Pennies From Heaven (The Bella Novella Collection Book 3) (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

Vous venez souvent ici ?

Translation: Do you come here often?

The following Saturday the entire Neeley-Rossi clan headed north to Splendora for Lily and Cecil’s engagement party. I would finally have an opportunity to look over the Rigas rose garden—aka the reception area—and put together a plan with the bride-to-be. Somehow we’d give the outdoor garden a Parisian-themed ambience.

Of course, bringing the entire family along might prove to be a bit of a distraction, but hopefully Lily and I would spin a plan into action while the others headed off to my in-laws to prep for Lily and Cecil’s engagement party.

We caravanned from Galveston to Splendora, stopping only at Donny’s Truck Stop on Interstate 69 before turning off onto the back roads beneath the tall, Texas pines. We visited with D.J.’s uncle Donny, who ran the place. My sister-in-law Scarlet entered into a lengthy conversation with her aunt Willy, Donny’s wife, about baked goods, as always. Once these two got busy talking about Swiss Meringue frosting and the latest in fondant décor, nothing could deter them. Well, nothing but chatter about Scarlet’s pregnancy. These days, the anticipation of a new baby brought everyone great joy. In a little more than a month we’d celebrate the arrival of a baby girl.

Willy deviated from the conversation to pass out cookie samples and I took a bite of the powdered-sugar-covered-goodness and sighed in pure delight. Why couldn’t I bake like this? Oh, right. . .because I was too busy raising four kids and running two wedding facilities.

The sound of a familiar voice rang out and I turned to see that my friend Cassia had entered with her husband, Alex.

“I had a feeling we’d find you here.” Cassia walked over and gave me a hug. “You beat us to Splendora. We stopped off in Houston so Alex could visit with one of his rose vendors.”

“Just got here,” I responded. “Headed to your in-laws’ place momentarily.”

“Have fun. We’re going to go straight to Dwayne and Earline’s place to help set up for the engagement party. You should see my car. It’s loaded with food.”

“Yum. Save some for me.”

“Will you be late to the party, Bella?” Willy turned our way, her finely placed wrinkles more pronounced by her wide smile.

“A little.” I nodded and licked the sugar off of my fingers. “Just stopping off at Rigas Roses first to walk the garden with Lily. The rest of the family is going on to Dwayne and Earline’s, just like Cassia. They’re going to help set up and get the food started. I think it was so sweet of everyong to plan this party for Lily and Cecil.”

“That’s how it is with folks in Splendora, Bella.” Willy’s eyes misted over. “I’ve never met people as willing to roll out the red carpet—or in this case, the garden path—for those they love.”

“Yep. Up here in Splendora, we’re all about relationships.” Donny gave me a broad smile and then turned to wait on a customer.

Off in the distance D.J. got my attention. He held up a
Life is Splendid in Splendora
magnet. “Think we should get this for the new van?”

“Duh.” I nodded. “Of course.”

He paid for the magnet and a handful of snacks, then we corralled the kiddos back to our family’s recently purchased van, leaving the rest of the Rossi family to drive to Dwayne and Earline’s without us.

Minutes later D.J. pulled our vehicle into the driveway at Rigas Roses and I gave the property a solid once-over, as if seeing it for the first time. In some ways this was a first. . .I was now seeing it as a wedding coordinator, sizing it up for the big day.

In the back of the van the older kids bickered and the twins started to cry. I unbuckled and turned back to tend to them, my mothering skills kicking in.

“Should I wait here for you?” D.J. looked a bit concerned as he voiced the question. “I hate to get all of the kids out while you’re having your meeting. They’ll run amuck in the garden.”

“Run amuck?” I laughed, then leaned over and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. “I love how you phrase things.”

“Just speaking truth. They’ll have all those roses pulled up in no time.”

A tap on my window alerted me to the fact that we weren’t alone. I turned to discover the groom-to-be, Cecil, standing there with Lily at his side. Seconds later I had my window down and we were chatting full-force. Lily’s enthusiasm bubbled up and consumed us all.

“Y’all gettin’ out of that high-falutin’ vehicle or stayin’ in there all day?” Cecil asked after a few minutes.

“D.J.’s worried the kids’ll run amuck,” I said, and then giggled. “And they will.”

“You want to go on ahead to your mama’s place, D.J.?” Cecil directed his question to my hubby. “Lily and I will bring Bella when we’re done here.”

“You don’t mind?” My husband looked more than a little relieved as he asked the question.

“Not a bit.” Cecil’s warm smile was convincing enough.

I blew kisses at my babies, gave my sweetie a gentle peck, then grabbed my purse and scooted out of the van. As they pulled away, I gave my precious family a wave.

“D.J.’s a super hero.” I spoke the words aloud, though I hadn’t meant to. “He’s going to get some sort of husband of the year award, or maybe some extra stars in his crown when he gets to heaven. No kidding. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” A wave of joy washed over me as I spoke those words aloud. I believed them with my whole heart. What a gift D.J. was—straight from heaven.

“Aw, he loves you, Bella.” Lily gave me a little shrug. “That’s how love is. It gives and gives and then gives some more.”

Looked like this bride-to-be had already learned one of life’s more difficult lessons, for sure.

Cecil’s parents arrived a few minutes later. I’d never met the couple before but could tell right away that they felt a little out of place with the Rigas family, if such a thing could be judged from Mrs. Davidson’s expression. She brushed one of her palms against the sleeve of her faded blouse and took a few steps in our direction.

“Mama, this here’s Bella.” Cecil gave me a nod. “Bella, this is my mama, Margaret.”

“Good to meet you, Mrs. Davidson.” I nodded in the direction of the woman, who took to fussing with her hair.  “Er, Margaret.” I got that same weird feeling I always got when calling one of my elders by their first name. For some strange reason, even though I’d more than morphed into a full-blown adult, it felt strange to call folks in my parents’ age group anything other than Mr. or Mrs.

“Everyone calls me Moggie.” The woman stretched out her hand and I took it. She looked around the garden, her eyes widening. “Mr. and Mrs. Rigas, you have a beautiful home.” If she’d wanted to say more, the words were stuck to the roof of her mouth. She gazed—eyes wide—at the expansive lawn and gorgeous home. In that moment, no one needed to share a word for me to understand what she was feeling. This poor woman felt out of place in her son’s new world. Still, she plastered on a smile and greeted Mrs. Rigas with a hug.

“Please, call me Lena,” Mrs. Rigas said. “We’re in-laws now.”

“In-laws.” Moggie gave a slow nod. “That’ll be nice, Lena.”

“Better’n bein’ outlaws!” Mr. Davidson chimed in, then pulled off his cowboy hat and swiped the sweat from his balding head. “Dontcha think?”

“Absolutely.” Mr. Rigas extended his hand and Cecil’s father shook it—without wiping the sweat from his own first. Ack. Not that anyone else seemed to notice or care. Well, no one but Cecil, who cringed.

“We don’t see a lot of places like this in Cut-n-Shoot,” Mrs. Davidson explained. “It’s lovely.”

We made our way through to the garden and Cecil shared his ideas about the upcoming reception with excitement lacing his every word. “This is where we’ll put the trellis I’ve built.” He pointed to a lovely spot just south of the greenhouse.

“Oh, Bella, you should see the trellis. It’s unbelievable.” Lily slipped her arm through his. “You know what a craftsman Cec is. He’s done the most magnificent job weaving the branches together. We’re going to cover them in greenery and fresh flowers—maybe soft pink hydrangeas and some baby’s breath. Then we’re going to add some white chiffon, to make it look more romantic.”

“Sounds gorgeous.”

“Oh, I know it will be. We thought it would be a great place for photos. I can’t wait to see it in place, all done up.”

“You’re a miracle worker, Cecil. Who takes branches and turns them into a work of art?”

Cecil’s cheeks blazed pink at all of the flattery. “Aw, thanks. I thought I might ask D.J. to help me with some of the other things. We have lots of ideas and need to move quickly.”

“We want to turn Rigas Roses into Paris, right down to the Seine River. In the meantime, let’s talk about the layout here, if you don’t mind.” Lily began to stroll the garden, filling me in on all of her ideas, most of which were elegant and lovely. I could almost see it now.

After a few moments she paused for breath and I threw in an idea. “So, I had a thought. Let me run it by you. Feel free to nix it, by the way. Just have to share.”

“What is it, Bella?”

“Well, you know how they have little French cafes in Paris? They’re so quaint and sweet.”

“Sure.”

“What if Cecil and D.J. built out some faux fronts that looked like French cafes and restaurants. Right over there.” I pointed at a clearing near the greenhouse. “They could serve as the backdrop for the buffet tables and the wedding cake. I think that would be lovely. What do you think?”

“It’s perfection.” She glanced up at her beaux. “What say you, my handsome carpenter?”

“I say ‘Show me a picture and I’ll do my best.’” He swept her into his arms and planted several kisses in her hair.

“Aren’t they just the most darling couple?” Mrs. Davidson gave them a winsome look. “I raised such a wonderful boy.”

“He’s a keeper.” Lily gave him another kiss.

“Speaking of ideas, I saw the loveliest one online,” Mrs. Rigas said. “One bride used perfume bottles as vases to hold the roses for her table centerpieces. Chanel, of course. And
Yves Saint Laurent. Very French.”

“I hate to state the obvious. . .” Lily gave her mother a knowing look. “But women in Splendora probably don’t have a lot of Chanel bottles sitting around. You know?”

“True.” Mrs. Davidson nodded. “If the women ‘round here are like the gals in Cut-n-Shoot, they’re more likely to spend their hard-earned dollars on deodorant, not fine French perfumes. No offense to the Chanel #5 crowd, of course.”

“None taken.” Mrs. Rigas’s cheeks flamed pink. “It was just a suggestion. And for the record, I have quite a few bottles I’ve collected over the years. You can use those if you like, Lily.”

“I’m happy to use what you have, if we decide to go that route.” Lily gave her mother a quick hug. “I was thinking maybe we could use a variety of Paris-themed items for the centerpieces, not just flowers in vases. You know. . .mix it up.” Her eyes took on a dreamy expression.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the idea of Paris in the springtime. And what better place to carry out my girlish fantasies than right here, in the garden? Our rose farm is the most beautiful place I’ve ever known.”

She wasn’t kidding about that. I’d never seen such colors before, and the scent was heavenly. I could almost picture heaven looking and smelling just like this.

As we approached a concrete bench just off the path, Lily’s eyes misted over. “When I was a little girl I’d come out here to pray.” She pointed at a concrete bench. “This was my prayer chair. That’s what I always called it. I’d sit on my prayer chair, surrounded by the loveliest aroma of roses, and talk to God about all of my problems.”

“Problems?” Her mother gave her a curious look. “Like what?”

“Like having a twin sister who always wanted to steal my thunder, for one thing.” Lily quirked a brow. “Anyway, this garden is special to me and it’s going to be the very place we get to celebrate our reception.” 

She rose and took Cecil’s arm and we continued our walk down a winding path to a clearing with roses framing both sides.

“What a perfect location for the reception.” I said, my imagination kicking into overdrive. “It’s as if this very spot was ordained from the beginning.”

“I believe it was.” A beautiful smile turned up the edges of Lily’s lips and she leaned against Cecil. “Just for the two of us.”

“I hate to be a kill-joy,” Mr. Davidson said, his gaze shifting upward to the sky. “But what if it rains on the 30
th
of April? Is there a backup plan?”

Cecil shrugged. “I’d like to believe it won’t rain. That’s what I’m praying for, anyway. But if it does, we’ll just make the reception hall at the wedding facility into a Parisian garden. It can be done.”

“Yes, I’ve worked at the wedding facility for a while now,” Lily said. “And we’ve transformed a lot of spaces for brides. I’m sure Bella could help me figure it out. But, again, it’s
not
going to rain.”

“She has a special connection with the Lord,” Mrs. Rigas said with confidence. “Always has. They’re like this.” She pressed two fingers tightly together.

“Noah was pretty close to God, too,” Mr. Davidson muttered, “But that didn’t stop the Almighty from flooding the earth.” He cleared his throat. “Well, I do think a backup plan is always a good idea, ladies.”