How Sweet It Is by Bonnie Blythe

Author:Bonnie Blythe
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: france, chocolate, entrepreneur, christian romance, belgium, surfer, candymaking
Publisher: Bonnie Blythe

Eleven

At the reception following her father’s funeral and internment, Delphine leaned into Brad’s side. When his arm tightened around her waist, she sent him a grateful smile. The look in his blue eyes reaffirmed his words of love. How she would’ve made it through the past few days without him, she didn’t know.

The funeral had been a simple affair, held where her parents had married twenty-five years earlier. The church was constructed of mellow, golden stone and an abundance of stained glass windows. The reception hall, lined with oak paneling and edged with hall tables, sported vases of fragrant flowers. Brocade upholstered chairs, mostly empty, save for a few neighbors, dotted the room. A long table at one end of the room held several trays of finger foods. Ornate brass floor lamps with amber glass shades illuminated the area in a soothing glow.

Delphine wished her parents had been more committed to fellowshipping with other worshippers. Perhaps they could’ve been guided to make better decisions throughout their lives.

She bit her lip, inwardly chastising herself for her critical attitude, yet frustrated at the lingering sense of resentment she felt for her upbringing. She reminded herself that for all their faults, her parents were congenial, loving people. Besides, who was she to be critical of others when she had her own issues?

The thought made her think about her spiritual condition. She read her Bible and prayed, though more in anxiousness than in praise. And wasn’t she following in their footsteps with her own sporadic church attendance? What negative patterns in her life developed because she struggled along on her own without the support of a church family?

Delphine decided she’d attend with Brad the following Sunday. With the decision came renewed worry that again she was relying too much on the Larsens.

Stifling a weary sigh, she tugged on Brad’s hand and approached where her mother stood rattling away in French to her sister, Josephine Du Bois who had flown in for the funeral. It was the first time Delphine had met her aunt.

Josephine and her sister were similar in size, but where her mother tended toward frailty and flightiness, her aunt appeared a grim and staunch lady. Delphine knew she’d never approved of her sister marrying and staying in America.

Clarice turned to Delphine, her dark eyes glittering with a hectic light. “Ma chèrie, my sister has offered to take me back home to France. I have decided to accept.”

Delphine felt the air leave her lungs in a sudden rush. She struggled to form coherent words. Brad squeezed her hand.

“Maman, what is this? You’re not leaving?”

Clarice lifted her shoulders in a Gallic shrug. “I have been too long from my homeland. And Josephine is a retired nurse so you may be easy about my health.”

Delphine glanced at the stern visage of Mme. DuBois and shuddered to think of having the woman as a nurse in a hospital. She sighed inwardly, trying to absorb the implications of her mother’s words.

“Are you sure, Maman, that is what you wish?” She knew her mother could be easily swayed by those with a stronger personality.

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