still lived, so he could meet Ace. She’d laugh and say no.
He’d make her promise that when Ace fell in love with her and wanted to marry her, that she’d make him come ask him for permission. Holly Ann would promise him and then she’d go inside, sigh, and flop down on the couch to relive the afternoon, starting with that very first kiss she’d shared with Ace….
“Amen,” chorused through the barn, and Holly Ann hadn’t even realized they’d welcomed everyone and said grace already. She sometimes lost a lot of time to her fantasies, another thing she was trying to tame. She failed at that too, but so far, it hadn’t caused her anything too damaging.
“Maybe we can get her to come tell us what it all is,” Etta said. “That’s all I’m saying. That’s what we do.”
“No,” Ace argued. “That’s what you do. I was in charge of the food, and it’s here. You can’t look at it and see what it is?”
“Just ask her,” Bishop said, and Holly Ann peeked out of the doorway. “It looks amazing, and maybe Mother would like to know if any of it is spicy.”
“Fine,” Ace grumbled, and he turned toward the kitchen door. Holly Ann caught his eye and he gestured for her to come join him. “They want a quick run-down of the food.”
Holly Ann looked out at the sea of men and women. Definitely way more men here than women, though a few dotted the crowd. She swallowed, because women tended to like her food more than men.
Customer service, she recited to herself while she hitched her smile in place. “Sure thing,” she said, trying to tame her accent into something softer. “Ace said his aunt used to make an amazing hot meatball sandwich. So, because it’s her birthday—” She paused and smiled at Lois Glover, who beamed back at her with the brightest pair of blue eyes Holly Ann had ever seen on a person. “I made a menu surrounding hot meatball sandwiches. So you’ve got the buns for those here. They’re not terribly spicy, but they are made with pork, beef, and veal. They’re slow-roasted and then slathered with homemade marinara sauce with a secret ingredient.”
She continued to perform as she went through the rest of the menu, which was fairly basic fare for a meatball sandwich. “For a hot item, we have butter-lemon asparagus. There are three cold items, as it’s summertime. This is a creamy cucumber salad. Very cool with mint and sour cream. It’s perfect to put right on top of the meatballs, if you dare.” She grinned out at everyone, noticing several other smiles.
“This is a classic green salad with plenty of veggies, and an Italian balsamic vinaigrette. Ace said Aunt Lois loves balsamic, so I made a reduction of it and that’s over vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese chunks in a family-style Caprese salad. And lastly, there’s a kale and broccoli salad with a creamy dressing that has craisins and sunflower seeds in it.”
She moved down the buffet to her personal favorite part—dessert. “Aunt Lois loves coconut, I heard, so your choices for dessert are coconut cream pie. I understand Uncle Stone used to make this for your birthday every year, Lois, and I figured it would be okay if I tried my hand at it.” She smiled at the older woman, the gesture wobbling when Lois Glover wiped her face as if she were crying. Her sons rallied behind her, and Holly Ann took her enthusiasm down a notch as she read the crowd.
She met Arizona’s eyes, and while they didn’t know each other well, Arizona nodded and smiled at Holly Ann, so she continued.
“There’s a traditional chocolate birthday cake. It has five layers and is infused with a bit of coconut cream. And there are coconut Rocky Road brownies, which have marshmallows, plenty of chocolate—Ace said y’all are addicted to chocolate—and the addition of toasted coconut.”
She surveyed her buffet again, her pride surging one more time. This was an amazing menu, and she needed to make notes of the prep it had taken, as well as the timing of the items to get them all out on time, hot things hot and cold things cold.
“I’d get one of these first,” she said. “They’re that delicious. In fact.” She used a pair of tongs to pick up a brownie and place it on the delicate dessert plates she’d brought. She walked over to Lois and handed it to her. “Happy