“Oh, okay. Thanks for the tip.”
A second later they departed, leaving a very confused Bernadine standing in her foyer.
C H A P T E R
24
Two days before Thanksgiving, the guests began flying in. Bernadine had Nathan rent a few more town cars and hire a couple more drivers so he wouldn’t kill himself driving back and forth.
That evening, the residents and guests met up at the Dog for a preholiday get-together. As she made her way around the place, she met Jack’s parents. His mother was so enamored with Henry Adams’s quaint charm she declared she wanted to build a house and move in. Eli, Jack, and Jack’s dad choked on their sodas. Rocky, sitting with them, laughed.
Bernadine’s heart swelled with love upon seeing Diane sitting with her kids. She had her granddaughter on her lap. Even her son Marlon and his partner Anthony were at the table. Although they were bunking at her house, seeing them seated as a family was wonderful.
While the jukebox blasted out “One Nation Under a Groove” by George Clinton and his Funkadelic gang, she stepped aside to allow the harried Crystal to pass by, carrying a piled-high tray of orders. “Hi, Mom. ’Bye, Mom.”
Bernadine stopped next to speak with the Garlands. Zoey looked so content seated beside her grandma Jasmine, grandfather Charlie, and the rest of her large extended family. Zoey asked excitedly, “Ms. Bernadine, did Mom tell you I have two dads now?”
“Yes, she did.”
Cass was seated with them as well.
“And,” Zoey added, “he’s a rocker!”
Reg was grinning. Bernadine was happy that he didn’t seem to be having issues with adding the Sullivans to his daughter’s life. “I heard that. Are you going on tour?”
“No. You know I have school.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Roni and the others at the table grinned.
Next stop, the Paynes. Bernadine was so taken aback by the sight of the woman sitting with them, she had to catch her breath. Preston’s bio mom, Dr. Margaret Winthrop, stood and gave her a huge hug. “Thanks so much for putting me in touch with Preston.” A beaming Preston looked on.
“So glad to have you here.”
“Of course Mother wasn’t invited. I wanted my first Thanksgiving with Preston and his family to be perfect, and so far, it has been that and more.”
Bernadine was touched by Margaret’s sincerity, and apparently Sheila was too, because she picked up a napkin and wiped at her teary eyes. Bernadine was asking Margaret about her flight into Hays when the music died and the interior of the Dog suddenly went deathly quiet. She turned to see a few people run to the windows and peer out. In the center of the room stood Griffin July, in all his handsome glory.
“Dad!” Amari cried.
Bernadine, like everyone else, stood tensely waiting for the entrance of the over-the-top Oklahoma Julys, but Griffin raised his hand reassuringly. “Relax everybody. It’s just me. The rest of the family’s in Florida for the holiday.”
Tamar could be seen chuckling.
Griffin added, “I come bearing—” He glanced around. “Rocky, where are you?”
She stood.
“I come bearing . . . turkeys!”
Pandemonium erupted, and shouts of “Griffin! Griffin!” filled the place. The guests looked on, bewildered, but Bernadine was sure their family members would explain.
“They’re in my truck. Amari, Trent, Mal. Need some help bringing them in.”
So they hurried outside to help.
The morning of Thanksgiving dawned cold and bright, with two inches of snow. As Bernadine and the other parade goers stood dressed warmly but still freezing along the route in downtown Franklin for the annual Thanksgiving parade, she prayed for summer. It was a typical small-town event. There were fire trucks and politicians in classic convertibles. Astrid waved from the seat of an old restored Caddy. Decked out in her black fur, she bore a striking resemblance to Cruella de Vil. Upon seeing Bernadine, Astrid blew her a big kiss. Bernadine countered with a silent curse. The Franklin high school marching band came down the street next, playing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” while the majorettes in their short-skirted uniforms and white tights and boots twirled alongside. Mal and the Buffalo Soldiers wearing their parade blues rode their mounts proudly, and everyone cheered. As they passed on, Bernadine looked up the street. The only thing left now was Santa, who was usually played by Austin Wiggins. She wondered if anyone else knew that he and Lindy had lit out for Vegas.
Apparently not. As they waited and waited for Santa to show, Astrid could be seen stomping angrily back down the parade route. In the end, she had to get on the microphone and tell the children that Santa had called in sick. She declared the parade over and sent everyone home.
The Thanksgiving dinner was a huge affair. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best, and there were mountains of food. Reverend Paula stood to bless the food, but a tremendous noise outside stopped her, and people rushed to the windows to determine the source.
“It’s a helicopter!” Amari cried. “Wow! That’s sick. It’s landing right outside.”
Seconds later, a man with long dark hair, dressed in leather, entered along with a beautiful woman in a nice blue dress. He called out in an Irish accent, “Sorry we’re late.”
Bernadine watched Zoey’s mouth drop. Cass stood and laughed. “It’s just my mum and brother, everyone. Reverend, carry on.”
As Conor and Fiona made their way to the Garlands’ table, Paula said the prayer, and then Marie shouted, “Let’s eat!”
And eat they did.
After the meal there was dancing and mingling and all the things small-town folks did best. Bernadine, standing with Mal’s arm around her waist, said, “You know, this isn’t a bad place to live.”
“I like it. Like you, too.”
She gave him a quick kiss.
Lily called out, “Soul Train line! Everybody line up!”
Bernadine looked up at the man she loved. “Ready to bust a move?”
“Am I a July?”
Laughing, they got in line.
By the time Bernadine got into bed, it was past midnight. What a day. She picked up the Franklin paper that had been delivered while she was at the Dog. The headline read: “Mayor Wiggins Divorces Wife! Confirms He Was Paid to Marry Her!”
Giggling, Bernadine set the paper aside. She’d read all the dirty details in the morning. Certain that Astrid was home spitting nails, she snuggled down into the comfort of her bedding. Squirrel Head 1, Seabiscuit 0. She was still smiling when she drifted off to sleep.
P.S.
About the book
Discussion Questions
Author’s Note
Read on
Have You Read?
More by Beverly Jenkins
About the book
Discussion Questions
1. Talk about the many family-related issues found in Heart of Gold.
2. Bernadine did her best to incorporate Reverend Paula’s theme of kindness over rightness into her life. Was she successful? How difficult would it be to incorporate that theme into your life?
3. Through Diane, we know a bit more about Bernadine’s childhood and the issues she faced growing up with her mother. Does this new knowledge alter your perceptions of who you thought Bernadine was?
4. Did you approve or disapprove of the way Bernadine handled Crystal’s return?
5. Discuss the growth and maturity shown by Amari and Preston since Bring on the Blessings.
6. What’s up with Devon?
7. What should Bernadine do about Astrid Wiggins?
8. What do you think the future holds for Zoey Raymond Garland?
Author’s Note
HEART OF GOLD is our fifth visit to the small town of Henry Adams, Kansas. As with the previous books in the series, Zoey’s story widened our view of many characters and answered some questions, but also paved the way for new ones, such as: What is Bernadine going to do about
Astrid Wiggins? Will Kiki and Bobby really move to town, and how many more beatdowns is Devon going to need before he gets a clue? In my travels around the country promoting book four, A Wish and a Prayer, babies were frequently brought up. “Henry Adams needs babies!” or “Lily needs to have a baby!” or “Bernadine needs to marry Mal and have a baby!” Folks, Lily would probably rise up off the page and smack me into next week should I even think about making her pregnant. After all, she already has Davis, and now Amari and Devon! She’s also past her childbearing prime, so no babies for Lily. As for Bernadine, she’s over fifty-five. No babies for her either. As for marriage to Mal: readers under the age of forty desperately want them to marry. Those fifty and above simply shrug. Like Bernadine and Mal, they don’t see the need to make the relationship any more formal than it is, but we’ll see what the future holds.
Heart of Gold was a joy to write. The first draft differed greatly from the final one—scenarios changed and characters appeared, disappeared, and were replaced by others. Cassidy Sullivan walked into this story unannounced. I had no idea she was waiting in the wings. One of the joys of writing by the seat of my pants is that characters like Cass appear out of nowhere bearing magi-type gifts that make a writer smile.
I want to thank Dr. Paul King of Atlanta for taking time out of his busy day to answer my questions about Zoey’s care. Any mistakes I may have made in the writing are mine—not his. Big thanks to my editor for granting me the time I needed to give Heart of Gold the TLC it needed. Her patience is exceeded only by her editorial savvy—both of which make me a better writer. As always, many thanks to my agent, Nancy Yost of NYLA. Sixteen years and counting! She’s the best. I also want to thank Avon/Harper. Who knew when my first novel, Night Song, was published in 1994, that twenty years later, I’d still be an Avon Lady and that my fictional town of Henry Adams would still be alive and kicking. I’m blessed to have such a remarkable publishing house behind me. From marketing to publicity to art, a writer couldn’t ask for a better team. I couldn’t ask for better readers either and to them I bow because without you, I’m nothing. Your encouragement, praise, and blessings fill my heart.
See you next time!
B
Read on
Have You Read?
More by Beverly Jenkins
BRING ON THE BLESSINGS
On Bernadine Brown’s fifty-second birthday she received an unexpected gift—she caught her husband, Leo, cheating with his secretary. She was hurt—angry too—but she didn’t cry woe is me. Nope, she hired herself a top-notch lawyer and ended up with a cool $275 million. Having been raised in the church, she knew that when much is given much is expected, so she asked God to send her a purpose.
The purpose turned out to be a town: Henry Adams, Kansas, one of the last surviving townships founded by freed slaves after the Civil War. The failing town had put itself up for sale on the Internet, so Bernadine bought it.
Trent July is the mayor, and watching the town of his birth slide into debt and foreclosure is about the hardest thing he’s ever done. When the buyer comes to town, he’s impressed by her vision, strength, and the hope she wants to offer not only to the town and its few remaining residents, but to a handful of kids in desperate need of a second chance.
Not everyone in town wants to get on board though; some don’t want change. But Bernadine and Trent, along with his first love, Lily Fontaine, are determined to preserve the town’s legacy while ushering in a new era with ties to its unique past and its promising future.
“Bring on the Blessings is a tasty reading confection that you’ll savor long after the story ends.”
—Angela Benson, bestselling author of Up Pops the Devil
A SECOND HELPING
A Blessings Novel
With the millions she received after divorcing her faithless tycoon husband, Bernadine Brown saved the historic town of Henry Adams, Kansas, from financial ruin and found loving homes for five needy children. Now there are other “projects” crying out for rescue.
If ever a town institution needed rescuing, it’s the beloved Dog and Cow diner. Once it was Henry Adams’s social center—or gossip central!—now it’s in danger of becoming duct-tape central. But there are other distractions pulling Bernadine from the task at hand: a plethora of romantic entanglements, including her own with a disturbingly attractive Malachi July; a bitter young boy newly arrived in town with his widowed father; and a fugitive on the run with a six-hundred-pound pet pig that’s wanted for murder (the pig, that is). And when Bernadine’s philandering, troublemaking ex-husband rolls into town looking for a second chance, life in Henry Adams gets very interesting indeed.
“A story like none other, and done in a way that only Beverly Jenkins can do. Simply superb!”
—Brenda Jackson, New York Times bestselling author
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
A Blessings Novel
The citizens of Henry Adams are starting to take bets—will Lily Fontaine and Trent July finally tie the knot?
All they want is a nice, simple wedding, but their well-meaning neighbors are turning the no-fuss affair into the event of the decade. Bernadine, the town’s fairy godmother, wants Lily to have a storybook wedding fit for a princess, and Lily’s nine-year-old foster son is campaigning to be town preacher so he can officiate at the ceremony. Trouble multiplies when Trent is called on to help a new family move to town, not to mention Lily and Trent’s task of blending their families together.
With the bustle of the tight-knit and often tightly wound friends and family pushing them to the breaking point, the couple begins to wish they’d eloped. But, as they’ll soon be reminded, happiness in Henry Adams is meant to be shared.
“There is beauty in Jenkins’s storytelling that should be the standard by which to judge fiction writing. . . . Brava, Ms. Jenkins, you have done it again, and left us wanting more.”
—RT Book Reviews Top Pick
A WISH AND A PRAYER
A Blessings Novel
Anyone worried that living in a small town could be boring certainly hasn’t lived in Henry Adams, Kansas. From the wealthy divorcée who saved this historic town founded by freed slaves to the romantic entanglements that have set tongues wagging and hearts fluttering (and everything in between), there’s plenty to keep the lovably eccentric townsfolk busy.
Preston Miles is happy living with his foster parents, but an e-mail from his maternal grandmother is about to change all that. . . . Riley Curry, the former town mayor, is convinced his pet hog, Cletus, acted in self-defense when he sat on—and killed—a man. Now Riley just has to prove it in a court of law. . . . And as for Rocky, she has already had a lifetime of hurt. Will she risk opening her heart—and her life—to Jack?
Warm, funny, poignant, and unforgettable, Beverly Jenkins’s latest excursion to Henry Adams is a true delight—a welcome return to a place that always feels like home.
“Beverly Jenkins’s stories are delicious and always leave behind feelings of satisfaction and want . . . for her next novel.”
—FreshFiction.com
A B O U T T H E A U T H O R
BEVERLY JENKINS is the author of thirty historical and contemporary novels, including four previous books in her beloved Blessings series. She has been featured in many national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, People, the Dallas Morning News, and Vibe. She lives in Michigan.
www.beverlyjenkins.net
Facebook.com/pages/Beverly-Jenkins
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A L S O BY B E V E R L Y J E N K I N S
A WISH AND A PRAYER
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
A SECOND HELPING
BRING ON THE BLESSINGS
DEADLY SEXY
SEXY/DANGEROUS
BLACK LACE
EDGE OF DAWN
EDGE OF MIDNIGHT
DESTINY’S SURRENDER
DESTINY’S EMBRACE br />
NIGHT HAWK
MIDNIGHT
CAPTURED
JEWEL
WILD SWEET LOVE
WINDS OF THE STORM
SOMETHING LIKE LOVE
A CHANCE AT LOVE
BEFORE THE DAWN
ALWAYS AND FOREVER
THE TAMING OF JESSI ROSE
TOPAZ
INDIGO
VIVID
THROUGH THE STORM
NIGHT SONG
C R E D I T S
Cover design by Richard L. Aquan
Cover illustration by Larry Rostant
Author photograph by Greg Anthony
C O P Y R I G H T
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
HEART OF GOLD. Copyright © 2014 by Beverly Jenkins. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.
FIRST EDITION
Map of Henry Adams by Valerie Miller
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
ISBN 978-0-06-220797-5
EPub Edition APRIL 2014 ISBN 9780062207982
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A B O U T T H E P U B L I S H E R