Chapter 16 #2
She smiled, touched and delighted by his words.
“I feel the same way about our time spent cooking together,” she told him.
“I still wouldn’t really consider myself a cook, but I’ve loved watching you work.
I’m much better in the kitchen than I used to be now, and I think with a little practice I’ll be able to cook pretty well on my own.
I’ve never really had much need for such knowledge in the past, but maybe someday it will come in handy…
when I have someone to cook for.” The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
The implication was clear to both of them, and Tom blinked rapidly and cleared his throat.
They didn’t break eye contact and shared a meaningful look.
“Sounds like a very nice plan,” he told her, his voice soft.
“I’m glad you think so,” she said, grateful that he seemed to like the idea as much as she did.
They left the hotel together and strolled down the sidewalk toward The Lighthouse Grill. A light breeze was blowing in from the ocean, scented with salt and seaweed. Overhead, the sky was tinted with the last blushes of the sunset, and a few stars were beginning to sparkle in the east.
“Beautiful night,” Tom said, and his hand twitched a little as if he was thinking about holding hands with her but stopped himself.
Delilah found herself wishing that he would take her hand. It didn’t make sense for him to, however, since The Lighthouse Grill was a stone’s throw away from the hotel.
As they slipped inside the restaurant, Delilah felt a twinge of delight.
The cozy restaurant was unusually hushed, since the only people there were the ones preparing for the party.
It had been decorated in a mix of pastel colors and Star Trek decorations, including a pinata shaped like the USS Enterprise.
Delilah looked around the dining room with a smile, thinking to herself that Faith was a very lucky woman to have people who clearly cared about her so much in her life.
“Hi!” Alexis, who was in the middle of setting out raspberry cupcakes on one of the buffet tables, stopped in her work and hurried toward them. “Thanks for coming, both of you.” She gave Tom a friendly hug and then hugged Delilah as if the movie star was made out of precious glass.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Tom said, his benevolent grin covering half his face.
“And I’m thrilled to have been invited,” Delilah said. “It looks wonderful in here.”
“Thanks.” Alexis looked flushed and excited. “Julia is the mastermind behind most of this, although we all got on board with planning. It’s been so much fun.”
As if summoned by the sound of her name, Julia entered the dining room.
She was wearing a royal blue maternity dress, and her dark hair was pinned back in a simple up-do using a gold hair clip.
Delilah was delighted to see that she and Julia were dressed at the same level of formal, and it made her feel as though she’d made the right choice with her outfit.
“They’ll be here in just twenty minutes, everyone,” Julia announced.
She caught sight of Delilah and waved before continuing to speak to the whole room.
“Feel free to keep doing what you’re doing, but we want to get into our hiding places in about ten minutes.
Ryan said he’d do his best to keep things on schedule, but if Faith wants to cut their walk short and come here early for dinner, he doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room. ”
Once she’d finished her announcement, she hurried over to Delilah to give her a hug.
“Can I do anything?” Delilah asked. “And I already told Alexis, but the decorations look fantastic.”
“Thanks.” Julia laughed. “Pastel colors and a Star Trek theme might never join up like this again, but I think it looks pretty good.”
“It looks like you put a lot of love into this party,” Delilah said. “It looks more than good.”
Julia looked thrilled. “And to answer your question, we’ve got a couple more trays of snack food in the kitchen. You two could bring those out and set them on the end of the savory buffet table, if you want.”
“You got it,” Tom said.
The next few minutes passed in a whirlwind of activity.
Everyone bustled about, arranging bouquets of flowers and clusters of balloons as well as life-sized cut outs of Star Trek characters and posters from the TV show.
In the corner was a collection of Star Trek themed games, which Delilah felt intrigued about, since she’d been a modest fan of the show for most of her life.
“Okay, time to hide!” bellowed Samantha, just as Julia was opening her mouth to announce the same thing, presumably with a gentler tone of voice.
Everyone laughed, and Tom took Delilah’s hand, leading her behind the dessert table. She crouched down next to him.
“Smells great back here,” he said.
“Amazing,” she agreed. “Maybe we could eat some of those chocolate croissants while we wait.”
They did no such thing, of course, not wanting to disrupt the beautiful arrangement of pastries before Faith had a chance to see it.
Around them, the other party guests were whispering and laughing, and Julia was stationed at the front door, watching the sidewalk like an owl, her neck craning and moving from side to side.
Tom didn’t let go of Delilah’s hand, and she loved feeling his warm, rough fingers interlocking with hers. After a while, both of their hands got a little sweaty, but neither of them pulled away. There was a feeling of anticipation and joy in the air that made the waiting thrilling.
“They’re coming!” Julia gasped out at last, clapping her hands. “Get ready, everyone!” She hurried to hide behind the doorway that led from behind the counter into the kitchen.
Delilah grinned at Tom, feeling her heart thump with excitement. She held her breath, listening, and heard the sound of the front door opening.
“What on—” came Faith’s voice for a second before Julia yelled out, “Now!”
Everyone sprang up, shouting, “Surprise!” at the top of their voices. Faith’s jaw dropped and she covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide. A second later, she started laughing and crying happy tears at the same time. Her boyfriend Ryan laughed, rocking her back and forth in a hug.
“Happy Birthday,” he told her. “We all thought you deserved a special party.”
Faith wiped away a couple of tears and laughed breathlessly.
People hurried forward to hug her, congratulating her and telling her how much they loved her.
Delilah held back until everyone else had hugged Faith, feeling as though it wasn’t really her place to go before a long-time friend or family member.
But when it was her turn, Faith gave her a massive bear hug.
“I cannot believe Delilah Bates is at my birthday party,” she said breathlessly. “It’s like the most amazing gift ever.”
Delilah felt touched by her words and squeezed her tightly before pulling out of the embrace. “I’m delighted to be here. Really. You have an amazing community here.”
“Don’t I know it.” Faith wiped away the last remaining traces of happy tears, her smile radiant. “I’ll never forget today as long as I live.”
The party began, and people stood in line for sugary treats and savory items from the smorgasbord. After a few minutes, they started the games, which included a round of Star Trek trivia that Faith won by a mile.
Hours passed, filled with everyone talking, making jokes, eating the delicious food, playing more games, and watching Faith open her gifts. It was a beautiful evening, and it was clear that every person there had a great deal of love and respect for everyone else.
Delilah sat next to Tom as they shared a plate of food, feeling aglow with contentment and happiness.
What I thought before is definitely true, she thought, sighing with longing. I could get used to this.