Snow Angels (10 page)

Darla took a sip from her coffee cup and looked at Kendra doubtfully. “Are you comfortable in that chair?”

Sugar Sugarman laughed. “At seven months’ pregnant, she’s not comfortable in
any
chair.”

Sugar was one to know. She and Denny had been married for forty-three years and had five children and nine grandchildren. Sugar had a very large and maternal heart. When Kendra first arrived in Maple Grove she’d boarded with Sugar and Denny, who treated her just like a daughter. Kendra felt the same way about them. With her own mother so far away in Ohio, Kendra was glad to have Sugar to talk to. Not only was she wise, she was absolutely trustworthy. And the same was true of Darla.

Kendra had quickly realized that when you’re the pastor’s wife, lots of people expect you never to grumble or gossip or even
think
about grumbling or gossiping. Kendra tried to refrain, but she was human. Like everyone else, she needed to vent every now and then. That was why she looked forward to her coffee dates with Sugar and Darla. They got together at Well Grounded, Maple Grove’s newly opened espresso bar, every Tuesday morning. Kendra could be sure that whatever was said at Well Grounded, stayed at Well Grounded.

“Sugar’s right,” Kendra said. “It’s like trying to sit with a ten-pound cannonball in your lap.”

Darla, who’d never had children, nodded sympathetically. “Yes, I suppose so.”

“But this is nothing.” Sugar nodded her head in the direction of Kendra’s pregnant belly. “You should have seen me when I had the twins. It was not pretty. By the time I got into my seventh month, I had only one maternity dress that fit—an enormous fuchsia number designed by Omar the Tentmaker. And the only thing I could get my feet into was a pair of pink chenille house slippers. Denny had to put them on for me every morning because I couldn’t bend over far enough to do it myself.” Sugar grinned. “Oh, I was a picture. Compared to me when I was in her condition, Kendra looks like a supermodel.”

“Well, I sure don’t feel like one.” Kendra sighed and rested her cup on the shelf of her stomach. “It’s not the baby. I’m happy about the baby. I mean…It’s just…everything. Andy’s been home late every night this week. We barely see each other these days. I know he’s busy. With the holidays coming there’s so much to do at the church, but I can’t help but feel that something’s wrong between us.”

“Have you talked to him about it?” Darla asked.

“How can I? Of course, that little scene with Thea didn’t help. He came home for dinner to find his daughter screaming and slamming doors and his wife collapsed on the kitchen floor sobbing her eyes out. I haven’t been married a real long time, but I have to believe this is not the kind of thing that makes a husband want to come home more often.”

Sugar twitched her shoulders, seeing Kendra’s point. “So, how is the Thea situation, anyway?”

“Not good,” Kendra replied. “She’s furious at us. Make that at me. Andy’s the one who grounded her, but for some reason she’s decided that I am the cause of all her problems. But what else could we do? Josh Randall is a senior! She’s got no business dating a boy his age. And she lied to us about it! She told me that she was staying late for dance team practice when she was planning to meet Josh all along.” Kendra shook her head sorrowfully. “I think that hurts more than anything else.”

“Don’t take it so hard. Thea wouldn’t be the first teenage girl who got caught lying about meeting a boy. It’s a complicated age.”

Sugar blew on her coffee to cool it down. None of those fancy espresso drinks for Sugar, thank you. She liked her coffee with nothing in it except a teaspoon of maple syrup tapped from trees on the Sugarman’s own farm—and always kept a “nip,” a tiny two-ounce bottle of syrup, in her purse for just that purpose.

“Personally, you couldn’t pay me to be fourteen again.”

“Well, you could me,” Darla huffed. “My knees hurt. My back hurts. And I can’t go up a flight of stairs without my heart beating like a bass drum. A little adolescent angst would be a small price to pay to have my old body back. Just tell me where I sign up. But, my griping isn’t helping you, Kendra. Sugar’s right. Thea’s just acting the way teenage girls do.”

“She said she doesn’t want me for her mother anymore. She said I’m ruining her life.”

“And you are,” Darla said. “Thank heaven for that! Thea’s not thinking straight at the moment. If she were running her life the way she’d like to, she could end up with all kinds of problems. And getting her heart broken could be the least of them.”

Kendra shook her head as she shifted in her chair, trying to find a position that didn’t make her back hurt. “Oh, no. Thea wouldn’t do anything stupid. At least…I don’t think she would. Then again, how would I know? Until I met Thea I hadn’t spent any time with children. I was always working too hard for that. Up until now we’d gotten along so well that I just figured I was a natural-born mother. Now I’m not so sure. About anything. I mean…if I don’t know how to be a good mother to Thea, what’s to say I’ll be a good mother to this baby?”

Sugar put her coffee cup down on the table and looked straight into Kendra’s eyes. “First of all, you
are
being a good mother to Thea. A good mother knows when to say no. Right now, that’s just what Thea needs. It might not make you too popular with her, but, as I always told my kids, I didn’t become a parent because I needed more friends.”

“Why did you become a parent?”

“As I recall, mostly because I kept falling asleep.” Sugar’s eyes twinkled. Kendra and Darla laughed.

“No, I became a parent because Denny and I love children. But loving a child means you give them what they need. That’s not always the same as giving them what they want. Honestly, Kendra, I think your maternal instincts are spot on. You’re a terrific mother to Thea and when this baby is born, you’ll keep on being a terrific mother.”

“You think so?”

“I know so,” Sugar said confidently.

“So do I,” Darla added and then glanced at her watch.

“Look at the time! I’m sorry, girls, but I’ve got to leave early today. The Quilting Bees are meeting over at the church. You can’t believe how many alterations we have to do on the costumes for the pageant! I was up until midnight letting down the hem on the Mary costume. Thea’s certainly grown since last Christmas. Next year, I think we just ought to cast according to who fits the costume. It’d be a real timesaver.”

“I feel bad about dumping all this work for the pageant in your lap,” Kendra said.

Darla dismissed this with a wave of her hand. “Don’t be silly. I’m having the time of my life. I am a little tired from all these late nights, but it’s not so bad. Keeps me out of trouble. Besides, you already did the hard part when you rewrote the script. All I have to do is implement your plans.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. New script or old, I know exactly how much work goes into putting that pageant together. You must be working your fingers to the bone. Would you like me to come over to the church and give you a hand?” Kendra started to get up from her chair. “I may not be in any condition to direct but I can still hem a costume.”

Darla put her hand on Kendra’s shoulder and pushed her gently back down into her chair. “Thank you, but, no. You stay right here with Sugar and finish your tea. The Bees and I have everything under control. If you’re looking for something to do, think about what you’ll serve for Thanksgiving dinner. You say you haven’t had a chance to sit down with Andy and talk? Well, here’s your chance. He won’t be working on Thanksgiving.”

“That’s true, but neither will I. Well, I’m bringing a pie for dessert, but Sugar will be doing all the heavy lifting. We always have Thanksgiving with Denny and Sugar. Come to think of it, aren’t you coming too?” Kendra turned to look at Sugar whose gaze rested fixedly on Darla’s face. “Didn’t you tell me just last week that Darla was coming to dinner.”

“Change of plans,” Darla said quickly. “My sister called from Massachusetts. She wants me to take the train to Boston and have dinner with them. I haven’t seen her in months so I said I would.”

“Oh.”

Sugar scratched the side of her nose. “Well…yes…umm…actually Denny and I’ve had a change of plans, too. Joey, our oldest, called from Montpelier. They’d like us to go there for the holiday. He and Marta just bought that new house and they want to have Thanksgiving at their place. Kind of a housewarming. That’s it. A housewarming. He’s got his heart set on it. Didn’t I mention that? I thought sure I called you last Thursday to let you know.” Sugar squirmed in her seat and glanced quickly at Kendra before shifting her gaze to Darla who nodded encouragingly.

Kendra put down her cup and crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t have other plans for Thanksgiving. You’re just making that up so Andy and I will have to spend the day together. You’re both terrible liars, do you know that?”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Darla sniffed. “But even if it were true, there are worse things to be terrible at than lying. Kendra, until he died, Jake and I were very happily married. Oh, we had our moments, every couple does, but for fifty years we got on very well. There’s not many can say that. And the key to it all was communication.”

Sugar agreed. “She’s right, Kendra. Andy’s not a mind reader. If you don’t talk to him, how’s he supposed to know what you’re feeling?”

Kendra pressed her lips together, thinking. “You’re right. I know you’re right. There’s this part of me that feels bad for bothering him, adding one more thing to a plate that’s already heaped up with stuff. But…” She frowned. “There’s another part of me that’s mad because I want him to
know
that something’s wrong. How can he not know? If something were wrong with him, I’d know.”

“I thought you said you did think something was wrong with him?” Sugar said.

“I do.”

“Well? What is it?”

Kendra smiled. Shrugged. “I don’t know. Hmmm. Maybe I’m not quite as clairvoyant as I think I am.”

“Could be. So you’re going to talk to him?”

“Yes. And although I know it will simply crush you and Denny, I don’t think we’ll be able to join you for Thanksgiving dinner this year.”

“What a shame,” Sugar said with a grin.

Darla looped her pocketbook over her arm and started putting on her gloves. “Well, I’m glad that’s settled. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get over to the church. I’ll see you both after the holiday.”

She waved and headed for the door.

Kendra picked up her cup and started to take a sip but stopped with the cup halfway to her lips. She turned to Sugar, a slightly panicked look on her face. “I just remembered something. I’ve never cooked a turkey in my life.”

“Never? Kendra, you’re thirty-two years old. In thirty-two years, you’ve never cooked a turkey? Not one?”

Kendra shook her head. “No. I came to New York when I was nineteen and three weeks later I was a Rockette. For ten years, I spent every Thanksgiving Day high-kicking my way through the Macy’s parade. Thanksgiving dinner was a turkey sandwich and a cup of coffee. Ever since I moved to Maple Grove, I’ve eaten Thanksgiving at your house. And I have to tell you, that’s what’s got me worried. You’re a great cook, Sugar. Better than my mother, but don’t tell her I said that.”

“Mum’s the word. And thank you. That’s the nicest thing anybody’s said to me in a while.”

“You’re welcome but really, this is a problem. You’re a tough act to follow, especially for a woman who thinks turkey refers to a play that flopped. What am I going to do?”

Sugar reached across the table and patted Kendra’s arm reassuringly. “First, you’re going to finish your tea. Then, you’re going to come over to the farm. We’ll pull out my old recipe file. Really, Kendra, there’s nothing to all that complicated about making a turkey; just think of it as a big chicken. Besides, Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes anyway. You just need some good recipes and I’ve got the best.”

Sugar put her cup to her lips and tipped it up to get the last drops of coffee before putting the cup back onto the table with a decisive thump and wiping her lips with a paper napkin.

“Now finish your tea and let’s go. Grandmother Sugarman’s apple walnut stuffing recipe awaits!”

Kendra decided that going to the grocery store on the day before Thanksgiving was definitely something to be avoided in the future.

Even though she drove to the market first thing after dropping a still silent and morose Thea off at school, the store parking lot was full of cars. She circled the lot several times before finding an empty spot. Once inside, she discovered that there were no available shopping carts, so she lurked around the checkout counter until she could nab a cart from a customer who’d already finished shipping.

Finding everything on her list took more than an hour and she spent another half hour in the checkout line, not getting back to the house until after ten. The grocery bags were heavy and she had a hard time getting the door open with both her arms full, but even so, Kendra had a smile on her face.

The idea of making her first real Thanksgiving dinner was a little daunting, but she was excited, too. Armed with a half dozen of Sugar Sugarman’s best and most secret traditional family recipes, she felt she had a pretty good chance of making a meal that Andy and Thea would enjoy and remember.

Their first family Thanksgiving together, just the three of them. And next year it would be the four of them, and in the years after that? Well, who knew? One way or another, Kendra felt like she was starting a family tradition of her own.

Kendra started unloading the grocery bags, leaving the cans and boxes on the countertop and stowing the vegetables and other perishables in the refrigerator. She put the frozen turkey on the counter and eyed it doubtfully. At just under fourteen pounds, the bird seemed enormous to Kendra, but Sugar had assured her that it was the perfect size, big enough to feed the family and with enough left over for making sandwiches, casseroles, and soup later in the week.

“My feeling,” Sugar said, “is it’s just as much work to roast a big bird as a small one, so you might as well cook one that’ll give you plenty of leftovers. Saves work in the long run.”

Sugar had been cooking holiday turkeys for about forty years, so Kendra supposed she knew what she was talking about, but still…

Kendra filled the sink with cold water and put the turkey in it. Sugar had assured her that by immersing it completely in cold water for seven hours, changing the water every half hour or so, the turkey would be completely thawed in time for the holiday.

After putting the bird in the sink, Kendra stood back and looked at the pile of food sitting on the countertop, mentally going over her plan of attack.

“Let’s see. We’re having turkey, Grandma Sugarman’s apple walnut stuffing, sweet and white potatoes au gratin, Sugar’s squash medley with almonds and maple syrup, green beans almandine, homemade cranberry orange relish, rolls, and, as a change from the usual pumpkin, a maple nut mousse pie for dessert…Good Lord! Why did I let myself be talked into this? That’s enough to feed an army! How will I ever get all this cooking done before dinnertime tomorrow?

“Okay, Kendra, take a deep breath. Don’t panic. You can do this. You’ve just got to make as much ahead of time as you can. It won’t be that bad. You can peel the potatoes and the squash now, then assemble the gratin and the squash medley so they’ll be ready to cook tomorrow. The stuffing and green beans will have to wait, but you can make the pie today. In fact, you probably ought to do that first; thank heaven for that ready-made chocolate crust. Then, while that’s baking, you can make the relish on the stovetop.

“And,” she said to herself, taking the bag of freshly baked rolls she’d picked up at the local artisan bakeshop and stowing them in the breadbox, “we just won’t tell Sugar that I put the kibosh on the idea of baking up a batch of her great aunt Sylvia’s maple potato rolls. There’s just so much I can do between now and tomorrow and when the going gets tough, sometimes the tough have to lower their standards.

“All right,” she said in a firm, confident voice. “You can do this. There’s just one problem. What are we going to eat tonight?”

What with all that food in the house, it seemed a little silly to bring in more, but Kendra decided that Chinese takeout was the most logical solution to the problem. If Kendra called in the order, maybe Andy would drive over to Ming’s and pick it up on his way home.

Kendra went to the phone to call Andy and noticed that the message light was blinking. She’d been so busy she hadn’t noticed.

With so much to do before tomorrow, the last thing she wanted to hear was that her husband was going to be home late—yet again. Kendra sighed and punched in the voice mail code, hoping it wasn’t Andy; that would be awful.

It wasn’t Andy. But it was awful.

As Kendra listened, she heard a mechanical beep and then a woman’s voice.

“Andy? It’s Sharon. Hi. I…well…Wow. When I heard your voice on the message it just…Well, it’s just so weird to be talking to you after all these years.”

Kendra heard a second voice, a tinny, unintelligible noise in the background making some kind of announcement. After a pause the woman continued.

“Listen, they’re calling my flight so I have to run. I don’t know if Thea told you, but my flight lands at Burlington around eight. You don’t need to pick me up. I’ll have a rental car. I’ll be staying at the Toll Bridge Inn. Thea didn’t say what time dinner starts, so if you could just leave a message at the inn and let me know? Thanks. I…I’m really looking forward to seeing you. And Thea. I wish I’d…”

There was a long pause.

“I shouldn’t have waited so long, that’s all. And it should have been me getting in contact with Thea, not the other way around. It’s just that, after so many years, I…I really didn’t know what to say. Anyway. I can’t wait to see you. Oh, and Kendra too. It was really nice of her to say I could come for Thanksgiving and…”

More undecipherable background noise interrupted her.

“Okay, they’re calling my flight again. Sounds like they mean it this time. Gotta run. See you all tomorrow. Bye.”

There was a click. Kendra stood in the kitchen with the receiver still held to her ear, listening to empty air.