Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
One hundred and thirty-four balloons. Inflated and wedged into the plastic template.
Sure, she could do that, right? She’d tackled far more complex projects helping her sister Natalie at the wedding venue back in North Carolina.
Tisha turned and scanned Redemption’s spacious community center.
What a gorgeous new facility. The bright lights, the laminate floor, and the pale gray-green paint on the walls made the space incredibly inviting.
About twenty women worked together, chatting as they decorated tables with festive plastic tablecloths and arranged booths for carnival-style games.
“Good news, Tisha. I rounded up two more volunteers to help with our festival prep.” Chloe joined her beside the stage. “My sister and niece will be here shortly. Tying the knots in the balloons can be a little tricky though. My niece might not be able to do that part.”
“I’ll take all the help I can get,” Tisha said. Her fingers ached already just thinking about tying more than a hundred knots in balloons. They might need to make an afternoon coffee run first.
“Mommy, where’s Brody? I want to play with him.” Sadie tugged the cuff of Tisha’s sweater. “There aren’t any kids here I know.”
Tisha spotted Ethan helping Luke carry long tables in the front door. “There’s his dad and his Uncle Luke.”
Sadie frowned. “But I don’t see Brody. Why isn’t he here?”
“I’m not sure, sweetie. Look.” Tisha tapped her palm on the stage where she’d carved out a space beside the packages of balloons. “I brought snacks, your water bottle, and see—there’s a movie all queued up on my tablet. Why don’t you and Ollie get cozy and watch?”
“I can’t hear the sound. It’s too loud in here.” Sadie wrinkled her nose. “Besides, I’ve already seen that movie twice.”
Tisha wanted to scream. “Remember, I asked you to make sure to pack your headphones. You also told me this is the movie you wanted to watch.”
“Can I help you with the balloons instead?” Sadie picked up one of the pale-pink balloons her friend had already inflated and batted it around.
But it landed on the floor and popped. Sadie screamed and jumped in the air, then flung herself against Tisha’s legs.
A few people standing nearby laughed. Tisha winced. This was not going well.
“It’s okay, I brought extra. Maybe we could just do sort of a half arch.
That would be faster and easier.” Chloe held up her phone with an image she’d found online.
“We could just run it up the wall, stage a little spot for people to take photos. I’ve already got ‘Love Is in the Air’ printed out in big letters. ”
“Oh, that’ll be so cute,” Tisha said, forcing a smile and awkwardly trying to comfort Sadie. “Sweetheart, I really want to help get ready for the festival. Let’s see if we can find a project for you to do.”
“Everything is heavy and hard to lift.” Sadie frowned. “And there’s no one to play with.”
“Grandma and Grandpa will be here soon.”
“But they’ll probably just drag out more tables and chairs like everybody else,” Sadie said. “Isn’t there anything that kids can do?”
“Come here,” Chloe said. “I’ve got a job you can do. I bet you’re great at counting.”
Sadie beamed. “I’m awesome at counting.”
Tisha smiled, then opened a new package of balloons.
“I want you to help me count and make sure I have enough pink pens. Do you think you can count to a hundred?” Chloe opened the lid on a cardboard box.
“Yes. I could count to a hundred like two years ago.”
“Excellent. I want you to take all these pink pens out of this box and put them in this cup.” Chloe set a plastic disposable cup on the stage. “Do you think you can handle that?”
Sadie tapped her finger against her chin. “I’m not sure if they’ll fit.”
“Oh, good point. Maybe you could put them into four groups of twenty-five. How about that?”
“I’m on it,” Sadie said, settling cross-legged on the stage not far from Tisha and Chloe.
“Thank you,” Tisha said quietly. “Do you really need her to count those pens?”
“No, but I think you really need her to count those pens. By the way, if she’s busy counting pens, that’ll give you time to talk to Ethan.”
“No, I don’t need to talk to Ethan.” A strand of hair slid loose from her ponytail, and she tucked it behind her ear. “Ethan and I are good. We don’t…We’re friends.”
“Yeah, okay. You keep telling yourself that,” Chloe said. “Come on. We’d better get cracking on these balloons.”
Chloe found an empty electrical outlet close by and plugged in the inflator. Charlie joined them and automatically blew up one of the pink balloons. She passed it to Chloe, who tied a knot and then slipped it into the opening on the plastic template.
“When she’s finished with the pens, maybe we can get her to count out pink, white, red, and silver balloons,” Chloe said.
“That would be perfect. I suggest we keep her away from the ones filled with glitter,” Tisha said.
Chloe smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Hey.” Ethan’s deep voice sent a delicious warmth zipping all the way to her fingertips.
She turned and smiled. Man, he looked good in a plaid button-down she hadn’t seen before, jeans faded just the perfect amount, and scuffed work boots.
The teal lines in his navy-blue shirt made his eyes look even brighter.
“Hi.”
“I brought you a latte.” He held out a disposable coffee cup with a black plastic lid. “Hope you like it.”
“Wow.” She took the latte from him. The ribbed edges on the cardboard sleeve had a Copper Kettle logo.
“The barista didn’t know your usual order, so we had to guess. It’s hazelnut.”
“Sounds yummy. Thank you. That’s really sweet of you.” She wanted to press up on her tiptoes and brush a kiss across his cheek, but the whole room seemed to be watching. And Sadie would flip out. “What are you up to?”
As if she hadn’t just seen him haul five tables through the door.
“We’re finished with tables. Next we’ll bring folding chairs in. You?”
“Um, balloon arch.”
“I think I got the easier assignment,” he said. “What’s Sadie doing?”
“Don’t look or breathe her direction, but we put her to work counting pens because she refused to watch the movie I rented for her. She’s been asking for Brody.”
Ethan gave a slow smile. “Has she? Well, he’ll be here in a few minutes. He went with my dad and Tate to pick up something they needed.”
He looked around. “Where’s the pie walk going to be?”
“I’ve been given one corner of the community center.” She gestured over her shoulder. “What’s your family doing?”
“We’ll hold a raffle for a weekend stay at the resort. Megan’s boyfriend can’t come back, so we brought in another dog musher with his team. He’ll probably give rides. And there’ll be free snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and the alumni basketball game. Plenty to keep us busy.”
“This is a beautiful building. Pretty new, right?”
“Yeah, they just built it about eighteen months ago.” Ethan frowned. “Although I don’t like how close it is to the water.”
“We’re at least a few feet above sea level, aren’t we? And that new retaining wall is incredible. That wasn’t here before.”
Before, when she’d visited with Chase. She stopped herself from mentioning that part.
Ethan rubbed his palm across the back of his neck. “This town’s been hit with a lot over the years. I would hate for something this beautiful to have to withstand water or wind or storm damage.”
“True. That would be a huge loss.” She smiled brightly. “Thanks for the latte. I better get to work.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome. Have fun.” He turned and crossed the room, and she forced herself to look away.
“You ready to thank me now for keeping your daughter occupied?” Chloe tied a knot in another inflated balloon. “A latte? He tried to bring your usual order. Girl, you better hang on to him.”
She felt her cheeks flush. “You and Charlie are relentless. We’re friends. That’s it.”
Chloe pinned her with a long look. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Tisha checked on Sadie, who was deeply engrossed in her project. Thankfully she hadn’t popped over to make any comments about Ethan showing up.
“Yeah, well, I don’t have any guy friends that bring me lattes and look at me like that,” Charlie said, keeping her voice low. “You guys need to go on a proper date.”
“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we are two exhausted single parents with very busy children who alternate between getting along super well and being each other’s worst enemies.”
“Huh. So a hot, available guy brings you coffee and you’re going to pretend it means nothing?” Charlie smiled and nudged her with her hip. “Come on.”
Warmth heated Tisha’s cheeks. “It’s not that simple. Yes, okay, so he’s handsome. And thoughtful. But Sadie’s made it clear she’s not ready for me to date.”
Charlie quirked her lips to one side. “Sadie’s a great kid, but she’s not the boss of your life.”
Tisha picked at the cardboard liner ringing her coffee cup. “I know that. But she’s been through so much already, and the last thing I want is to make her feel unsettled. She’s still adjusting to losing Chase, and moving—”
Charlie set an uninflated balloon down, then pressed her hand to Tisha’s arm.
“I get that. But would it hurt to push her a little? I mean, you obviously love your daughter, and you know what’s best. I just hate for you to let her fear or her discomfort keep you stuck.
Maybe it’s time to show her that love doesn’t always mean we keep things the same.
Because life rarely looks like we plan, right?
Maybe God will use this as an opportunity to show you and Sadie that taking a risk can be surprising. Rewarding, even.”
“But what if she resents me or the person I’m dating?”
“I’m not saying that won’t happen.” Charlie leaned back against the stage. “But she can’t possibly know what’s best for you. She’s seven. You’re letting her hold you hostage to a life that might not be what God has for you.”
Tisha winced. “Ouch.”