Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauck Read Free Book Online Page A

little, Joy used to beg to sit with Miss Jeanne in church because she traveled with contraband—lemon drops, spearmint gum, and coloring pencils to decorate the bulletin.
    â€œYes, don’t you know I finally caved. She’s been after me for a month of Sundays to bring the old girl in for a fix-up. I’m just so sentimental about that car. First one I bought after I graduated from law school.” Miss Jeanne peered at Joy, the light in her eyes intense.
    â€œHow are you doing today?”
    â€œTreading water, paddling to shore.”
    â€œGot a little cloud forming over your head?”
    Joy laughed. “And I left my umbrella in Omaha.”
    Miss Jeanne sat forward. “Hold out your hands and close your eyes.”
    Joy made a face as she offered her palms. “You’re not going to pull a ruler out of your purse, are you?”
    â€œHeavens to Betsy, girl.” Miss Jeanne scooted to the edge of her chair. “Close your eyes now.”
    Weariness took up residence in Joy’s soul the moment she closed her eyes. Her shoulders rounded forward as her bravado about the show’s change fell into the fallow soil of her soul. How could she do this? Really? Should she even try? Oh, Duncan . . .
    â€œI have two gold nuggets for you.” Miss Jeanne’s fingers feathered softly over Joy’s right palm. “God is good.” Then her left. “God is love.” The older woman closed Joy’s fingers. “Hang on to them, Joy. The will of the Father is always good. Always love. And you can spend them anywhere, anytime.”
    Joy clutched her fists to her chest. “Thank you, Miss Jeanne.” God is good. God is love . The declarations refreshed her dry soul.
    â€œHere we go, Jeanne.” Mama emerged from the house, but Joy kept her eyes closed. It was peaceful sitting in “the dark,” holding her two gold coins.
    â€œMy, my, my, Rosie. A lightning bolt?”
    Joy smiled. God is good. God is love .

    Water Festival Food Fair
    Meet the star of Cook-Off! , Wenda Divine, at Waterfront Park
Saturday, July 10 at 3:00 p.m.
Water Festival Cook-Off starts at 4:00 p.m.
against the Frogmore Café’s Luke Redmond
Hosted by Joy Ballard, star of Dining with Joy See you there

    Around three thirty on a balmy Saturday afternoon with sea foam clouds drifting across a lazy sky, Luke inspected his Waterfront Park kitchen station. Unrolling his knives, he lined them up by the stove. He liked the feel of the kitchen—the rustic colors and stainless steel—the atmosphere of a competition.
    He checked the burners. Tested the oven. Losing to Wenda if she outcooked him would be one thing. Losing because of a malfunction would be humiliating.
    The kitchen’s drawers glided open and contained all the necessary utensils. Helen’s staff had done their job.
    Stationed between Luke and Wenda’s stage, a digital clock the size of a refrigerator counted down the minutes to the cook-off.
    Luke’s adrenaline injected energy into his enthusiasm as he watched the seconds tick away. Last night he’d sat down with a pad of paper in the loft apartment he rented from Miss Jeanne and brainstormed recipe options for various surprise secret ingredients. He figured he could handle just about anything but onions and octopus.
    People were beginning to gather, choosing seats from the rows in front of the stage. Luke glimpsed Wenda’s golden head moving through the crowd. At one point, she tossed her hair with a laugh and disturbed the gentle breeze.
    â€œLuke Redmond, my competitor.” Wenda greeted Luke with a phony tone and pretend applause. “Ladies and gentlemen, make him feel welcome at Cook-Off ! ” She kissed the air around his cheeks. “Are you ready, Luke? My crew is eager to film a great show.”
    â€œThen I must tell you, I plan to win.” He’d spent the last few weeks researching Wenda during his short breaks from the