Evie held out her diamond-sparkled hand. “You are behind the times, Lisa Leann. I am engaged.”
I put my hand to my breast; it was a lovely little diamond. “Bob is a lucky man,” I cooed.
“I’m not engaged to Bob, I’m engaged to Vernon.”
“What!” screeched a voice from behind me.
I turned to see that the voice belonged to the sheriff ’s only daughter. Her face was absolutely white with shock, in contrast to her black sweats. I couldn’t help but think she needed to go shopping for some new duds. Maybe she’d let me take her.
“Oh my,” I said. “Donna, you didn’t know?”
Donna shook her head, and Evie said, “I know he called you.”
Donna narrowed her eyes. “He didn’t leave such news in a message. We were getting together for dinner tonight. I suppose he was going to try to break it to me then.” Donna looked none too happy. She crossed her arms and leaned one hip against the doorjamb. “I can’t believe this.”
Evie took some hesitant steps toward her. “Donna, I’m sorry. But I do love your father.” She hung her head. “Look, I know we haven’t been close over the years.” She extended her hand and said, “What say we bury the hatchet and try to act civilized toward each other?”
Donna blinked. “If you can change your actions toward me, Evie, it will go a long way in changing my mind about you.”
Evie nodded. “Well, I think that’s as good a start as any.”
I clapped my hands with glee. “This is a beautiful moment, girls. God is going to do something big here today. I first felt it in my quiet time this morning. Now, if you’d excuse me, I hear the doorbell.”
When I opened the door to Lizzie and a tall, beautiful woman with long dark hair, I said, “Well, hello!”
Lizzie, wearing a black velvet pantsuit, smiled. “Lisa Leann, I’d like for you to meet my daughter-in-law, Samantha.”
I was thrilled. “This must be Tim’s wife. Why, darlin’, no one told me what a beauty you are. I bet Lizzie’s son is crazy about you.”
Lizzie frowned and tried to signal me to silence, but Samantha loved my words as she practically giggled. “Thank you, Mrs. Lambert.”
Goldie slipped in as we were talking, just as a winter gust made the snowmen on my foyer Christmas tree do a jig. I shut the door quickly behind her.
“Welcome, Goldie, I’m so glad you could make it.”
She looked good. She was still wearing her makeup, just like I had taught her. Good girl.
A few minutes later, after everyone was seated around my beautiful daughter, I made sure they all had a crystal cup full of my red velvet punch. “I’m serving only nuts and mints for now,” I explained as I passed out the napkins and crystal plates. “We don’t want to ruin our lunch.”
Soon, the partygoers were oohing and ahhing over the gifts swathed in pink, yellow, and aqua wrapping paper printed with bunnies and baby rattles.
Some of the presents were charming, like the wee embroidered baby pillow with a smiling sun, from Lizzie. Then there was the sturdy car seat from Vonnie and Donna. Donna had smiled at Mandy. “We knew you’d need this for the airplane trip home.”
Once the gifts were unwrapped, it was time for the shower games. I said to the room, “Donna has been taking careful notes of everything Miss Mandy has said while she opened your gifts. Actually, I have it on good authority that these were the same words spoken to her husband the night they conceived the baby. Donna, please tell all.”
Donna actually grinned and imitated Mandy’s Texas drawl. “‘Oh, my!’ ‘This is great.’ ‘What fun!’”
Mandy held up her hand, her face as scarlet as her red velvet maternity dress. “That’s enough, y’all. You’re embarrassing me.”
We all laughed and clapped for Donna’s performance. That’s when I took a hard look at Donna. There was something different about her. Yes, her curls were growing out, but her face looked softer, gentler, and my goodness, she was actually blushing. Must be love, I decided, thinking of Clay.
“All right, everybody,” I said. “Before we go into the dining room for lunch, I thought we’d take prayer requests and pray now. Plus, I’ve prepared a few remarks. Later, we’ll go over our ideas for the Christmas Tea.”
“That’s my department,” Evie said.
I nodded. “Right; our department.”
I reached for my Bible. “In the last few days, a couple of things have come to my attention. I’ve actually heard from some of you that our precious Potluck Club could soon become a thing of the past. Now, I know our last meeting ended in disaster. And I know that I played a part in that. So, first off, I want to offer my apologies.”
Everyone in the room looked at one another, then back at me.
“I apologize for, well, what my Mandy has made me see is gossip.”
I reached for a tissue and patted my eyes, hoping my mascara didn’t run like Tammy Faye’s. “Y’all, I’m really sorry. And I could understand if you want me to remove myself from the group. So, I’m offering my resignation. I mean, I don’t want to leave, but I’d rather go than see this wonderful group fall apart on account of me.”
It was sweet Vonnie Westbrook who spoke first. “Lisa Leann, some of the things you said and did hurt me. But I forgive you, and I am inviting you to stay. What do you say, girls?”
One by one, the members of the Potluck Club nodded their heads and smiled. Evie said, “Well, I do believe, Lisa Leann, that you are putting all of us to shame.” She looked around the room at the rest of the girls. “And I admit that you are not the only one who has, well, misbehaved. I, for one, also offer my apologies to the group, and especially to a young woman who will soon be my stepdaughter.”
“Evie, you’re engaged to Sheriff Vesey?” Vonnie practically shouted.
Evie nodded. “Yes, but before we turn to that subject, there’s something I want to do.” To my amazement, Evie crossed the room and gave a surprised Donna a hug.
Donna accepted it. “I haven’t always been kind to you, either, Evie. So, I guess I’m sorry too.”
This was just getting better and better. Hurray for me and my party!
After everyone settled back down, I cleared my throat. “Apologies accepted by all, which leads me to a word from Hebrews 10:24–25.” I put on my reading glasses and started to read. “‘Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.’”
“Amen,” Lizzie said when I closed my Bible. “Great choice for today’s meeting.”
I smiled. “Let’s go right to prayer time,” I offered. “My prayer request is …” I reached over and gave my daughter a hug. “My Mandy. Pray for her precious baby to come into this world safe and sound, in the right season.”
Mandy spoke up. “And for me. I love my mama, but I’m really missing my husband, Ray.”
The group nodded their heads in understanding, and several wrote the request down in their prayer notebooks.
Lizzie spoke next. “I want to ask you to pray for Michelle. She’s dating a man I’ve never met—he’s new in town—a man named Adam Peterson.”
Goldie spoke up. “Oh, I’ve met his sister, works at the card shop. Nice girl. Seems to be from a nice family.”
Lizzie looked relieved, then wrinkled her brow. “That’s good to hear … You all know how we worry a little extra about Michelle. I’ve got a request for my daughter-in-love as well,” she said as she gave Samantha a squeeze. “It’s unspoken.”
Samantha interrupted. “You can tell them, Mom.” She turned to the group. “I don’t think it’s a secret here, anyway. Please pray for my marriage. The kids and I have come up from Louisiana to reclaim my husband, Tim. So, please do pray.”
“Got it,” Vonnie said, writing it down, pushing her gray curls out of her eyes. She looked up, her eyes shining above her turquoise sweater. “And I have
a praise report. Fred has accepted the fact that I was secretly married before. He’s even had a couple of conversations with my son, David, on the telephone. It’s a miracle.”
“Wonderful!” Goldie said.
“How about you, Goldie?” I asked.
Goldie looked absolutely sheepish. “Now nobody get excited. But I’ve agreed to spend a weekend in Summit Ridge with Jack next month.” When everyone got excited about the possibilities, Goldie held up her hand and said, “However, we will still have separate bedrooms.”
Lizzie turned to her. “Then the other prayer concern I’ve had?”
“It’s much ado about nothing,” Goldie said.
I looked at the glances exchanged between the two women. Hmmm, I’m wondering if there was another man in the picture. I decided to keep the idea to myself. “Let me know when you want to book my services to help you renew your wedding vows.”
Goldie looked uncomfortable, and I turned to Donna. “How about you?” I asked, wondering if she’d share about her intimate moment with Clay. I’d wanted to say something, to ask, but I looked at my daughter, and she shook her head no. That girl can read my mind.
Donna sounded hesitant. “A lot is going on in my life right now, including a lawsuit.”
Evie looked stunned. “You’re suing someone or someone is suing you?”
“I got hit with a lawsuit for a failed attempt to rescue a baby from a flash flood.”
“Oh, Donna,” Evie said. “I’m so sorry to hear this. This didn’t happen around here, did it?”
“No, in Boulder. Just before I returned to Summit View.”
Vonnie spoke up. “Our girl is a hero, if you ask me. She doesn’t deserve this. She risked her life to save that baby.”
Donna turned to Vonnie. “You knew about this?”
“Clay showed me the story in the Boulder Camera when it first happened.” She patted Donna on the leg and turned to her. “Why do you think I’ve been so worried about you?”
“Well, I didn’t know about it,” Evie said, giving Vonnie a look that said, “Why keep the secret from me?”
Vonnie said, “You know now, and the girl is asking for your prayers.”
After all had checked in, we each individually said a prayer for one another. I ended our session with, “Dear Lord, I want to thank you for this group of wonderful women. Thank you for forgiving us when some of us, me especially, did not act in love toward one another. Knit us together and bless our food. Thanks for joining us here today, and of course, you’re invited to lunch.” Everyone laughed, and I said, “To the kitchen, girls. Grab a plate off the dining table and fill it up.”
As everyone began the bustle of serving their plates in the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Donna and I walked to the window and looked out. “Oh my,” Donna said. “Vonnie, come quick. Fred is here, and there’s someone with him.”
“Who, dear?”
“You’re just going to have to check this out for yourself.”
Vonnie scurried to the door and opened it. “Fred! David! What are you doing here?”
It was David who answered. “I flew in from L.A. to surprise you. Fred here helped me plan it. When you overnighted those letters from my dad, I knew I had to come.”
Vonnie hugged her son, then turned to her husband. “You little dickens. And I suppose you want to join us ladies for lunch?”
“Bring ’em on in, there’s room for everyone,” I said, scurrying to the door. “Why, Vonnie, you never told me how handsome your son is.”
That’s when David saw Donna. Uh-oh. Looks like she had another stringer on the line. He bounded across the room and wrapped her in his arms in front of God and everybody. Why, I didn’t need to gossip about this, not at all, because everyone saw it.
Donna hugged him back. They did make a cute couple, both of them dressed in black. But I had to ask, at least myself, what about Clay?
Just as I was about to close the door, I called Donna back over. “I don’t want to alarm you or anything, darlin’. But that Clay fellow, he’s sitting in his jeep, watching what’s going on over here.” Before Donna could react, Vonnie, who had overheard what I said, swooped back to the door and opened it wide. David came and stood by her side to see what the commotion was all about. Vonnie called out, “Clay Whitefield, you get yourself up these steps.” She beamed up at David as Fred came to the door and stood beside her.
Clay didn’t miss a beat. In an instant, he was bounding up my front steps, dressed in a gray wool parka and what appeared to be new jeans. He looked remarkably thinner than he had a month or so ago. Vonnie stood proudly. “Hello, Clay.” She turned to David. “I want to introduce you to my son, David Harris.”
Clay reached out and shook David’s hand. He looked from David to Vonnie then back to David. “It’s a real pleasure to finally get a chance to know who you are.”
David slapped him on the back. “Well, come in, Whitefield, the party’s just starting.”
David was more correct than he knew. Judging from the Potluck prayer requests, Donna’s varied love interests and pending lawsuit, not to mention Goldie’s troubled marriage and Evie’s impending wedding, and … well, I could just go on and on. But all that to say, truer words were never spoken.
The Potluck Club Recipes
Easy Meatballs in a Crock-Pot
½ pound hamburger
½ cup rice
½ cup finely chopped onions
½ cup finely chopped green peppers
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 10-ounce can of tomato soup
Knead together all ingredients except tomato soup. Shape hamburger mixture into roughly 20–24 meatballs about 1½ inches around. Place meatballs in Crock-Pot and pour soup and canned tomatoes with juice over them. Cover Crock-Pot and cook meatballs on low for 7–8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.
Serves 6–8.
Donna’s Cook’s Notes
I can throw this dish together before my shift and come home to a nice hot meal. I freeze my leftovers for meatball sandwiches. I just plop the frozen meatballs and a few spoonfuls of canned spaghetti sauce on my open sandwich, top with cheese, and place the whole spread in the microwave. It’s the perfect quick fix to end a night shift.
Grilled Hamburgers
1 pound hamburger (go for the Angus beef if you can …)
1 pound ground sausage
1½ cups mushrooms, finely chopped
½ cup onions, finely chopped
¼ cup barbecue sauce
¼ cup ketchup/mustard mixture
salt and pepper
Mix well, then form into patties. Grill to your preference.
Lizzie’s Cook’s Notes
I learned the secret of really good hamburgers years ago when Samuel and I lived in a little neighborhood of couples just like us: newly married and just making ends meet. Typically on Saturday evenings, when the weather was warm, we’d have block party cookouts. That’s where I learned the secret (double secret—the Angus and the sausage) of the best grilled burgers!
Upside-Down Hamburger Casserole
2½ cups macaroni
½ cup diced onions
3 tablespoons margarine
1 pound ground beef
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
3 ounces of grated cheese (a heaping ¾ cup)
3 eggs (beaten)
¾ cup milk
Cook macaroni and drain, set aside. In sauce pan, sauté onions in margarine then add ground beef. When hamburger is well browned, stir in tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer for several minutes then spread in greased 2-quart casserole. Next, mix cheese and macaroni together before spreading over top of casserole. Pack firmly.
In separate bowl, mix eggs and milk then pour over dish. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour and a half or until golden brown. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Serves 6–8.
&nbs
p; Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes
Fred loves this simple recipe. It’s very filling and goes great with my apple pie. Though, these days we both have to dish up smaller servings, that is, unless we want to head down to Wal-Mart for a new, expanded wardrobe, if you know what I mean.
Chicken and Poppy Seed Casserole
2 small chickens
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 8-ounce carton sour cream
½ can water
1 stack of Ritz crackers
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 stick melted margarine
Boil chicken until tender (about a half hour). Tear the meat from the bones, place in mixing bowl. Add soup, sour cream, and water. Crush crackers and mix with poppy seeds. Spread over chicken mixture. Melt margarine and pour over. Bake 350 degrees for 30–45 minutes. Will look bubbly when done.
Goldie’s Cook’s Notes
This recipe was one my mother-in-law gave me when I was a young bride and was, as yet, unskilled in the kitchen. The beauty of this dish is that even though it is very easy to prepare, it is absolutely delicious and remains a favorite of my family (and the Potluckers) to this day!
Chocolate Meringue Kisses
Trouble's Brewing Page 29
