought invitations today, and we’re meeting Riley at lunch tomorrow to make our lists. Riley will send invitations to hospital people, and we’ll take care of family. Janet offered to help too.”
“Sounds like you girls have everything under control.” She felt a bit left out.
“Don’t be hurt, Mother. Ainslee knew how focused on the quilt you were, so she sort of took over.” She winked. “Like mother, like daughter.”
Evan turned to Maureen. “Fortunately, Kirstie and I didn’t inherit the bossy gene.”
Maureen chuckled. “That’s good to know.”
“I am not bossy,” Anabelle told them. “I just happen to be a take-charge type of person.”
Cam reached over and settled his arm across her shoulders. “And that’s fine with me. She’s indispensable at work, and where would we be without her?”
“True,” Kirstie added. “Mother and Ainslee are great to have around when things need to get done.”
Anabelle didn’t know whether to be pleased by the compliment or to be hurt by the put-down. Whichever it was, she decided to let it go and finish her dessert.
On Monday, Anabelle saw to her usual duties before checking on their patients. She was especially eager to see Janelle. Since her nursing staff hadn’t called after their initial heads-up, she suspected Janelle had stabilized.
Reading her chart, Anabelle saw that Janelle was scheduled for open-heart surgery this morning.
When she entered Janelle’s room, Janelle’s husband stood and indicated that he wanted to talk to Anabelle out in the hall. The firm set of his jaw told her the conversation was not likely to be pleasant.
“You were here when she was discharged, weren’t you?” Janelle’s husband asked Anabelle.
She nodded. “I was, but—”
“How could you let her go? You should have done something to make her stay. She kept telling me she was okay, and then on Saturday she collapsed. I tried to do CPR myself and called for an ambulance.” His nostrils flared with an intake of breath. “This shouldn’t have happened.”
“You’re absolutely right, Mr. Peters. It shouldn’t have. We did everything we could to talk her into staying.” Anabelle sighed. “There was nothing I could do.”
“I…shouldn’t have let her talk me into leaving. That chaplain who told her she was healed…I want him to know the damage he caused.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I came this close to losing my wife.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Somehow, Anabelle felt she needed to defend Kevin. She decided to follow her instinct. “Reverend Whitfield may be passionate in his belief that prayer works, but you need to know that he also urged your wife not to leave. We all did.”
“So you’re saying there’s no one to blame.”
Trying to blame oneself or others was a very common reaction, and Anabelle felt loads of compassion for this man. She shook her head. “Let’s not focus on blame—it won’t help anything. Your wife made an unfortunate decision out of excitement, but right now you and Janelle need to focus on positive energy, and continued prayer. She’s going to need your support, not your anger.”
His shoulders sagged as he nodded in agreement.
Anabelle walked past him into the room, where she found Janelle staring at the ceiling. When she spotted Anabelle, she opened her mouth and closed it again.
“Good morning.” Anabelle approached the bed.
“I feel like an idiot. I’m sorry.” She turned to look out the window.
“You don’t need to apologize.”
“I should have listened to you.”
“Yes, but Janelle, you were acting in faith.”
“I’m confused.”
Join the club, Anabelle thought and offered an empathetic smile. “Faith can be trickier than it seems,” she said, speaking both to Janelle and to herself.
“I’ve always been a believer.” Janelle folded her hands and stared at them. “I guess I don’t have as much faith as I thought.”
“The Bible tells us that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, it is enough. God’s grace provides us with what we lack. Perhaps in the end, God meant to use the tools we’ve been given to bring about healing.”
“I suppose.”
“Janelle, let me share a story.” Anabelle smiled. “There once was a man who had fallen victim to a flood. He’d had to climb onto his roof. He prayed hard that God would rescue him and believed that God would honor his request. A day went by and a man came by in a rowboat. The man in the boat offered him a ride, but the flood victim refused, saying he was waiting for God to save him.”
“I think I know where this is going.” Janelle grinned.
“Well,” Anabelle went on, “two more boats came and later a helicopter. The man turned them all away. A while later, he drowned and went to heaven. ‘God,’ he cried out when he saw the Lord, ‘I prayed and prayed for You to save me but You didn’t.’
“God said, ‘I tried. I sent three boats and a helicopter, and you refused them all.’”
Janelle chuckled. “I knew it would be something like that.”
“I don’t mean to simplify your situation, and to be honest I have questions too. Why do some people receive a miraculous healing without any kind of surgery, and others don’t? I simply don’t know. One thing I’m certain of is that regardless of what happens, God is with us.”
As she was leaving, Janelle’s husband came in with coffee, and on his heels followed Reverend Whitfield. Apparently Mr. Peters had made peace with Kevin. Good. Anabelle realized she needed to work through her own feelings about the young man herself. But probably not today. There wasn’t time. Anabelle glanced at her clipboard and said a prayer as she entered Bernice Johnson’s room.
All morning people had been avoiding Candace—or so it seemed. Every time she walked up to a pair or group, they’d stopped talking and acted like she’d grown wings. She realized that they probably were talking about gifts or a shower or some such and tried not to get paranoid over it.
Candace was disappointed to see that neither Anabelle nor Elena were in the cafeteria. But that shouldn’t have surprised her. She’d had to take a late lunch since Riley had a meeting. Her boss had been very secretive, and Candace felt sure Riley and the other nurses were planning a shower.
Since no one had talked to her about it, she assumed it would be a surprise. Although, this was her second marriage, so maybe they weren’t planning one at all.
She’d wanted to connect with Elena and Anabelle to see what they thought about Elyse’s offer.
She finished her lunch early. Before going back to the Birthing Unit, she stopped in Radiology. Sadly, Heath wasn’t there; and that was because—she found out a few minutes later—he’d gone downstairs to see her.
She spotted him talking to Riley. Then all of a sudden, his arms went around the woman. “You are amazing!” she heard Heath say. “I knew I could count on you.”
When Riley spotted Candace, she stepped back, guilt spreading all over her face. “Oh, look who’s here. Candace, hello! You’re back early.”
Heath turned, looking just as culpable. “Hi, sweetheart. We were just—”
“What’s this all about?” Candace said, teasing, but also curious.
Heath cleared his throat. “I was just—”
“You might as well tell her,” Riley said. “He solicited advice from me on what to get you for your wedding gift.”
“My wedding gift?” Candace hadn’t expected that. “You’re buying something for me?”
Heath sighed. “I know we decided not to exchange gifts, it’s just that…no, you’re right. I should stick to the plan. Money is tight and—”
“Does this mean I get to tell her about the diamond bracelet?”
“No.” Heath glared at her.
“Okay.” She shrugged. “Back to work. Candace, we have a baby on the way, so say good-bye to your sweetie and suit up.”
“Heath,”—Candace leaned against him—“we can’t afford lavish gifts.”
“I know and I’m sorry. Maybe I’ll save the diamonds for when we celebrate our tenth anniversary.” He laughed. “It may be that long before we can afford them.”
“You’re such a treasure. I don’t care about things like that. I just want us to be together.”
He lowered his head and planted a kiss so sweet and loving on her lips, she wouldn’t have traded it for a million diamonds.
Later, when Candace went to the main nursing station to check out for the day, she spotted Elena and Anabelle standing in front of the ICU nurses’ station. She waved and hurried over to them.
“Hi, Candace. We were just talking about you.”
A lot of people seemed to be doing that these days. At least these two admitted it. “About me?”
“I talked to Elyse this morning,” Elena said. “She’d like you and Heath to come to the shop sometime in the next couple of days to make the final decision about your cake. I figured that was a chore you wouldn’t mind at all.”
Candace’s eyes filled with grateful tears. “Thank you. I can’t believe how fortunate I am to have friends like you.”
“We’re happy to help.” Anabelle touched her arm.
“Speaking of which,” Elena said, “we have a lot to talk about. Can you meet us at the coffee shop? Looks like we’re all getting off on time for a change.”
“I’d love that.”
At the coffee shop, Candace ordered a large iced mocha latte. The three women sat at a table, armed with their caffeine treats.
“Now.” Elena reached for her tote, which she often referred to as her brain. “Let’s talk wedding.” She pulled out a notepad and began to make a list. “I’m thinking we’ll need folding chairs.”
And there the discussion commenced. They covered the gamut of wedding details from rental chairs to which refreshments to serve to who would call guests to update them on the new venue.
Finally, Candace clasped her hands. “It sounds wonderful, but it also sounds like a lot of work. Elena, last chance. You sure you don’t want to back out?”
“Are you kidding? I’m having the time of my life.”
“I just had a wonderful idea,” Anabelle added. “Why don’t we have Cam, Evan, and Maureen decorate your yard? Maureen does a fabulous job at the nursery.”
“Oh yes! That’s a great idea!”
The threesome continued to gab about the details, and Candace had a great time doing so. It felt as though they were three young women, planning their dream wedding. Actually, that’s exactly what they were—except for the young part.
Going home Monday afternoon, Elena’s mind buzzed with things to do. With the recital this coming weekend, Elena would have to focus on the costumes. If all went well, she’d have them finished for the parents by Thursday.
She experienced a surge of panic. The panic ebbed as Elena prayed for calm. Organization was the key. She probably shouldn’t have taken on the task, but the other parents were paying her well. How could she refuse? She loved sewing, and the extra money would go into her vacation fund. For quite some time Elena had been planning and saving to visit the Andalusia region of Spain, the ancestral land of her paternal great-grandfather.
Thinking about the trip spurred her on. She could do this.
Once home, she called Sarah, who promised to come right after work. Elena pulled a package of her homemade tamales out of the freezer and popped them into the microwave to defrost. She hurriedly sautéed onions, garlic, and ground beef in a deep pan and then opened cans of black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and green chilies and pulled out chili powder, red pepper flakes, cilantro, basil, a bay leaf, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Once the ingredients came to a boil, she covered the pan and turned the burner to low. The chili was quick to put together and would be perfect by the time they were ready to eat.
Just before dinner, she’d make corn bread and toss a salad.
Pulling off her apron, she hung it in the pantry and raced into the living room to set up her long rectangular sewing table, since it would be easier for her and Sarah to work together here rather than in her bedrom. As she set up her machine on one end, it occurred to her that she hadn’t seen Isabel or Rafael yet. He usually picked her up from day care. She glanced at her watch, surprised that they hadn’t come home yet.
Monday evening was Rafael’s night to practice with his band, so she and Cesar usually watched Isabel. Elena pulled out the large bags of fabric and notions she’d purchased for the costumes and began to create a makeshift assembly line. She would lay out several costumes; and then after dinner, she’d put Sarah to work on the cutting while she sewed. If they worked through the evening, they might have all of the basic parts of them sewed. Then would come the handwork—sewing and gluing on the accessories.
Just before six, Rafael and Izzy pulled into the driveway. They’d apparently been shopping as both entered the house laden down with packages.
“Buela, look. Daddy took me shopping for school.”
“I swear that girl grew a foot over the summer, Mama.”
“I know.” Most of Isabel’s clothes were too small. “What did you get?”
“Everything on the school supply list plus some jeans and tops. Shoes and boots. I think we’re all set.” Rafael settled onto the couch. “Show Buela your clothes.”
“I’m going to model them.” Dragging the bags behind her, she skipped to her room.
“Here’s my favorite.” Izzy strutted out a few minutes later in a faded pair of jeans with dark pink stitching and rhinestones along one leg and on the back pocket. The shirt was a multicolored pink with a rhinestone-studded guitar on the front. “Don’t you just love the guitar? It reminds me of Daddy.”
For the next few minutes, Elena and Rafael watched Isabel’s fashion show. Elena shifted between delight and sadness. Her little girl was growing up and going into the first grade. She had picked out a pair of dark jeans as well, accessorized, of course, with embroidery and glitz. The tennis shoes lit up when she walked.
Just as she finished showing Elena her outfits, Cesar came in, followed by Sarah. Of course Izzy insisted on treating them to her modeling show as well.
Elena excused herself to go into the kitchen to finish making dinner. Rafael followed her in and began to set the table. “You okay, Mama?”
Elena patted his cheek. “Absolutely. I just can’t believe how quickly our little bambina is growing up. It seems like yesterday she was a baby, and now…”
Rafael chuckled and gave her a hug. “I know. It was fun hanging out with her at the mall this afternoon. I’m gone so much. I was thinking that maybe I should back off on the out-of-town gigs. I’d like to be able to stay home with her more.” He sighed. “Better yet, I’d really like to get hired by the sheriff’s department.”
Cesar came into the kitchen and gave Elena a belated I’m-home kiss. Turning to Rafael he asked, “What’s this about the sheriff’s department? Did you get the job?”
“Haven’t heard yet.”
“Okay, well, don’t worry, son. You should hear pretty soon. The department is supposed to get some extra money to hire a couple of new deputies.”
“Thanks for the encouragement, Dad,” Rafael said. There had been so much tension about this subject in the past that Elena was grateful for a relatively fireworks-free discussion.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said so that everyone could hear.
Once dinner was over and dishes were done, Elena and Sarah went straight to work. Rafael was scheduled to host band practice in the basement tonight, and Elena could hear them loud and clear. The band members, including Jesse, came through at around seven thirty, making jokes about not being invited to dinner and asking about leftovers. Jesse leaned against the counter close to where Sarah opened a cupboard. He said something that turned her cheeks red. She seemed embarrassed as she laughed and ducked away.
“Come on, Jesse,” Rafael cut in, “we have work to do.”
Rafael gave Sarah a harsh look and headed for the stairs.
Jesse gave Sarah a shy smile. “See you later.”
By nine, Elena had begun the sixth costume, and the band was still playing. She sent Isabel to bed to read—the girl was used to the sound of her father’s music, and Elena suspected she even found it comforting.
Sarah, who’d offered to tuck her in, came out only minutes later saying that their girl was already asleep.
“Would you like some coffee? It’s going to be a late night,” Elena said. She needed a bit of caffeine to get her through the next few outfits.
“Sounds great.”
“Maybe you could set out some snacks for the others. They’ve got to come up for air eventually.” Elena grinned at what sounded like thunder on the basement stairs. The door flew open. Rafael stopped midstep when he saw Sarah setting a box of crackers on the counter.
Elena’s heart thrilled at the look that passed between them. Perhaps there was hope for a reunion after all.
Elena and Sarah went back to their sewing projects leaving the kitchen to the band. Several minutes later, Jesse and Rafael came in to see what Sarah and Elena were up to.
“What are all these froufrou things?” Jesse picked up a felt-and-feather hat on which Sarah was gluing sequins.
“Costumes.” Sarah gave him a coy smile. “We’re making them for Izzy’s dance recital.”
“Cool.” He set it on his head, doing a little pirouette.
Rafael shook his head. “Cut the playing around, Jesse. Act like an adult.”
His sharp tone stunned Elena as she watched the scene play out.
Jesse seemed to be oblivious to Rafael’s irritation. “Hey, Rafael, why don’t we ask Sarah to be our new backup singer?” Jesse slipped the hat back onto the table and winked at her. “I heard she has a great voice.”
Rafael folded his arms. “She wouldn’t have time. Besides, she needs to take care of Izzy when we’re on the road.”
“Our loss.”
Rafael shook his head and headed back down to the basement, indicating that the others should follow.
Methinks he doth protest too much. Elena thought of the famous line from Shakespeare with a smile that she couldn’t restrain.