Forever Blessed (Women of Prayer) (26 page)

She was thankful when the snow started gently falling. Maybe by tomorrow all the red would be gone.

*  *  *  *

Laney watched Ella climb off the bus with a smile plastered on her face that just wouldn’t quit. She greeted her with a hug.

“Hey, welcome back. Long time no see.”

“It feels so good to be home. Thank you for picking me up.”

“You’re welcome.” Laney took her bag. “Come on, let’s get in out of the cold.”

She ushered her into the front seat of her van, the heat was on the fritz but at least the vehicle sheltered them from the wind.

Ella couldn’t stop talking. She told her about the trip and the boys and how Cliff was doing, barely taking time to stop for a breath.

It didn’t take them long to get home, which was good because the kids needed to be picked up from school and Melanie would need to be picked up from the church daycare. She was glad that was available but Melanie would be happy to see Ms. Ella. She missed the grandmotherly woman who usually took care of her.

Laney pulled up in front of the school and joy got in the back seat. “Where is Matt?”

Joy shrugged her shoulders. “Ms. Ella, I’m so glad you’re home.”

Laney was getting irritated. She didn’t have time for this today. She put the van in park and headed into the school wondering if he was sitting in the principal’s office again. Last week he’d played a prank on a kid and the teacher didn’t find it as funny as Matt did. She’d had to collect him from the office then as well.

She walked in the door and there he sat, looking sheepish. “Sorry Mom. I didn’t mean to this time, really.”

“Matt, this is getting old. I don’t have time to be running in here every day after school looking for you.” She spoke with the principal, and then led Matt to the van. “Next time, you’ll be walking home. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“Well, if it does, you know what will happen. I do not have time to play games Matt. You need to follow the rules at school and obey your teacher. We aren’t that far from school that I won’t let you walk. So, next time you decide to pull a fun prank, be prepared to walk home. I’m going to be late getting Melanie. Now get in.” She held the door open for him then closed it behind him.

*  *  *  *

Ella walked around her living room, thankful to be home. She pulled out the new cell phone and fingered the buttons gently, thinking of the woman who gave her the gift. It felt good to have someone concerned about her. She placed the phone next to her bed where she would hear it if it rang in the night. It took her a while to learn how to work the phone, but she got it down. She didn’t want to disappoint her daughter.

She opened her purse and removed the wad of money Marsha had handed her. She hadn't wanted to count it in front of strangers, so she’d waited until she got home. There were five one hundred dollar bills neatly folded together. She folded them back up and went to the vase in the corner of the bedroom. Ella pulled the envelope from the vase and added the money to the fund she’d started long ago, before Frank had died. It was her emergency fund and she didn’t quite know how to stop planning for that emergency. She had tucked every spare dime she could find in that fund. She went without new shoes and dresses. She didn’t spend money on going out to eat. She made gifts instead of purchasing them at the store. She did everything she could do to make sure she and her children were safe. Now, if need be, they would have what they needed. Over the years, she’d managed to save over ten thousand dollars. It wasn’t much to the world, but to her, it represented safety and security.

She was supposed to spend the five hundred dollars on her needs. The only need she’d ever known was that her kids were safe. They were the most important part of her life.

             
             
             
Chapter Thirty-Two

The debris from the fire was cleaned away before the first days of spring hit. Plans were drafted and a new house would soon stand where the old one had been.

Since the weather wasn’t cooperating, Sheila needed something to occupy her time. She wasn’t used to having so much free time.

She jumped in with both feet and leased a building for the tearoom. It had been a coffee shop, so the basics were already in place. She and Austin had the perfect project to pour all their free time into.

She was absently turning the pages of a catalog as she watched her husband build the shelves for the loose tea they would sell. He pulled a hammer from his carpenter belt and took a nail from the box sitting on the counter. He turned around and smiled at her. “What, may I ask, are you looking at? You are supposed to be shopping for tea cups.”

She closed the catalog and approached her husband. She reached up and brushed the hair that had fallen forward. “You need a haircut.”

“Now you notice.”

The bell indicating they had a customer tinkled. They both turned and saw Laney coming through the door with a box in her hand.

Austin grinned at his wife and picked the hammer up. “Time to get back to work.”

Sheila ooh’d and aah’d over the teacups and saucers in the box. The ladies in the church had heard about her project and were happy to lend a hand. They had donated teacups from their own personal collections as well as scoured resale shops for the treasures she was now pulling from the box.

“They’re lovely.”

“You think these are nice, wait till you see what I have in the van. Ella made adorable table clothes. You’ll love them.” Laney started for the door.

“Hold on, let me help you.” Sheila hit the button to start heating the water in the little electric teapot and followed Laney out the door.

The shop was wedged between a bookstore and a scrapbooking store. It was perfect. Women would be passing by every day; they couldn’t help but see the new tearoom. Sheila was counting on women from the community liking tea as much as her friends did. If the tea wasn’t enough, she was planning on having excellent baked goods. She had some good recipes from her mom; hopefully they would withstand the scrutiny of a buying clientele.

Laney set the last box on the long folding banquet table in the middle of the room.

Sheila washed out two teacups and broke out her new tea balls. She only had a few samples of loose tea, but they might as well try them out and see which ones they liked. She steeped Laney a cup of Jasmine while she tried the English Breakfast Tea.

Together they turned the pages of the catalog while they sipped their tea. The shop was going to be lovely. It would be the perfect place to get the ladies from the shelter working if they didn’t already have a vocation. “Laney, did I bite off more than I can chew?”

Laney set her teacup down on the fragile saucer. “Sheila, you won’t know until you get going. I think you had a brilliant idea straight from God. But, you’ll know soon enough. If it is, then at least you tried, right?”

“You’re right. What am I worried about? God is in control. Why do I sometimes forget that?”

“You and me both.” Laney peered into the nearest box. “Did you see these table clothes that Ella made? They are gorgeous.”

Sheila fingered the beautiful chintz material. “Where does she get the time? Or the energy? She is amazing.”

Each tablecloth was unique yet similar to the others. They were all from the same color scheme but some had ruffled edges, some were squared off, some were round and some bordered with a matching solid. For every tablecloth there was an ecru overlay that would be the background for the teacups. Sheila couldn’t wait to put it all together. They were blessed. The shop still had all the tables and chairs. She had to believe the shop was God’s will, otherwise, why would he have handed them such a perfect place?

Laney had saved the best box for last. Sheila screamed in delight when she saw what was in her friend’s hands. Someone somehow had found a tea set just like the one her mother had left her. She gingerly held the gold-rimmed teacup. She remembered drinking warm milk from those cups when she was a little girl, while her mother had tea. As she grew older, her mother started mixing the milk half and half with tea until finally she was old enough to have tea with a little bit of milk. It was then she saw that the tablecloths matched the tea set perfectly.

She started crying. She couldn’t wait to hug Ella. “How did she do this? Where did the tea set come from?”

“Ella is the one who had the tea set. She said the first time she was in your office she noticed the set sitting on a shelf and had commented to herself it was just like hers. She had planned on giving you the set when the shelter opened up, but figured you needed it more than ever for your shop.”

“She never said anything to me. I had no idea.”

“She didn’t realize how important the set was to you until after the fire. It was then she decided to replace the one you’d lost. And when you opened the shop, even better. She found the perfect material for the tablecloths while she was in Chicago. I guess her daughter has a huge house with a sewing room and Ella took advantage of it while she was there.”

Sheila ran her hand over the printed cloth. These couldn’t be more perfect.” She smiled at Laney. “I have the best friends.” 

Ella volunteered to keep the kids for the afternoon so Laney helped Sheila while Austin worked on the shelves. They placed an order through Restaurant Supply that made Laney wince. The part of town that housed the teashop was one that was desperate for business. The powers that be were helping Sheila get all her licenses and documentation in order so she could open as soon as possible. The city council was trying to promote the downtown for business. They didn’t want to be seen as difficult to deal with.

*  *  *  *

The invitations had been sent. The cookies and scones were arranged on pretty trays and little sandwiches were stacked on tiered plates, ready to be consumed by those who were coming to the grand opening. A couple of teenagers at church had been hired into service to watch the children so the parents at the church could go without having children in tow.

Sheila was nervous. What if no one liked it? What if the shop was a flop? The little storefront was decorated beautifully. Both Laney and Ella had arrived early to help with serving.

Most of the preparation happened in the little kitchen in the back of the shop. Sheila walked around and greeted guests. She was the ultimate hostess. The young girl they’d hired to help was behind the counter putting sandwiches, cookies, and scones on plates.

The first guests began to arrive. Pastor Mark and Jessi, accompanied by Jessi’s Aunt Merry, walked through the door. It didn’t take long for the little teashop to fill up. Everyone was so busy, drinking tea and eating treats, that the deliveryman standing at the counter dropping off the box virtually went un-noticed.

Laney had her hands full making more sandwiches and arranging cookies. She brought the last tray out of the kitchen and set it on the counter. “This is it guys, no more. We’ve gone through everything.” She looked at the box sitting on the counter and frowned. It had no address on it. She assumed it was for Sheila, a grand opening present, so she took it back to the kitchen where it would be out of the way then proceeded to wash up the dishes and clean the counters. The more she took care of now, the less she’d have to do later. 

She wondered how the kids were doing so she stepped out the backdoor to quickly call the babysitter at church. “Hi Jessica, it’s Laney. I’m just calling to check on the kids.” She could hear voices and laughter in the background.

“Everyone is doing great. We are watching a movie and eating popcorn. The kids are having a ball.”

“Awesome. Thank you. Things are winding down here. We have another half hour till we close and then clean up. Can you make it that long?”

“Of course, the kids are doing great.”

Laney pocketed her phone and turned to go back inside. The door was locked. She tried to knock but no one knew she was outside and had no idea to listen for a knock.
That was dumb.
I should have known the door would automatically lock.
She started walking down the alley and around the rest of the block.