She squared her shoulders, determined to forge ahead.
A trickle of sweat ran down her left temple as she pressed the door open. Just a small bit at first, and then widely enough for her to slip through it, shutting it at her back.
“Jackie. Hi. I thought I heard someone in here. What are you doing?”
Hope’s chin jerked up, and she saw Elsa watching her from the doorway to the dining room, dressed in a checkered bathrobe and holding a tall glass of milk in one hand.
“I…er….um.” Hope frantically scanned the laptop and met Elsa’s gaze. “Was just feeling a little queasy, so I thought I might find some ginger ale?” She gritted her teeth, trying hard not to look guilty. “I didn’t want to wake anyone.”
“Oh, you poor thing.” Elsa waved her toward the kitchen. “Come with me. We’ll get you some soda crackers, too.”
Hope hesitated about following her. Maybe she could still finagle using Brent’s laptop later, or even sneak it back to the carriage house with her when no one was looking. “Uh, right. Okay.” She clutched her stomach dramatically, then said, “Thank you.”
Elsa reached into the pantry, producing a box of crackers and a small bottle of ginger ale. Next, she grabbed a glass from the cupboard and added ice to it before pouring the soda in.
She arranged the crackers on a plate and then handed it to Hope along with the drink. “Maybe you should sit for a minute?” she said, indicating one of the two blue-and-white gingham checked chairs situated in front of a bookshelf holding cookbooks.
The tiny table nestled between them held ship’s-wheel coasters.
“I’m sorry your stomach’s feeling sour.” Her brow rose with the question. “Were you able to eat any of the dinner Brent brought you?”
“Oh, yes. I did, actually. It was so, so good.” She took a sip of soda. “Thanks.”
Elsa drank from her milk as Hope nibbled on a cracker. “I know this family can be a bit overwhelming,” Elsa said. “When I first met Chad and Margaret, I was just like you. A great big ball of nerves.”
“I’m not exactly—”
“Jackie.” Elsa’s dark eyes glimmered. “It’s o-kay to feel anxious about your wedding day. After all, it’s a big deal.”
“Yes, yes it is.”
“But it will be just like it was with me and Parker.” She sighed. “Love will see you through.”
Hope choked on a sip of her drink and started coughing.
Elsa patted her back. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Mmm-hmm.” Hope took another quick swallow of her drink, and the bubbles burned all the way down. “I was just thinking about how lucky Brent is to have parents like the two of you.”
“You’re lucky, too, I hear. Brent’s told me a little about your mom, and she sounds great. So creative. She’s a performer?”
“Um, sort of? As a hobby, I mean. Just don’t get her started.”
Elsa laughed in understanding. “Hobbies are good. We all should have more of them.”
“Yeah.”
“What are yours?” Elsa asked earnestly.
Hope figured it didn’t hurt to share this much. “Well, I really love to read.”
“Me, too.” Elsa smiled. “Which genres?”
“Romance, truthfully?” she admitted.
“I love romance. All kinds. You probably saw some of my collection in the library.”
“I did,” Hope said, loving that she had this in common with Brent’s mom. “We have lots of the same books.”
Elsa’s eyes held a devilish gleam. “Grandmother Margaret reads them, too.”
“Nooo…” Hope laughed.
Elsa giggled in reply. “So does Grandpa Chad.”
“Ha. That’s amazing.”
“I know.” Elsa nodded like they were friends, and Hope was appreciating this conversation so much. “They really are a pair.”
“It’s great when the right people find each other,” Hope said, speaking from the heart but not thinking.
“Like me and Parker,” Elsa shared. “And you and Brent.”
In some ways, Hope found herself wishing it was her and Brent. His mom was so special. It was impossible not to like her and to want to have Elsa like her back.
“I can’t wait to meet your family,” she said. “Brent says that Hope’s a schoolteacher. Such a worthy job.” She studied Hope in the dim light. “Are you sisters close?”
“We’re not as close as we used to be.” Hope found it spilling out of her against her better judgment. Elsa was just the sort of person you wanted to share things with. She was probably dangerous to sit next to on a plane. “We were, though, as kids, yeah. Pretty inseparable.”
Elsa’s face registered understanding. “Relationships go through cycles like that—even our most precious ones.”
The woman’s compassionate nature made Hope wonder about what her home life had been like growing up. “Do you have brothers and sisters?”
“I was one of three girls,” she answered. “The youngest.”
“Are you all close?”
“We are.” Elsa smiled. “Denise and Molly will be here on Saturday with their husbands, so you’ll get a chance to meet them then. A few of Brent’s cousins, too.”
“It’s nice having a family-only wedding.”
“It’s your and Brent’s day. It’s important for you to have the kind of wedding you want. Small and intimate.”
“What was your wedding like?” Hope asked.
Her voice took on a wistful note. “Really beautiful. Parker and I were married in a cathedral. Washington Cathedral.”
“Nice.”
“My father was still working as a diplomat back then with lots of Washington connections. Parker and I were right out of college, and our group attended, too. But most of the five hundred guests were honestly our parents’ friends.”
“I’ve never been to such a big”—Hope stopped herself, remembering she was Jackie, who coordinated large wedding parties all the time—“gathering for any of my personal friends,” she corrected. “I mean, I’ve been hired to help run the big ones. But that’s different.”
“That’s right,” Elsa said as if remembering. “Your cousin Debbie was married last year.”