Pennies From Heaven (The Bella Novella Collection Book 3)

  Mrs. Davidson fanned herself with her hand. “Oh my.”

  “You’ll be happy to know Cotter’s happily married now to my sister.” Mr. Davidson cleared his throat. “And he’s in church ever time the doors are open.”

  “Well now, miracles still happen!” Jolene raised her hands in the air and hollered, “Praise Jesus!”

  Cecil looked for a moment like he wanted to bolt, but Lily held tight to his arm.

  Jolene turned to face Cecil. “Think about it, Cec. If things had gone a different way, I would’ve been your aunt.”

  “No ma’am,” he corrected her. “Cotter’s my uncle, but only by marriage.”

  “Yes, but if he’s your uncle and I’d have married him, I would’ve been your aunt. See what I mean?”

  Cecil shook his head but didn’t say a word.

  “I guess the good Lord just had other ideas. His ways are certainly higher than our own. And, of course, I’m happily married now, myself.” Jolene looked back and forth between Cecil and Lily “Speaking of marriage, you two are going to have a long, happy life together. I can just tell. I love the way you love each other.”

  “I believe you’re right.” Mrs. Davidson released a little sigh. “Takes me back to when Herb and I met. There’s nothing like young love, is there?”

  “Or old love.” Bonnie Sue gave her husband a wave as he approached. “When I first met this old coot we didn’t see eye to eye, but love won out in the end. There’s nothing sweeter.”

  “Speaking of love and marriage, I need to put a bug in Lily’s ear at some point today.” Jolene clasped her hands together and a broad smile lit her face. “I had the best idea to make her wedding reception more French.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “A mime!” Jolene went into full-out mime mode, pretending to be stuck inside a box. “He could entertain the kids. There are lots of mimes in Paris.”

  Twila slapped herself on the forehead. “First of all, a mime is a dumb idea. Second, what makes you think that all mimes have to be men? You’re being politically incorrect, Jolene.”

  “Oh, speaking of politics, did anyone watch the news last night?” Bonnie Sue fanned herself. “So much drama going on right now.”

  Earline happened by and I put my finger over my lips and whispered the words: “No politics.”

  “No politics?” Mrs. Davidson echoed. “Why not?”

  “Trust me,” I whispered. “Just. Don’t. Go. There.”

  She gave me a nod but I could read the confusion in her eyes.

  At this point we were pretty much greeted by the whole group at one time. I could tell Mrs. Davidson was overwhelmed, but at least she seemed a bit more at home with the country folk from Splendora than she’d been with the Rigas family. That gave me some hope. Twila took her by the arm and led her off to the side lawn to meet Pastor Higley and his wife. For the first time all morning I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “You okay over there?” D.J.’s voice roused me from my thoughts. I looked his way and nodded.

  “Yeah. Just thinking.”

  “Don’t wanna do too much of that. I’ve heard it can be kinda dangerous.” A little wink followed on his end.

  His words made me laugh. They also reminded me of one more reason why I loved this man so much. He always had a way of keeping me calm.

  As we settled in, reminiscent feelings swept over me, and all the more when Bubba and Jenna turned up with their little boys, Bubba, Jr. and Weston. They also brought the dogs. I still couldn’t believe I’d let my BFF keep my ornery canine, Precious, but the country life seemed to agree with the little yapper. She bounded my way, sniffed my ankles and then took off running across the yard. So much for loyalty.

  I watched as the older kids bounded toward the large wooden swing set in the side yard while the rest of us got the food prepped. Aunt Rosa held Holly, and Uncle Laz kept a watchful eye on Ivy, who enjoyed watching the dogs chase the older kids.

  This beautiful day reminded me of a 4th of July party I’d once attended at Earline and Dwayne’s place years ago. On that infamous day my family had come to Splendora for the first time. How out of place we’d felt—much like Moggie and Herb probably felt right now. Oh, how things had changed for the Rossis! These days, the Neeley property felt as comfortable as a pair of worn shoes. Maybe more so. There was something so welcoming about the majestic pines, the scent of BBQ on the grill, and the ever-present voices of loved ones as they shared their joys with one another.

  A short time later we settled in around the picnic tables, which had been pushed together to make several lengthy places to gather for eating. The conversation was light and fun.

  Until Uncle Laz brought up politics. From the moment he mentioned the various candidates running for office, I knew we were in trouble.

  “Oh, no you don’t, Lazarro.” Aunt Rosa gave him a warning look. “You promised there would be none of that today.”

  “But the election is underway, and the primaries are in full swing. How can I not bring it up? I’m running for president, after all.”

  “What’s this?” Moggie took a seat on the picnic bench and set her plate on the table. “You’re running for office, Mr. Rossi?”

  “Yes, President of the United States.” He took a bite of potato salad and gave a curt nod.

  Moggie looked a bit flabbergasted by this news, as if she didn’t quite know how to absorb it.

  My mother-in-law, never one to put up with political foolishness, joined us. “I’ve already voted in the primaries, Laz.” Earline rolled her eyes as she eased her ample frame onto the picnic bench near us. “And I do not recall seeing your name on the ballot, so what you’re saying can’t possibly be true.”

  “Well, no, my name wasn’t on the ballot. Not officially. But you do realize you can write in a name, don’t you?” He gave her a thumbs-up.

  “I do. Indeed. But, in my case, that was not necessary. As we have discussed on many occasions, I have strong political persuasions. I went to the primary fully prepared to vote for the men—and women—who most reflect my values.” She paused and then reached for a spoon. “Banana puddin’, anyone?”

  “Please, friends. . .for the love of all that’s holy, don’t mention politics again.” Bonnie Sue’s voice rang out from the other end of the table. “My sweet husband gets wound up tighter than a spool of fishing wire. We are of opposite persuasions, politically-speaking.”

  “Oh my.” My mother’s nose wrinkled as she reached for a slice of watermelon. “There’s nothing worse than a couple that cannot vote together.”

  “True.” Jolene clucked her tongue. “I always say, the couple that votes together stays together.”

  “Prays together, Jolene.” Twila’s voice took on a know-it-all tone. “The couple that prays together stays together.”

  “Yes, but I tend to agree with Jolene on this one.” Bonnie Sue lowered her voice and leaned forward. “I guess I should have checked Tommy’s political leanings before marrying him. It never once occurred to me to ask the man if he swung to the right or the left.”

  This last statement got an eyebrow raise out of D.J., who then started laughing so hard he nearly choked on a BBQ rib.

  Thank goodness we didn’t have long to ponder Tommy’s political leanings. A male voice rang out across the yard.

  “Could we have your attention, please?”

  I looked up to discover Mr. Rigas, the patriarch of the Rigas family, tapping his glass with a spoon. Not terribly effective, since the glass was actually a plastic cup.

  “I have an announcement to make.” The edges of his lips curled up in a smile.

  “Hmm. Wonder what he’s up to?” My friend Cassia gave me a curious look. “You can never tell with my father-in-law. He’s sneaky, that one.”

  Mr. Rigas gestured for Lily and Cecil to join him. “Lily, for as long as I can remember, you’ve worked hard. I think you get your work ethic from your mama. She’s the hardest working woman I know.”

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nbsp; D.J. nudged me and whispered, “Gee, I thought you won that prize.”

  I did my best not to roll my eyes as I kept listening to Mr. Rigas. “Your mama and I have a little present for you two. I hope you don’t mind that we’re giving it to you now.” He reached into his pocket and came out with an envelope. “Happy honeymoon from Mama and me.”

  Cecil and Lily stared at the envelope and the groom-to-be read the words out loud: “Shady Pines Travel Service?”

  “Mm-hmm. Open it.”

  Lily opened the envelope and pulled out several papers. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped. “Oh! Oh, oh, oh!” She threw her arms around her father’s neck and then shouted, “We’re going to Paris!”

  “Paris?” Cecil looked a bit taken aback. So did his mother, whose face grew pale. Her eyes filled with tears. She excused herself to get another glass of tea. Strange, since her glass was already full.

  “What’s that about?” Jenna gestured to Mrs. Davidson as she whispered the words: “She seems upset.”

  “No idea, but I’ll figure it out.” I rose and headed to the beverage table, tea glass in hand. I’d get to the bottom of this, if it took all of my sleuthing skills to do so.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Ah, la vache!

  Translation: Oh the cow!

  (Holy cow!)

  It took a bit of finagling, but, with Lily’s help I finally managed to figure out the reason for Mrs. Davidson’s emotional departure. Oy vey. What a mess.

  I headed back over to Jenna and Cassia, who both gave me curious looks. “Well? What happened?” Jenna tapped her foot in anticipation of my answer.

  I leaned in close to whisper so that the others wouldn’t hear. “Before we left the Rigas’s place, I heard Cec’s parents say they had a gift for them. I had a feeling it was a honeymoon trip, and I was right. Nothing like Paris, I’m afraid. Problem is, it’s a done deal. Now they have two honeymoons—one to someplace amazing and another one to someplace, well, normal.”

  Cassia sighed. “How awful. But that makes sense. I mean, the groom’s family usually pays for the honeymoon, right? So I’m not surprised they put together a plan to surprise Lily and Cecil.”

  “What sort of plans had his parents made?” Jenna asked. “Did you hear that part?”

  “Only partially. From what I could make out, Mrs. Davidson’s brother owns a timeshare in Gulfport, Mississippi. He’s letting Cec and Lily have it for a week.”

  “They can go to Mississippi anytime,” Cassia said. “This is Paris we’re talking about, the opportunity of a lifetime. Paris waits for no one.”

  “Well, sure, but the last thing Lily wants to do is hurt her mother-in-law’s feelings, you know?” I paused, deciding I’d already said enough. “Anyway, you didn’t hear all of that from me, okay?”

  “Sure, Bella.” Jenna ran her hand across her belly, and for a moment I thought she might be ill.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “Mm-hmm. I think that potato salad hit me the wrong way, is all. That, or the heat. Can you believe it’s already this warm out? What’s the summer going to be like if the spring is sweltering?”

  From the table behind me I heard Mrs. Rigas sniffling. I turned to discover she had tears in her eyes.

  “Mrs. Rigas, are you okay?” I took a couple of steps in her direction, worry setting in.

  “Lily’s going to go to Paris and she’ll never want to come back.” Mrs. Rigas sniffled.

  “Aw, she’ll come back to Splendora,” I said. “I speak from personal experience. I’ve been to Europe and I came back.”

  “Lily’s different. She’s completely infatuated with Paris. I saw this once in a movie. Sabrina.”

  “Sabrina?” Uncle Laz took a bite of watermelon and spoke around it. “I thought her name was Lily.”

  Mrs. Rigas used her napkin to wipe her damp eyes. “No, the movie was Sabrina. Audrey Hepburn went to Paris and her whole life changed.”

  “Audrey Hepburn?” Uncle Laz scratched his head. “I thought we were talking about someone named Sabrina.” He took another bite of the watermelon. “Weird.”

  “Yes,” I explained. “Audrey played Sabrina in Sabrina. The movie. Sabrina. Starring Audrey Hepburn.”

  “I haven’t been this confused since Ben Carson endorsed Donald Trump for President.” Uncle Laz shrugged. “But that’s okay. Don’t try to explain it to me. It’ll probably confuse me more.”

  “Stop. Saying. That.” Earline clenched her teeth as she glared at Uncle Laz.

  “Saying what?” He put the watermelon down and stared at her, wrinkles forming on his brow.

  Her gaze narrowed as she muttered the words, “Donald. Trump.”

  “Ah.” Laz gave her a playful look. “Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump. Is that the name I’m not supposed to say?”

  “Laz, if you care about me at all, you’ll stop.” Dwayne Neeley stepped into place alongside my uncle. “Last time we got Earline riled up about politics it didn’t end well. She had to take a nitroglycerine tablet and I very nearly had to call 9-1-1. Please. Stop.”

  I rested my hand on my uncle’s arm, hoping to convince him to play nice. “And remember, Uncle Laz, you’ve had heart issues, as well. No point in adding stress when it’s unnecessary.”

  “Okay, okay.” My uncle turned and took a couple of steps toward the food table, but I was pretty sure I heard him whisper the words “Donald Trump” under his breath.”

  “I heard that, Lazarro Rossi!” Earline called out. “And I forbid you to speak that vile name on my property again or else. . .” She clutched her heart and grew pale. “Or else. . .”

  “Mama?” D.J. stepped into the spot beside her. “Mama, are you okay?”

  “I. . .I. . .” She kept her hand on her heart and then slumped into a chair.

  “Everyone back away from her and give her space.” Bonnie Sue reached inside her oversized purse and came out with a church bulletin, which she waved in Earline’s face. “She needs air.”

  “She needs prayer,” Twila added, and then knelt down in front of Earline.

  “Air. . .and prayer.” Jolene pulled a chair close. “So, gather round, folks. We’re gonna pray for Earline.”

  “So, are we gathering around or stepping back?” Laz asked. “I’m confused.”

  “I feel like the yard is spinnin’.” Beads of sweat popped up on Earline’s upper lip. “And who turned up the heat? It’s swelterin’!”

  “Laz. Laz turned up the heat.” Bonnie Sue shook her head. “But we’ll get you cooled down, Earline. Just put all thoughts of you-know-who out of your head and your blood pressure will go back down to normal.”

  “Who’s you-know-who?” Mrs. Rigas asked.

  “The one whose name we’re not supposed to mention,” Cecil’s mother put a finger over her lips. “So, shh!”

  “Wait, who?” Mrs. Rigas asked once more.

  “Donald Trump!” Bonnie Sue and Twila hollered in unison.

  “Oh, I like him.” Mrs. Rigas offered up a confident nod. “Voted for him in the primaries. He’s quite the businessman, isn’t he? He’ll get things done in a hurry. From what I understand, half of Splendora is in Trump’s corner. Well, all but Jenny Conner up at the hair salon. She’s voting for Hillary. Or was it Bernie? I honestly can’t remember.”

  D.J. slapped himself on the forehead then muttered something under his breath.

  “Did we ever pray?” Twila asked, then pursed her lips. “I can’t remember.”

  “No, but I don’t know what all the fuss is about.” Mrs. Rigas took a seat on the bench next to Earline. “What we need in this country is someone who’ll get the job done. Someone with business savvy. We all know there’s only one candidate who fits that description.”

  “Oh my.” These words came from Mrs. Davidson, who paled. “My daughter’s in-laws are voting for Donald Trump?”

  “You’re not?” Mrs. Rigas’s perfectly plucked brows arched. “Who are you voting for, then?”

  “I.
. .I. . .Well, I like to keep that to myself.” Mrs. Davidson said, as she wrung her hands together.

  “We’ve got to turn this country around.” Mr. Rigas squared his shoulders, commanding the attention of everyone in attendance. “As a business owner, myself, I speak with some degree of authority. Trump’s the man to keep this country afloat. Financially, I mean.”

  “Mom, Dad, please!” Lily gave her parents a warning look. “Not now.”

  Mrs. Rigas didn’t seem to take the hint. She went off on a tangent about all of Mr. Trump’s finest qualities. This, of course, got Uncle Laz wound up about how he knew more than Trump about how to run a business.

  At some point Earline, still seated on the bench, dropped her head down onto the table and began to pray. Aloud. For the Rigas family. And for anyone else who might not vote her convictions.

  To my right, D.J. cleared his throat. We’d been through this before. Hopefully he would figure out how to turn things around.

  Sure enough, his words, “How’s it going as city manager, Mr. Rigas?” took the conversation in a completely different direction. “You enjoying your new position?”

  “Very much. And Splendora’s growing like a teenage boy on a steady diet of double cheeseburgers. New businesses popping up everywhere. Much of this is your doing, Bella.” Mr. Rigas gave me an admiring look. “And you too, D.J. Opening the wedding facility was a great idea. Now a new hotel is going up on the Interstate. After that, an iHop, just a few miles south of here.”

  “Ooo, iHop.” Bonnie Sue licked her lips. “I love pancakes.”

  “Point is, Splendora’s the place to be, and before long folks’ll be coming from all over to spend time here. It’ll be easier than ever, now that the Grand Parkway has come through.” Mr. Rigas reached for his cup of sweet tea. “We’ll keep on growing, growing, and growing. The bigger, the better.”

  “Not sure I agree with that.” Earline mumbled, her forehead still leaning on the table. “I like Splendora just like it is.” She lifted her head and glared at Mr. Rigas.

  “Me too. Just hope she doesn’t get too big for her britches,” Jolene added.