the phone.
Zoe snapped the shot, then gathered up all of her belongings. “I’d better get going before they wonder what happened to me! I’ll send someone up to take care of the towels and finish cleaning up. I don’t want you to ruin your dress. You’ve put as much work into this party as any of us.”
Tia nodded, warming with gratitude that her efforts had been recognized. “I’ll stay here until the plumber comes, okay?”
“Okay, but make sure you leave as soon as he gets here!” Zoe waggled her finger at Tia. “I don’t want you to miss out.”
Tia smothered a grin. Zoe had made a full recovery from her brief mental breakdown and was back to her old, bossy self. “Yes, ma’am.”
Zoe hurried out of the room, clutching her wet clothes which she’d wrapped up in the plastic garment bag. Tia picked up the soggy towels and dumped them in the bathtub so the plumber would have room to work.
“I can do that,” a man from the event staff said from behind her. “I’ll just take these down to the laundry.” He grabbed a huge armload of used towels and disappeared.
With most of the evidence of a water leak gone, the bathroom looked almost normal. Tia let herself lean against the tiled wall and close her eyes for a moment. This could have been a lot worse than it was, but they’d managed to keep things fairly under control. See, Mom, she thought. I can handle responsibility.
Her eyes popped open. Even after being away from her family for half a year, she still couldn’t get her mom’s voice out of her head. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her parents, but constantly being around their judgmental treatment of her hadn’t been good for her mental health. Although there were things she missed about living in Texas, including her family, she was better off in Willa Bay.
The plumber arrived and made short work of the leak. With the quilt rack barricading the rooms at the end of the hall and her dress now completely dried, it was as if nothing had happened. Tia went downstairs, smiling at the women perched on the living room sofas. Some wore period dresses, others were just wearing their Sunday best. All of them appeared to be having the time of their lives.
Over at the catering tent, she found Meg hiding near the canvas side flaps. Unsurprisingly, Meg had chosen a simple, unadorned dress in a brilliant shade of emerald green that draped at the waist and flowed to mid-calf. It looked comfortable, yet functional, while still being thematically appropriate.
“Hey,” Tia whispered. “What are you doing?”
Meg peered intently at the guests sitting at the tables covered with blue-checkered tablecloths, her face pale. “Do you think they like the food?”
Tia followed her gaze. People were smiling and laughing as they shoveled food into their mouths from white paper plates. It had been decided that, for this event, they could do without fancier tableware in favor of a casual, picnic style, especially since guests might want to walk around and explore the grounds as they ate.
“I’d say they love it.” She took a closer look at Meg. Did everyone have opening-day jitters? “Why are you so worried? Everyone always loves your cooking.”
Meg sighed. “Yeah, but those are tried-and-true recipes. I took these ones out of that journal I found. I have no idea if people will like them.”
Tia stared out at the eating area again. “Um, I think they like it.” She pointed at a table consisting of two middle-aged couples. “They’re practically licking their plates clean.”
The tension in Meg’s face eased. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes,” Tia said firmly. She clutched Meg’s arm and tugged on it to pull her way from the tent. “Now go mingle!”
Meg took a deep breath, then let her lips slide into a huge smile. “Thanks.” She took a few tentative steps, squared her shoulders, and walked purposefully over to a table to greet the occupants.
Tia roamed the event, helping guests find each other, answering questions, and checking to make sure everything was still fine with the problematic bathroom. At the end of the day, she was more exhausted than she’d ever been after an event.
When the final guest left at dusk, Zoe, Shawn, Celia, Meg, and Tia collapsed into the chairs on the front porch. Two bottles of champagne sat at the ready in a bucket filled with ice, and tea lights glowed from short, clear-glass candleholders on the end