Chapter Nineteen
Tamara watched Gage’s face light up when they stopped at the Kellows’ gate. The beautiful Victorian home was looking its best tonight. Welcoming lights flooded out from the windows and the jewel-like stained glass above the front door glowed like a handful of wine gums.
‘It’s quite a house, isn’t it?’ he said admiringly.
‘Wait until you see the inside,’ Tamara said.
‘It’s seriously gorgeous. Melissa is so excited about hosting this Thanksgiving dinner.
Her first husband, Robin, was never really into it, but now I think Melissa is making up for lost time.
She told us it’s always on the fourth Thursday in November and is a really big deal apparently. ’
‘I remember being invited to a Thanksgiving dinner in Kabul at an American base. There was tons of great food to pig out on before we watched one of their football games on a massive screen. It was a bit like Christmas, but without the presents. No decorations either really, apart from a few paper turkeys and pumpkins.’
‘I think we’re in for a good evening and I’m definitely ready to have a fun time,’ she said. ‘It’s been such an awesome week so far.’ Excitement bubbled out of her.
The adjustment to working together, while setting boundaries between that and their newly intimate personal life, was going smoothly.
The café plans were well underway, and Georgie Rowe and his crew were scheduled to do the kitchen refurbishment, including putting in a new door from the kitchen to the space designated for the café.
There were a few legal hoops to jump through, including acquiring food-service and hygiene certificates, and she still needed to work on the menu and branding.
Realistically it’d be the new year at the earliest before they could open.
‘What’re you two doing lurking out here?
I hope you aren’t snogging in our garden?
’ Melissa’s cheery voice rang out, heavily laced with the southern accent she’d never lose.
‘Everyone but Josie and Harry are here already, and we’ve started on the appetisers.
Josie wasn’t due to finish work until six, so we knew they’d be late. ’
Inside, Tamara couldn’t help smiling. Melissa clearly didn’t get Gage’s memo about not doing much in the way of Thanksgiving decorations.
Garlands of fabric leaves in stunning vibrant autumn shades were woven around the intricate Victorian bannisters, and bright orange fairy lights twinkled everywhere.
She gave up trying to count the number of pumpkins dotted around the place, real and ornamental, and a couple of life-sized cardboard cutouts in Pilgrim costumes guarded the entrance to the living room.
‘Wow, this is beautiful.’
‘Thanks.’ Melissa beamed. ‘I went a little overboard, but Nathan didn’t mind.’
‘That man’s so nuts over you, he wouldn’t mind if you decorated him too. You could drape a strand of lights over him and stick a pumpkin on his head.’
‘Are my ears burning?’ Nathan came to join them and kissed his wife’s cheek.
‘The only thing burning will be the sweet-potato casserole if you don’t hurry up and whip it out like I asked you three minutes ago.’ Melissa hugged Nathan’s waist and returned the kiss.
‘Already done, my love, and it’s sitting on the counter as instructed.’
‘You’re the best. I’ll see y’all later. The kitchen is calling me back.’ Melissa flashed a wide grin.
‘Anything I can do to help?’ Tamara asked.
‘No, thanks. You’re good.’ Melissa smiled and hurried off.
Tamara scanned the room for somewhere to sit.
‘I’ll hang with the guys and leave you to your girly gossip,’ Gage said.
‘That’s a very sexist remark, Mr Bennet.’
‘Blame everyone else for splitting off into two groups before we got here.’
He pointed to where Tamara’s group of girlfriends were clustered around Evelyn by the seating in front of the fire, while the men were huddled around the television at the other end of the room watching a football match.
‘Here you go.’ Nathan, as if by magic, produced a beer for Gage and a glass of white wine for Tamara. ‘Have I got the drinks right?’
‘You certainly have. We’re creatures of habit,’ Tamara said with a laugh.
‘And you two are playing catch-up with appetisers. Stop by the table and help yourself to what I’m supposed to tell you comprises a layered taco dip, a warm spinach-and-cheese dip, and chilled prawns with a slightly spicy American cocktail sauce.’
Tamara and Gage headed towards the table as instructed. After they loaded a couple of small plates, they sneaked a kiss before parting ways.
‘Right, girls, what’ve I missed?’ Tamara plumped down next to Laura on a sweet two-seater sofa covered in rich burgundy floral fabric, one of Melissa’s new additions.
Their cross words at the bookshop opening were long since forgotten.
She dipped one of the succulent giant prawns in sauce and popped it in her mouth.
‘Evelyn’s got some news.’ Amy and Tessa spoke in unison, grinning like mad.
‘Hey, don’t tell yet — I want to hear too.’ Josie rushed over to join them, glass in hand, and squeezed into the group.
‘Goodness, you’re making something out of nothing.’ Evelyn’s colour rose and her fingers worked at a tortilla chip, breaking it into a myriad of crumbled-up pieces. ‘For some unknown reason, Quinten wants to marry me, that’s all.’
Loud cheers and claps broke out, so loud that the men stopped what they were doing to turn and stare.
It didn’t take a genius to guess the only one who knew what was happening was a very red-faced Quinten.
He hovered at the edge of the group as if wishing he could disappear like the genie in Aladdin, back into his lamp in a puff of smoke.
‘That’s all?’ Josie squealed. ‘You sly old goose. When did this happen? We want details.’
Despite her pretended indifference, Evelyn pinked like a young girl. Quite shyly, at least by her standards, she told them how Quinten had surprised her by proposing at their ballroom-dancing club in the middle of their favourite dance, a Viennese waltz.
‘So when’s the big day?’ Laura asked eagerly.
‘I’m not sure yet. Neither of us wants a lot of fuss, so it’ll be very quiet.’ Some of the brightness left her face. ‘And it depends on Ophelia. She wasn’t well enough to come tonight and the last doctor’s appointment I took her to wasn’t terribly encouraging.’
‘Oh, Evelyn, we’re so sorry.’ Laura spoke for them all.
‘Thank you. But Quinten’s moving in with us next week, so that will be lovely.
I’ll find his presence a huge help and support.
’ A trace of her usual arch smile returned.
‘The two of them get on really well. I suppose they don’t have the history Ophelia and I do.
We’ve done our best to put it all behind us, and I know she never came on to Sam that time, but these things linger. ’
Forgiving was one thing. Forgetting, quite another.
Nathan moved over to the mantelpiece and picked up a small brass hammer.
He used it to hit an ornately engraved Chinese gong.
‘I’m instructed by the chief cook to announce that our feast is ready.
If you could all head for the kitchen, you can help yourselves to the buffet.
There’s a seating chart pinned up on the wall so you can find your allotted place.
The dining room table isn’t big enough for everyone, so a few of us will be relegated to the kitchen.
’ He grinned. ‘I’m informed that’s usually where they put the children, so my assumption is the most immature of us will end up there.
’ He picked his way through the crowd and Tamara noticed him stop briefly to congratulate Evelyn.
There was a light-hearted rush for the food and Tamara’s jaw dropped when she saw the huge spread.
Melissa clapped her hands to get their attention.
‘I think you’ll recognise almost everything.
There’s the standard roast turkey, a glazed ham, cranberry sauce, bread rolls and mashed potatoes.
But the bowl of green beans isn’t like y’all have because they’re cooked southern style, low and slow with chunks of bacon.
The long dish that looks like it’s nothing but burnt marshmallows is my mom’s famous sweet-potato casserole.
’ She pointed to another platter. ‘That’s cornbread dressing.
Cut into squares. It’s another southern thing, which we have instead of stuffing.
And the fruit salad is another of my mom’s recipes.
It’s not a dessert, so you eat it with the meal.
’ Her face lit up. ‘It’s wonderful to have y’all here tonight, and later we’ll follow one more Rutherford family tradition and go around the table, or tables in this case, so everyone can say what they’re thankful for. ’
Tamara’s heart skipped a beat and a blush rose in her cheeks when she caught Gage watching her.
* * *
Gage forced himself to slow down. Tamara had pointed out the other day that he tended to shovel in his food at a rate of knots.
She’d done so very tactfully and gently.
He supposed he’d acquired the habit out of self-preservation when it paid to wolf your meals down and hurry out of the mess hall in case of a rocket attack.
Learning how to relax and take life easy was one of the many challenges he faced that no civilian could hope to understand.
‘Your shop-window display is really cool by the way,’ Josie said, interrupting his wayward thoughts.
‘Sorry, I was wool-gathering.’
He was annoyed with himself for ignoring her.
Tonight, all the couples had been split up because their hosts thought they saw enough of each other at home.
He and Josie were squeezed together at one end of the main table while Harry was in the middle, flanked by Evelyn and Laura. Tamara was with Melissa in the kitchen.
‘I didn’t mean to be rude.’
‘Don’t worry about it.’