Page 25

When you cease to dream, you cease to live.

—Malcolm Forbes

WITH MAY’S ARRIVAL , they were on the brink of the fundraiser. Hensley recovered from her head cold a few days after the storm. No other strange incidents at the lodge had occurred, and the season of thunderstorms and rain seemed to have come to an end. For that, Hensley was thankful.

Blake had added to Wickham’s security duties by posting him as a guard over the lodge and hiring an additional security guard to step in when Wickham functioned as his driver, or whenever he had an evening off to take Lula on a date.

Meanwhile, Hensley and Blake spent several evenings decorating the glass jars and creating centerpieces during the following days.

The next week, they arranged the items that had been donated for the auction.

This meant setting starting bids for each item they intended to auction and adding the starting bids to each of the sign-up sheets on the clipboards.

In the final days leading up to the event, Hensley checked with Blake to ensure that the doors would be locked if she brought her dishes and silverware over.

Things like that were costly. He assured her that his security guard would keep a close eye on every delivery and any person coming or going while also keeping the place locked.

She and Blake also teamed up to shop for sour cream, hot sauce, crackers, shredded cheese, white onions, and green onions for toppings.

They would chop and prepare the onions and other toppings on the day of the event.

She might not be a skilled cook like Jen or her mother, but she could chop and dice onions.

And at some point, she really should step up and spend some time in the kitchen with her mother and sister to improve her cooking skills.

For now, she did her best to hide the fact from Blake, especially when he invited her to dinner and a movie at his place to relax after all the hard work they’d done.

He made them chicken parmigiana on a bed of fettucine and it was divine!

She’d been enthralled with the tour of his home.

Mainly empty rooms, but he did have a nice sectional and recliner in his living room.

Yes, he could certainly use decorating help at some point.

But she wouldn’t dream of lifting a finger to do so unless he popped the question.

And then she’d have to grapple with what her answer would be, first and foremost. As for his home, there were certain things she loved about it.

The front porch, the deck, the views from the windows, the dormer windows, the island in the huge kitchen, the stone fireplaces, the flat logs inside on some walls and drywall on others .

.. the oval modern soaking tub in the master bath, the his and her sinks, and the walk-in closets.

Not to mention the amazing oven and farmhouse style sink in the kitchen, which increased her desire to learn how to cook.

Then Tiff came down with a head cold, leaving them without an MC at the fundraiser. Samantha came by the boutique to tell Hensley about the problem the day before the event.

“We really thought he would have improved by now,” Samantha explained.

“I’ll talk to Blake. One of us will do the speaking, or maybe we’ll take turns,” Hensley assured.

She and Blake agreed to take turns. As long as the church ladies showed up with plenty of chili, everything seemed ready. Even Caroline was making a crockpot of chili to bring to the event. Jen was too. And many ladies had signed up to bring chili, giving Hensley peace of mind.

Jen took Bing aside as the event was about to begin as she dropped off her crockpot of chili to the buffet tables where Hensley hovered, greeting various ladies from the church as they brought their items to her.

Jen bit her lower lip and turned to her handsome boyfriend. “Bing, I’m so sorry, but ...”

“You’re not going to break up with me, are you?” Bing’s eyes widened.

“No, nothing like that. But my mom is bringing chili too. You’ll need to remember to vote for her chili with some of your hard-earned dollars too. I don’t mind if I don’t win, but your sister and my mother count the most.”

Bing let out a, “Phew!” Relaxing, he held up a wad of dollar bills. “Don’t worry, I can handle that.”

Hensley chuckled and elbowed him, having heard the whole conversation. “Bing, my advice, if it matters any, is make sure you vote for your girlfriend’s chili above all others.”

Bing turned to her with surprise in his expression. “Oh. Okay. Got it. Good to know. Vote for my girlfriend.” He turned red and glanced at Jen with a shy smile before dashing away to find Blake. Probably to ask him to vote for Jen’s chili too.

The event itself went off without a hitch.

The youth loved being auctioned off to mow people’s lawns, mulch flower beds, and do spring cleaning tasks for various folks.

Everyone laughed when Nancy Lundgren, known as the bookmobile lady, widowed and in her sixties, won a bidding war for the high school’s handsome quarterback, and one of the most popular youth group members.

It was either her or Maggie Cornford, and Nancy wasn’t about to back down.

Blake did a great job of wearing his cowboy hat when he introduced the youth and accepted bids.

Hensley did her part by welcoming everyone and directing them to the auction tables for the other items. Blake said the blessing.

They’d tag teamed everything and people seemed to enjoy it.

Folks also gave bids on the donated items and many left with their like new items and happy smiles on their faces.

Robbie Watson won the most “votes” for her fabulous chili.

That made sense, since she loved to cook and owned The Gathering Place diner.

Jen came in second, and Hensley had no doubt that Bing had something to do with that.

Even Caroline seemed to have a great time at the event.

Best of all, the youth had earned more than enough to go on their mission trip to the Dominican Republic.

The event was a huge success. They’d had a full house.

Then the cleaning up began. Hensley had so much volunteer cleaning help that all she had to do was recruit Blake to assist her with carrying boxes of dishes, linens, and centerpieces to her jeep.

When they were finished, he pulled her into a long kiss.

When the kiss ended, she gazed up at him while he held her in his arms. “Are you glad you listened to some of my suggestions for the event?”

Blake nodded, holding her in his arms. “I am. It was really nice because of your organizational skills. Most importantly, we achieved the objective. And wow, did we ever have a great turnout! The place was packed. Folks had a lot of fun too.”

A smile played on her lips. “Does this mean I deserve an extra kiss?”

“Most definitely.”

She didn’t have to ask twice. His mouth locked with hers in a passionate kiss that left her knees knocking again.

WITH THE FUNDRAISER behind them, Hensley could breathe easier and take time to notice the flowers blooming for summer.

Or so she thought. Jen came home from a date with Bing two days later, upset.

Hensley had worked late sewing one of her creations.

But now that she was home, she only wanted to crawl in bed with a cup of hot tea and a good book to read.

Except Jen knocked on her door.

“Come in ...” she called out.

Jen slipped inside and closed the door. Hands on her hips, she began pacing. Rarely did Jen get upset about anything.

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure where to begin.” She waved a hand into the air.

“Do I tell you how Caroline has redecorated Bing’s house and taken over his life, or do I start with the part where she was sitting on the edge of Blake’s desk, waiting to catch him so she could lure him away for dinner while we went on a date?

Because Bing has to find stuff for her to do or she follows us around everywhere.

Which is fine some of the time ... but I’m telling you, Hensley, I don’t trust her. Not one little bit.”

“Wait. Slow down.” Hensley closed her book and set it aside. “She was sitting on the edge of Blake’s desk?”

Jen nodded. “Wearing a provocative short skirt that showed off very long legs. Need I say more?”

“No, I get the picture. It doesn’t sound good.” Hensley swallowed a lump in her throat. “Did they go out to dinner?”

“I don’t know. I think so. Bing pulled me away so we could get to our dinner reservation at The Creek Grill on time. We were trying to catch a movie after. He didn’t want his sister tagging along. Nor did I. But I didn’t want her to steal Blake’s time away from you.”

“I see.” Hensley rearranged her pillows and sat up straighter.

She bit her lower lip. Did she trust Blake?

After all of his sweet kisses and their wonderful talks, she did.

But Caroline, she was another matter altogether.

“The truth is, I had to work late tonight to finish a dress for a bride. I wouldn’t have been able to go out with Blake tonight anyhow.

And they are only friends. I don’t think Blake would succumb to her charms. But I know she is trying everything she can think of to win him over. ”

Jen sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Do we know when she returns to Manhattan?” Hensley sank into her pillows.

“Not soon enough. I’ve had it up to here with her.” Jen covered her face with her hands.

For Jen to be this upset, it had to be bad.

“Doesn’t she have a boyfriend? I thought Blake mentioned something about her dating someone in the hotel industry like her father.”

Jen nodded. “Yes, but they’re on the outs.”

“Well, then we need to pray that they get on the ins.”