A Wild Goose Chase Christmas: Quilts of Love Series Read Online Free PDF

the service.”
    Pastor Quaid obviously deferred to her since she was a member of his church. But Izzy knew better than to take the lead now. There were certain things about the service she wanted to make sure happened, but it was best not to act like she was in charge. It was a matter of choosing her battles, something Izzy was extremely familiar with.
    “Mom.” Izzy turned to her. “Are you ready?”
    Janice nodded. Pastor Quaid turned and led the way down the hall. Janice crooked her elbow so Brandon could thread his arm back through and offer support. They followed, looking like they were leaning on each other.
    Izzy took up the rear. Alone.

4
    Y ou can’t be serious.” Janice perched on the edge of her chair, looking at Izzy as though her daughter had lost her mind. “This is a funeral, not Mardi Gras.”
    Hands clasped tightly in her lap, Izzy was determined not to lose her cool. “ ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ was Gran’s favorite song. She’d want us to sing it.”
    “Oh, and you know that for a fact.”
    “Yes, I do.”
    “How?”
    “She told me.”
    Janice’s verbal assault came to a halt. She looked at Brandon, who shrugged. Then she looked back at Izzy, ignoring the pastor as she had through most of the meeting. “She told you what music she wanted at her funeral? That’s so morbid.”
    “It’s only morbid if you think of death as the end of everything, but Isabella didn’t.” Pastor Quaid’s deep voice commanded the attention of everyone in the room, even Janice. “Isabella knew that death was the beginning of her real life. Her eternal life. That’s why she wanted her funeral to be a celebration.”
    Janice frowned. “It’s just not dignified.”
    Izzy looked down, catching a glimpse of her mother’s oh-so-unsensible shoes. The woman had an odd idea of what was dignified.
    Now Brandon leaned toward Janice, and the folding chair that Pastor Quaid had brought in for extra seating creaked beneath him. “What difference does it make what we sing? Let’s just do what Gran wanted.”
    “That’s just the thing. I don’t know what she wanted.” Janice’s hands fluttered in front of her as if trying to clear away a fog too thick to see through. “I don’t even know why I’m here.”
    Izzy reached out and grabbed her mother’s hand. “You’re here because you loved her and she loved you. But if this is too much for you, I can take care of it.”
    For the first time since they’d arrived, Janice looked at Izzy with something other than disdain or disapproval. “Really? You’d do that?”
    “Of course. I just don’t want you to feel left out.” Izzy knew she was taking a chance by offering to take over. When they arrived the next afternoon for the service, anything Mom didn’t like would be Izzy’s fault. But it was a chance she was willing to take.
    Janice stood up so quickly that her purse fell from her lap and landed beside the chair with a thud. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” In an uncharacteristic display of affection, she sandwiched Izzy’s cheeks between her palms and kissed her on the forehead.
    “You’re welcome,” Izzy mumbled through compressed lips.
    Brandon scooped up Janice’s purse as he stood, and looked at Izzy. “Since you’ve got this covered, I think I should take her home.”
    “What about my car?” Janice asked.
    “We’ll get it tomorrow.” He turned toward Pastor Quaid. “It’ll be safe here, right?”
    “Absolutely.”
    Janice gave her son a tender smile. “You’re so sweet to think of that. Let’s go, then.”
    Brandon winked at Izzy before following his mother to the door. Izzy wasn’t sure if it was a conspiratorial gesture between siblings or a way to gloat that he’d gotten out of the meeting, too. Either way, she was relieved to see them both go.
    As he opened the door for her, Janice said, “This has me so stressed out. I need to find a way to relax tonight. Maybe I’ll watch a movie on Netflix.”
    Izzy nearly