“Todos, all,” Maria indicated the room, “all need help withla migra.SeñorEllis, he good man. He will help.”
The inner office door opened, and a man who looked young enough to still be in high school escorted out a couple. They spoke Spanish as the couple collected three of the children from the group and left. He glanced around the room and did a double take when he took in Chris and Yvonne. He approached. “Josh Ellis. You must be the Van Dijks.”
“I am Yvonne van Dijk. This is my fiancé, Chris Smith.” She stood and held out her hand to shake.
“Good to meet you.” The young man shook hands with both. “Why don’t you come back to my office, and we can discuss what you need.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Miss Clara, one of The Sweet and Savory Table’s regulars, patted her arm when Yvonne stopped to check on her. “The food really is lovely, dear. I think it’s a wonderful idea to introduce new foods. I never would have thought to put fried eggs on top of ham and cheese. It tastes delicious.”
“I’m so glad you like it, Miss Clara.” Yvonne smiled at the kind old lady and checked the menu:
12 o’clock(2 slices of bread with Gouda cheese, ham and 2 eggs sunny side up, potato salad and tomato soup)
2 Croquets on fresh rolls served with mustard(fried food roll filled with meat mixed with béchamel sauce shaped into a cylinder covered in a bread crumbed crust)
Healthy Heart Attack(Ham and cheese sandwich with tomato, cucumber, coleslaw and hard-boiled egg served on a small baguette)
Speculaas/Spiced biscuits(cookies made with brown sugar and a spice mix (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, and pepper)
Frisian Sugar Bread(2 slices of soft white bread with crunchy sugar candy)
Bossche Balls(supersized profiterole, dunked in glossy dark chocolate)
Banquet Bar(Dutch Flaky Pastry Log with Almond Paste)
Hazelinos(Dutch Hazelnut Meringue Cream Cake)
“Can I get you some dessert?”
“What do you recommend dear? I’ve already eaten a lot.” Miss Clara patted her stomach.
“I think you should try thespeculaas. They’re spiced cookies, and you can always take home any you don’t want to eat here.” Yvonne pointed at the menu.
“That sounds perfect.” Miss Clara gave another affectionate pat on Yvonne’s arm.
“I’ll bring them right out.”
Yvonne continued circulating around the room, thrilled with the reactions people had to the Dutch menu. Miss Clara wasn’t the only one enjoying the new tastes. Yvonne received multiple compliments. At the end of the day, Sonja surprised her by pulling her into a big hug. “This was a brilliant idea, Yvonne. Thank you so much.”
“I’m happy to help out. I was feeling a little bit homesick when I suggested it. I’m glad it’s worked out so well.Maybe after I get my immigration status straightened out, I can do more for you.”
“Honey, you have a job here any time you want it, once you can legally work. I know we shouldn’t have been using you like we have, but you’re a breath of fresh air, and you have a real feeling for service and what people will like.” Sonja let go of Yvonne.
“Thank you. It’s so nice to be appreciated, but I have to go now.”
“Wait, Yvonne!” Suzie called out. “We wanted to let you know we’d like to throw the wedding reception for you here as our present to you and Chris. Since you said it was going to be small, I thought it might work, or if you’d like to do it elsewhere, we can cater it.”
“That’s so sweet of you both.” Yvonne swallowed hard and blinked rapidly.These two!“It’s going to be very small. Less than twenty people, I think. But we wanted both of you to be guests, not working.”
“That’s the beauty of having it here at the café. We only need to pop back in the kitchen occasionally. And we would really like to do it for you,” Suzie said.
“I’ll have to check with Chris and Kate, but I think the answer will be yes. You both have been so wonderful to me. Thank you so much.” She gave both women a hug and rushed out before one of them spotted the tears brimming in her eyes.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Chris sat with his knees jammed against the seat in front of him on his flight to Tucson. Flying last minute, he’d been unable to get an exit row, and something like enough room for his long legs was a luxury he didn’t have. Chris thought back to the meeting with Josh Ellis. He was pleased with the lawyer, and it sounded like getting Yvonne a green card would be straightforward. It was simply a question of filling out the paperwork, getting married, and surviving an interview or two. If only his parents would be so easily convinced. After several phone calls with his mother, she had suggested they meet in person. Unwilling to risk his father’s displeasure, he had agreed to come and talk to her at the airport. He would only come to the house if his father was willing to listen.
