AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Wonderful! I just love that our little town has something like this. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t know what to think the first time I ordered drunken noodles, but Linda has never steered me wrong!”
I smiled at my mom’s confession. I could see how some of the more conservative folks in town would balk at the dish. “No drunken noodles tonight. Basil stir-fry and extra eggrolls, though.”
“Perfect.”
“Enjoy it. I think we will be eating casseroles and soup for the next month. The church ladies have assembled.” I dished the Thai food onto plates and brought one to her. “Monica mentioned there is another storm headed this way.”
Mom nodded. “Unfortunately, it is that time of year. I'll let you get the mail this time,” she said with a chuckle.
At least she had a good sense of humor about this. If I were stuck on my couch for three weeks, I would go crazy. I finished bringing her a drink and set everything up on the side table.
“Can’t say I miss the ice.” Living in LA had spoiled me with sunny days. Tank tops at Christmas did feel a little strange though, so I still tried to come home for the holidays most years.
Mom just shook her head. “Without the dark, cold of winter, we wouldn’t appreciate the warmth of spring.”
I grabbed my own dinner and sat on the sofa. “I think that’s just what people who live where it snows say to make themselves feel better.”
Mom laughed. “Maybe so. But it sure makes me appreciate them more. I always look forward to spring. Oh, and that reminds me.”
I raised a bite to my mouth and looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
“I’m in charge of organizing the Spring Sparks Auction.”
“Am I supposed to know what that means?”
“Oh, you know. The spring auction for the fire department. The Friends of MRFD hosts it every year. It’s their biggest fundraiser.”
“That’s exciting. That seems like a big deal for you to be in charge of.”
Mom beamed. “It is.” Her smile faded. “Or, I guess it was. I obviously can’t do it anymore.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
She gestured to her body. “There is no way I can get it all done from here. Oh, bummer,” she said. “And they had such a hard time finding someone this year, too.” She looked at me, and I saw the hope in her eyes.
“Just say it, Mom.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Her acting skills were worse than some of the extras on my Faithmark movie. And that was setting a low bar.
“You want me to do it, so just say it.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that, sweetie. It’s a lot of work. The auction isn’t something that just gets thrown together. You didn’t come here for that.” She shook her head and sighed. “No, I’ll just tell the chief we’ll have to cancel it this year. I’m sure the department can do without that new equipment for another year.”
I took a bite to hide my eye roll. She was laying it on thick. “I’ll do it, Mom.”
“I mean, it’s just a new truck. Chief said the other one only breaks down occasionally,” she continued.
“Mom. You can stop. I said I’d do it.”
She brightened and sat up straighter. “Oh good. I’ll call Bryce and let him know.”
My fork paused halfway between my plate and my mouth. “Bryce?”
“Of course. Chief put him in charge from the fire department side of things. Won’t that be fun? The two of you working together–it’ll be just like old times.”
I set down my fork and took a sip of water. “Yeah. Just like old times.” I needed some time to process, but I didn’t want Mom to see my discomfort. “So is this like a silent auction or what?” I could handle walking around town and getting donations from the businesses. Easy-peasy.
“There’s a live auctioneer. It’ll be great.”
