Leah opened the front door of her home and called out a welcoming hello. The front porch had two chairs that looked as if they were made from bent willow branches. Inside, the house was decorated with simple, sturdy furniture and clean colors. Seth and Leah’s home reflected their earthy, no-frills sort of personalities and lifestyle.
In keeping with the simple way the couple lived, lunch was a meatless stir-fry, seasoned with fragrant Indian curry. Anna and Mallory ate mostly rice and helped themselves to oranges in the bowl in the kitchen. Steven had seconds on the stir-fry. Genevieve ate moderately. Her thoughts kept churning around in her stomach. It seemed to her that so much was missing in her marriage. They could experience such a deeper level of friendship and intimacy. She could have spent the last two decades appreciating her husband and supporting him in his endeavors. Instead, she had pulled back inch by inch over the long years, always finding something to be critical about.
The worst season of criticism had been their last five or so years in Pasadena. Ever since Genevieve had made her commitment to Christ and became a churchgoing believer, she had looked on Steven from a distance with distain. She was “saved,” and he wasn’t. She had tried hard to convert him, but he hadn’t responded. The only answer for her seemed emotional detachment. Something in her mind had declared, “You’re going to heaven and he isn’t. Don’t think about it.”
And so she didn’t. Steven’s life was lived out at thirty thousand feet soaring above the clouds. Her life was at sea level, viewing the clouds as a sheer veil through which she would pass one day on her way to eternity.
Sitting in Leah’s beautifully simple home, watching Leah interact with her husband as if she were still a newlywed, made Genevieve see how her heart had closed to her husband. Once her heart had shut out Steven, it became easy to shut out others, including the gentle Savior whom she had once worshiped openly.
“I have strawberries for dessert.” Leah rose to clear the dishes. “Would you like them now? Or should we wait a little?”
Genevieve had lost her appetite.
“I wouldn’t mind waiting a bit,” Steven said.
Genevieve nodded her agreement.
“You haven’t said much all through lunch, Gena. Are you okay?” Leah asked.
“I’m fine. I got a little lost in my thoughts.”
“Thoughts about the café?” Leah ventured. “I’ve been wondering how things are coming along. I haven’t stopped by because this was my last week working at the hospital.”
“Do you have another temporary position lined up?” Steven asked.
“No, I thought I’d volunteer to do Meals for Seniors for a while and take food around to the elderly people who use that service. I know it’s going to take some time till the café is up and running.”
“It may be even longer than we thought.” Genevieve glanced at Steven. “Brad and Alissa asked if I wanted to buy their side of the building. He’s moving his company.”
Leah’s eyes opened wide. “Really? Oh, Gena, what a golden opportunity.”
“That’s what we thought,” Steven said.
“Are you going to do it? Are you going to buy their side? Just think of all the ways you could expand the café!”
“I know,” Genevieve said. “The possibilities are exciting. Steven and I are figuring out creative ways to come up with the funding.”
Seth turned to Leah and gave her a look Genevieve didn’t understand. The two of them seemed to know something Genevieve didn’t.
Leah nodded at Seth. “What do you think, Seth?”
“I think this is it.”
“This is what?” Genevieve said.
“Seth and I have some inheritance money that just cleared all the paperwork hoops a week and a half ago. It’s not a gigantic amount, but it’s just sitting in the bank. Last week we started to pray about how we should invest the money, and this looks like the answer.”
“But, Leah, I can’t guarantee you would see a return on your investment. It’s pretty risky actually. As you know, we weren’t pulling in a profit before the fire. Steven and I talked about all this last night. We could expand and make the café the best it can be, but we still might be forced into bankruptcy.”
“Or it could be the biggest success story to hit Glenbrooke.” Leah’s eyes sparked with hope. “Did you hear about the new bed and breakfast Shelly’s folks are opening at the Hidden House?”
“Yes, Alissa told me.”
“Glenbrooke could experience a real surge of visitors. We could become the next featured weekend getaway town in one of Richard Palmas’s books.”
Genevieve didn’t want to entertain any thoughts about the green-eyed gentleman who had challenged her to dazzle him when he returned to Glenbrooke.
“How would the people here feel about that?” Seth asked. “The charm of Glenbrooke is its quietness and anonymity. Would that be ruined if people flocked into town for the weekend?”
Anna jumped into the conversation. “I don’t think people would flock here if there’s only one bed and breakfast. This town needs the money, doesn’t it? I heard people talking about how they didn’t want the Wildflower to close for good because it would mean the town was beginning to die.”
Steven looked at his daughter with admiration. “What do you think Glenbrooke needs, Anna?”
She hesitated, looking at the adults as if to make sure she had group permission.
Mallory, however, didn’t wait for an invitation to share her opinion. “We need an old-fashioned place. Like a candy store or an ice cream parlor. If people think it’s just like it used to be in the olden days, they’ll come and bring their kids.”
“I was going to say we need an art gallery,” Anna said quietly.
“When I was a girl,” Leah said, “we used to have a big weekend event called Glenbrooke Days. They closed off Main Street and had a parade in the morning. My oldest sister was the queen of the parade or whatever they called it the last year they had Glenbrooke Days.”
“Did they have booths and sell crafts?” Anna asked. “Because my teacher was telling us something about how they used to do that. She has a picture on the wall next to the flag that she said she bought at a street fair in Glenbrooke when she was a teenager.”
“Yes, they had booths,” Leah said. “I don’t remember the arts and crafts part, but I do remember the food. Somebody used to make fudge every year, and it would sell out. So my job was to stand in line and buy half a pound of caramel fudge for my dad before it was all gone.”
“I love fudge!” Mallory said.
Leah chuckled. “So did my dad. He couldn’t stand in line because he was in charge of the log-splitting contest. You know what? A lot of the older men who come to the café every morning for their coffee competed in that event. My favorite part was when my dad would blow the whistle, and we would all stand back as the axes were swung and the wood chips started to fly. I loved the way the air filled with the scent of cedar.”
“Do you know what I think?” Steven pushed back his chair from the table and looked at the others gathered around their close circle. “It sounds like it’s time to bring back the good ol’ days. A Glenbrooke Days weekend would be a grand event around here, wouldn’t it?”
Everyone started to talk at once, expressing agreement and questions. Seth’s voice carried over the rest of theirs. “Why did they discontinue Glenbrooke Days?”
“I’m not sure,” Leah said. “My guess is so many people were leaving Glenbrooke they lost their steering committee. When the logging industry cut back here, a lot of people moved to Edgefield. Glenbrooke is a different sort of town from what it was twenty years ago.”
“I would help with the street fair,” Anna said. “Mallory and I could do face painting like we did at that soccer tournament in Pasadena. So many little kids live in Glenbrooke now, and they would love a street fair.”
“Yeah,” Mallory piped up. “We could sell balloons and cotton candy, and Mom, you could make the fudge!”
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Genevieve was beginning to feel more enthusiastic about the idea. She had a great fudge recipe. “We need a little more than balloons and fudge to have Glenbrooke Days, though.”
“Think what it would mean to the older Glenbrooke residents,” Steven said. “News of the return of the ol’ Glenbrooke Days would certainly light a spark under a few of those logging legends.”
“Our high school even has a marching band again,” Leah said. “They disbanded it when I was in ninth grade. Wouldn’t that make for a fun parade?”
“Could we have a clown?” Mallory asked. “Did you used to have a clown? Because I think Beth and Ami would love to see a real clown.”
“How about it, Seth?” Leah turned to her husband and gave him a charming wink. “Would you like to be the clown?”
“I think Steven was hoping you would ask him.” Seth gave Steven a nod.
“Unfortunately, I’ll be flying that weekend,” Steven said quickly.
“You don’t even know what weekend it’s going to be!” Leah laughed.
“Doesn’t matter. Whatever weekend it falls on, I’ll be working that weekend.”
Up until Steven said that, Genevieve had been dreaming along with the others. His comment sent her spiraling down into a familiar darkness. Steven was great at making suggestions about starting up Glenbrooke Days or about Genevieve’s expanding her café. But when it came down to it, he was never there to execute the plan.
For the rest of the day, Genevieve battled gut-wrenching anger and frustration toward Steven. By evening, she had slipped back into her well-rehearsed role, maneuvering through their marriage with politeness and quiet disdain.
It didn’t matter that she was on the brink of partnering with Leah and expanding the café beyond her original hopes and aspirations. It didn’t matter that their two families had pretty much reinvented a glorious Glenbrooke Days celebration early that fall.
All that mattered to Genevieve was that for Steven it was all talk. He wouldn’t be there, most likely, for the execution of either event. He might have said it as a joke so he wouldn’t have to dress up as a clown, but his track record was the same whether he was joking or not.
Feeling heaviness on her shoulders, Genevieve went to bed early.
She woke sometime in the middle of the night breathing deeply and fully aware that she had just stepped out of her reoccurring dream yet another time. She could hear the phone ringing at the Wildflower Café in the hollow chamber of her dream. Her subconscious told her Steven was calling. The grand opening would have to wait while she answered the phone.
Blinking in the darkness and hearing Steven’s steady breathing beside her, Genevieve turned a dangerous corner in her mind. She completed her dream in her waking realm by picturing herself stomping over to the phone on the café’s wall. She picked up the phone and yelled into the receiver, “I don’t need you! I can do this without you so don’t bother to come at all because I can’t afford to care anymore!”
With a jerk of her arm, Genevieve visualized herself hanging up the phone and marching to the café’s front door. She was determined to open that door and let the guests in despite Steven’s not coming.
Even though her dream was really a conscious thought and she was planning each step rather than dreaming it, something unexpected happened. In her imagination, she couldn’t open the door. It was locked. Dozens of friendly, waving people were wanting to come in, but she didn’t have the key.
Chapter Twelve
That went well, don’t you think?” Alissa said before getting into her car. Her blond hair rolled over the shoulders of her light turquoise, sleeveless dress.
It was Wednesday in the early afternoon, and Genevieve and Alissa, along with Leah, were just leaving Collin Radcliffe’s law offices. The three women had met to sign the legal papers documenting the sale of Brad and Alissa’s office to Genevieve and Leah.
“It was quicker and easier than I thought it would be.” Leah wore a dark skirt and matching blazer, which was the most professional looking outfit Genevieve had seen her in.
Genevieve had also worn one of her classiest outfits for the important meeting. Her short linen skirt and matching top were pale yellow. Around her neck she artfully had tied one of her favorite silk scarves. The light brown background of the scarf was accented with swirls of pale yellows and blues. That morning Anna had said the scarf’s brown matched Genevieve’s hair and the blue brought out her eyes.
“You have brown-sugar hair,” Anna had commented to her mom. “I think you should highlight it this summer, Mom. It would make you look younger.” Anna also advised Genevieve to use more eyeliner and a darker shade of mascara. “You really are pretty. I think Dad would notice if you would do a few little things to make yourself even prettier for him.”
Genevieve tried her daughter’s suggestion and spent a little more time on her eye makeup before the meeting. She also left her hair down instead of pulling it back in a clip, the way she did every day when she was working. Her thick, brown, natural wavy hair skimmed her shoulders, and when she had arrived at the meeting, both Leah and Alissa commented on how great she looked.
“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Alissa asked Leah and Genevieve.
“I’m open,” Genevieve said. As soon as she said “open” she thought of how long it had been since she had described anything in her life with that term. She felt an uncertainty come over her as she wondered what Alissa wanted.
“How about if the three of us go somewhere for lunch to celebrate this occasion?” Alissa asked. “Since Brad is home with my girls, I’m available. Where should we go?”
“I need to be at Jessica’s by two-thirty,” Leah said. “That doesn’t leave much time for lunch unless it’s someplace close.”
“You know,” Alissa said, “this is exactly why we need to make all the changes to the Wildflower that you suggested, Gena. There’s no place to eat around here for a special occasion. Your new café is going to revolutionize birthdays for all the women in Glenbrooke.”
Genevieve laughed. “That’s what I’m hoping. We could make a quick lunch at my house. I have a pasta salad already made up.”
“No, we need to go out,” Alissa said. “What about the country club?”
“It’s so far out of the way,” Leah said.
“What are our other options?” Genevieve asked. “Burgers and blizzards at Dairy Queen?”
“We could all go to Jessica’s,” Leah suggested.
“You mean just show up and invite ourselves for lunch?” Genevieve asked. “I don’t think she would appreciate that.”
“Actually, knowing Jessica, she would love it,” Alissa said. “Her front porch is the perfect location for a summer luncheon. Besides, it’s probably the coolest place around town today. It’s really warmed up.”
“Are you sure Jessica wouldn’t mind?” Genevieve said.
“She won’t mind.” Leah punched in some numbers on her cell phone. “Jessica loves having company. Hey, Jess? Hi, it’s Leah. How do you feel about adding three more to your house for lunch? Alissa, Gena, and I were trying to come up with a place we could go for lunch, and your porch is our favorite option.”
Leah listened to Jessica’s answer and nodded at Alissa and Genevieve. “That’s what I told them. Sure. I’ll tell Gena to stop by her house and grab the salad. What’s that? I don’t know. I’ll ask her.”
Leah turned the phone away from her ear. “If your girls aren’t doing anything, Jessica says they’re welcome to come, too.”
“Thanks. I’ll let them know. Tell her this is really kind of her.”
Leah put the phone back to her ear. “Did you hear that? Yes. Well, it’s true. You are the hospitality queen of Glenbrooke, you know. Okay, I’ll tell them. Alissa and I are coming right now. Do you need us to pick up anything at the store?”
Concluding her conversation, Leah closed her folding cell phone. “Jessica said to be prepared because Travis and Teri’s boys have set
up a lemonade stand in the driveway, and we’ll be their prime clients.”
Genevieve knew that Travis was Jessica’s son. He would be starting first grade in the fall and was a cute, blond, precocious child who usually was followed around by an equally blond golden retriever. Genevieve didn’t know the names of Teri’s twin boys. She guessed they were close to Travis’s age.
“Maybe I should bring Beth and Ami along,” Alissa said. “Wouldn’t they love to help with a lemonade stand!”
Suddenly, Genevieve didn’t feel like going. The invitation to have a celebratory business lunch at the country club with Alissa and Leah was a far cry from this community picnic on Jessica’s porch, complete with lemonade stand and more toddlers than adults.
When she arrived home, Genevieve considered calling Jessica and saying that something had come up and she couldn’t make it. But then she remembered that they were depending on her to bring the salad. Genevieve took her potluck role seriously. She had enjoyed the neighborhood gatherings she used to host in her garden on the Fourth of July when they had lived in Pasadena. Alissa had participated in one of those garden parties. Genevieve wasn’t clear what had changed so dramatically in her life that she was now eager to find excuses to avoid groups like this.
Mustering up her courage and collecting her pasta salad, Genevieve called upstairs for the girls. When she explained the invitation, both of them were eager to go.
“We better leave a note for Dad,” Anna suggested.
“Where is he?”
“Playing golf,” Mallory said.
“Golf? I didn’t know he was going to play golf today.”
“Pastor Allistar called him about an hour ago, and they just left before you got home.”
Genevieve stopped in her tracks. “Your father is playing golf with the pastor?”
The girls nodded contentedly.
As they drove to Jessica’s Victorian mansion on the top of Madison Hill, Genevieve tried to think through what it meant for Steven to respond to a social invitation from a pastor.
What if Pastor Allistar also invites Steven to surrender his life to the Lord? Is Steven ready to respond? If he does, what will that mean for us? For our marriage? Will I feel differently about him then? I certainly haven’t been a good example to him of a loving Christian wife. I haven’t even been an example of a loving wife, let alone a Christian wife. I’m just his polite wife. His partner in raising the girls. Why does Steven stay with me? Is he satisfied with the way things are? He certainly doesn’t complain.