Hope Springs - 05 - Wedding Cake Read Free Page B

“Okay, we’ll need to get invitations and pick a date. We need to reserve the church and the fellowship hall.”
    “I think I’d rather do it here,” Jessie said. She was starting to enjoy the idea.
    Beatrice glanced around. “Inside or out?” she asked.
    James and Jessie looked at each other and at the same time answered, “Out.”
    Beatrice grinned. “An outdoor wedding.” She thought about the logistics of planning the event. “Summer then?” she asked.
    “Late spring,” Jessie replied.
    “May,” James added. “Our anniversary is in May.” He took another sip of coffee and winked again at his wife.
    “May it is,” Beatrice exclaimed. “Oh my, there’s so much to do and not a lot of time to do it in. We’ll need to think about flowers and music and a photographer and a honeymoon.” She pushed her chair away from the table. “And, oh my, I have another fabulous idea!”
    “What?” Jessie asked.
    “How about putting together a wedding cookbook?” she asked, her face flushed with excitement.
    And both Jessie and James turned to their friend in exasperation and yelled at the same time,
“No cookbook!
”

Chili Dip
    1 15-ounce can chili without beans
    1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
    hot sauce to taste
    ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    Combine all ingredients. Heat until cheese melts. Serve hot with tortilla chips. Makes 2 cups.
    —Maria Roybal

Chapter Three
    C harlotte was staring out the window and still thinking about Beatrice and their conversation, how she had spilled the beans and told her about Donovan, whom she had only gone out with a couple of times. She was having her regrets when Maria walked into the office. When Charlotte turned around, the shelter volunteer was standing right in front of the desk, wearing a strange look on her face.
    “Hello Maria, how was it?” Charlotte asked. She could tell that Maria definitely had something to tell her.
    Maria remained standing very close to Charlotte. She placed the stamps on the corner of the desk and then looked back up. “I went to the post office,” she responded.
    Charlotte smiled. She loved how dramatic the volunteer could be at times. “Yes, I remember where you were going. And you got stamps too, which is fabulous, Maria. Is that the reason for that goofylook on your face? Are they special stamps?” She glanced over to the small roll that had been placed by the phone. They seemed to be the same U.S. flag variety that she was used to having.
    “Did we get a discount?” Charlotte knew how Maria loved to use coupons and ask vendors for discounts.
    “I do not wear this look about my face because of stamps.” Maria waited, allowing for the dramatic pause.
    “Okay.” Charlotte played along.
    She and Maria had been friends for almost three years. Maria was one of the first people she had met when she moved to Gallup, and Maria’s family had sort of adopted Charlotte since her arrival. Charlotte ate at least one meal a week with the Roybal family. She babysat Maria’s grandchildren from time to time and even attended Mass with them once or twice a month. Maria and her husband, Gilbert, were helping Charlotte with her language skills in Spanish.
    “Well, are you going to tell me or do you want me to keep guessing?” Charlotte asked. “I’ve got work to do, Maria,” she added.
    “I ran into Isabella Gomez while I was standing in line to buy the stamps.”
    Charlotte thought that the name sounded familiar but she didn’t think she knew who Maria was talking about. She shrugged.
    Maria sighed as if she thought Charlotte ought to know who Isabella was. “Isabella Gomez is married to Daniel Gomez, and his sister married Jimmie Lujan from Farmington,” Maria explained. “They sit in the fourth row at Mass every Sunday.”
    “Isabella and Daniel, or Jimmie Lujan?”
    Maria let out another sigh. “Isabella and Daniel.” She thought for a moment. “She stacks her hair really high and adds a bun extension to the top of her