Page 11

Our scars make us know that our past was for real.

—Jane Austen

“PAPER PLATES AND SOME of those disposable paper tablecloths would be my vote. No washing dishes and easy clean-up.” Blake squeezed mustard onto his burger after they’d bowed their heads in prayer to bless the meal.

The Gathering Place sure was full for a Tuesday, but when had he ever seen it not full?

At least he and Hensley managed to secure one of the last available tables without a wait.

But what came to mind was when he and another wrangler, Jed, had overseen a similar fundraising event for some of the youth at the church in Wyoming on the Sweetwater River Ranch.

They’d used paper plates and disposable paper tablecloths. “My motto is to keep it simple.”

“My motto is to do everything with excellence,” Hensley insisted, ignoring the meal before her.

“Cleaning up after the event is no trouble since I don’t mind washing the dishes.

My boutique already has dishes and linen tablecloths available.

I don’t mind bringing them over. All I need to know is how many round tables and how many square or rectangular tables are at your main lodge dining or banquet room. ”

“All right, if you don’t mind washing dishes and all of those linens ...” His voice faded. “What’s the next question on our checklist? ”

“So, we are in agreement. We’ll have real dishes, real silverware, and linens on the tables.” Hensley crossed her arms over her chest, tapping a pen on the checklist.

Her tone didn’t sound happy. Blake was about to take his first bite of the delicious burger, but now he held it in mid-air. He couldn’t leave her with the wrong idea. “Well, not exactly. I’m not in agreement. I’m going along with your preferences.”

“Fine. Noted.” Hensley checked off those items. “But we’ll be going with the real dishes and nice linens. As I said, I don’t mind washing dishes. You have a kitchen at your lodge, right?”

He took a bite of his burger. Mmm. It was good. Would Hensley ever taste hers? Before taking another bite, he answered as she leveled a steady gaze at him. “Yes, there’s a kitchen.”

“Great. That brings us to centerpieces. I’m afraid to ask your opinion, but it’s on the checklist and we must arrive at a decision, one way or the other. Yay or nay?” Her lips twisted to one side and she crossed her arms over her chest again.

She appeared as if she braced herself for the worst, the way she leaned back and tilted her head to one side. Warning bells were ringing in his ears. This certainly wasn’t going the way he’d imagined.

“I take it you’re in favor of centerpieces?”

“We’ve not had any fundraisers or dinners at the church without them.

They make a nice touch and show that those hosting the event have put some time and thought into planning the event.

I think folks will take us more seriously and will open their wallets wider to give.

They will see how much it matters, right down to the centerpieces you probably think are a waste of our time. ”

“I see.” He took another bite of his burger while she uncrossed her arms and picked up a knife to slice her burger in half.

Then she took a ladylike bite of one corner of her burger while he chose his words carefully.

“If you think it’s best. I wouldn’t go to all that trouble or waste any time on that sort of thing if it were just me doing the planning . .. ”

She placed her burger on the plate and picked up a fry, dipping it in the appetizer cup containing a small side of ranch salad dressing. “I didn’t think so.”

She’d been very specific about ordering her side of dressing, asking for some in a little cup to accompany her fries.

Before he could reply, she shifted in her seat and sat up taller. “But, it’s not just you. It’s both of us. We have to make the decision together.”

He blinked. That point seemed obvious, but he wouldn’t mention it lest he stir up a blazing fire in her eyes.

For some reason unbeknownst to him, her pretty blue eyes already had spark in them.

Though she looked nice in that navy sailor dress trimmed in white with that cute hat perched on her head, it was a tailored piece that sent an “I’m all business” message.

She continued when he appeared speechless.

“I do think it’s best. It will show excellence in our commitment to the Lord.

Plus, everything will look nicer all the way around.

Hensley’s Wedding Creations has dozens of options to choose from for centerpieces, but I personally think it would be a nice touch to make something with a mission or chili theme to go along with whatever I can donate to the main base for them, whether it’s spring silk flowers in a vase or something else.

Maybe we could make some cute cardboard chili bowls with some sort of Bible verse on them. ”

He picked up his burger, about to take another bite. “Okay. Whatever you think.”

“Okay, you’ll help make the themed item to go with each centerpiece, or you’ll just dump it on me to come up with something myself?” Her brow arched as she leaned toward him for clarification.

Maybe he’d wait on taking that bite. Was she glaring at him?

He cleared his throat and set his burger down.

“I’ll be happy to help. Tell me what to do and where to be when you’re ready to make them.

” Her brow was still arching for some reason, so he added, “If it means going to the craft store or something, I’m happy to accompany.

I’ll do my best to be helpful, though it’s not really my thing. I’ll even pay for anything we need.”

This earned him somewhat of a satisfactory smile and she checked the item off their list of discussion questions. “Thank you, Blake. That’s very generous and kind of you to offer. I’ll try to keep any expenses low cost.”

She certainly was organized. He’d give her that much. She took another of those ladylike bites from her burger. He’d better take a bite too before the next question. No telling how much debating it might require.

Hensley finished chewing and set her burger aside.

“Those jars for donations which we’ll place beside each crock pot of chili for voting purposes .

.. let’s talk about that for a minute. Shall we use ugly undecorated large jars for donations, decorated large jars, or decorated boxes?

” She paused before diving into more detail.

“I mean, if we use jars, folks can see the money piling up in them. It may encourage more donations, especially if the jars appear low in donations. Some husbands will want to ensure their wives win the vote for the best chili to stay on their good sides. They’ll be attempting to calculate how much money to donate to win.

In other words, we only require minimal decorating to the jars, such as some twine and a bit of burlap and lace.

A name card on each jar featuring the names of the cook, or in some cases, several cooks, would be the bare minimum of what we should do. ”

Blake held off on his next bite to reply, seeing she’d put quite a bit of thought into this jar business. “Ah, I see what you mean, now that you’ve explained it all. No ugly jars allowed.” He smirked. Would the light bit of teasing loosen things up between them?

She chuckled, but her chuckle faded fast, replaced by a contemplative silence. She breathed in deeply and released a sigh. “I hope you aren’t making fun of me. I’m only trying to make sure we measure up to past events and put our best foot forward for the sake of the gospel going forth. ”

He shook his head, his brows furrowing. “No, I’m not making fun of you.

I mean it. We shouldn’t have ugly jars if we’re going with linen tablecloths and centerpieces.

They’d stand out like a sore thumb, right?

We should only have the decorated ones, just as you said.

If we have to put a name on each one, what’s an extra step to make them attractive?

We’ll want them to draw attention. Now that I think about it, I don’t think boxes will serve our purpose if we want to pull in more donation funds, unless we can’t find enough empty jars.

I guess we need some of those large pickle jars. ”

She eyed him with some degree of reservation in her eyes, as if she didn’t trust him.

But she finally nodded. “Good. I think we’re on the same page.

” She scribbled down some notes. She set her pen down with a sigh and closed the notebook before picking up her burger to take another bite.

“I think that’s it for tonight. When can you arrange for a tour of your lodge?

We could make the banner I have in mind and do the photo wall featuring each of the youth group members and a group photo in the center. ”

A banner and a photo wall too? Was she going a bit overboard?

He shrugged. If he told her that, she might breathe fire out of her nostrils.

Instead, he repeated, “A tour?” Considering how much more they had to do to prepare than he’d expected, he shouldn’t suggest a meeting too far out on the calendar.

Judging by the thin firm line her lips pressed into at the moment, he must have aggravated her enough for one evening.

Probably a good idea to allow a few days to pass before their next meeting.

“How about Friday night? I’ll have some Chinese food delivered, that is, if you like Chinese? ”

“Chinese is fine.” She dipped a fry in the dressing. Returning to her notebook, she thumbed through it until she found a large white envelope. “Samantha gave me these photos we can use to highlight our youth.”

Oh. He nodded. “Nice. ”

If Samantha had given her photos, then these women sure did like to go all out for their fundraising events. He couldn’t argue with that. Best to find out what kind of Chinese food she preferred.