Cookies & Candlelight

by Maddrey, Elizabeth

  The drive to Serena’s house was long enough to lull the butterflies in his stomach to sleep, but they all took off again when she answered the door. The simple navy blue dress hugged her curves in all the right places. Her fiery hair hung in loose waves around her face. “Wow.”

  A slow grin spread across her features. “You always know just the right thing to say.”

  Micah’s mouth was dry. Looking at her, the reality of who she was landed on his chest and squeezed the breath out of his lungs.

  “Hey. You okay?” She reached out to take his hand and squeezed his fingers.

  “Yeah. More than. I love you, you know that?”

  She leaned up and pressed her lips to his. “Back-atcha.”

  He chuckled, his muscles relaxing. “Shall we?”

  The ride to L’Aubergine went quickly. They chatted about the pots she’d made over the last two weeks, and the horror on the faces of the postal employees when she showed up with all the boxes that afternoon.

  The hostess seated them in the back room against the windows overlooking what had once been the backyard when the restaurant had been a private home but was now patio seating. The space also boasted an outdoor kitchen. The whole thing could be rented for parties.

  “Mal and Ursula looked at having their reception out there.” Micah reached past the candle flickering in the center of the table for her hand.

  “Yeah? What changed their mind?”

  “Honestly? I’m not sure. I think Mal was all for it, but Ursula wanted something more like what Ruth did. And I think maybe she’s worried about the weather. At the farmhouse, they can put up a tent if they need to and it’s more casual, friendly.” Micah shrugged. “I haven’t honestly paid a lot of attention when Ursula gets going because I’ll be there no matter what, so it doesn’t really matter. You know?”

  “You’re such a guy. Tell me you’ll care when it’s our wedding.” He smiled as red flooded her face. “I—not that—I mean—”

  “I promise.” He brought her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across her fingers. “I want that, too, eventually.”

  Serena nodded and sipped her water. “Tell me about tomorrow night. What’s Ruth got planned?”

  Micah shook his head. Was she disappointed? Had she been expecting him to propose tonight? Maybe he’d missed a cue somewhere along the way, but it wasn’t right yet. If Serena was going to do movies, even occasionally, he needed to know what that was like inside their relationship.

  * * *

  “Why aren’t you picking her up again?” Ruth bustled past Micah in the kitchen at the farmhouse, pausing to scowl at him. “It just doesn’t seem right.”

  “She wanted to drive herself. I didn’t want to argue with her. If you care that much, why don’t you call her and talk her into it?” Micah plucked a stuffed mushroom off the tray Ruth had just finished arranging and slid the others over to hide the missing space.

  Ruth turned, frowning. “If I had more time, I would. And no more snacking. You’ll get some when everyone gets here and not until then. Shoo. Go help Corban with the table or something. You’re in my way.”

  Micah grabbed his sister and scrubbed his knuckles across the top of her head. “Thanks for doing this for Serena. I appreciate it. So does she.”

  “Get out of here, moron.” There was laughter in her voice and the frown lines around her eyes had disappeared.

  Considering his work in the kitchen done, he tossed his sister a mock salute and headed for the dining room. Corban was sitting in one of the chairs, his feet propped on another, scrolling on his phone.

  “Working hard, I see.” Micah pulled out another chair and sat.

  “Table’s set. Ruth’s in a mood, so I didn’t want to risk going into the kitchen to ask what else she wanted me to do. Figure she’ll let me know if she needs me.”

  “Could’ve given the rest of us a heads-up about the mood. What’s going on?”

  Corban shrugged.

  Micah pursed his lips. Shouldn’t husbands know these things? Then again, he’d known his sister for twenty-nine years and still didn’t have a full handle on her all the time. “Women.”

  Corban snickered. “Pretty much. The food smells good though, so that’s a plus.”

  “Ruth’s food always smells good. And Jonah did a lot of helping out this afternoon. I sometimes think he misses being part of a restaurant kitchen. He says he doesn’t, but there’s just that vibe.”

  “You don’t think he’ll want to leave, go somewhere he can get back to that, do you?” Corban leaned forward, his feet dropping off the other chair. “That would kill your sister.”

  Micah shook his head. He couldn’t see that happening. “Nah. He’s as tied to family as the rest of us are. But I could see him looking at restaurant jobs nearby. Not sure what that’d mean for me and Mal. I don’t think I could do all the baking on my own...and I’m borrowing trouble.”

  “Never a good plan.” Corban stood. “Let’s go hang on the porch. People should be arriving soon.”

  Micah nodded and followed his brother-in-law through the house and out the front door. “It’s a nice night. Maybe we can talk Ruth into dessert outside.”

  “I tried to convince her we should do the whole thing out here, but she was worried about bugs.” Corban leaned against one of the porch posts. “I figured it was better to let her do things her way.”

  “And that is why you’re a happily married man.” Micah laughed. “At least according to what my dad told the three of us boys growing up.”

  “Corban! I need your help.” Ruth’s voice carried through the open door and Corban rolled his eyes as he headed back inside.

  Micah sighed. His dad had been full of little nuggets of advice on marriage, though they mostly boiled down to keeping God as the most important thing in their lives and being willing to sacrifice their own wants for those of their wives. Sacrificial love like Jesus had for the church. Like letting Serena go make a movie—encouraging her to do it—when it was the last thing he wanted.

  Would they make it? He prayed so.

  Serena’s car turned into the driveway. She parked and waved. Micah grinned and headed over to greet her.

  “Am I late?” Serena stepped out of the car and pressed her lips to his. “I was packing, but I set an alarm.”

  “You’re not late. You’re the first person here.”

  Serena laughed. “Then I guess we’re all right on time. Is Gloria coming?”

  “Last I heard, yeah.” He wound his fingers through hers. “Come on, maybe you being here will get Ruth to chill. She’s been going crazy all afternoon.”

  “I know that feeling.”

  “What’s going on?”

  She sighed. “I’m just worried. What if I can’t do it?”

  He drew his eyebrows together. What if she couldn’t do what? “Act? You’re a great actress. My favorite, actually.”

  She smiled. “Thanks. But no, not the acting. I mean, I guess I’m a little worried about that, but it all came back so well during the table reads, I think that part will be fine. I mean living like I’m supposed to when I’m around so many people who don’t believe in Jesus all day every day. I want to make sure I’m not the reason they turn away that final time...but I still sin. You’ve heard the occasional word slip out that shouldn’t, and I get a little thrill still when I hear a juicy piece of gossip. None of those things are what I should be doing.”

  Micah wrapped his arms around her. “Nobody’s perfect. And Jesus doesn’t have a checklist that He’s watching, making sure His followers never step out of line. Not that that gives us license to do whatever we want whenever we want. Being a Christian is all about transformation. It’s about repenting when we sin and asking the Lord to help us not keep doing those things that trip us up. Do you swear on purpose?”

  She shook her head.

  “What about gossip? Do you seek it out and think about how much better you are than the other person involved?”

  “N
o.”

  He kissed her nose. “You sin. So do I. So does everyone. The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is that we recognize it, call it what it is, ask forgiveness, and then do what we can with God’s help to get better. Sometimes I think seeing a Christian handle the sin in their life with humility and repentance is a bigger witness than someone who acts like they have it all together and tries to hide their wrongdoing.”

  “Okay.” Serena blew out a breath. “So you’re saying just be me and do a lot of praying.”

  He chuckled. “Basically, yeah, which, if you’re like me, is how you get through every day anyway.”

  Another car turned into the driveway, pulling up to park next to Serena’s. Pam and Emerson stepped out and gave them cheery waves.

  “Hey.” Emerson pulled open the back door and reached inside, emerging with a covered dish.

  “Hey guys, glad you could make it.” Micah squeezed Serena’s hand before reaching for the screen door and pulling it open. “Come on in.”

  “Ruth told me there was nothing I could bring.” Serena frowned at the dish as Emerson passed her and strode into the house.

  Pam laughed. “She told me the same thing. I couldn’t help myself. If she ends up not serving it, the boys’ll be glad to have it tomorrow. It’s a cherry cobbler.”

  “Mmm.” Micah followed behind the women. “There’s always a little extra space for cobbler. Don’t let Ruth tell you otherwise.”

  They were just gathering around the table when someone banged on the screen door and a voice called out, “It’s Gloria. I’m not late!”

  Jonah chuckled and excused himself. A moment later they returned. Gloria still wore her uniform, but she’d loosened her hair and let it out of the tight bun at the base of her neck that she usually kept it in.

  “Sorry. Maybe I’m a teeny bit late.” Gloria went to stand behind the chair Jonah gestured to.

  “You’re right on time.” Ruth smiled and nodded to Corban.

  Corban cleared his throat. “Let’s pray.”

  Micah reached for Serena’s hand and listened as his brother-in-law thanked God for the food, all their blessings, and then offered a special benediction for Serena as she left them. When she sniffled, he squeezed her fingers, grateful his own eyes were closed since there was a suspicious amount of extra moisture in them. When Corban reached the end, everyone murmured “Amen” before pulling out a chair.

  Food and conversation flowed easily around the table, requests for a particular dish intermingling with someone’s humorous story from the past week. Micah’s parents had been big fans of family suppers—where family was a loose definition that always included more people than had an actual blood relation to the Baxters. This little dinner party captured that same atmosphere perfectly—for perhaps the first time since they’d arrived in Idaho.

  After everyone had eaten their fill, Ruth collected the dinner plates and she and Corban disappeared into the kitchen. They returned with a stack of smaller plates, Pam’s crumble, and an enormous glass bowl filled with trifle.

  “Before we get to dessert,” Ruth set the desserts down on the table and reached for Corban’s hand, “Corban and I have some news.”

  Pam grinned.

  Micah glanced at his brothers. At least they looked as confused as he felt. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, nothing’s wrong. I—we—wanted to do this when everyone we consider family in Arcadia Valley could be here.”

  There was a little hitch in Micah’s breath. Ruth wasn’t always upfront when there was something bad going on. She’d try to spin it and make it no big deal.

  Ruth blew out a breath and smiled up at her husband. His sister had found herself the perfect husband. Micah’s parents would’ve loved Corban. “Here goes—I’m pregnant.”

  “What? That’s awesome. Congratulations!” Micah grinned and jumped from his chair to embrace her. Malachi and Jonah had the same idea, resulting in her staggering back a few steps.

  “You’re going to be such a great mom. And I get to be the fun uncle. I’m calling dibs right now.” Micah returned to his seat, his cheeks starting to hurt from the wide grin splitting his face.

  “Fat chance. This kid’s going to have three fun uncles. Right, Mal?” Jonah’s excitement was evident in his voice. “Nice job, sis. You, too, Corban.”

  “Anyway, we wanted to tell everyone before it got obvious. I’ve been worrying that it wouldn’t happen—I mean, we weren’t not trying to get pregnant, you know?”

  “Too much information.” Micah grimaced. His sister was married. He got that that included sex, but it wasn’t something he was going to ponder. “For all I know, Corban’s going to be out harvesting cabbages in nine months and come home with a baby.”

  Corban laughed. “No cabbages are being harvested in April, but I get your point.”

  “Anyway. We’re not exactly spring chickens, so I was starting to worry.” Ruth cleared her throat. “Now I don’t have to.”

  Ruth was only thirty-four. Was that old? It didn’t seem old. On the other hand, Ruth had always wanted kids, so maybe it was just past the timeframe she’d envisioned. Micah’s eyes burned and he blinked.

  “I’m so happy for you.” Pam beamed across the table at them. “Maybe if I can snuggle your new little one, I’ll get over the yearning for one more that keeps stirring in my heart.”

  “You, too?” Emerson looked at Pam. “I thought you said we were done?”

  Pam chuckled. “Oh. Well. Maybe we aren’t then. I never thought you’d agree.”

  Emerson kissed Pam. “This kid’s gonna need a playmate, you know.”

  Malachi and Ursula exchanged smiles.

  “I suspect there are going to be plenty of playmates around.” Jonah nudged Malachi in the ribs. “Once these two get married. Cousins have to be easier than siblings though.”

  Micah laughed. “Right. Like you’d trade any of us. If it wasn’t for you wanting us all to be close, we’d probably still be in D.C.”

  Dessert was served with a lot of laughter, baby jokes, and sidelong glances between the couples at the table. Gloria, Ursula, and Pam followed Ruth into the kitchen after insisting they be allowed to help with the dishes. Jonah, Malachi, Corban, and Emerson wandered into the living room.

  Micah turned to Serena. “It’s a nice evening. Want to go for a walk?”

  She shrugged. “Sure.”

  Her response was a little less enthusiastic than he’d hoped for, but it wasn’t a no. He took her hand as they got to the front door. “It’s hard to picture my sister having a baby. I mean, she’s great with kids, but she’s Ruth, you know?”

  Serena smiled. “Yep. It’s good news. Nice that they thought to include me.”

  Her voice was flat. Micah frowned. “Why wouldn’t they? They know how I feel about you—about the future I hope we’ll have together.”

  “Of course. I’m sorry.” She stopped on the porch and wrapped her arms around his waist. She rested her head on his shoulder. “You know what? I should go. My flight’s pretty early tomorrow, and I still have a little more packing to do.”

  “Are you sure I can’t take you to the airport?” Micah’s arms tightened around her. He wasn’t ready for her to leave—not tonight, and not tomorrow, either.

  “I’m sure. They need you at the bakery.” She tipped her face up and pressed her lips to his. She pulled away as he tried to prolong the kiss. “I’ll call you as soon as I land. Be sure and let Ruth know how much I enjoyed tonight, would you? I love you.”

  “I will. I love you, too.” He walked with her down the porch steps and held the door to her car as she got in. This wasn’t how he’d pictured their last evening together at all. Somewhere between her arrival and now something had happened. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah. Of course. Just a lot to do.” Her smile was tight as she pulled the car door closed. She turned on the engine and rolled down the window. “Goodbye, Micah.”

  She put the car
in reverse and Micah stepped back, lifting his hand in a wave. “’Night. Have a safe trip.”

  All Serena gave him was a short nod before she turned out of the driveway. The air stuck in his chest. Something about the way she’d said goodbye...he swallowed and tried to shake it off. It was like she’d said. She had a lot on her mind. Stuff to do, plus her concern about filming starting up. It was nothing. She was fine. They were fine.

  Maybe if he said it enough he’d believe it.

  18

  Serena glanced at her phone as it began to buzz. Micah again. He’d been calling and texting just like he’d said he would. And she’d done what she could to avoid him or keep their conversations short. It hadn’t been hard. The first month of shooting had been intense with early morning wake up calls and late-night re-shoots. Throw in hours between her scenes memorizing lines and she hadn’t exactly been sitting around with nothing to do.

  Now here it was, the start of Labor Day weekend. Serena was supposed to go home tonight. Technically, she should have left last night. Ursula and Malachi were getting married tomorrow, and everyone expected her to come home.

  Home.

  She missed her studio.

  And Micah.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat and stared out at the ocean as her phone chimed with a voicemail.

  Brushing away the tear that slipped down her cheek, Serena keyed in her passcode and listened.

  “Hi, beautiful. I was hoping I’d catch you at lunch, but I guess they’ve got you working. I’m bummed that they kept you an extra day, but I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow—I have a little free time before the wedding. Say the word and I’ll come get you at the airport. I love you. Call me when you can.”

  Her finger hovered over the key that would delete the message for a second before she hit save instead, as she had with all his other messages. It’d be one more thing to listen to at night when she wasn’t sleeping.

  “I thought I’d find you down here.” Her mother slipped off her shoes at the bottom of the stairs to the beach and crossed the sand to where Serena sat. “You didn’t bring down a chair? Scoot over so I can have some of that towel.”