CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
While her mother relaxed on the deck, Hazel worked on getting dinner organized. Both Mike and Elliott were healthy men who enjoyed their food.
Hazel made a lemon-garlic blue cheese dressing for a tossed green salad and put together the lemon chicken casserole, which was a favorite, an easy dish to make.
After sautéing the chicken breasts, she put a sauce and sliced lemons on top of them in a casserole dish.
She’d complete the main course with rice and her mother’s favorite steamed broccoli with a honey mustard dressing.
For dessert, Elliott was picking up something from the Lilac Lake Café. Mike had mentioned bringing a bottle of wine.
After preparing the food, Hazel set the kitchen table with floral placemats, matching napkins, wine and water glasses, and sparkling silverware.
In the center of the table, she placed a single pink rose in a bud vase, one she’d picked from a rose bush outside the house.
Since coming to Lilac Lake, Hazel had learned to cook, but she’d known since she was a small child that a table had to be well set.
Her mother’s tables were sometimes elaborate with multiple crystal wine glasses and water goblets, along with an array of silverware for every course.
Her mother came inside and inspected the table setting.
“I’m very pleased to see you following family traditions of making each meal presentable, Hazel.”
“Elliott is due any moment. Mike will be along after his last tennis class,” said Hazel.
“I’ll go freshen up,” said her mother. “And please remind me to take a photograph of Elliot for Cassandra.”
“Okay,” said Hazel. She grabbed a glass of water and went out to the deck for a few quiet moments. Her mother was an easy-going houseguest, but it was still exhausting to try and keep everything running smoothly.
When Elliott arrived with a blueberry pie, Hazel was relieved to see him.
Hazel could tell from the tense look on his face that he was nervous about seeing her mother. But compared to his straitlaced parents, Hazel knew her mother would be much easier to be with.
She’d just given Elliott a kiss on the cheek when her mother walked into the kitchen.
“Why, hello, Elliott! It’s wonderful to see you.” Her mother gave him a warm hug.
“Hello, Ms. Belmont. It’s nice to see you too,” said Elliott, more at ease.
Hazel’s mother smiled. “Now, before we forget, I want to get a photo of us together for your parents.”
After taking several photos of Elliott with her mother, Hazel laughed. “I’m sure there are some satisfactory ones. I’ll send them to both of you. How about a glass of wine?”
Looking relieved, Elliott said, “I’ll open it and serve it to you. Why don’t you two go out onto the deck to relax.”
“Thanks,” said Hazel. “As you can see, the bottle and glasses are on the counter.”
Outside, Hazel took a seat in one of the four chairs that they’d pulled into a circle. She faced her mother. “Doesn’t Elliott look great? And he seems so happy.”
Her mother nodded. “Yes, it’s still a bit of a shock to know why you two will never marry, but you seem fine with it.”
“I am,” Hazel said. “I’ve known for some time, so it isn’t new to me. Besides, I like my life here and hope to stay.”
Her mother gave her a thoughtful look. “But if Mike travels back and forth to Florida, is that what you want?”
Hazel held up a hand to stop her. “Please, Mom, Mike and I are just friends.”
“But I’ve seen the way you look at one another,” her mother protested.
“Hi, there,” said Mike following Elliott out to the deck.
Hazel shot her mother a warning look and hoped that she wouldn’t interfere with what she and Mike were doing.
Elliott handed them each a glass of wine, then handed out a bowl of mixed nuts before sitting down. He lifted his glass of wine. “Here’s to family friends. Ms. Belmont, we’re so pleased to have you here.”
They toasted Hazel’s mother, and then she gazed from Mike to Hazel, smiling sweetly. “Hopefully, I’ll be back again soon. Perhaps with my husband. He, too, should probably meet everyone.”
Elliott winked at Hazel, aware of how pushy her mother could sometimes be.
Hazel bit her lip. She didn’t dare look at Mike.
“Tomorrow at Jake’s, you’ll meet even more people,” said Mike, smoothing the momentary awkwardness away. “It’s an interesting group.”
Her mother studied Mike, and her lips curved.
Oh, no, thought Hazel. Her mother was warming up to Mike.
“Elliott, tell me about your new business,” said her mother, and Hazel leaned back in her chair more relaxed.
Mike lifted her hand and gave it a squeeze.
Hazel turned to him.
“Chill,” said Mike quietly, and she loved how he had picked up on her concern. For someone who was supposed to be just a friend, he was more sensitive to her feelings than the men she’d dated. She liked that about him.
The more Elliott talked about his plans, the happier he seemed. Even Hazel’s mother reacted more enthusiastically as time went on.
When Hazel went into the kitchen to finish dinner, Mike followed her inside.
“Need any help?” he asked.
“You can fill the water goblets on the table,” she said. “I have to steam the broccoli and toss the salad. The chicken casserole looks as if it might be done.” She turned on the heat under the pan with the broccoli.
“Wow! You’ve got this organized,” said Mike. “It smells delicious, too. I can’t seem to get everything done at the same time.”
“Doesn’t Tracy cook?”
He shook his head. “Tracy never did much of anything around the house. She’s moving out tomorrow morning, going back to Florida to be with an old boyfriend of hers.
After she agreed to come to New Hampshire for the summer session at the Sports Center, I offered her a place to stay.
Though it might have appeared differently, that’s all it was.
She was my co-worker. Nothing more than friends.
I’m too busy to get seriously involved with anyone. ”
“Who’s going to take her place at the Center?” asked Hazel.
“Ross found a guy who’s willing to help us for the time being. We’ll see how he works out. The Sports Center is doing well, and we’re facing busier winter months.”
“That’s why I’m developing some new publicity ideas,” said Hazel. “I’ll present them to you and Ross after my mother leaves.” She handed Mike the water pitcher and checked the broccoli.
While the broccoli finished cooking, Hazel got out the ingredients for a tossed salad.
“Done,” said Mike, returning with the pitcher and sitting on one of the bar stools to watch her work.
A few minutes later, she handed him the salad bowl to place on the table and put together the broccoli dish her mother loved.
Hazel went to the sliding glass door to call her mother and Elliott to dinner, but stopped when she heard soft murmurs. Peering onto the deck, she saw her mother hugging Elliott and dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.
Not wanting to intrude, she stepped back.
A moment later, she called out in a cheerful voice, “Dinner’s ready!”
Her mother and Elliott appeared, smiling as if they’d resolved their issues. Hazel let out a sigh of relief. She knew how much her mother had wanted Elliott and her to marry and how hurt her mother’s best friend, Cassandra, was.
The four of them sat at the table in a comfortable group. Throughout dinner, Mike regaled them with stories of some of his experiences teaching tennis to a broad range of people.
“Mike has a real following here. Everyone wants at least one training session with him,” said Hazel, giving him a warm smile.
“You must have a lot of patience,” Hazel’s mother said to Mike. “The pro at our club chaffs a bit impatiently if people don’t listen or don’t seem to understand what he’s saying.”
“It can be frustrating at times,” said Mike, “but if people are sincere about wanting to learn, I don’t mind.” He chuckled. “They’re usually more frustrated than I am.”
“How about we have coffee and dessert on the deck?” said Hazel. “It’s a pleasant night.”
They all carried their dishes to the kitchen sink, and then Hazel said, “Elliott and I have this, Mom. You and Mike can relax outside.”
“I brought blueberry pie. Anyone want vanilla ice cream with it?” asked Elliott. “I brought that earlier.”
They all decided to add ice cream, and while Hazel cut slices of pie, Elliot served a dollop of ice cream on top.
“How did things go with Mom?” Hazel asked him.
“Better than I’d hoped. She’s sad that you and I won’t marry, but she seems genuinely glad for me,” Elliott said.
“My mother can be difficult, but she’s very honest. If she said she’s happy for you, then she truly is,” said Hazel. “I’m glad. Our families have been close for all of our lives. I would hate for anything to come between them.”
“I’m not going to spring anything too sudden onto our parents, but I’ve agreed to go out with Brooks Beckman. We’re going to a concert in Gilford.”
“Oh, that should be fun,” said Hazel. She gave him a quick hug and then helped to carry desserts outside. No one wanted coffee, so she brought out glasses and the water pitcher.
When they bit into the pie, the group as one groaned with pleasure.
“This is delicious,” her mother said. “No wonder the Café does so well. And, Hazel, you’ve done a wonderful job with dinner. I’m impressed with your cooking.”
“I confess I wrote to Marianne to ask for a few of the family recipes,” said Hazel.
She turned to Mike. “Marianne has worked for our family for as long as I can remember. She’s a tiny woman with red hair and a heart of gold who wouldn’t let me or her daughter, Dolly, get away with anything growing up. ”
“She’s been a fabulous help to me since she left her family’s farm all those years ago,” said her mother. “We were young mothers together, who helped each other. Dolly is a law student at LSU.”
Mike gave her mother a thoughtful look and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Hazel knew he was comparing her past to his and sighed. He was far more accomplished than many of her spoiled friends, who merely followed in their parents’ footsteps, like Elliott’s parents had wanted him to do.
Hazel placed a hand on his arm.
Her mother stared at the two of them and gave them a nod of approval.
When it came time for Mike to leave, Hazel said, “I’ll walk you out.”
Mike said goodbye to her mother and Elliott, and as they started to walk away, he wrapped an arm around Hazel’s shoulder.
“What are you doing?” whispered Hazel as they went to the front door.
“I’m playing my part,” Mike said, giving her a sexy grin.
“But …
“It’s okay,” said Mike, stepping outside with her. “I like that we’re becoming friends. You once thought I was a playboy. I hope you now realize I’m not really like that.”
She studied his earnest expression, seeing vulnerability in his green eyes.
“I know,” she said, reaching up on her toes and giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for being a friend.”