“Well, I could use some moisturizer,” admitted Louise.
“And there's no harm in helping Belle out,” said Alice as she rinsed a plate. “She seems like a nice person.”
“Aunt Ethel certainly is taken with her.” Louise chuckled as she put a soup bowl in the dishwasher.
Before long, they were all gathered around the dining-room table again. Only, this time, the table looked much different. Laid out on it were pink trays and pink washcloths and mirrors with pink frames and pink packages—pink, pink, pink.
Belle started with an explanation of the basics of good skin care.
“It seems a little complicated,” said Alice.
Belle giggled. “Well, I suppose it might seem that way at first, sugar, but it's really simple.” She held up a hand with five fingers extended. “There are five basic steps: cleansing, exfoliation, toning, moisturizing and protection.” She grinned. “Now, say it with me, girls.” So they all repeated the steps, and soon Belle was helping them to apply varied products to their faces.
“Oh, there goes the oven timer,” Jane said after Belle had just lathered some kind of minty cream all over her face. “I better go take out those butterscotch squares.”
“Yummy!” said Belle. “I thought I smelled something good.”
Ethel pointed at Jane and chuckled. “It's a good thing you don't have any unexpected visitors, dear.”
Jane immediately thought of the letter she'd received from Justin. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you'd scare them away with that green face of yours.”
Jane laughed as she caught her weird image in the mirror above the sideboard. “Well, yes, I suppose I would.”
In the kitchen, Jane removed the hot pan from the oven and filled the teakettle with water, then turned up the flame beneath it. She thought about how nervous she'd felt when Ethel mentioned visitors. Was she worried about Justin and his less-than-welcome visit? What would it matter so much if he showed up here in a week or so? Was she concerned over what her family thought of her ex-husband? He was no longer a part of her life. Why should his visit trouble her in the least? But, the truth was, it did. And sooner or later, she'd need to let her family know.
“Come on back in here, Jane,” called Belle into the kitchen. “We don't want that mask drying hard as plaster on your face.”
Jane returned and sat patiently as Belle carefully removed the mask. And, surprisingly, Jane's face did feel refreshed. “That's nice,” said Jane as she patted her cheek.
“You have such lovely skin, Jane,” gushed Belle. “You really should take better care of it.”
“I'm always telling her that,” said Ethel. “She spends a lot of time out in the sun when she's gardening, and half of the time she forgets to wear her hat.”
“But surely you wear sunscreen?” asked Belle as she wiped something cool and refreshing across Jane's forehead.
“Uh, sometimes.”
“Jane, Jane, Jane,” scolded Belle. “You must always wear sunscreen, sugar. You'll be a wrinkled old prune before you turn fifty.”
Jane giggled.
“What's so funny?” asked Belle.
“She's already hit that milestone,” Alice pointed out.
Belle smiled at Jane. “Well, you could easily pass for much younger than that, especially if you took better care of your skin.”
“Belle was telling me more about her dream,” said Ethel in a serious voice. “I find it very interesting.”
Jane turned to her aunt, whose face now was covered with something that looked like pink frosting, and laughed.
“You find her dream humorous, Jane?” Ethel's voice had a scolding tone as she cocked her head to one side.
“No,” said Jane, recovering. “I think you are humorous, Auntie. You look like someone pushed your face into a little girl's birthday cake.”
“Oh.” Ethel leaned over to peer into the little mirror in front of her. “Well, now I do, don't I?”
“And I wouldn't blame y'all for laughing at my dream,” said Belle as she helped Louise to apply her facial mask. “I'm sure it must sound perfectly ridiculous to some folks.”
“Not at all,” said Ethel. “I think it's rather charming. And I have decided to partner with you in it.”
“Really?” Belle stopped wiping the goop on Louise's face. “How do you mean?”
“Well, I know almost everyone in Acorn Hill. I don't know if my nieces mentioned that the mayor and I are on, shall we say, very good terms. And because I am rather well respected in this town, I just thought I'd be the perfect person to introduce you around, Belle. Take you under my wing, so to speak.”
“You'd do that for me?” Belle set down the pink tube of white mask she'd been using on Louise, whose face now resembled that of a mime, and rushed over to put her arms around Ethel's shoulders, giving her a big squeeze. “Well, bless your heart. Thank you so much!”
“It'll be my pleasure,” said Aunt Ethel. “As well as introducing you to our eligible bachelors, I can also introduce you to some women friends who might be interested in your beauty products.” She chuckled. “Besides my three nieces here, there are plenty of ladies in our fair town who could use some professional assistance in the beauty department.”
Jane rolled her eyes. Luckily, Ethel missed seeing her, but Alice hid a giggle with a cough and winked at Jane.
“Perhaps you can introduce Belle to Betty Dunkle,” Alice suggested.
“Good thinking,” said Ethel.
“Betty's a hairdresser,” said Alice. “She has a shop called Clip 'n' Curl.”
“Oh, I'd love to meet her.”
“I think Belle is going to be right at home in our town,” said Ethel.
“So what are your plans, exactly?” inquired Louise.
“Well, first of all, I have to meet Mr. Right,” said Belle as she helped Alice to apply some toner. “That's my top priority.”
“But what if he's not here?” asked Jane.
Belle laughed. “Of course, he's here. Just like in my dream. He has to be.”
“But how can you be so sure?” asked Louise.
“Because, so far, everything is happening just like my dream. I dreamed I drove into a sweet little town in Pennsylvania, and here I am, just like my dream. I dreamed that I would be helped to find my way. Then I stopped in the Coffee Shop to inquire about a hotel, and a nice waitress named Hope gave me directions. Just like in my dream.”
“Hope Collins,” said Alice. “She's a lovely person.”
“And she could probably use some beauty help,” added Ethel. “The last time I spoke to her she was considering dying her hair blonde again. Tsk-tsk. Someone should give that girl some advice.”
“So, you can see,” said Belle. “My dream really does seem to be coming true.”
“So, let's say you do meet Mr. Right,” said Jane. “What's next?”
“We get married, of course.” Belle laughed.
“When?” asked Ethel.
“The first Saturday in June,” said Belle dreamily.
“You are planning to be married less than three weeks from now?” asked Louise.
Belle nodded as she helped Ethel to remove her pink mask. “Yes. I have a complete plan.”
“My goodness,” said Ethel. “That seems rather unrealistic.”
“Yes. I hadn't planned to mention that part just yet. But really, I have it all worked out in my head.”
“Exactly where will this particular wedding be held?” asked Louise in a tight voice.
Belle grinned. “I sort of hoped that it might be held right here at the inn. The reception anyway. I'd really love to be married in a church.”
“Grace Chapel is a very nice church to be married in,” offered Alice.
“You can't be serious, Belle,” said Jane.
Belle laughed. “You see, I knew I should be careful about saying too much. Just like some of the people in the Bible—you know the ones that God gave dreams to—well, some folks thought
they were crazy too. But just you wait, time will tell.”
“I guess so,” said Jane in a tone that suggested she was unconvinced. She stood, forcing a smile. “I'll get our refreshments.” But as she went into the kitchen, she began to think that their guest was more than a little off her rocker. How could Belle possibly imagine that she was going to meet Mr. Right and have a wedding, just like that? It was completely crazy.
After they had all tried many of Belle's beauty products, Jane said, “Thank you, Belle, I really like the way my skin feels—softer and smoother.” She refilled their guest's teacup. “I think I'd like to purchase some of these things.”
“Oh, goody,” said Belle. “But we're not done yet.”
“We're not?” asked Louise with a touch of dismay in her voice.
“Of course not.” Belle opened up another one of her pink cases, unfolding the sides and back to display a wide array of what appeared to be all sorts of cosmetics. “Now, girls, it's time to get glamorous.”
“Oh yes,” said Ethel happily. “This should be fun.”
Louise cleared her throat. “I don't care much for makeup. A little lipstick in a neutral shade perhaps, but that's more than enough—”
“No, no,” scolded Belle. “You have to at least try them, Louise.”
And before anyone else could protest, Belle began helping them to apply everything from Wrinkle Away concealer to Marvelous Mauve eye shadow. They tried out lip colors and blushes and eyebrow pencils and the works. And when they were finished, they all looked overdone except for Ethel, who looked very nice.
“Well, this is too much makeup for me,” admitted Alice as she peered at her image in the mirror. “But it has been fun, Belle. And I do think I like this lip color.”
“Yes,” said Belle. “It's lovely with your complexion.”
“I'd like to order some,” continued Alice, “along with that moisturizer and facial mask.”
“I'm more than happy to help you,” said Belle.
“Goodness, it's getting late,” said Ethel as she checked her watch.
Louise looked to be stifling a yawn. “It is, indeed.”
“I'll tell you what we can do,” said Belle. “I've got lists of everything you've used tonight, I'll attach those to an order form for each of you, and you can just sleep on it. Look everything over tomorrow and let me know if you're interested in ordering something. More than anything, I don't like to come across as some high-pressured salesperson. Beauty should be fun.”
They all thanked her, and she reminded them to carefully cleanse their faces before bed. “Now, y'all just go on,” she called out. “I'll clean up in here so that no one will ever know that I was even here.”
Alice and Jane picked up the tea trays and took them to the kitchen, where Jane studied Alice's made-up face.
“Do I look bad?” whispered Alice.
“I really like the lipstick, but the rest of the makeup is a bit heavy for you,” Jane said as she directed her sister to a small mirror that hung by the back door.
Alice chuckled quietly. “Can you imagine the reaction I'd get if I showed up at the hospital looking like this?”
“I don't know,” Jane said, grinning. “You might catch the attention of one of your available male patients. Maybe you could get yourself engaged by tomorrow and then tie the knot in a week or two. Why, you could beat Belle to the altar.”
“Oh, Jane.” Alice shook her finger at her. “Don't be such a cynic.”
“Well, you have to admit that getting engaged and married in less than three weeks sounds pretty far-fetched.”
Alice shrugged. “But don't forget, Jane: God does work in mysterious ways.”
Jane felt guilty as she rinsed the china teapot. Maybe Alice was right. She supposed it could be possible that God gave Belle that peculiar dream. Still, it seemed strange. Then again, Jane realized it wasn't her place to second-guess God's ways or to cast judgments on guests.
Chapter Four
For the first time in ages, Jane decided to get up early Thursday morning, lace up her jogging shoes and take a short run before starting breakfast. Going running was a real test of her will because it was still gloomy and chilly out. But she suspected that part of her recent slump was as much a result of a lack of exercise as a lack of sunshine. Still, it was hard to force herself out into the dull gray dawn. Once again, although the temperature seemed warmer, it looked like rain. She was just finishing her run, only a block away from the inn, when she noticed a familiar figure strolling up ahead. Tall and slender, with short dark hair and dressed in casual gray slacks and a navy pullover sweater, the man was easily discernable to Jane as the pastor of Grace Chapel.
“Hello, Kenneth,” she called as she slowed her pace to walk beside him.
“Morning, Jane,” he said, a smile crinkling his hazel eyes. “Did you have a good run?”
“Yes, thanks,” she said breathlessly. “I'm afraid I've gotten out of shape. I haven't run in weeks.”
“Well, congratulations to you for getting back to it. That takes discipline.”
“What are you doing out this early?”
“Last night, Henry Ley called me. My faithful associate pastor was worried that there might be some water seepage going on at the church.” Kenneth chuckled. “Consequently, I woke up in the middle of the night after a bad dream in which I was wearing my hip waders to make my way up to the pulpit to preach on Sunday. The sanctuary was like an indoor swimming pool, and I found myself thigh high in murky water where there were actually a couple of fish swimming around. I should've had my rod handy.”
Jane laughed.
“It bothered me enough that I decided to take an early morning walk to investigate.”
“I hope it's nothing too serious.” Jane glanced toward the chapel, which appeared high and dry to her. “It has been an awfully wet spring.”
“Wet and cold,” said Kenneth, “but I heard that's going to change soon.”
“I sure hope so.”
“I also heard this foul weather has hurt your business.” They paused in front of the inn. “Louise told me she'd had more cancellations and that it's pretty quiet this week.” Then he smiled. “But maybe you ladies need a little break. And I suppose that means you're off the hook for cooking one of your big, delightful breakfasts this morning.”
“Not completely off the hook. We got an unexpected guest yesterday. In fact, if you feel hungry after checking out the church—which, I hope, has not converted itself into a swimming pool—stop in and join us.”
He grinned. “That's an offer that's hard to resist.”
“Good,” she called as she jogged up to the house. Then she went upstairs, took a quick shower, dressed and went down to her kitchen to put together a breakfast that was probably more for Kenneth than Belle. She knew how their pastor, being single, appreciated good home cooking. She also knew that if the church was in need of any serious water-damage repairs, he'd probably need a little encouragement as well.
“Good morning,” said Alice as she joined Jane in the kitchen.
“You're up early,” observed Jane as she stirred waffle batter. “I thought this was your day off.”
“There's a staff meeting at the hospital that I need to attend.”
Jane shook her head. “That doesn't seem fair, making you come in on your day off.”
Alice laughed. “Oh, I don't mind. I don't have to wear my uniform, and I get to come home as soon as it's over. The other nurses will probably wish they were in my shoes.”
“The teakettle's hot.”
Alice brewed herself a cup of green tea and sat down at the table. Wendell leaped into her lap. “Silly old cat,” she said as she petted him.
“Ever since I started the bacon cooking, he's been begging.”
“Now, Wendell,” warned Alice, “you need to be watching your waistline.”
“Exactly what I told him.”
“It looks like you're making a rather big breakfast for just one guest,” ob
served Alice.
“Oh, I saw Kenneth a bit ago. I invited him to stop in for some nourishment.” Then she told Alice about his nightmare.
Alice chuckled. “You know, I wouldn't be surprised if some water may have leaked in. I remember a time, years ago, when we had the same sort of odd weather with this freezing and raining. Some cracks in the foundation had frozen and thawed, allowing groundwater to seep into the church basement. Father fixed the damage himself, and once the weather cleared up, we never had problems like that again.”
“So, no swimming pool in the sanctuary then?”
“Goodness, no.”
Jane turned on the waffle iron. “Do you have time for breakfast, Alice?”
“No, I should get going in a few minutes. Besides, they usually bring in all sorts of food for our meetings—sort of an incentive to come, I think.” Alice got a curious expression as she peered at Jane over her tea. “You seem to be feeling better, Jane,” she said.
Jane shrugged. “Well, I did force myself to run this morning. That probably helps with my somber spirits. They do say that exercise produces endorphins, and endorphins are supposed to make us happier people.”
Alice nodded but still looked curious. Jane suspected this was because of the letter Alice put in Jane's room yesterday. Jane wasn't sure she wanted to discuss her dilemma yet. Part of her wanted to believe that it wasn't going to happen, that it was all only her imagination. Or perhaps Justin had changed his mind about coming by now.
“Well, I suppose I should get moving,” said Alice as she stood and placed her cup in the sink. “I'll see you in a couple of hours.”
Alice had barely left when Jane heard someone tapping on the back door. She was just pouring batter into the hot waffle iron and couldn't go open it. Thinking it was Kenneth, she called out for him to let himself in.
“Jane,” called a hoarse-sounding female voice.
Jane closed the waffle iron onto the batter and turned to see who was there. But the puffy red nose poking through the cracked open door looked unfamiliar. She walked over to see more clearly.
“It's me,” hissed the voice. “Aunt Ethel. But don't look at me, Jane. I am perfectly hideous.”
Memories from Acorn Hill Page 23
