Second Chances in Lavender Bay (The Lavender Bay Chronicles #3)

19. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

T hanksgiving that year was held at Louise’s house. Angie wasn’t due for her second cycle of chemo until the Monday after Thanksgiving, and thank goodness for small favors. She managed to make three pies: the traditional pumpkin that no one would eat unless served with mounds of Cool Whip; a lemon meringue; and a chocolate cream. In the past, she would have placed all three in a long, narrow cardboard box and carried the whole thing out to her trunk at once. But being extra careful, she placed the box in her trunk first and carried the pies out one by one.

It was still early, but she thought she might as well go over to her mother’s and hang out there and see if she needed any help. For the first time since she launched the café, she’d closed it for the holiday, thinking her employees would like the day off to spend with their families.

In the past, she’d thought of every family gathering as something to get through, time she could not get back. Now, she was ashamed for feeling that way.

The Halloween decorations that had adorned her mother’s porch had been replaced by Thanksgiving-appropriate ones. A wreath with a male and female pilgrim leaning together for a chaste kiss hung over the front door. A wooden sign reading “Happy Thanksgiving” and ringed with engraved acorns had been attached to the siding.

Aunt Gail’s Cadillac sat parked in the driveway behind Louise’s car. In the front window sat Gail’s dog, Rufus. He regarded her with curious disinterest. Rufus always reminded Angie of a seasoned British general. All he needed was a monocle.

She went inside, carrying one of the pies. The smell of roast turkey emanated from the kitchen, as did Louise and Gail’s voices, punctuated by laughter. Louise appeared wearing a pair of oven mitts and holding a baster.

“Hi, honey, come on in,” she said.

Angie carried in the lemon meringue pie and put it on a shelf in the refrigerator, moving things around to make room.

“Lemon meringue, my favorite,” Gail said.

Her mother pushed the oven rack back in, closed the door, laid the baster on the counter, and removed the mitts.

“I’ve got two more pies in the trunk.”

“I’ll walk out with you and help you carry them in,” Gail offered.

“I got it.”

“Why make two trips when you can make only one?”

Rather than stand there debating about it, Angie nodded, and the two of them went out to her car.

“I see you made pumpkin,” Gail said with a frown.

“Someone will eat it,” Angie said with a laugh. “Is it even Thanksgiving if we don’t have pumpkin pie?”

“Let me check and see if your mom has any whipped cream or Cool Whip.”

Angie slammed the trunk shut and Gail asked, “How are you doing, honey?”

She nodded. “This is a good week. Round two next week.”

“I know, your mother told me. Hang in there, kiddo.”

They carried the pies inside, and Angie had to make more room in the refrigerator.

She looked around; her mother seemed to have everything in order. There were pots on every burner of the stove with all the staples: potatoes, turnip, carrots, and green beans. The Thanksgiving menu hadn’t changed in more than thirty-five years.

“I hope you brought your appetite,” Louise said.

Angie didn’t want anyone worrying about her today. “My appetite isn’t what it used to be, but I’m looking forward to dinner.”

“That’s all right. Don’t overeat, you don’t want to get sick,” Louise advised.

Her plan was to enjoy herself and indulge in her favorites, but not too much.

“Is there anything I can do?” she asked.

“Would you like to set the table?”

“Yes,” Angie said, grateful that her mother hadn’t suggested she go sit down or worse, go lie down on the bed upstairs.

The kitchen table had been extended to accommodate everyone.

“Mom, you didn’t carry all these chairs down from the attic by yourself, I hope,” Angie said.

“No, not at all. Everett and Lance came over last night and brought them down for me,” Louise answered, referring to Maureen’s boys.

“Good. How are they doing?”

“Fine, Lance is in the middle of his electrician’s course and seems to like it. And Everett’s put some weight on and looks so much better. Healthy. Did you know he asked me to be one of his support people?”

“Aw, that’s great, Mom.” Louise Cook lived for her grandchildren. “Is that a thing? Having support partners?”

“It is. He’s asked Lance, too, and Java Joe.”

“His real name is Tom,” Angie reminded her.

“I know, but I think of him as Java Joe.”

Tom was very upfront about being a recovering alcoholic, and she thought that had been a wise choice on Everett’s part.

“Is Suzanne coming?”

Gail shook her head and said sourly, “No, she’s going to his side for Thanksgiving.”

Suzanne’s husband was not a popular figure in the family.

“Probably to keep the peace.”

“Probably.”

Louise laid silverware on the table as well as wine and water glasses. Angie counted out the knives and forks, recounted, and then mentally added all the family members. “Mom, you’ve got two extra place settings here.”

“Because we have two guests coming today,” Louise said brightly.

“We do? Who?”

“Funny thing, I ran into Java . . . into Tom the other day—”

“And?”

“And I thanked him for helping Everett, and he was so gracious about it, and then I thanked him for being so nice to you, especially when you’ve always given him such a hard time—”

Angie protested. “I don’t give him a hard time.”

Louise scowled. “Yes, you do. When it comes to Java Joe, you’re difficult.”

With a huff, Angie said, “Anyway, you were talking to him and . . . ?”

“I asked him what he was doing for Thanksgiving, and he said he was cooking a turkey for himself and his brother.”

Angie frowned. How had she not known Tom had a brother?

Louise continued. “And I thought to myself, well, that sounds lonely, and I invited the both of them to join us.”

“And he said yes?”

“Not without some arm-twisting,” Louise said. “But it’s all settled. They’re both coming.”

Angie wasn’t sure how she felt about Tom joining them. Six months ago, she would have blown a fuse. But now, there had been a shift in her perspective, and more than anything, she was confused. She tried to look at it from the angle that her mother had done the charitable thing and the right thing by insisting they come here.

“Do you have a seating arrangement,” she asked, “or doesn’t it matter?”

“The girls have done a seating chart,” Louise replied. The two granddaughters, Emma and Ashley, were both home from college for the short break. “When they get here, they can set the place cards around the table.”

“So that’s thirteen for dinner,” Angie confirmed.

“That’s correct.”

Gail opened one of the bottles of wine she’d brought. “Anyone for a glass?”

Angie shook her head, but her mother said, “Will you pour me a half glass?”

“Will do.” Gail filled half a glass and handed it to Louise. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

“And to you too!”

At one o’clock, Louise turned on the potatoes and the turnip, as dinner would be served at two. And it wasn’t long after that that everyone else began to trickle in. Maureen and Allan arrived first with Everett and Lance, carrying in trays and pans of food: cornflake potatoes and platters of Christmas cookies. Every Thanksgiving, Maureen brought two batches of holiday cookies to kick off the holiday season. This year was no different, and there were two trays of Hershey’s peanut butter blossoms and a plate of frosted cutouts.

Allan approached Louise, laid a hand on her shoulder, and kissed her on the cheek. “Louise, it smells great, and I brought my appetite.”

“That’s all I ask,” Louise said with a laugh. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. Fighting tooth decay in Lavender Bay one patient at a time.” That was Allan’s tagline that he used frequently.

Louise chortled. “Someone has to take the hit for the team.”

He turned to Angie and leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “And how are you doing?”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Esther came through the door next with her arms full. She had picked up dinner rolls and brought a chocolate cake. Following her, Nadine arrived with Emma, Ashley, and Herman, who hesitated on the porch before turning himself around and walking in backward, a particular quirk of his. Angie rolled her eyes. Nadine and the girls carried two pans of bread stuffing and two apple pies. No matter how many pies they had, it never proved to be enough.

Ashley and Emma made themselves busy setting up the place cards for the seating, and Angie was just about to interfere and make sure they didn’t seat her next to Tom—that would be too obvious—but the doorbell rang, and her mouth went dry. It could only be him, and she didn’t know why she was so nervous.

“Angie, would you get the door?” her mother asked sweetly.

Subtle.

“Sure, Mom.”

The two dogs, Herman and Rufus, made their way to the front door. Herman practically knocked over Rufus in his excitement, scrabbling across the floor to greet the new arrivals. Rufus, vertically challenged, tried to increase his pace from a waddle to a shuffle but kept tripping over his ears.

“Herman!” Nadine hollered.

Angie followed the dogs to the front door and opened it to find Tom and his brother standing there, each holding a platter in their hands. Through the cling wrap, Angie could see an elaborate charcuterie board and a veggie tray. With a smile, she opened the door wide to allow them in.

The dogs barked, and Herman pranced around while Rufus stood there wagging his tail slowly.

Tom’s brother strongly resembled him. But where Tom had dark hair, his brother’s was blond. Like Tom, he was well-muscled and solid.

She smiled, genuinely glad to see Tom and grateful that her mother had invited him.

“Happy Thanksgiving!” she said warmly.

“Thanks, same to you,” he said. “This is my younger brother, Jim.”

Angie extended her hand. “Hi, Jim. Angie Cook.”

His grip was warm and firm. “Nice to meet you, Coffee Girl.”

Herman whined, and Rufus continued to wag his tail.

“Hey, buddy, how are you?” Jim said, leaning over to pet the bloodhound. Everyone in town knew who Rufus was.

Herman whined louder.

“That’s Nadine’s dog, Herman. If you don’t acknowledge him, he’ll probably explode.”

Angie held the charcuterie tray for Tom while he got down on his haunches and rubbed the sides of Herman’s face. “Hey, boy.”

Herman settled down, and Tom stood.

“Come on in, I’ll introduce you to everyone,” Angie said.

The three of them made their way to the kitchen with Herman at their side and Rufus bringing up the rear. All conversation stopped as the family looked at the newcomers.

Angie made quick introductions, and Louise and Gail rushed the two guests.

“Oh look, you came bearing gifts, thank you,” Gail said adroitly. She and her sister relieved them of the platters and set them down on the table, removing the cling wrap and inviting everyone to help themselves.

Allan was the first to step up to the charcuterie board, taking a small plate and filling it with olives, cheese, crackers, and prosciutto. “I never met a charcuterie board I didn’t like.”

Maureen took an olive off his plate and popped it into her mouth.

“How are you?” Tom asked Angie.

She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m good.”

“That’s good to hear. How’s it going with Melissa?”

“Great,” she answered truthfully. “She’s really stepped up to the plate.” Angie now realized there was no way she would have been able to endure surgery and treatment and run her business full time. Thank goodness for Melissa and the rest of her staff.

“An employee like that is worth their weight in gold,” Tom observed.

“Agreed.”

She realized that some of her family members were watching them intently, and she felt herself redden.

Louise broke the spell. “Allan, would you mind taking the turkey out of the oven?”

It was a twenty-five-pounder that would be too heavy for Louise to lift.

“Not at all,” Allan said, setting his half-finished plate of cheese and olives down on the counter. Louise handed him the oven mitts and he slipped them on, opening the oven door and waving the heat away with a mitt-covered hand. He lifted the pan out and stood there. “Where do you want it?”

Louise pointed to a space on the counter where she’d laid two potholders. Allan set the bird down.

“Do you want me to transfer it to a platter?” he asked.

“Yes, please, because we need to make the gravy.”

Using a carving fork and knife, Allan carefully lifted the roasted turkey from the pan and set it on the platter.

“Let that rest for ten minutes before we carve it up,” Gail advised. She said this every year. She went into the cupboard and pulled out a canister of flour, adding some to a jug along with some water and mixing it up with a fork to get all the lumps out. Louise drained the trimmings through a sieve into a pan on the stove.

Within ten minutes, everyone grabbed a dish to take over to the table and were told to take their seats. Allan carried the turkey over to his spot at the table and began carving once Gail said it was okay.

Angie looked for her seat and saw that she’d been placed right next to Tom, with his brother on the other side of him. She looked over to her nieces, who giggled when they saw the look on her face.

Tom grinned at her as he pulled the chair out for her to sit down.

“Thanks,” she said.

Once everyone had their plates full, Allan asked, “Jim, you own the Ink Stain, correct?” Allan referred to the one tattoo parlor in Lavender Bay.

Tom’s brother swallowed a mouthful of mashed potatoes and gravy before saying, “That’s right.”

Gail spoke up. “He’s right across the street from me.”

“You two know each other?” Angie asked, wondering if her aunt had a tattoo.

Jim spoke up. “Yep. I love her dog, Rufus. He’s awesome.”

“He is pretty awesome if I do say so myself. He’s a retired tracker. Came up from the South,” Gail said.

“That’s amazing.” Jim said, scooping more mashed potatoes into his mouth. “I never get tired of hearing that story.”

“How long have you been doing tattoos?” Nadine asked.

“For as long as I can remember.”

“He did the one on my back,” Tom chimed in.

Although Angie had never seen it, she’d heard about it, and would definitely like to see it. It was rumored to be a bald eagle against the American flag, covering his whole back.

“Now this is what I call funny,” Louise said. She gave a little laugh before continuing. “Gail and I were talking the other day about getting tattoos.”

“Really, Grandma?” Lance asked, surprised and amused.

“Sure, why not?”

“I thought we weren’t going to tell anyone,” Gail said, her eyebrow arched.

“I guess the cat is out of the bag!” The two of them launched into a fit of laughing, which caused everyone either to roll their eyes or shake their head.

“Tattoos? You’re a little old for that,” Esther teased.

Jim, not knowing Esther’s brand of humor, said, “I get a lot of people who are, um, elderly, coming in for a tattoo. The oldest was ninety-three.”

“Really?” Louise said, surprised.

Jim nodded, trying to keep up with the three-way conversation.

“Esther, you could get a tattoo of a bowling ball on your arm, or your back or your bum or wherever,” Gail joked.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“That’s a good idea!” Louise said.

Esther shook her head, but she was grinning.

When dinner was over, Angie stood up and began to help clear the plates.

“No you don’t, Angie. You’re on vacation from cleanup this year,” Maureen announced.

Angie reddened, hating being the center of attention or getting special treatment just because she had cancer. “I can help. I’ve always pitched in with the cleanup.”

“Not this year,” Nadine said, siding with Maureen.

Louise quickly sensed that her third daughter was offended and suggested smoothly, “Why don’t you let Maureen and Nadine do the dinner dishes and you can do the dessert cleanup with Esther.”

“Fine,” she said tightly.

Angie joined the rest of them in the living room. Allan turned the television on so they could watch the football game, and Lance and Everett carried chairs in from the kitchen so there’d be enough seats.

In the corner, Emma and Ashley huddled and giggled over their phones, showing each other their screens. Angie couldn’t help but smile.

She looked around at her family, thinking how grateful she was to belong to this tribe. There was a strong sense of belonging with this crew. She’d recovered from her initial awkwardness at Tom being invited. Currently, he and his brother were deep in conversation with Allan and the boys about football.

Her diagnosis had certainly opened her eyes to what was truly important.

An hour after they’d eaten, Louise stood in the doorway of the kitchen and announced, “Time for dessert.”

She, Gail, Maureen, and Nadine carried pots of coffee and tea out to the table, and all the pies, cakes, and cookies were brought out with a stack of dessert plates.

Most carried their desserts back to the living room to watch the game. As Tom helped himself to a variety of desserts, he said to Angie, “I’m glad your mother invited us. We weren’t having anything as grand as this.”

Angie smiled at him. “I’m glad she invited you too.”

He winked at her and headed back to the living room.