Family Wedding by Angela Benson

Author:Angela Benson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1999-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Patsy stepped back from the kitchen table and assessed her handiwork. She smiled. Not bad for a first-timer. She leaned her head to the side to make sure the cake was level. Thank goodness for vanilla icing, she thought. And thank God kids loved icing, since one corner of the sheet cake had more icing than cake.

Satisfied, she opened the box of pink-and-green flowers and began lining the top of the cake. That done, she picked up the fat tube of chocolate and squeezed out Happy Birthday, Wendy. Patsy stepped back again. Much, much better, she said to herself.

For the final touch, she opened the box of thin, green-and-pink candles and stuck seven of them in the cake, knowing they’d plant more firmly before the icing stiffened. All she needed to do now was light the candles. Unfortunately, that would have to wait until tomorrow. For tonight, she’d wrap the cake and put it in the refrigerator.

“That looks good,” Kenny said when he entered the kitchen, his hands and shirt streaked with ink from the magic markers he’d been using to make the banner.

“Good enough to eat?” she asked.

He dipped a finger in the bowl of leftover icing and licked it off with his tongue. “You betcha.”

“Do you think Wendy will like it?”

“If it’s sweet, Wendy’ll like it. Take my word for it. Leah always….” Kenny began, but he stopped.

Patsy put a hand on his wrist. “It’s all right to talk about her, Kenny. She’s Wendy’s mother and as much a part of this family as I am.”

“She’s dead, Patsy.”

“That only means she’s not here in person. But she’s here.” She placed her hand on his chest. “And in Wendy’s heart. Have you been thinking about her a lot today?”

Kenny nodded solemnly. “Wendy’s birthday is tough. Leah always made a big deal out of it.” He smiled at his memories. “Every year she had to outdo what she’d done the previous year. When Wendy was three, she had horses brought in and all the kids had horse rides. They loved it.”

“I bet you did too,” Patsy added softly.

“Those were good times for us. Real good times.” He wished all their times together had been that good. But it was too late for wishes. Much too late.

“You never told me about the horses. I want to see the video. I know Leah made one.”

“Yeah, Leah made a tape,” Kenny said. He thought about the late nights during her illness when Leah, unable to sleep because of her pain, had asked him to play the tapes for her. Unfortunately, as the end drew nearer, those nights became more and more frequent. But it seemed the tapes gave her comfort. She’d watch them over and over, as if she was recording in her mind everything about her life with him and Wendy.

“Do you think I could watch it one night?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Kenny shrugged. “Sure. If you want to.”

She smiled. “I want to. Do you want to watch with me?”

“I don’t know, Patsy.

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