There was a constant stream of people coming up to pay their respects, and more than one person had put an envelope in her lap as they were leaving. “Just a little something extra,” they would say. Or “Safe travels,” they might add. All she could do was thank them and try not to cry.
When Ruby came up to get the dinner started, Donna had a lap full of envelopes. Ruby locked them up in her car, then came back to the gazebo.
“It’s time to get this party started,” she said. “Are you ready for this?”
“I think so,” Donna said, and then let Ruby lead her to the microphone. It was her chance to say thank you and goodbye, but she was nervous.
“You’ll be fine,” Ruby said.
Donna took a deep breath, then moved closer to the microphone and quietly cleared her throat.
“First of all, thank you. All of you. On the worst day of our lives, Arnold and I thought we would never be able to hold our heads up in this town again. After what our boys did, I was so ashamed that I wanted to die.” Her voice began to shake. “But God took Arnold instead. I’ll never understand why. All I know is that everything and everybody I loved in this world is gone, and my only solace—the only thing I could think was that I wanted to go home…back to Bethlehem, West Virginia, where I was born and raised. But the likelihood of that happening was slim to none until all of you began offering help, giving me hope.
“Now, because of your generosity, I’m that much closer to going home. I love Blessings so much. I thought we would live here forever. Be buried here, even. But I guess God had other plans. So thank you for caring enough to help. Thank you so, so much. I don’t know what else to say but God bless you.”
The applause that followed was loud and fervent, and then a pastor from the Methodist church stepped up and said a prayer, and as soon as he said, “Amen,” someone in the crowd shouted, “Let’s eat!”
Food and laughter ensued.
Birdie had turned in her tickets, but instead of eating there, she got three plates to go, one for her and one each for Hunt and Ava, along with a separate box with three desserts. She was struggling toward the car with her load when a young man came running toward her.
“Hey, Bridgette! I haven’t seen you in ages. Looks like you could use some help.”
Birdie stopped. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had called her by her given name, and she was still trying to place him when he smiled. It was that one dimple in his right cheek that gave him away.
Wade Montgomery!
She hadn’t seen him since their junior year of high school.
“Wade! What on earth are you doing back in Blessings?”
“I came back to help Uncle Dub.”
Birdie stared. “My boss, Dub Truesdale, is your uncle?”
Now he looked as surprised as she felt.
“You work at the Feed and Seed?” he asked.
“Since straight out of high school.”
“Then we’ll be seeing more of each other, I guess. So, will you let me help carry this for you?”
“Yes, and much appreciated,” Birdie said, and handed the stack of boxes over, then took the smaller box with the desserts off the top and carried it.
“Where are we going?” Wade asked.
“To my car. I’m going to eat with my brother and his girlfriend. She just got out of the hospital.”
“Which brother?” he asked.
“Hunter, the oldest one.”
“Good dude,” Wade said. “You lead. I’ll follow,” he added, and then disputed his own words and walked beside her all the way. As soon as the food was in her car, he gave her a quick pat on the shoulder. “Enjoy, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Birdie blinked. “Wait. What?”
“At work. I’ll see you at work,” he said.
“Oh, right. Tomorrow. Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow,” and then she sat in the car without starting it up, just so she could watch him walk away.
Tall, dark, and handsome. Check.
Friendly and personable. Check.
Worked in the same business. Check.
But she hadn’t thought to inquire about the important stuff, like was he married? Did he have a girlfriend? Where was he living? And exactly what was his job description going to be at the Feed and Seed?
After he disappeared within the crowd, Birdie started up her car and drove to Ava’s house. She got out carrying the desserts and knocked on the door.
Hunt opened it, smiling. “Hey, kid, come on in.”
“The dinners are still in my car. I brought mine here, too, if that’s okay?”
“Of course it’s okay. I’ll get the food. You can find your way to the kitchen.”
“Is Ava awake?” Birdie asked.
“She’s waking up. I saw you drive up and woke her. She’ll be here shortly. Go on in.”
A few minutes later, they were seated around Ava’s kitchen table, talking about Donna Hollis’s thank-you speech, the huge turnout, and everything but Wade Montgomery’s sudden reappearance in Blessings. Birdie didn’t want to hear Hunt start teasing her about another guy.
* * *
Peanut and Ruby took Donna home after the potluck was over, then Ruby walked her back to the house.
“I’ll call you tomorrow. I know we sold almost six thousand dollars’ worth of potluck tickets, plus a few donations added in. That’s already been deposited into your bank account. There’s the silent auction at the country club tomorrow night, so there’ll be more. And whatever else is in the envelopes you were given today. We’ll see what kind of a total you come up with. Hopefully it will be enough to get you home, and a little nest egg to carry you over until your benefits start coming in.”
“I’m so grateful,” Donna said. “I’ll count up what they gave me today and take it to the bank in the morning, too. Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome, sugar,” Ruby said. “Now go inside and get your shoes off and get comfy.”
“I will, and thank you again,” Donna said, and went inside, put up the food she’d brought home, then carried the envelopes into her bedroom and laid them aside until she had changed her clothes. Only after she was comfortable did she sit down on the bed and begin opening them up.
The first twelve all had cash ranging from $20 to several with $100 bills, and a few with even more. The next envelope she picked up had $1,000 in cash. She gasped. She’d never held that much cash money in her hand at once, and she added it to the stack.