Chapter Twenty
Rose stood outside Bea’s Diner, trying to find the courage to open the door and walk inside. Looking in through the window, Rose guessed most of the town was in there. The diner was filled to the brim with bodies. And while they were all there because they cared for her and Steven and wanted to give them the wedding of their dreams, she couldn’t quite bring herself to take that next step.
What if we don’t raise any money because the town thinks we’re spoiled kids who should have planned better for a financial crisis? The medical bills were one thing, but it felt wrong to accept money for the wedding. If the fundraiser didn’t work, she had no idea how they would pay their vendors. Visions of appearing in small claims court and having her wages garnished danced before her eyes as she struggled to muster up the courage to enter the diner.
The door swung open, and Lanie stepped out. “Are you coming in?”
“Working on it,” Rose said, trying and failing to smile.
“Hey.” Lanie put a hand on her arm. “Everyone in there has come because they want to help in whatever way they can.”
“I don’t want them to think we’re irresponsible.”
Lanie shook her head. “Nobody thinks that.” She pointed at the diner. “Everyone in there has faced a hardship at some point in their lives. They’ve been where you are now, and they survived because people helped them when they needed it.” She slid her arm around Rose’s shoulders. “In this community, we take care of our own. And that includes you.”
Without another word, she led Rose to the door and opened it. As Rose entered the diner, the swath of smiling faces made the situation more bearable. Though she searched each face, she could find no trace of judgment or ridicule, only love and acceptance. She supposed Lanie was right. They’d all been in similar shoes at some point, and they’d survived life’s ups and downs by rallying together.
“Rose,” Toccara said. “It’s good to see you.” She kissed Rose’s cheek and waved to the crowded room. “Quite a turnout, huh?”
Rose nodded. “Much bigger than I was expecting.”
“Just shows how new you are to this town,” Trudy replied, coming up behind her. “Where’s your dashing fiancé?”
It took her a moment, but Rose located Steven near the breakfast bar. He was with his father, Michael, and Bea. They were laughing at something Bea said. Rose couldn’t help comparing the carefree look on his face to the last time she’d seen him in the restaurant. His palpable joy brought a tightness to her chest.
“He’s over there. If you’ll excuse me.”
When he saw her, his face lit up, and he grabbed her hands. It was as if their argument in the restaurant had never happened. He turned her around to face Max and Michael, and each gave her a nod.
“So, are we passing a hat, or how is this a fundraiser and not a party?” Michael asked.
Max rolled his eyes. “If you knew my daughter, you would know better. Nothing is ever that simple.”
“It’s multifaceted,” Steven clarified. “Bea is donating some of the proceeds from sales, a couple of local organizations put together baskets that are up for auction, and there’s a donation box for people who want to contribute something without making any purchases.”
As if her ears were burning, Lanie stepped up to the counter and tapped a glass until the room quieted. She winked at Rose before hopping up onto a chair.
“First, I’d like to thank you all for coming. The best thing about Cedar Haven is the tight-knit community. When someone needs help, we don’t hesitate to do what we can to lift them up, and that is never more evident than during one of our infamous fundraisers!”
A cheer went up through the room, and Lanie grinned. Nate came out of the kitchen, carrying several orders of fries. He broke into a smile at the sight of her before he turned to deliver the food.
“As you know, my family has had more than our fair share of tragedy this last year. After we lost Mom, I thought we might get a reprieve, but Steven gave us all a scare last month.” Lanie’s smile faltered, and Rose’s eyes stung with unshed tears. Her future sister-in-law pressed on. “Thankfully, he’s still with us, but unfortunately, it’s caused a setback to the wedding with the medical bills piling up. But I refuse to let tragedy stop him from marrying the woman of his dreams.” Pointing at the back of the room, she continued, “We’ve got several baskets up for auction, door prizes, and we’ll be having a karaoke contest later. There’s a minimal entry fee, but it’s going to a good cause.”
Turning toward the kitchen, she gestured Bea forward. “And our beloved Bea has offered to donate seventy percent of the proceeds from food and beverage sales.”
The room exploded in applause, and Steven’s hand tightened around Rose’s. It felt a little surreal, seeing so many people there to support her and Steven.
“Without further ado, let’s get this party started!” Lanie jumped off the chair to several hoots before disappearing to the back of the restaurant.
Steven signaled to Bea. “Can we get a couple of sodas?” He glanced at Rose, who nodded. “And maybe some food as well?”
“You’ve got it.” Bea turned and headed to the kitchen to put in their order, and Steven maneuvered his wheelchair toward a small table.
“I’m surprised you found a free table with all these people,” Rose said as she slid into a chair.
“Lanie reserved this for us,” he replied, holding out his hand.
She placed hers into it and smiled. His sister really had thought of everything.
“How long is this supposed to last?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know that there’s a definite end to it. Sometime before Bea would normally close, I guess, but as long as people want to hang out and order, they’ll keep going.”
“Is someone keeping a tally of how much money is raised and who’s donating what?” Rose bit her lip. “I’d like to send thank-you cards when this is over.”
“I’m not sure, but maybe inviting them all to our big day will be thanks enough.”
Her eyes widened as her stomach began to churn. “The whole town?”
He laughed. “Okay, maybe not everyone. Still, I’m sure there are other ways we can pay it forward.”
The knot in her stomach eased, but she wondered how she would ever repay everyone for their kindness. Lanie’s voice echoed in her head. We take care of our own. While that might be the case, she would feel unbalanced until she did something to show her gratitude.
Their food arrived, and she dove into her burger, surprised at how hungry she was. Truthfully, she hadn’t eaten much that morning because she’d been a bundle of nerves leading up to the event.
But she was glad she’d come. She glanced up from her burger and smiled at Steven. He appeared in good spirits. The lines that creased his forehead when he was stressed had disappeared.
Maybe everything was going to be okay. Maybe they were going to be okay. While they still had a lot of things to work through, she had hope for the first time in a long time that things were going to work out.
Lanie popped up at their table with a smile. “We’ve only been here an hour, and we’ve already raised enough to pay off the catering bill.”
Rose’s mouth fell open. “What? Are you serious?”
With a nod, Lanie showed her the tally for the baskets. “People bid a lot higher than I’d expected on these.”
“That’s amazing!” Steven’s eyes were wide. “I suspected we’d be able to at least offset some of the cost, but this…” He shook his head as if unable to finish his sentence.
Lanie beamed. “I’m hopeful the proceeds from food and beverage sales will give us enough to pay off what you owe for the wedding and start working on some of the outstanding medical bills.”
“It would be nice not to start our new life together in debt,” Steven said. “Thank you for doing this.”
“It’s not like I planned this alone.” Someone called Lanie’s name, and she smiled. “Duty calls.”
When they were alone again, Rose shifted her chair closer to Steven. “How’s physical therapy going?”
“Pretty well. I’ve been able to successfully perform most of the exercises my therapist has given me, and I practice them at home between sessions.” He winked. “Though sometimes, it feels like it should be called physical torture instead of therapy.”
She laughed. “How long do you think you’ll have to go?”
“I’m not sure. Dr. Bhati has asked my therapist to send an update on my progress in a month, and we’ll reassess after that.”
At least he was listening to his doctors about something, but she kept that thought to herself. Despite her earlier reservations about the event, it was going well, and she didn’t want to spoil it. Instead, she pushed her concerns about the future from her mind and tried to live in the present.
“What a success!” Lanie exclaimed as they left the diner. “We’ve got to wait to find out what Bea raised, but this wedding is practically paid for.”
It had been a long day of shaking hands, fielding congratulations, and talking to friends and strangers alike. In some ways, it had felt like the engagement party they never got to have. They’d hoped to have one last summer, but when Melody took a turn for the worse, they postponed it. Then she’d died, and no one was up for a party after that.
The irony of how accommodating Rose had been during that time wasn’t lost on her. Whereas when she had asked to postpone the wedding, she’d been railroaded. Steven would likely argue the circumstances were different, but were they? Instead of his mother, it was Steven whose health had taken a turn, and while he was on the mend, they still had a way to go.
Although they hadn’t done much planning for their engagement party by the time Melody’s health failed. So Rose supposed that in that respect, things were much different.
“Thank you for putting this together.” Steven pulled his sister in for a hug. “You truly are the best sister ever.”
Lanie laughed, patting her brother’s back. “I expect my crown to have that engraved on it, but be sure to thank Trudy as well. She helped get the ball rolling.” Once Steven released her, she rushed over to Rose. “How are you doing? Has this helped take some of the stress off you?”
Rose nodded. “It has, and Steven’s right. We couldn’t have done this without you.”
“It was my pleasure.” After linking their arms, Lanie pulled Rose away and lowered her voice. “And between you and me, there was a special box set up for people who wanted to donate to help Steven’s law firm. It didn’t raise much, but it might help offset some of the lost income from June. He can protest as much as he wants, but he doesn’t realize how much people struggled to get legal advice before he set up shop.”
“I won’t tell him.”
“Good.” Lanie flashed a grin, but it fell as quickly as it had appeared. “Though I suppose I can’t keep it from him for long. While I’ve been helping with bookkeeping, he’ll eventually notice the extra funds.”
“And he’d probably have to account for it come tax season.”
Lanie pursed her lips. “True. I’ll figure out a way to tell him. Maybe Michael will help me.” She glanced over her shoulder and released Rose’s arm. “You’d better go. He looks like he could use a nap.”
Rose’s brow furrowed as she assessed him. While his father buckled him into the van, he rested his head against the back of the wheelchair. Dark circles framed his eyes, and his skin was paler than normal.
As Max stepped away to allow her to say goodbye, she hesitated at the door to the van. Maybe she should ask Max to take him to the hospital and get a quick checkup. Dr. Myers was working, and he likely wouldn’t mind.
Steven stirred and reached for her hand. “Will I see you at home?”
“You should get some sleep. You look exhausted.” When he opened his mouth as if to protest, she hurried on. “And honestly, I’m pretty beat myself. But I’ll stop by tomorrow after my shift is over.”
“That sounds good,” he replied with a sleepy smile.
Rose leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before heading to her car.
As she drove to her condo, she felt conflicted. On the one hand, the fundraiser had alleviated some of their financial concerns. But on the other, the exhaustion on Steven’s face haunted her. Despite his promises, it looked like he still wasn’t taking care of himself, and Rose was getting more than a little tired of sounding like a broken record when it came to his health. Her misgivings about the wedding had morphed into something more serious. She needed to talk to someone, to sort out her feelings, before it was too late.