“We didn’t have Jane then,” said Alice. “She’s the cook in the family.”
“Speaking of cooks,” whispered Patsy, “you sure you’ll have enough food? I brought a ham, but I could run home and get something else if you think—”
“No, no, Patsy,” said Alice. “You just stay put.” She turned to Pastor Ley now. “I was just reminding Aunt Ethel of the loaves and fishes. I told her I’d ask you to say a special blessing.”
He grinned. “I’d be h-happy to invite the Good Lord to help us out.”
Alice had already asked Lloyd Tynan to use his public speaking ability to get the crowd’s attention, perhaps tell a few jokes and invite everyone to take their seats before he gave them an official welcome.
“We thank you all for coming,” said Lloyd in his authoritative voice after the guests had been seated. “It’s a pleasure to see you all here today. We had no idea we’d have such a fine group.” He glanced toward the kitchen. “Maybe this will become a Grace Chapel tradition, although we better not mention this to the cooks just yet as it seems they have their hands full.” This brought a few laughs. “Now, I’d like to ask Pastor Ley to say grace.”
Pastor Ley nodded and bowed his head. “Dear heavenly F-father, we gather here today to give You th-thanks. We have so m-much to be th-thankful for … for our family and f-friends and community … for all this f-fine food and the hands that prepared it today. And we ask You to b-bless it—in the same way You b-blessed those loaves and f-fishes so many centuries ago. We ask that we m-might all leave this p-place f-filled with good food and good f-fellowship. Amen.”
A hearty “amen” echoed throughout the basement. It wasn’t long before everyone had a full plate of turkey, dressing, potatoes and gravy. Meanwhile, the ANGEL servers skittered about the tables bringing additional baskets of rolls, salads and a variety of other side dishes.
Louise and Alice finally took seats near Aunt Ethel and Lloyd and the Humberts, but Jane insisted upon staying in the kitchen.
“It’s just my way,” she had assured them. “I can’t relax and eat until all of my customers—I mean guests—have eaten their last bite of dessert.”
“Everything is delicious,” said Vera.
Fred nodded. “I guess if we couldn’t have Polly and Jean at home, this is the next best thing.”
“Church should be like an extended family,” said Louise. “I never really experienced that with our large congregation back in Philadelphia, but I’ve always felt that way here at home.”
“Acorn Hill is just that kind of town,” said Lloyd. “It makes you feel right at home.”
“It sure does,” said Jim Sharp from the other end of the table. “I’ve only been here three months and I feel like I know half the people in town already.”
“You probably do,” said Lloyd. “It only takes a week or two.”
Aunt Ethel laughed. “We always tell newcomers to hang out at the hardware store if you want to get acquainted with folks.”
“Thanks,” said Fred. “I appreciate the business.”
“It’s true,” said Lloyd. “Sooner or later, everyone in Acorn Hill goes into the hardware store.”
“You got that right,” said Jim. “I should know since I’ve been in there almost every single day these past two months.”
“How’s the renovation coming along?” asked Lloyd as he helped himself to another roll. “I haven’t been by for a while. You got that roof replaced yet?”
Jim shook his head. “Afraid we’ll have to wait until spring now that the cold weather’s set in.”
“Bet that’s going to be one expensive little job,” said Lloyd, blowing a low whistle through his teeth.
Louise nodded. “Don’t we know it, but we can’t very well run a first-rate inn with the rain coming down through the roof, now can we?”
“Daniel was lucky it held up this long,” said Aunt Ethel. “I think that roof’s about as old as the house.”
Jim nodded. “Yep. Some of the worst sections of slate have been replaced over the years, but most of it’s in pretty bad shape.”
“I’ve been wondering about the church’s roof too,” said Fred. “I expect it won’t be long before it’ll need replacing too. Now, that’s going to be an expensive job.”
Alice felt uncomfortable with all this talk of repairs and money. “How are your girls doing, Vera?” she asked. “Does Polly like college?”
“She was pretty homesick, you know, but then she made a good friend. That’s who she went home with for the weekend. The girl’s family lives in Connecticut. And, of course, Jean went home to meet her boyfriend’s family. We’re not too sure what to make of that just yet.” She gently elbowed her husband.
Fred made a groaning noise and shook his head. “I told those girls I didn’t want them to even think about getting married before they graduated from college and found themselves a decent-paying job.”
Alice laughed. “Doesn’t always work out that way, Fred.”
“That’s right,” Vera reminded him. “Remember we got married during my second year of college.”
“At least you finished up your degree,” said Fred. “And you started teaching just as soon as you graduated.”
“So will Polly and Jean,” she assured him.
Alice checked from time to time to see how the food was holding out. There was still plenty for everyone. And they hadn’t even brought out the desserts yet! Jane was in her element, and the compliments were flowing fast.
When it was all said and done, and everyone was as well stuffed as the turkeys had been, there were still leftovers. Alice felt certain that there must have been at least twelve baskets full! She asked Lloyd to announce that everyone was welcome to take leftovers home with them if they liked, and most of their guests happily obliged them.
Louise played piano while dessert and coffee were served, and most of the people sat around and visited for at least another hour. Then when it was time to clean up, several of the guests insisted that Jane should sit down while they commandeered the kitchen. Jane didn’t protest and Alice made sure that the ANGELs brought Jane everything she wanted as she sat with her sister.
“That was a beautiful meal,” she told Jane as she sipped a cup of hot tea.
“Thanks, but it was only partly due to my efforts.” Jane took a bite of yams. “For instance, I didn’t make these, but they’re really good.” She glanced around the slowly thinning room. “A lot of people must’ve brought food with them today.”
Alice smiled. “Good thing too.”
Jane nodded. “Great thing!”
“I honestly believe God blessed our food too,” said Alice. “Just like the loaves and fishes. We had a lot of people to feed.”
“I have no doubt about that either.” Jane forked a tender-looking piece of turkey and smiled.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I took a quick inventory before the dinner ever started. After all these years, I’m no fool when it comes to calculating amounts of food against the appetites of my customers, Alice. I have to admit I was honestly worried that we’d run out of turkey before all of our guests had even been served once.”
“But there was plenty—enough for seconds.”
Jane nodded with wide eyes. “I know. It was truly amazing.”
“A miracle, do you think?”
“Oh, I don’t know.”
Alice sighed. “Well, I like to imagine Father up there in heaven, Jane. I envision him looking down on us and seeing we’re in trouble. Then he turns around and says to God, ‘Could You give them a hand down there?’”
Jane laughed. “You think?”
Chapter Twenty
Every day felt like Christmas to Alice once the hardwood floors were finally refinished, and since it was December this seemed entirely appropriate. It got so that she expected a new surprise each evening when she came home from work. It had started with the dining room during the first week of December. Jane finished painting the walls, then s
he and Louise spent the rest of the day putting the room back together. The results were amazing.
Alice actually gasped when she saw the rich dark mahogany wainscoting and trim contrasted against the upper walls, freshly painted a soothing tone of pale green. The golden wood floor seemed to glow with life and the old Queen Anne style dining room furniture looked better than new with its chair seats recovered in a subtle pale green and ivory damask.
“Did you do the chair seats?” Alice asked Jane.
“Louise helped me,” said Jane with a wide grin.
“I now know how to wield a staple gun,” said Louise proudly.
“Wow.” Alice looked at the ivory lace panels that hung from the windows. “Lace?” She eyed Jane curiously. “You actually allowed lace?”
Jane nodded. “A few well-chosen pieces of lace can be quite charming.”
“I talked her into it,” said Louise with a childlike excitement. “These were panels from my old house in Philadelphia. Handmade in Scotland.”
“I wasn’t too excited about the idea at first,” admitted Jane. “Then Louise pulled out those absolutely gorgeous pieces of lace. How could I refuse?”
“They fit perfectly.” Louise smiled.
“And your rug, Louise,” said Alice as she admired the ivory-colored rug with its delicate floral border. “It’s absolutely wonderful in here.”
“Isn’t it grand?”
“You’ve even done a flower arrangement,” said Alice as she went to examine the delicate flowers and crystal vase. “Just like in the book.”
“Actually, Craig Tracy from Wild Things helped me with that,” said Jane.
Alice bent to smell the lilies.
“He really knows his flowers,” said Jane. “He even promised to help me with a cutting garden out back. He’s got all kinds of seeds, and he said if I’m a good enough gardener, he might even buy blooms from me for his shop. I’m already starting a few seedlings in the sunroom.”
“So.” Louise folded her arms across her front. “What do you think of our first finished room, Alice?”
“I think it’s absolutely beautiful, of course.” Alice shook her head. “Far better than I’d ever imagined.”
“Don’t you think Mother would’ve loved this?” Louise’s eyes were bright.
“Most definitely. It even goes with her fine china.”
“I just put those on the sideboard for fun,” said Jane. “I don’t plan to actually use them for the inn. We’ll need something more practical and dishwasher safe.”
“But pretty,” added Louise.
Jane nodded. “Yes. Maybe something in a celadon green. That would go well with the walls and it usually looks nice with most kinds of food.”
“I think the cook should get to pick the dishes,” said Alice.
“With approval,” added Louise.
“I’m not sure about this table,” said Jane. “I know we can add the leaves and seat up to twelve people but I was wondering about fitting several smaller tables in here instead. So people could dine in groups. But we’d still use these chairs.”
“Do you think we could fit several tables in here?” asked Alice.
Jane studied the room. “I’m not sure.”
“I like the idea of everyone eating at the same table,” said Louise. “Sort of like inns in the old days. You get to know people that way. Remember how much fun everyone had at our Thanksgiving dinner, seated at those long tables? I can just imagine everyone sitting around here and chatting over one of Jane’s fabulous breakfasts.”
“You’re right,” said Alice.
“Well, maybe that’s what we’ll do for starters,” agreed Jane. “It might be fun.”
Then Jane started working on her kitchen. One day Alice came home to discover new black and white checkerboard tiles on the floor. They were bright and lively and fun.
“This is cheerful,” she told Jane.
“Louise isn’t too sure about it,” said Jane. “I told her not to judge it until I’m all done in here.”
“Well, it’s your kitchen,” said Alice. “I think it’s important that you feel comfortable in here.”
By the end of the week, Jane had painted the old wooden cabinets a bright paprika color and had glued several rows of colorful tiles along the backsplash. “It gives it a more contemporary feel, don’t you think, Alice?”
Alice smiled. “Yes, but it’s sort of old-fashioned too. Those tiles remind me of an Amish quilt.”
“Exactly.” Jane pointed to the wrought iron pot rack, loaded with all sorts of pots. “What do you think of this?”
“I like it.” Alice ran her hand over the old maple countertops. “I’m glad you left the original butcher block.”
Jane nodded. “That’s one of the best features of this kitchen—that and the big soapstone sink. I would never change those things.” She pointed to the old cookstove. “That, however, has got to go. I’ve already ordered a beauty. It should be here before Christmas. Stainless steel with eight burners. Amazingly, it’s exactly the right size for the space.”
“Well, that old stove’s huge.” Alice glanced at their refrigerator. It hadn’t been replaced since the fifties. “What about that dinosaur?”
Jane laughed. “It’s history. I’ve got a Sub-Zero coming too, as well as an industrial-strength dishwasher. You can’t even get a permit to run a restaurant without one of those things.”
“Expensive?” asked Alice.
Jane nodded. “We can be thankful that Louise, or rather Eliot, was such a good investor.”
“Are you talking about me again?” Louise came in to join them.
“I was just showing Alice my latest improvements,” said Jane.
“What do you think of it, Louise?” asked Alice.
“Well, I must admit that the cabinet color feels warm and cozy.” Louise glanced around the kitchen. “And those tiles are growing on me. The new floor looks much better with everything else in place.”
“Did you see my curtains?” asked Jane as she pointed out the neat linen panels trimmed with stripes of red, blue and green that matched the colors of the wall tiles.
“Those are cute,” said Alice. “Where did you get them?”
“I made them from some dish towels I found in a catalog.”
“Dish towels?” Louise stepped closer to see. “My word, she did. Why, Jane, you are such a clever girl.”
“Well, I just totally love it in here now,” said Jane. “It makes me really feel like cooking.”
“It makes me feel like smiling,” said Alice.
Unfortunately the second floor, with the four guest bedrooms, was still quite a mess. Some progress had been made with wallpaper stripping and some of the trim painting had been done, but the hardwood floors still needed refinishing and the plumbing fixtures were in various phases of removal and replacement. Alice tried not to look too hard as she walked past this floor and on up to her bedroom above. It was hard seeing things so torn up. It was some comfort having their private bedrooms now intact. At least she and her sisters always had a place to go when all the other rooms in the house were in a state of chaos, cluttered with ladders and tools and layers of sawdust.
“Now if only the roof can hold out until spring,” said Alice as the three of them sat down to dinner in the festive kitchen.
“I wish Jim could get to it sooner,” said Louise. “What if we have bad snow or freezing this year?”
“Can you imagine what a mess that will make of all our other improvements?” said Jane.
“Well, it would hit the attic first,” said Alice. “I suppose we could put lots of buckets and barrels up there if it does. I had to do that in a couple of spots last winter, although it wasn’t too bad. Come to think of it, I’m sure the buckets are still up there right now.”
“Goodness,” said Louise. “I hope we can hold out.”
“Let’s hope that spring comes early,” said Alice.
“Aunt Ethel stopped by to check on our improvements to
day,” said Jane.
“What did she think of your kitchen?” asked Louise, fork poised in midair.
“She thought I’d made some big mistake. ‘Land sake, this can’t possibly be a color you’d have chosen, Jane,’ she said to me in perfect Aunt Ethel horror.” Jane laughed. “I told her that I picked it out myself, and she said, ‘Why, I thought you were an artist, dear.’ Sheesh!” Jane rolled her eyes. “She really knows how to make a girl feel good.”
“I thought Aunt Ethel liked vibrant colors,” said Alice. “You’ve seen how she dresses.”
Louise shrugged. “Apparently she likes to wear them, but not to decorate with them.”
“Speaking of décor,” said Jane, “some of the wallpapers came today. Louise and I already took a peek, but you might like to see them, Alice.”
Soon dinner was done, and Jane got out the boxes of paper and pulled out several rolls. “Here’s the stripe for the foyer,” she announced as she unrolled a strip of pale gold and ivory stripes and laid it across the dining room table. “Doesn’t this have a lovely sheen to it?”
Alice ran her hand over the smooth paper. “It’s beautiful.”
Louise didn’t look completely satisfied. “I still think I would’ve preferred something with more life to it.”
“Just wait until you see it up,” said Jane. “It’ll be perfect.”
“Are you really going to hang it yourself?” asked Alice.
“I’ve done it before,” said Jane. “But I think I’ll start with one of the smaller projects first, like the parlor. Besides, I may need Jim to help me with the high walls in the foyer.”
“Oh, you must see the parlor paper,” said Louise suddenly. “It’s my favorite one by far.” She reached into a box and dramatically unfurled a roll of paper.
Alice studied the delicate rows of green ivy and pale lavender violets. “It’s pretty,” she said.
“I know it’s not Jane’s first choice,” said Louise. “But I think it goes nicely with the parlor. It has a lovely border that will go around the ceiling.”
Jane shrugged. “It might look better than I expect. If not, you won’t find me hanging out in the parlor much.” She laughed. “Not that I do anyway.”
Back Home Again Page 15
