"Heart's Desserts" - Softcover

Rene, Michelle

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1452566615 ISBN 13: 9781452566610

Publisher: Balboa Press, 2013

Synopsis

After the sudden death of her husband, Tessa Barnes finds herself examining a life without her best friend and soul mate. A strong faith in God, a passion to bake, and memories of Great-Grandmother Heart inspire her to open a unique dessert boutique where sharing the love of sweets with that special someone is the chef’s special.

As Tessa’s dream comes true, her home and heart are filled with new friends and experiences she never imagined. She watches her daughter go off to college and her brother find love. Through her strength and sharing her love of God, Tessa encourages others to examine their own faith and life’s purpose as they provide support at the trial of the man who killed her husband and assist with bringing “Heart’s Desserts” to life.

As opening night draws near, Tessa and her loved ones find themselves in a flurry of fun and laughter while they work day and night. When tragedy strikes again, the future of the boutique and a loved one are at stake. But through love and faith, family and friends prove that anything is possible when the “Heart” is at the center of what truly matters.

Heart’s Desserts is book one in the Heart’s trilogy, in which God, Grammy Heart, and her family inspire others to follow their passion in finding life’s true purpose.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"Heart's Desserts"

By Michelle Rene

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2013 Michelle Rene Schafer
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4525-6661-0

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

"Marni, you were amazing today," Andrew said tohis daughter as they drove home from her final highschool volleyball game.

"Thank you, Daddy," Marni said. "It was so much fun. Ican't believe we finally won the State Finals after four years. Didyou see the look on Coach's face? It was like he couldn't believewe had finally done it.

"We are so proud of you and all your friends," Tessa said."That last point was one for the books. Those giant girls fromthe other team were helpless as you hit that ball out of nowhereoff the net. The crowd was cheering so loudly no one could hearthe final call. The referee had to blow his whistle for at least twominutes before the crowd settled down long enough to get theword out that the ball was in. Everyone knew you were going towin it." Tessa looked back at her daughter with a huge smile onher face as she reached over and squeezed Andrew's shoulder.

"Well I think this calls for take-out Sushi and some ofMom's homemade peach ice cream I know is in the freezer.What do you think Marni?" Andrew asked as he looked in therearview mirror and smiled at Marni in the back seat.

"Sounds good ... Daddy, watch out!" Marni screamed as shewatched a car tear through the red light heading straight forAndrew's side of the car.

Waking in a cold sweat Tessa shook from the nightmare. Asit had the past few nights, the dream started out wonderful withthe three of them chatting about Marni's state volleyball finals.The team had won and as all the girls were seniors it was anextra special way for them to end their high school years. Theywere heading home to celebrate when the accident happened,killing Andrew on impact and leaving Tessa and Marni alone.That was three nights ago and Tessa had just gotten releasedfrom the hospital the evening before.

Tessa got up from her bed and went to the bathroom for adrink of water and to cool her face. Her arm was in a cast andthe bruises were starting to yellow as they healed. With a heavyheart she looked at the alarm clock. It was three o'clock in themorning. Andrew's funeral would be held in several hours.Tessa still couldn't believe that she was going to bury her bestfriend and soul mate.

They had known each other for five years before they gotmarried. Andrew was a senior the year they met. He was a yearahead of Luke in school and they played on the varsity baseballteam together. Luke had brought Andrew home for one of theirmother's famous "Sunday Dinners" where everyone was invitedand you never knew who was going to show up. When Lukeintroduced Andrew to Tessa she instantly became tongue tied.She had met many of Luke's friends, and even had a crush on afew, but there was something special about Andrew. It was likehe could see into her soul. He smiled at her and she immediatelyknew that they would play a very important part in each other'slives.

As she reminisced, Tessa went into her room and slowlyremoved her damp nightgown and thought about falling inlove with Andrew. After he came home that Sunday they beganspending time together. At first it was hanging out after baseballgames then going to movies. Eventually they began spending asmuch time together as they could. Andrew was going away tocollege and they wanted to make as many memories as possiblebefore he had to leave. Even though Tessa was only a sophomorewhen Andrew left, she knew he was the man for her and viceversa. He gave her a promise ring their last night together andpromised that he would be faithful to her forever and he hadbeen.

They were married a year after Tessa graduated from highschool and Andrew had graduated from college with a degreein Finance. The wedding was attended by many as both Tessaand Andrew had grown up in Titon and their families had beena part of the community for decades before. It was a weddingthat many spoke of for years. Tessa went to college then onto lawschool while Andrew built his reputation as a finance manager.He managed many high profile accounts in Ohio and acrossother states and was very successful. Tessa got pregnant withMarni in her first year of law school but was able to take onlyone semester off and passed her bar by the time Marni startedkindergarten. Since then Tessa had become partner and wason her way to senior partner when the accident happened.Everything had changed in a split second and Tessa wasn't surewhat she wanted to do anymore. Living without Andrew wasnever in her plan.

Andrew finally came to her while she was in the hospital.He told her that he needed to say good bye before he moved onbut wanted to also tell her that she had to keep living, move onand fulfill her dreams and life's purpose and support Marni indoing the same. Tessa cried as he spoke to her and held her thenshe agreed to do as he requested. He promised he would checkin on her from time to time, kissed her good bye then driftedaway. After he left, Tessa had a conversation with God and gotthe same answer. Andrew was gone forever, or at least foreveron Earth, and now she had to move on and live her life. Tessaknew that God had a reason for taking Andrew early and shewould honor them both by living exactly as she was destined.

After a quick shower, Tessa put on some sweats so she couldwork around the house getting it ready for the reception afterthe funeral. It would be difficult with only one working arm,but she needed to keep busy if she wasn't going to sleep. Marniwould be home soon and she wanted to spend some time withher before the funeral.

As she went downstairs she realized that the house wassparkling. Looking out the front window she could see thatthe lawn was mowed and the weeds were pulled. Entering thekitchen, there were beautiful flowers that had come from theyard and placed in a vase on the island. She picked it up andread the attached note.

"Tessa and Marni, We are so sorry for your loss. We know itisn't much but we took care of the yard and house so you wouldhave nothing to worry about on the day of Andrew's funeral.We love you all so much and wish you God's blessings duringthis time. Love, `The Uncles'."

Tears poured down Tessa's cheeks as she read the note. "TheUncles" were Luke's friends from his police station and softballteam. They spent many a Sunday at the house for dinner asTessa had continued her mother's tradition after her parentshad passed away. These men were part of the family. Andrewwould be greatly missed by them too as he was their friend andfinancial guru as well as a great competitor for the video gamesthey loved so much.

Tessa smiled as she remembered the last Sunday they wereall together. The boys had gotten a new game and they werewild with excitement, bound and determined to beat Andrew.Little did they know he had gotten the game earlier in theweek and practiced before they came over for dinner. Andrewbeat the pants off of all of them and everyone had a great timeteasing each other. Marni and her best friend, Sage, loved allthe "Uncles" and loved playing the games with them as well.Sundays were the best days at their house but now that Andrewwas gone they would be so different.

The guys had worked hard in the house and the yard andthere was nothing for Tessa to do to prepare for company.Andrew had made all the funeral arrangements years ago afterhe had helped a woman deal with her husband's estate that hadgone into probate because he did nothing to prepare in case hepassed early. It was such a difficult case and the wife almostlost everything. Andrew vowed he would never leave Tessa andMarni in that position so he took care of everything to the lastdetail.

With the house clean and yard work done Tessa was notsure what to do with herself for the next several hours. Thefuneral was to start at two o'clock that afternoon with thereception at the house to follow. She went to the refrigerator toget some juice and found a banquet of food. More notes wereattached with statements of sympathy from neighbors, friends,co-workers, and the many family members that lived nearby.Tessa found herself crying again over the generosity of everyone.Small towns were so special and it was times like this that reallybrought that home.

Tessa took her juice out to the back porch. Sunlight wasjust peaking over the horizon. Her arm was hurting a littlethis morning. As Luke suspected, she had ended up with aconcussion and ended up spending a few days in the hospitalafter the accident. Marni's concussion was slight and she wasable to go home after only one night. She had not wantedto leave her mom but Tessa encouraged her to go home withSage. The doctor's recommended that Tessa get them both tocounselors as soon as possible. She would take care of that nextweek. They had to get through the funeral first.

Walking back into the house, Tessa smiled. "Hi GrammyTish, what are you doing here?" While there was no answer,Tessa knew the pleasant spirit of her Great Grandmother wasthere and why.

"We are doing as well as can be expected," Tessa told hervisitor. "Today will be a hard day but we will have everyonewho loves us here so we will get through it just fine. I amglad you came by to visit. Just don't scare the guests later. Noteveryone understands our relationship." Tessa smiled as she feltthe coolness leave the room.

Grammy Tish was Tessa's Great Grandmother Tisha Heart.She was a huge part of Tessa's life growing up and after shedied at the age of 100 Tessa missed her terribly. After Marniwas born, Tessa started feeling her grandmother's spirit visitingthe baby and eventually they had a few chats. Grammy didn'tusually say much when she visited but on occasion she had a lotto say. Especially when she could tell Tessa was torn about adecision or just needed a shoulder to cry on. Grammy's advicewas always filled with great confidence and experience andgiven with much love. Tessa usually took it to heart and appliedit, but not always. Sometimes Tessa knew the best thing to dowas listen to her own heart. What she wouldn't do for some ofGrammy's advice right now. But Grammy was patient with heradvice and would give it if she felt it was needed.

With nothing to do to get the house ready for the day, Tessaheaded back to her room to rest a little more. She just couldn'tget past the fact that Andrew was never going to lay next toher in their bed again, but she knew that she had no choice.Lying down, Tessa said a quiet prayer to get through the dayand for guidance to know the right path to follow for the restof her life.

CHAPTER 2

"Tessa, I am going to head out now," said TedMonroe, her boss and friend for the past fifteenyears. "The service was very nice and full of so much love forAndrew. Take your time getting back to the office. You aremissed, but we want you healthy and safe."

"Thank you, Ted. Yes it was a lovely service and everyonewas so generous with their words and the food here. We arevery blessed to have so many loving people in our lives." Tessareached to hug her long time mentor and friend. "I am gettinga little better each day. My physical therapy for my left shoulderand neck start next week. My cast will be on for a few moreweeks then I will need therapy for that as well. It will be at leasttwo months before I am ready. I appreciate the time off and Iwill get back as soon as I can."

"You take all the time you need. You have plenty of leavesaved up and your case load has been dispersed among the otherattorneys in the firm. Just keep in touch and let me know howthings are going. Your family is important to the firm and toMarge and me so let us know if you need anything at all."

"You and Marge have always been so generous to our familyand have been there for us through so much. When my parentsdied and then when Luke was shot two years ago. I can neverthank you enough for everything you have done for us."

"No thanks necessary. We love you all and consider youfamily. I see that Marni is doing well. I was watching her withher friends outside earlier. I know this is a hard day for both ofyou but if I know Andrew he would rather have you laughingthen crying."

"Yes, that is true. Andrew always preferred the laughterover the tears in any situation," Tessa said smiling at thememories of her husband. "Marni is doing well, thank you.She loves her father very much and they have a very specialconnection. I am sure he has come to her and told her whatis expected and she always listens to him. I just got homefrom the hospital yesterday and she came home from Sage'stoday so we haven't had much time to talk. I am sure thenext couple of weeks will be full of talking, tears and evenlaughing as we work through what's next. I am going to getus both to counselors quickly. I want her to be able to talkto someone about her feelings. She is super protective of meand I worry she won't want to express how she really feels ifshe thinks it will upset me."

"She is a strong young lady, just like her mother, and she wasraised very well. But an opportunity for her to talk it out withsomeone is probably a very good thing. You are an excellentmother and role model for her, Tessa, but allow yourself to besad too. Andrew is your husband and best friend, it is importantto mourn your loss for a while. Death is a part of life and Godprovides the emotions needed to survive this process. Your faithis infallible and that is what will get you through this. Now giveme another hug. I need to get back to Marge. She was so sorryshe couldn't come but she has the flu and did not want to shareit with others."

"Give her my love Ted. Thank you for all you said, it meansso much to me," Tessa said as she gave Ted one last hug. "I knowGod is watching over us. We will get through this."

"Now go home to your lovely wife. I will touch base nextweek," Tessa said as she escorted Ted out the door. "Let everyoneknow I miss them and will see them soon."

As Tessa turned to go back into the house, she thought ofall the people who loved and supported her. She saw her brotherLuke hugging Marni. Her cousins James, George, Jane andJoshua were still there as well. While it had been a sad day ithad also been a celebration of a beautiful life.

"How are you doing, Sis?" Luke asked as he came up toTessa and put his arm around her.

"I'm doing fine," said Tessa, her voice strained from cryingand talking. "I'm very tired. It's been a long day and I haven'tspent hardly any of it with Marni. How is she doing?"

"She is a trooper," said Luke as he looked at his niece,admiring her strength. "I checked on her all day and she wasenjoying her friends as they reminded her of funny stories ofAndrew. They were all remembering camp outs in the back yardwhen he tried to scare them and as they got older they turnedtables and scared him instead. His silly posters at volleyballgames were also a hit. Some of the girls have saved them andthat meant a lot to Marni. She has asked after you too. Youknow her, she is your daughter. Just like you she is taking careof everyone else and forgetting her own needs." Luke said witha smile and a hug.

"Yes, she is a good girl. I am so glad her friends were herewith her today and that they could share those special thingswith her. That is how Andrew would want it to be. He neverliked seeing his girls sad or hurting," said Tessa, smiling againat the memories. "He loves us both so much it's hard to imagineour lives here without him."

"I know I am struggling with that as well. I am so madat myself for not being able to catch the idiot that did this tohim. He was flying so fast. But the boys got him and if I haveanything to do with it he will rot in a jail cell for the rest of hislife," Luke said with anger obvious in his face and voice. He sawthe look on Tessa's face.

"I am so sorry, Sis, I didn't mean to bring that up today. It isa time to remember the man that is Andrew. When Mom andDad were killed he was so incredible getting things in orderquickly so we didn't have to stress about the estate. Then whenI was shot two years ago, he visited me every day in the hospitaland then walked with me while I was in physical therapy. Hewas not only your husband and Marni's dad but he was truly mybrother. I made him a promise that if something ever happenedto him I would take care of both of you."

"Oh Luke, I know how much you love him and us. We willbe just fine. Marni and I are both strong women who knowwhen to ask for help when we need it. You will be asked for surebut you don't have to feel obligated to take care of us. Someday,you will have your own girl to take care of so save all that forher," Tessa said as she hugged her big brother. "She will be verylucky to have you."

(Continues...)

Excerpted from "Heart's Desserts" by Michelle Rene. Copyright © 2013 by Michelle Rene Schafer. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1452566615
• ISBN 13: 9781452566610
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232