The Sunday Potluck Club

by Melissa Storm

  Amy knew Trent must have some access to his phone while on duty, given how much they’d texted in the past, and she relied on that knowledge to put her plan into action now. After pulling into the guest lot and getting out of her car, she strode toward the visitors’ entrance while composing the first of what she knew would be many messages.

  I’m here, her first text read. As soon as she sent it, she sent another.

  Outside your work. One after the other, she sent her messages, little missives fluttering toward Trent on the digital winds. Although she was willing to wait as long as it took to get his attention, she kept firing texts as fast as her fingers could fly across the phone screen.

  The visitor entrance.

  And I’m not leaving until we talk.

  I know sorry’s not enough.

  And I didn’t know where else to find you.

  Not on your own.

  I want to talk about us.

  But I want to talk about Olivia, too.

  The mention of his daughter got his attention, and finally Trent responded: What about Olivia?

  Oh, no. She’d worried him. Nothing bad, she typed and sent quickly. I have a surprise. Please come out to see me when you can?

  Trent began typing, then stopped. He had several false starts before at last the dancing dots fell still.

  Was he angry that she had come? Mad she’d mentioned Olivia?

  Amy stood and waited for a long time. A cold drizzle of part rain, part snow poured from the sky, but she didn’t care. She wouldn’t budge from this spot, not until Trent heard her out. She’d come again if she had to. Would do anything to—

  The door swung open and out marched Trent, looking handsome and stern in his prison guard uniform. His face lit when he saw Amy, but only a second passed before he rearranged his features into a scowl. It was clear he didn’t want to see her, but at least he was now willing to listen.

  That was all Amy could hope for, and hopefully all she would need.

  “Thank you for seeing me,” she said, resisting the urge to rush into his arms, knowing she needed to wait until he was ready to forgive her.

  The fact was, she hadn’t come to ask his forgiveness. Eventually, she would do just that, but not today. Today was about someone else.

  “You mentioned Olivia? Is everything all right?” Trent shoved his hands in his pockets and stayed several feet away from Amy as he waited. So close, but still miles away.

  “Everything is fine,” Amy assured him. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just . . . Well, I realized I was apologizing to you, but Olivia was the one I let down. I should apologize to her first and foremost. As much as I want us to be okay again, working to make things right between me and Liv, that’s what’s most important.”

  Trent studied her for a moment, and she prayed her words had hit their mark. She meant each and every one of them. As crazy as she was about Trent, she felt just as strongly for Olivia. She’d been wrong to focus so much on her feelings for Trent, when really there were three people in this relationship—just as Hazel had said.

  “She was so disappointed when you didn’t come,” Trent said, kicking at the pavement as he spoke. “Back when Julie was still alive, we had a little family ritual. Whenever she or I came home from a work trip, the other one of us would be there waiting at the airport with Olivia in tow. The person who’d gone on the trip would craft a new page for our family scrapbook while they were away. It would have pictures, thoughts, mementos, and we’d exchange it right there at the airport; then we’d all go home and add the new page to our book together.”

  “That’s beautiful,” Amy said, finally understanding what the simple airport pickup had meant to Trent and Olivia. The fact that they’d wanted to share their family ritual with her was so special. She hoped she’d get another chance to try again in the future.

  Trent nodded. “It was Liv’s idea to include you this time. We talked about how just because her mother’s gone, that doesn’t mean she has to give up on the memories or the parts of her that she loved.”

  “And I ruined it,” Amy murmured, shaking her head. “I should’ve been there.”

  Trent took his hands out of his pockets, and they dangled loosely at his sides. His eyes narrowed on Amy. “Why weren’t you?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Well, it does, but what’s more important is that I am so sorry. I want to make it up to Olivia. Trent, it broke my heart when I saw how sad she was at school yesterday, and I knew I had to do something and do it fast.”

  “You don’t owe us anything,” Trent said with another frown. “It was too much, too soon. It wasn’t fair to put all that on you when you didn’t know what it meant to us.”

  Amy shook her head emphatically. She needed to make sure he understood, that he would give her the chance to make things right with his daughter. “I may not owe you anything, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to give it to you. Please, would you just bring Olivia by my house after school? I have something planned that I think may help.”

  Trent thought about this for a moment before nodding slowly. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what you have planned.”

  Amy smiled, and much to her delight Trent did, too.

  “No,” she told him. “Because it’s a surprise.”

  Chapter 47

  Amy came home to a quiet house a few hours after she’d first left it. Bridget was there, but not a single dog was in sight. Well, except for Darwin, who snoozed in his favorite spot beside the couch.

  “Hey. Welcome home,” Bridget said as she fluttered about the room. “Guess what? The shelter was happy to look after the dogs for a few days, and last night I stayed up late making a list of buildings that rent to people with large dogs. I’m going to go check them out after we finish here.”

  Amy had to admit her friend seemed perfectly fine despite being evicted from Amy’s house within forty-eight hours of losing her apartment. “What are we doing here?” she asked as she glanced about the house. It was nothing like how’d she left it—in a good way.

  Bridget shook her head as if the answer should have been obvious. “Cleaning up my giant mess, of course. I’m sorry it got so bad.”

  Amy sighed with relief. Everything was falling back into place, and all it had needed was a tiny nudge from her. “Thank you, B.”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Bridget warned, wagging her finger. “We still have a lot to do so that the place is spic-and-span and ready for your big night with Olivia. Speaking of, did Trent agree?”

  Amy couldn’t hide the giant smile that spread across her face at the mention of her two dear friends. “He did.”

  Bridget squealed and gave her friend a big hug. “Yay, I knew he would! That’s why Hazel is already on her way. I texted her when I saw you pull up.”

  “Hazel? Why? Is she going to help clean up, too?”

  “We’ll put lights here, drapes there, garlands, beaded curtains, the works!” Amy giggled as her friend zipped around the room, pointing here and there as she explained her big plan—it seemed she had a grand gesture of her own for that day as well.

  “You said Olivia loves Tinker Bell, so Hazel and I are going to help you transform this place into a fairy garden for tonight. It’ll be magical,” Bridget concluded, making jazz hands to emphasize her point.

  Hazel showed up shortly after Bridget had finished explaining everything, and together the three friends turned Amy’s house into a whimsical wonderland. She hadn’t planned anything so fancy for Olivia herself, but she knew the little girl would be charmed, nonetheless. It just went to show that they were stronger together, that Amy was one of a very special foursome. When everyone did their part, they really could create magic.

  Trent stopped by around five thirty as promised. “Olivia, look how pretty everything is,” he cried, squeezing his daughter tight.

  Olivia didn’t smile as she took in the enchanting surroundings, but that was okay. Amy already knew she had to earn the little girl’s trust again. “
Can you come by again in a couple hours?” she asked Trent almost immediately after saying hello. “That should give us enough time for what I have planned.”

  Trent hugged and kissed his daughter goodbye. “You be good, goober,” he said before disappearing back the way they’d come.

  “Thanks for coming to visit me today,” Amy told Olivia, now that they were alone.

  Olivia didn’t respond, but Amy had prepared herself for that. “Darwin,” she called. “C’mere, boy. Our good friend Olivia is here!”

  Her dog came running and stood with his front paws on Olivia’s waist, begging to be petted. Liv acquiesced with a smile and gave Darwin slow, gentle strokes while Amy watched quietly nearby.

  “Your dad told me about the surprise you had for me at the airport. I’m so sorry I missed it. I really appreciate your sharing something so special with me, especially because I know it’s an important memory you have of your mom. I lost my mom, too, right about the same time you lost yours. I miss her every day, but you know what?”

  Olivia didn’t say anything, but she did shift her eyes up to look at Amy.

  Encouraged that her plan seemed to be off to a good start, Amy continued. “It’s okay to miss the people we love, but it’s also okay to make new memories. I know my mom wants me to be happy, and I bet yours does, too. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to share something special I used to do with my mom. I promise it’s really yummy. Will you come to the kitchen with me?”

  Olivia nodded and followed Amy to the kitchen, where she already had the ingredients laid out and matching aprons for both of them.

  Amy handed the smaller apron to Olivia, then tied the big one around her own waist. “When I’m baking, I feel close to my mom. She and I used to make all kinds of tasty treats together, and I’m proud to say that she taught me everything I know. Tonight, I want to teach you the very first recipe I learned to make all on my own, and then when you go home, maybe you can surprise your dad later by making it for him. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Olivia mumbled, already eyeing the counter curiously.

  “I’ll walk you through everything step-by-step as we go, so I’ll be talking a lot,” Amy continued, watching Olivia closely to monitor her reaction. “While we work, I’ll share some of my favorite memories about my mom, and if you’d like to, you can tell me about your mom, too. I hear she was a very funny and kind person.”

  Olivia now wore a lopsided grin as Amy directed her toward a step stool she’d purchased just for this purpose.

  “I know you’re already pretty tall, but standing on this will help you to see everything even better.”

  Olivia climbed up, and Amy set the large mixing bowl before her.

  “Today, we’re going to be making buckeyes. Like I said, it’s the first recipe my mom taught me to make on my own, so it’s really special to me. It’s also really yummy, kind of like a peanut butter cup, but even better. Which means the first thing we need is peanut butter.”

  She handed the jar and a spatula to the little girl and asked, “Can you measure out one and a half cups for me, please?”

  Amy’s little helper scooped out the peanut butter carefully until she had the right amount and then plopped it into the mixing bowl.

  “Next, cream cheese,” Amy announced, handing Olivia the large, unopened package. “Open it up and throw the whole thing in there.”

  While Olivia worked on that, Amy shared the first of many memories. “When my mom and I baked together, sometimes we would put on music and dance.” She laughed as she thought back to all those times. “Mom was a terrible dancer, but she still loved doing it, anyway. I loved that about her, that she didn’t care whether or not she had two left feet. She loved dancing, and so she danced. You’ve got all that cream cheese in there now? Awesome. Let’s add the butter next. We need half a pound of that.”

  When it came time to add the powdered sugar to the mix, Olivia still hadn’t said anything, so Amy decided to give her a gentle nudge. “I really hope you’ll like the buckeyes. I’m pretty sure you will. I mean, I do. My mom’s favorite dessert was always frosted sugar cookies, though. We made them all the time, and she let me decorate them however I wanted. What was your mom’s favorite dessert?”

  “Chocolate cake,” Olivia answered with a smile. “It’s mine, too.”

  “Ohh, good choice,” Amy replied with enthusiasm. “I bet you’re really going to like this next step, because it involves lots and lots of chocolate.”

  Olivia giggled when Amy held up two giant bags of bittersweet chocolate chips and made a silly face. And just like that, the wall between them came crashing down.

  They worked together to finish preparing the filling and rolled the dough into tiny balls to chill in the refrigerator. As they did, they took turns sharing stories about their mothers.

  And when they were through, they even took some time to dance around the kitchen.

  Chapter 48

  While waiting for the buckeyes to chill, Amy decided to talk to her young helper about something a little more serious. “You know, your daddy is a really smart guy,” she said as a way of casually transitioning into the topic. “He taught me something that’s really helped me. Do you know what that is?”

  Olivia sighed and recited the words she already knew so well. “Say what you need, no apologizing.” She’d probably heard Trent’s motto so many times that she no longer ascribed any meaning to it.

  “That’s right.” Amy poked her playfully, and they both giggled. “But you know what? I think he left out something important.”

  “What?” Olivia asked, sitting up straighter on the couch as lights twinkled all around the room.

  “He was right about saying what you need, but you should also say what you feel, no apologies,” Amy revealed as the strands of holiday lights shifted from blue to red. “When you get upset and stop talking, it can be hard to feel better, because the people who love you have a hard time helping then.”

  “Like Daddy?” the little girl asked, twisting her fingers in her lap.

  Amy nodded. “And me, too.”

  Olivia widened her eyes but didn’t say anything.

  Amy chuckled and gave her another poke. “There you go, being all quiet again, but it’s really true. I’m pretty sure you’re my favorite student in class. Ever. Your mom was really lucky to have a daughter as great as you.”

  Olivia surged forward and wrapped her arms around Amy. “I feel really lucky to have a teacher like you, Ms. Shannon.”

  “Hey, we’re friends,” Amy said, loving the feel of the sweet child in her arms. “So, you can call me Amy if you want. Just not at school, okay?”

  Olivia nodded eagerly and made the lip-zipping motion by dragging her hand across her face.

  “I have one more favor to ask you, too. I also really care about your dad. Would it be okay with you if he and I kept being friends, too?”

  Olivia raised both eyebrows and tilted her head. “Just friends, Amy?”

  Amy laughed. “Okay, you got me. I kind of have a crush on him.”

  “That’s okay,” Olivia shot back. “Because I know he has a crush on you, too.”

  “Really?” Amy asked, pretending to be surprised while also hoping that Olivia’s words were still true. It felt so good to have Olivia’s approval, to truly work toward healing their pain rather than simply glossing over them. “Hey, the buckeyes should be ready now. Let’s go do a quick taste test before your dad gets here.”

  They raced each other into the kitchen, and Olivia won by a hair, which meant she got first pick from the tray of buckeyes. She plucked the biggest one of the lot and took a giant bite while Amy settled for something slightly smaller. They’d both just finished their second decadent chocolate-peanut butter treat when Trent returned and let himself in.

  “I’m back!” he called, following their giggles into the kitchen.

  Olivia ran to her daddy and motioned for him to bend down so she could pop one of the sweet buckeyes into his mouth.
Given their generous size, this, of course, was one very big bite.

  Trent chewed animatedly, making yummy noises until at last he was able to speak again. “Those are so good. Did you help make them?”

  “I did,” Olivia said proudly as she twirled back and forth. “And we danced and shared stories, and Ms. Shannon says I can call her Amy now. Oh, but not at school.”

  “Sounds like you had a great time, kiddo,” Trent said, shooting Amy a quick but hesitant smile. “Are you ready to go home?”

  “Not yet,” Amy said, because she now knew how to state what she needed, too. “I have a present for Olivia first, and I was also hoping you and I could have some tea before you go.” She reached into the uppermost cabinet and took out a present, complete with Tinker Bell wrapping paper and a glittery bow.

  “Wow! Thank you,” Olivia exclaimed, tearing right in. Her eyes lit when she saw the new book waiting inside. It had a black Lab, just like Jet, on the front cover.

  “Can I go read it now?” the little girl begged.

  “Yup, back to the enchanted garden you go. I need a little bit of time alone with your dad. Okay?”

  “Okay!” Olivia shouted as she raced away without a second glance.

  “It looks like you really worked your magic on her,” Trent said with a chuckle. “Seriously, thank you.”

  “Not magic, just honesty.” Amy set her shiny new kettle on the stove, then took two bold steps forward until she and Trent were within arm’s reach of each other. “And now I want to be honest with you, too.”

  Trent hesitated, but didn’t step back, didn’t turn away.

  “Okay, so hear me out,” she began, keeping her eyes locked on his the whole time. “And before you say anything, just know that I got Olivia’s permission first.”

  He gulped and nodded. “Go ahead.”

  “What happened with meeting you at the airport was awful, and I’m so sorry I let you both down. But that’s not a reason to give up on what we have. I made a mistake, and I’ll make more mistakes in the future, too. But I’ll also keep trying my best each and every day to be the absolute best version of myself for you and Olivia. We still have a lot of healing to do, but we can do it together. We can talk through our losses, just like Olivia and I did tonight. We need to say what we need and also what we feel with no apologies.”