Page 58
Dena laughed. “Second, dating Toby isn’t the worst idea ever.”
“It’s going to make the top five. We don’t know each other. It’s been years. I live in Seattle.”
“Details. You had a good time with him on Thursday.”
Reggie smiled. “I did, but that doesn’t mean we should get married.”
“I thought Mom wanted you to date him.”
“She asked if I’d ever thought about being a stepmother.”
“That is a leap.”
“Tell me about it.”
“He’s a great dad,” Dena said, her voice filled with laughter. “In case you were wondering.”
“Don’t you start, too!”
“All right. I really called to talk about what we’re doing for Mom and Dad for the wedding. I’ve spent the last two hours on Pinterest, getting ideas. There are a lot of different options, but I think the slideshow is the best one. We can set it up on a loop and have it play during the entire reception.”
Reggie nodded. She and Dena had been talking about doing something special for their parents. Their brainstorming had produced a handful of ideas, but the one she kept coming back to was the slideshow.
“I agree,” she said. “I’ll go through the pictures I already have on my computer and then start uploading more today. The albums are still in the craft room, aren’t they?”
“Last time I checked.”
“Good. Mom will think I’m downstairs working, so it will be a surprise. I want pictures from when they were first dating through now.”
“Can I help? I feel like this is all falling on you.”
“Dena, you’re teaching full-time, running the B and B, and you’re pregnant.”
“I know, but you’re already dealing with the charity project and your own job. This is too much.”
“How about if I send you the pictures as I add them, and you can write the captions? I don’t think we have to caption them all, just maybe a handful. If we have the year, that would help with the timeline.”
“I can do that. Send me the files as soon as you’re ready.”
“I will.”
They talked for a few more minutes, then hung up. Reggie looked at Belle, who was curled up in her bed in the corner of the eat-in kitchen.
“You know, I have more to do here than at home.”
Belle looked at her as if to ask whose fault that was.
“Yes, I know,” Reggie told her. “I can’t help it. I’ve never been able to say no to family. Or you, for that matter.”
Belle’s expression said never saying no to her was hardly a bad thing.
“You’re right, baby girl. Because you’re special.”
Toby arrived at the community center a little after two thirty on Monday afternoon. The third-graders were due at three, and he knew there would be materials to set up. He’d practiced making hats over the long weekend and was comfortable that he could help the kids.
He told himself that any sense of anticipation was more about getting started than seeing Reggie. She was his son’s teacher’s sister, and that was all. Yes, they’d had a good time at dinner and on the walk afterwards, but they were simply old friends getting to know each other again. Nothing more.
Still, he found himself hurrying toward the largest of the spaces in the community center. The double doors stood open, and he could see dozens of boxes stacked on large folding tables. He found Reggie opening a box of the hooks the kids would use.
