* * *

When Lovey walked back into Granny’s a little after 4:30, Mercy gasped, then went to meet her.

“Oh, Lovey, you look beautiful! Your hair is gorgeous put up like that. The outfit is dynamite, and your silver cross sits perfect in the V-neck of your top. Don’t do anything but watch. Whatever you want done, tell me. I don’t want one thing about you messed up.”

Lovey beamed. “I see the caterers are already here. Have they brought the cake in yet?”

“It’s here. They weren’t sure where you wanted them to put it.”

“In the banquet room in front of the podium.”

“I’ll tell them right now,” Mercy said.

Lovey took the time to look at how beautiful everything was. The dining room tables had been moved so that most of the space was left open for people to mingle, but they were all covered with white tablecloths, and each bud vase had a single rose. A large floral arrangement was on a round pedestal table in the middle of the floor. Lovey didn’t know where that table came from, but she suspected Ruby was responsible. It looked dramatic, which was just what Lovey was going for.

She moved into the banquet room to check it out. One of her eight-foot banquet tables was in front of the podium, covered with a white tablecloth, awaiting the cake. The other large floral arrangement was on another pedestal table in the middle of this room as well. Some of the long banquet tables had been scooted against the walls, but most of them had been folded up and stored in the equipment room. It looked so grand, Lovey hardly recognized the place.

She was still standing there when Sully and Melissa walked up behind her and grasped her hands.

Sully whispered in her ear. “You look beautiful, Mom.”

Melissa squeezed Lovey’s hand. “You are radiant,” Melissa said, “and the place is amazing.”

“Thank you, Sully. Thank you, Melissa. I never dreamed this could happen. I can’t wait to share our news, which brings me to the question of the announcement. How are we going to do this?”

“You need to be the one to say however much you want to say. They’ve all heard my story. Now you tell yours,” he said.

Lovey nodded. “Okay, but will you stand beside me when I do it?”

“Of course, and proudly,” Sully said.

“Then it’s settled. Oh, look, they’re bringing the cake. It goes in front of the podium.”

They followed the people with the cake, watching as they transferred it from the cart to the table. Another cart followed with the serving setup. It was exactly the level of fuss that Lovey wanted, and as soon as they were gone, they got their first good look at the cake.

“It’s huge!” Sully said, eyeing the size.

“I love this!” Melissa said. “The cross being stair steps! And the ‘Here I am’ flag on the cake topper is priceless.”

Sully gave Lovey a quick hug. “This is awesome.”