me to hurry out here and tell you not to worry, that no one answered the phone. does that make sense?”
“Somewhat,” Hannah said, giving Amber a wave and walking gratefully away from the table. She was free to mingle, and even more important, she was free to sit down!
After sinking into the first unoccupied chair she encountered, Hannah thought about Sally’s message. She was almost positive that Shawna Lee would have answered the phone if she’d been at the Magnolia Blossom Bakery. After all, a phone call might be a catering order that she could shove down Hannah’s throat. No answer meant she wasn’t there and that meant Shawna Lee and Mike weren’t closeted in her apartment above the bakery. This was a big relief and Hannah had set out for the reception on time, but a careless driver had run her off the road. The other driver had kept on going, not realizing that she’d gone in the ditch, and now Hannah’s rival in both business an boyfriend was freezing her tail off, hiking to the nearest farmhouse in her party clothes.
When Lisa spotted Hannah at the table, she made a beeline for her friend and partner with her new groom in tow. Hannah noticed that she’d changed to her “going-away” outfit, a red woolen dress with a matching jacket, even though they wouldn’t be going away. Neither Lisa nor Herb wanted to be far away from her father and they’d decided to stay in the honeymoon suite at the Lake Eden Inn for a week, rather than hop a plane to Hawaii, or Tahiti, and worry bout him the whole time they were gone.
“I’m glad you’re finally sitting down,” Lisa said, giving Hannah a smile.
“Me, too,” Herb echoed Lisa’s sentiment. “We saw you standing there for over an hour cutting those incredible wedding cakes.”
“Do we have a lot of leftovers from the buffet?” Lisa asked.
“Two more wedding cakes, one of each kind, and seconds of almost every dessert that was out on the table. Practically everyone in town brought something.”
“That’s so nice,” Lisa said with a smile. “Herb and I noticed that there was quite a lot left, and we thought we should donate it to charity.”
“The soup kitchen, the retirement home, places like that,” Herb explained. “WE were wondering if you’d . . . “
“Say no more,” Hannah interrupted, using one of her favorite lines from an old Monty Python routine.”
“Pull out anything you’d like and take it,” Lisa offered.
“No, thanks. It was all wonderful, but my hips don’t need it.”
“How about Moishe?” Herb asked. “Do you ever give him dessert?”
“Only ratberry pie and chocolate mouse,” Hannah replied, her quip earning a merry laugh from both bride and groom.
“Thanks, Hannah!” Lisa reached out to give her a hug, an action that was unusual for her. Although Lisa was a warm and loving person, she seldom made affectionate gestures in public. “This was the best wedding in the whole world and none of it would have happened without you and Andrea!”
After a few more moments of chatter about the wedding and the reception, Lisa and Herb joined the dancers on the floor. Hannah leaned back in her chair — it was surprising how comfortable a folding chair could be when she was too tired to feel the metal digging into back — and wiggled her feet out of her shoes.
Wishing for a foot massage, or the luxury of a steaming Jacuzzi, Hannah made do with flexing her feet under the table. She winced slightly in the process and a moment alter, Delores and Winthrop came rushing up to her table.
“Are you all right, dear?” Delores looked concerned.
“I’m fine, by my feet aren’t. I’m not used to wearing high heels.”
“Speaking of heels, have you heard from Mike?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about your date with him, the one he asked for on the card with your flowers.”
“How do you know about that?” Hannah stared at her mother in shock. She’d told Lisa about the flowers Mike had sent and
“Somewhat,” Hannah said, giving Amber a wave and walking gratefully away from the table. She was free to mingle, and even more important, she was free to sit down!
After sinking into the first unoccupied chair she encountered, Hannah thought about Sally’s message. She was almost positive that Shawna Lee would have answered the phone if she’d been at the Magnolia Blossom Bakery. After all, a phone call might be a catering order that she could shove down Hannah’s throat. No answer meant she wasn’t there and that meant Shawna Lee and Mike weren’t closeted in her apartment above the bakery. This was a big relief and Hannah had set out for the reception on time, but a careless driver had run her off the road. The other driver had kept on going, not realizing that she’d gone in the ditch, and now Hannah’s rival in both business an boyfriend was freezing her tail off, hiking to the nearest farmhouse in her party clothes.
When Lisa spotted Hannah at the table, she made a beeline for her friend and partner with her new groom in tow. Hannah noticed that she’d changed to her “going-away” outfit, a red woolen dress with a matching jacket, even though they wouldn’t be going away. Neither Lisa nor Herb wanted to be far away from her father and they’d decided to stay in the honeymoon suite at the Lake Eden Inn for a week, rather than hop a plane to Hawaii, or Tahiti, and worry bout him the whole time they were gone.
“I’m glad you’re finally sitting down,” Lisa said, giving Hannah a smile.
“Me, too,” Herb echoed Lisa’s sentiment. “We saw you standing there for over an hour cutting those incredible wedding cakes.”
“Do we have a lot of leftovers from the buffet?” Lisa asked.
“Two more wedding cakes, one of each kind, and seconds of almost every dessert that was out on the table. Practically everyone in town brought something.”
“That’s so nice,” Lisa said with a smile. “Herb and I noticed that there was quite a lot left, and we thought we should donate it to charity.”
“The soup kitchen, the retirement home, places like that,” Herb explained. “WE were wondering if you’d . . . “
“Say no more,” Hannah interrupted, using one of her favorite lines from an old Monty Python routine.”
“Pull out anything you’d like and take it,” Lisa offered.
“No, thanks. It was all wonderful, but my hips don’t need it.”
“How about Moishe?” Herb asked. “Do you ever give him dessert?”
“Only ratberry pie and chocolate mouse,” Hannah replied, her quip earning a merry laugh from both bride and groom.
“Thanks, Hannah!” Lisa reached out to give her a hug, an action that was unusual for her. Although Lisa was a warm and loving person, she seldom made affectionate gestures in public. “This was the best wedding in the whole world and none of it would have happened without you and Andrea!”
After a few more moments of chatter about the wedding and the reception, Lisa and Herb joined the dancers on the floor. Hannah leaned back in her chair — it was surprising how comfortable a folding chair could be when she was too tired to feel the metal digging into back — and wiggled her feet out of her shoes.
Wishing for a foot massage, or the luxury of a steaming Jacuzzi, Hannah made do with flexing her feet under the table. She winced slightly in the process and a moment alter, Delores and Winthrop came rushing up to her table.
“Are you all right, dear?” Delores looked concerned.
“I’m fine, by my feet aren’t. I’m not used to wearing high heels.”
“Speaking of heels, have you heard from Mike?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about your date with him, the one he asked for on the card with your flowers.”
“How do you know about that?” Hannah stared at her mother in shock. She’d told Lisa about the flowers Mike had sent and
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