On the other hand, the whole New York thing might just be a distraction, right? Should he mention that? Maybe if he told her that he loved her. . .
No. He wouldn’t do that. If she stayed, he wanted it to be because the Lord had spoken, not because Gregg had spoken.
But I do love her.
As he watched her work with the children, he realized his feelings—once small—had grown into a wildfire. Listening to the sound in her voice as she soothed Cody’s ruffled feathers. Watching her as she diligently poured into Margaret’s life, in spite of the youngster’s attitude. Observing the way she continued to nurture the gifts in little Annabelle’s life.
Yes, Tangie was truly one of the most amazing women he’d ever met, and easy to love.
But he couldn’t tell her. Not yet, anyway.
NINETEEN
Two days before the show, Tangie received a phone call from Annabelle’s mother. She could tell by the sound of her voice that something was amiss.
“I’m afraid our little lamb is really sick,” Annabelle’s mom explained.
“No! What’s happened?”
“I don’t know. It started out as some sort of virus, I guess. I did everything you said. She gargled with warm salt water and drank hot tea. We’ve been loading her up on vitamin C and even making her drink orange juice, which she doesn’t like. But every day is worse than the day before. What started out as a scratchy throat is now full-blown laryngitis. She can’t speak a word.”
“Yikes.” Tangie wanted to dive into one of those, “Oh, man! What are we going to do now?” speeches, but stopped herself short of doing so. It’s not about the show, she reminded herself. It’s about the kids.
Instead of saying too much, she simply offered up a few kind words. “Please tell Annabelle how sorry I am. I hope she feels better.”
“I will. And please don’t give her part away just yet. We’re going to keep her home from school for the next two days, so I’m hoping that will help,” Mrs. Lawrence said. “But I wanted to let you know so that you can begin to look for an understudy. . .just in case.”
“Right. Good idea.”
As she ended the phone conversation, Tangie’s mind reeled. An understudy? At this late date? Which of the children was savvy enough to pick up the role this late in the game?
Really, only one person made sense. But Tangie would have to eat a little crow to make this work. She picked up the phone and punched in Margaret Sanderson’s number. The child’s mother answered on the third ring.
“Mrs. Sanderson, this is Tangie Carini from the church.”
“Yes?”
“I, um, have a little problem and I’m hoping you and Margaret can help me with it.”
“Oh?” She could read the curiosity in the woman’s voice. “What’s happened?”
Tangie went on to explain the predicament, finally asking to speak to Margaret. When the child came on the phone, she listened quietly, and then responded with words that stunned Tangie. “But Annabelle needs to do her part! She’s the best at it. Her song is bee-you-tee-ful!”
Tangie laughed. “You’re right. It is.”
“How can I be the narrator and the littlest sheep, too?” Margaret asked.
“Oh, that’s easy. The narrator costume covers you from head to toe. It’s also very tall, so you look bigger in it. The little sheep costume is completely different. I don’t think the audience will even realize it’s the same person.”
“So, you’re saying I get to do both parts?” Margaret’s voice began to tremble. “Both? Not just one?”
“If you think you’re up to it.”
“Mom! Guess what!” Margaret hollered. “They want me to do two different parts.” She returned to the phone, sounding a little breathless. “But I don’t know Annabelle’s song. Not very well, I mean.”
“Can you meet me at the church in an hour? We’ll go over it then.”
“Okay. I’ll ask my mom.” The youngster hollered once again, finally returning to the phone with, “She says it’s fine. We’ll see you in an hour.” After a pause, Margaret said, “Oh, and Miss Tangie. . .”
“Yes, honey?”
“I hope Annabelle gets to do her part. I’m fine with the narrator. Really I am.”
Tangie smiled all the way to her toes. “Oh, honey, I’m so proud of you. And I have to tell you, you’re doing an awesome job with your part. I couldn’t be prouder.”
As she ended the call, Tangie realized just how true those words were. Margaret had come such a long way. Then again, they’d all come a long way.
Oh, but what a great distance they had left to go!
***
Gregg sat on a barstool at the bakery, chatting with his mom as she made some of her famous homemade cinnamon rolls.
“Mom, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, son.” She continued her work, but glanced up at him with a smile. “What’s up?”
“I love you so much, but I’m worried about you.”
“I know you are, but I’m going to be just fine.”
“Still, with all you’re going through, why don’t you just sell off this place? Kick back and relax a little? You deserve it.”
“W–what?” She looked at him, a horrified expression on her face. “Close down Sweet Harmony? But why?”
“The shop has brought in all of the money you could need to retire in style.” He shrugged. “You could live stress-free for the rest of your life. I think it would be good for you. All of this work is. . .well, it’s work. And Josh and I want you to be able to take it easy.”
“But honey, I’m only sixty-one. I’m not ready to retire yet. Besides. . .” Her eyes filled with tears. “Coming here every morning gives me a reason to get out of bed. People need me. And I need this shop. It’s. . .” She shook her head. “It’s keeping me going. I’m surprised you can’t see that.”
Immediately, shame washed over Gregg. He’d never considered the fact that his mom would respond with such passion. “Ah. I’m sorry I brought it up. We just want the best for you, I promise.”
“I know you do, honey, but this is the best for me. If I keep my body busy, then my mind stays busy, too. If my mind stays busy, then there’s no time left over to. . .”
“To worry?”
“Yes.” She nodded, then stretched out the dough for the cinnamon rolls, adding cinnamon, sugar, and butter before rolling them. “It’s all part of this great plan I’ve got for getting through this. Keep working. That’s the answer.”
“Working helps keep your mind occupied,” he said. “But Mom, there’s really only one answer to getting through this, and it has nothing to do with work. It’s—”
“No lectures, Greggy.” She turned to him with a warning look in her eye. “We’ve been through this. I don’t mind hearing you talk about all of the things this God of yours has done for you, but I’ve managed pretty well without Him for the first sixty years of my life and I’ll do just fine for the next sixty.”
She gave him a wink, but it didn’t ease the pain in his heart. What could he do to get through to her?
Just love her, Gregg. Just keep on loving her.
TWENTY
The afternoon of the final dress rehearsal, Tangie’s nerves were a jumbled mess. The kids somehow made it through the show, but there were problems all over the place. Margaret seemed really unsure of herself in Annabelle’s part, so she dropped quite a few lines. Darla wasn’t feeling well, so Gregg had to play the piano in her place. The set was still incomplete and some of the costumes still needed work. Tangie didn’t know when she’d ever been more stressed or less ready to pull off a show.
As the rehearsal continued, Tangie offered up a plea to the Lord for both His mercies and His favor. She also spent a lot of time muttering “The show must go on” under her breath.
The rehearsal ended soon enough and Tangie prayed with the children, then handed out flyers with instructions for tomorrow’s curtain call. She went over her notes one last time b
efore releasing them. “Be here an hour before curtain. Have your hair and makeup done ahead of time. Get into costume immediately upon arrival. Meet in the choir room for vocal warm-up and prayer. Do everything you’re told to do when you’re told to do it.”
“I’m never gonna remember all of that stuff,” Cody muttered.
“That’s why I’ve given you the flyer,” Tangie explained. “Just make sure your parents read it. Oh, and kids. . .spend some time praying for our performance and for the people who will come to see it. That’s the most important thing we can do.”
That last part hit her especially hard. There would be people in the audience who didn’t normally attend church. Some who had never heard the gospel message before. Would they really see the heart of the Good Shepherd shining through in her little play? Could a silly production about bunnies and baby chicks touch people’s lives?
Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure. All of her confidence faded away, leaving behind only doubt.
As they rose from their places on the stage, Tangie used her most animated stage voice to holler, “Break a leg!”
Cody, who’d taken off running the other direction, turned back to look at her with a questioning look on his face. “Huh?”
Tangie hollered out, “Cody, be careful! The set pieces still aren’t finished and I don’t want you to—” She never got to say the words “hurt yourself.” Cody tripped over a piece of wood behind one of the flats and down it came on top of him, the canvas ripping straight in half.
He stood silent and still in the middle of the torn piece, his eyes as wide as saucers. All around the other children froze in place.
“I’m sorry, Miss Tangie.” He groaned and slapped himself in the head. “But I told you I’m no good at this. I don’t belong on the stage.” He rubbed his ankle. “Besides, you told me to break my leg.”
Tangie groaned, then rushed to his side to make sure he was okay. Convinced he was, she finally dismissed him. Ready to turn her attention to the ripped backdrop, she switched gears. With Gramps’ help, they would get the rest of the set pieces ready before the show.
Less than a minute into the process, she heard her grandmother’s voice ring out.
“Tangerine! Yoo-hoo!”
She looked up as Gran-Gran approached the stage, carrying a small box. “I, um, need to talk with you about these programs, honey.” She handed one to Tangie, who looked at the cover and smiled.
“Oh, they turned out great.”
“Yes and no.”
“Yes and no?” Tangie looked at the cover again.
“Well, open one and see what I mean.”
Tangie opened the program, realizing right away the text on the inside was upside down. “Oh, yikes.”
“The printer sends his apologies,” Gran-Gran said with a shrug.
“Can’t he redo them?”
“Unfortunately, he has a big order for another church in town and doesn’t have time. But there’s some good news.”
Tangie handed the program back to her grandmother. “I could use some good news, trust me.”
“He gave them to us for half price.”
“Well, yippee.” Tangie sighed. “I guess we don’t have much choice, do we?”
“Look at the bright side. . .” Gran-Gran paused for a few seconds, her brow wrinkled.
“What’s that?” Tangie asked.
“I’m trying to think of one.” Her grandmother laughed. “But nothing’s coming to me.”
Tangie knelt to fix the torn backdrop, seaming the backside with heavy tape. However, just a few minutes into it, she heard Gregg’s voice ring out from the auditorium. “Tangie, I hate to tell you this. You have no idea how much I hate to tell you this.” He climbed the steps to the stage.
With exhaustion eking from every pore, Tangie looked up at him. “What’s happened now?”
“It’s Darla.”
Tangie’s heart quickened. “Darla?” She put down the roll of tape and looked into Gregg’s eyes. “What’s happened to her? She hasn’t been in an accident or anything, has she?”
“No, nothing like that.” Gregg shook his head. “It’s her appendix. They’ve taken her to surgery to remove it. Doctor says if they’d waited another day it could’ve been deadly.”
“No! Oh, Gregg.” Tangie crumpled onto the floor, and the tears started. “What are we going to do? How in the world can we pull this off without Darla? We can’t have live music without a musician.” On and on she went, bemoaning the fact that the show couldn’t possibly go on without the pianist.
Finally, when she regained control of her senses, Tangie sighed. “I’m so sorry. That was completely heartless. I should be saying how bad I feel for Darla, and instead I’m thinking only of myself.”
“Well, not only of yourself.” Gregg gave her a sympathetic look. “You’re thinking of the kids. And the parents. And the other musicians. And the audience. And then, maybe, at the bottom of the list, yourself.”
“Right.” Tangie shook her head, then whispered, “I give up.”
“W–what?”
“You heard me.” She looked at him, determination setting in. “I give up. I can’t do this. I’m not cut out to handle this much pressure.”
“B–but. . .whatever happened to ‘The show must go on’? Doesn’t that stand for anything?”
“There’s a time to admit defeat, Gregg, and this is it. Our leading lady has laryngitis, our set is in pieces, Cody very nearly broke his leg when he tripped earlier, the programs are upside-down, and now Darla can’t be here to play the piano for the show.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes.” She stared at him with tears now flowing. “The drama director is having a nervous breakdown!”
He joined her on the floor and opened his arms to comfort her, but she wasn’t having any of it. No, sir. Not today. Today she just wanted everyone to go away and leave her alone.
***
Gregg watched all of this, completely mesmerized. First of all, he’d never seen a grown woman throw a tantrum like this before. He found it almost comical. Entertaining, at the very least. Still, he did his best to hide any hint of a smile. Might just send Tangie over the edge. Looked like she was pretty close already.
TWENTY-ONE
On the Saturday of the big show, Tangie was a nervous wreck. Before she left for the church, she spent some time praying. Only the Lord could pull this off.
She rode to the church with her grandparents, script in hand. Nestled beside her on the back car seat, the box holding the football-sized chocolate egg. Taffie had sent it, along with a note reading, Break a Leg. Tangie was half tempted to pick up the phone and tell her about Cody’s mishap. Maybe she’d have time for that later. Right now, they had a show to put on.
After the Easter egg hunt, anyway.
She arrived at the church to find Ashley and other children’s workers hard at work, putting out Easter eggs in designated areas, according to the ages of the children. Tangie looked at her with a smile. “How’s it going?”
Ashley smiled. “Great!” She drew near and whispered, “Have you heard my news?”
“News?” Tangie shifted her script to the other arm and shook her head. “What is it?”
Ashley displayed her left hand, wiggling her ring finger so that there would be no doubt. A sparkling diamond adorned that finger, nestled into a beautiful white-gold setting.
“Oh, Ashley! You’re engaged?”
When she nodded, Tangie’s joy turned to sorrow. “Does. . .does that mean you’re leaving?”
“Nah. Paul and I have talked about it. He has his own web-design business. He can do that here, in Harmony. So, it looks like we’ll settle in here, raise a family. You know.” She gave Tangie a wink.
Tangie’s stomach tumbled to her toes. She’s assuming that’s what Gregg and I will do, too. But I’ll be in New York, not Harmony.
Tangie forced her thoughts back to the present. “I’m thrilled for you!” After a few more words of cong
ratulations, she heard Gregg’s voice sound from behind her. Tangie turned around, smiling as she caught a glimpse of him.
“Ready for the big day?” he asked, drawing near.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She sighed, and he gave her an inquisitive look.
“What?”
“Well, I guess I should just admit that you were right all along. Doing a play with kids is a lot tougher than it looks. And all of the Broadway experience in the world didn’t prepare me for this.”
Ashley laughed. “Nothing can prepare you for the chaos of kids, but they’re worth it.”
“They are.”
“And I heard there’s some good news where Annabelle’s concerned,” Gregg said.
“Yes.” Tangie grinned. “Her mom called this morning and said she’s got her voice back. Said it was a miracle. When Annabelle went to bed last night things weren’t any better. But this morning. . .”
“Was a brand new day.” Ashley laughed. “Oh, God is good, isn’t He?”
“He is.” Tangie smiled—and all the more as guests started arriving. Within the hour, the whole church property was alive with activity. She had never seen so many children. And the Easter baskets! Nearly every child held one.
Except the kids in the production, of course. They hadn’t come to hunt for Easter eggs. They were here to do a show.
Tangie glanced at her watch. One o’clock. Time to meet with the cast and crew in the choir room for final instructions. She and Gregg made their way inside, finding a lively crowd waiting for them. She managed to get the kids quieted down, and Gregg opened in prayer. Then he nodded for Tangie to begin.
“Kids, I know you’ve missed out on some of the activities outside,” she told them with a playful smile, “but it will be worth it when that auditorium fills up with neighborhood kids.”