Cadence of Cranberries - Valerie Comer Page 0,6

old lady was doing. She’d even had a part in leading the nurse, Kenna, to Jesus.

And she’d come home and told Al about it.

Michael was right. That was just plain weird.

Her youngest son shrugged. “She’s okay, I guess.”

Dominic had left Spokane for pre-med when Michael was only six. The brothers weren’t exactly buddies, so it wasn’t surprising Michael didn’t care one way or the other.

How could Winnie foster more closeness between them? Was it her job? Al would have wanted her to, right? If he were here, he’d take all three sons fishing or hiking or something, but that wasn’t her thing. And when, on this busiest of all weekends, could she have found time, anyway?

Failure.

No, not a failure. She’d never been meant to be mother and father both to five offspring. She could only be the best possible mother and pray for the best on the part that was missing. Speaking of being the best possible mother... “I’ve got some dinner prep to do for tomorrow. Want to give me a hand?”

Michael studied her. “Like what?”

“You could toast the nuts for the rice dressing if you like. Even assemble it. There’s room in the basement fridge. Then it will be ready to go in the turkey when I get up in the morning.” It’d be an early morning, too, with church and then dinner at two. She had a lot of prep left to do.

Al would have been in the kitchen with her, whistling, a tea towel slung over his shoulder as he worked. She had a new system now, without him. She’d never wanted a new system. She’d only wanted Al.

“I guess.” Michael wandered out of her room.

Winnie quickly changed into sweats, hung her dress in the closet, and went down the hall to the kitchen, where Michael flipped the pages of the little album where she’d stored all the recipes for a complete turkey dinner. “Did you find the dressing recipe?”

Michael nodded. “Did you cook the rice already?”

She grimaced. “No, I forgot. I’ll start the rice cooker now and add the rice to the dressing in the morning.”

“I can do it.” Michael reached into the high cupboard and brought down the family-size cooker.

Winnie blinked. When had he gotten so tall?

“Hey, Mom.” Landon wandered into the kitchen and gave her a side-hug. Then he jabbed Michael’s shoulder. “Hey, Pipsqueak.”

“Better than being a pig like you.” Michael set the cooker on the counter and glowered at his brother.

“We’re prepping for Thanksgiving dinner. Want to help?” Winnie dumped a bag of potatoes in the sink.

“Sure. I can peel those.” Landon washed his hands in the other half of the sink. “You trusting Squeak with the dressing? Sure he’s up to it?”

“Don’t cut yourself with the paring knife,” Michael muttered.

“I’ll try not to.” Landon laughed and picked up the first potato.

Next year, Landon would be in college. Would he still be living at home like Gabriella had chosen or would he, like Dominic, move across the state? How would Winnie manage when it was just her and Michael? At least now Gabby and Landon were often home to buffer, and Brittany lived in an apartment only a few blocks away with her cousin Ava.

Parenting was not for sissies. Especially not solo parenting two teen boys. I miss you, Al.

But Michael was probably right. She should stop talking to her late husband. Especially out loud.

“And then Evan and I snuck out of the reception and strung four strands of lights through the fence across from the community center. Do you know the place, Charlie? It’s not far from here, right by the basketball courts.”

Charlie nodded, bemused at his daughter’s boyfriend’s story. “I’ve seen it, I think. Restored brick building by the bridge.”

“That’s the one. Anyway, Evan and I were laughing so hard. We joked about writing a different message with the lights, but in the end, we decided not to mess up Alex’s plan. He’s Evan’s older brother, you know.”

Katri snuggled against Dominic’s side on the sofa, grinning up at him as he talked. “What did the lights say?”

Dom’s face blanched. “Uh, will you marry me?”

Charlie held back a snort. It was like the young man just realized the story he was telling.

“Alex’s proposal to Marley. He, uh, brought her outside to get some fresh air — it was stifling in the community center — and then he dropped to one knee and flashed a ring at her. The whole nine yards.”

Poor boy hadn’t regained his color yet.

Katri gazed at him rapturously.

Charlie