Once inside,I helped Mom out of her jacket and hung it up. My blue A-Line skirt clung to my knees from the static. “All right, where to, boss?” I grabbed and shook out my skirt.
She tipped her head toward me. “So is it true the rooms are themed as different places?” she asked.
“Yep. There should be a few raffles associated with each location too. Like Italy had wine tasting and a cooking class. I think there was a Latin dance class in Spain.”
She fanned out the raffle tickets like a deck of cards. “Please tell me these weren’t cheap.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Oh no, they were not cheap.” I had spent several hundred dollars on the raffle tickets alone, clearing out more of my bank account than I should have. Probably another result of my guilty conscience.
Mom looked between the two rooms on the main level and the stairs, her lips pinched. “I’m not sure where to start.”
“Europe has great desserts.” I shrugged.
Mom smiled. “Oh, I bet you’re right.”
“Looks like Europe is upstairs and to the left.” I said, looking at the sign posted at the bottom of the stairs.
She grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs. I kept my face tilted as low as I could without falling.
At the top of the stairs, Europe was to the left and Africa to the right.
We stepped into a dimly lit room draped in soft white curtains with little round tables and an accordion player in the corner. The room was elegant and romantic. Mom’s eyes sparkled. “This is gorgeous, Em!”
I gave her a soft smile. “Dessert or raffle tickets first?”
“Let’s waste your hard-earned money first.” She winked at me and led me through the room, her Spanish skirt swishing as we made our way to a set of long tables with large glass containers and descriptions of each raffle item. Cooking classes, dancing classes, language lessons, wine, and weekend trips. Mom put several of her tickets into the jars. I hoped she’d win something; she deserved it.
“Dessert?” She squeezed my hand.
“Always.”
She led us to the dessert tables and grabbed two small plates, handing one of them to me. After grabbing some pastries, I followed her to a lace-covered table with a candle and a vase with fresh flowers set in the middle. People mingled in groups of five or six, adding a soft murmur throughout the room.
She picked up a small chocolate pastry, put it in her mouth, and sighed. “Absolutely divine.”
I followed suit. I would be more than happy to sit at this table and watch Mom have fun, but I didn’t mind the mini desserts either.
I took another bite of my tartlet. “If you win the pasta one, can I come? That sounds so fun.”
Mom scowled. “No, I think as punishment, you can’t come to anything I win.” She placed her hands on her hips.
I nodded. “Fair.”
“Hannah?”
I jumped at the male voice behind me and covered my face.
“Hannah Peters, is that you?”
“Robert?”
I watched as Mom gasped, lips parting. She rushed over, giving the stranger a hug.
“Gosh, it’s been ages. How are you?”
I hadn’t heard anyone call her by her maiden name before, and I had never seen her blush like that.
Robert held Mom’s shoulders and smiled down at her, awestruck. “I’m well enough. And you?”
