The Bridesmaid Wore Sneakers. Cynthia Thomason

Mom, do I have to? Liam and I are just getting started.” He looked at Liam. “You really like constellations, too, don’t you?”

      “I do.”

      “Maybe we can persuade Liam to stay until you finish with the goats,” Jude said.

      Wesley looked to Liam for confirmation. Liam nodded. “My pleasure.”

      “Now go on,” Jude said. “There are three of you to help. You, Mutt and Johnny Ray. You’ll have the goats in their pen in a few minutes.”

      Obviously understanding his part in the process, Mutt stood at the front screen door, his paw scratching the metal frame, his tail wagging.

      “Okay.” Wesley grabbed the jacket he’d hung on a hook and trudged to the door to open it for Mutt. “I’ll be right back, Liam.”

      “I’ll be here.”

      Jude waited for the sound of Wesley’s footsteps to fade before she turned to Liam and said, “Thanks for being so attentive to Wesley.”

      “It’s no problem,” Liam said. “I’ve been interested in astronomy since I was his age.”

      “Before you got interested in numbers and finance?” she said.

      “Way before. When I was a kid studying the stars, I probably never pictured myself as a bean counter. But now I find financial highs and lows fascinating.”

      Jude carried his glass to the sink. “I don’t know what Wesley will choose to be when he grows up. He flits from one thing to another. Now it’s astronomy.”

      “How does he handle himself around the goats?” Liam asked. “He’s so young for such responsibility.”

      Jude tried to detect a note of disapproval in Liam’s voice. Finding none, she said, “I train him carefully for everything he does around the farm. And besides, goats have a herd instinct. All Wes has to do is basically open the gate and they all go through. And Johnny Ray is there if anything goes wrong. It’s an easy job but gives Wes a feeling of accomplishment.”

      Liam nodded, leaned back in his chair. “Why don’t we use this time to talk about some of your foundation issues?” he said.

      “What do you mean by ‘issues’?” she asked.

      Liam frowned. “I didn’t mean bad issues,” he said. “It’s just a figure of speech.”

      “Okay. Where should we start?” She brought a ledger to the table and sat next to Liam. When she realized their shoulders nearly touched, she scooted her chair to provide extra room. Liam smiled at her, making her feel just a bit foolish. He couldn’t have thought she was flirting by sitting so close, and yet she’d behaved self-consciously. Well, why not? It had been a long time since she’d had any practice at male/female relationships.

      “Why don’t you show me a list of the charities you fund?” Liam said.

      That was easy. Jude was proud of the people she helped in the county. All of the charities that benefitted from the Paul O’Leary Foundation were in Geauga County. That was what Paul would have wanted. He’d been a proud country boy, and a well-liked Bees Creek Township native.

      Jude showed Liam the names of veterans’ kids who’d received scholarships to the junior college. She also explained how monetary gifts were awarded to wounded warriors. “It’s not much, but the families need a lot of help, so we do what we can,” she said. “Families of soldiers who don’t make it home get a onetime death benefit check from the government, but very little is done for wounded vets.”

      “So you received a death benefit when Paul died?”

      “Of course, but I didn’t want it for myself. Besides, I’m very lucky. I’ve lived here on my father’s property since I was born, and I had no plans to move away.”

      “So you’re saying you didn’t keep the money?”

      “I’m saying it was a moral issue for me. Morally I didn’t think I should accept that money because I have other means. I know many survivors need it, but I didn’t.”

      Liam’s eyes widened. “So, what did you do with the money? You didn’t turn it down, did you?”

      “No, of course not, but I wanted to use it as a tribute to my husband. I used my hundred thousand to start the foundation.”

      “The whole thing?” Liam seemed surprised.

      “Most of it. I kept some out for the expenses of Paul’s memorial service.” She cleared her throat as an image of that bleak, rainy day invaded her consciousness. “I figured the bulk of the money would do more good as a legacy to Paul than just sitting in my checking account.”

      “What about Wesley’s education? Did you start a savings account for him?” Liam asked. “I’m sure that’s the kind of usage the Veterans Administration has in mind when they issue checks to widows.”

      Jude wasn’t sure she appreciated the inference in Liam’s question, as if she were a negligent mother. “Wesley will be just fine,” she said. “Who knows if he’ll even want to go to college. Not everyone is born to achieve higher education. I was forced to go and stuck it out for three semesters until I quit.” She gave Liam a lingering stare. “Are you questioning my decision about the money, Liam?”