by Amy Clipston
“It was the same as yesterday,” Jeff said. Only yesterday I didn’t argue with Christiana. He held back a groan as guilt and irritation warred within him.
“The same as yesterday?” Dat sat down on the rocker beside him. “Do you mean that business was slow due to that bakery next door?”
“Exactly.” Jeff stared out toward the pasture, where the sunset streaked the sky with bright shades of red and orange that seemed to mock his grim mood.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Dat turned toward him. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Lewis came to see me last night, and when I told him about my dilemma, he suggested I talk to Christiana about it. So today I did.”
“And . . .”
“It didn’t go the way I’d hoped.” He sighed and pushed his hand through his curls.
“What happened?”
“I offended her.”
“How would you do that?” Dat asked.
“I sort of lost my temper.” He shook his head as his chest ached with embarrassment. “You wouldn’t have been proud of me.”
“Tell me what you said.”
Jeff recounted the conversation as his father listened. When he finished, he sucked in a breath, awaiting his father’s response.
“Well, you could always apologize and then ask her if you could come up with a solution together—this time more nicely.” Dat’s expression was sympathetic.
“I don’t think that will work.” Jeff slumped back in the rocker as he recalled how angry she’d been. He thought he was just explaining his frustration to her, but then she bristled, and he lost his temper before she shut him down like a slamming door. In the end, he’d hurt her. “I blew it with her. Our friendship is over now, so I doubt she’ll even talk to me.”
“Jeffrey, we all have days when we’re irritated and say things we don’t mean. We’re human, and we all fall short of the glory of God. Just apologize and then ask her if together you can figure out how customers can access both of your booths.” Dat made it sound so easy. “Didn’t you say she’s a nice maedel?”
“Ya, I did. But you didn’t feel the frustration and anger coming off her. She just about threw me out of her booth.”
Dat smiled. “Your mamm has been just as irritated with me at times, and she’s forgiven me.”
“But you and Mamm are married. She has to forgive you. This is different.” Jeff ran his hand down his face. “It’s all my fault. I have a short temper, and it got the best of me today. To make matters worse, I always worry I’ll say the wrong thing, which makes conversations even tougher. Now I’ve ruined any chance I had of becoming freinden with her.”
“I doubt that. I’m sure she’ll give you another chance if you ask for forgiveness.”
Jeff let his head fall back and smack the back of his rocking chair. He longed to erase the memory of the hurt in Christiana’s pretty blue-green eyes. A wave of guilt threatened to pull him under and drown him.
“She’ll have forgotten about it by the time Thursday rolls around,” Dat continued. “Why don’t you take her a cup of kaffi from that Coffee Corner and ask her if you can talk it over. Tell her you’re sorry for losing your temper and ask her if you can talk about the situation like civil adults. She’ll be froh that you came back to apologize.”
“Okay,” Jeff said, agreeing just to appease his father. “I’ll try that.”
“Gut.” Dat smiled.
But Jeff had a hunch that winning back Christiana’s friendship wouldn’t be that easy.
* * *
“Gude mariye,” Christiana said, greeting her cousins as she approached them in the Zook family’s kitchen the following morning before the church service.
“How are you?” Bethany gave her a hug.
“I’m all right.” Christiana stretched her aching neck and tried to smile.
If she were completely honest, she’d tell them she’d tossed and turned all night as she mentally replayed her argument with Jeff and her irritation and hurt smoldered. But she didn’t want to recount the story. She wanted to forget the entire situation. And she might even want to move her business back to the bake stand at her house to avoid seeing Jeff Stoltzfus ever again.
“Why did you leave the market in such a hurry yesterday?” Salina asked. “When I came back to my booth, you and Phoebe had already left without saying good-bye.”
Christiana blew out a puff of air. So much for forgetting what happened and moving on.
“Was iss letz?” Leanna asked.
“I had words with Jeff just as we were closing up the booth, and then Phoebe and I got out of there as fast as we could.”
Her three cousins gasped in unison and took a step toward her.
“You had words?” Bethany asked.
“What did you argue about?” Leanna asked.
“What did he say?” Salina added.
Christiana took a deep breath and then recounted her conversation with Jeff as they all listened with their eyes wide. “And to make matters worse, Phoebe shared it all with Sara Ann in the parking lot.”
“Oh no.” Leanna groaned. “The entire market will know about it before we open on Thursday.”
“Danki for the encouragement,” Christiana deadpanned.
“If your business is doing so well, maybe you should raise your prices.” Bethany rubbed her hands together.
“Danki, but I think you’re missing the point, Bethany,” Christiana said. “Jeff really hurt my feelings. He said if my customers don’t stop blocking his booth, it isn’t going to work—as if he has the power to get the Bake Shop kicked out of the market.”
“He was probably just upset because he expected to have gut sales over the holiday weekend,” Salina said.
“You’re taking his side?” Christiana exclaimed.
“No, I’m not.” Salina shook her head. “I just think maybe you should give him the benefit of the doubt. You said he kind of hedged before he got to the point of his visit. He might not have meant to be so harsh with you.”
“Salina has a point,” Leanna said.
Christiana huffed. Maybe she should have kept the conversation to herself.
“He could have been nicer about it,” Christiana insisted as her irritation rose to the surface. “He was downright rude. I was hoping we could be freinden, but I’m not interested if he’s going to behave like that. I can’t be freinden with someone who’s that ill-tempered and judgmental. I’ll never go out of my way to talk to him again.”
“Gude mariye,” Sadie Yoder said as she came up behind Bethany and Leanna. She was a member of the congregation. “How are you all this morning?”
“I’m well.” Bethany gave Sadie a hug. “How about you?”
As Bethany and Leanna began a conversation with Sadie, Salina took Christiana’s arm and gently pulled her away from them.
“You have feelings for Jeff, don’t you?”
“Why would you ask me that?”
Salina frowned. “Because you looked so bedauerlich when you said you can’t be his freind.”
“It’s not that.” Christiana shrugged. “I’ve seen sadness in his eyes, and I’ve wondered if I could help him. But I can’t help him if he’s going to be rude to me. He told me he’s twenty-eight and single, and I can see why. Why would any maedel put up with being treated that way?”
“I think you’re being too hard on him.”
“I don’t think you’d feel that way if he’d accused you of ruining his sales.”
Salina waved off her comment. “Stop being so prideful, Christiana. Maybe he didn’t mean to be so tough on you. Maybe he was just having another bad day. Give him a chance to make it up to you.”
Christiana had just opened her mouth to protest when Bethany cut in.
“Sadie just told me she overheard a customer at her hardware store say I sell the best kaffi in Lancaster County.” Bethany grinned. “What a wunderbaar compliment for her to share. She didn’t even have to tell me, but I needed a lift today.
I had some grumpy customers this week.”
“It was nice for Sadie to share that, Bethany.” Salina kept her eyes on Christiana as she spoke. “Sometimes a freind is there for you when you need them most.”
Christiana pursed her lips. It was easy for Salina to say that when she wasn’t the one accused of ruining someone else’s business.
But what if Jeff needed a friend? Was she being prideful by not giving him a chance?
* * *
The following Thursday Jeff took a steadying breath and then stepped into the Coffee Corner with a smile plastered on his face.
“Gude mariye,” Bethany sang out. “How are you today, Jeff?”
“Fine. Danki.” He nodded at Leanna and Salina, who both nodded back. When he turned his gaze to Christiana, he found her studying her coffee cup. Any hope he’d had sagged. She was giving him the cold shoulder, and he felt so guilty. He’d managed to ruin another relationship, but at least this time he knew how he’d done it.
“Today’s special is French vanilla. Would you like a cup?” Bethany walked with him to the counter.
“Ya. Please.” He leaned on the counter and then peeked over his shoulder to where Christiana and her two other cousins whispered. Most likely he was the subject of their conversation. Bethany seemed friendly enough, but were the others conspiring to put him in his place? Had Christiana told them what happened?
His cheeks burned with embarrassment. If only he had the courage to finally apologize, but he couldn’t find the nerve to attempt it when she was surrounded by her cousins. He couldn’t stand the idea of her rejecting him in front of anyone. And what could he even say to Christiana to smooth things between them? He didn’t have the right words.
“How is your week going so far?” Bethany said as she poured his coffee. Her expression was bright as usual. He tried to smile, but he couldn’t.
“Gut. Yours?”
“Just peachy.” She put his cup and a donut on the counter, and he gave her his money. “You have a great day, now.”
“Danki.” Jeff took his purchases, wishing he didn’t have to walk past the table where Christiana and her other cousins sat.
As he approached, their conversation ceased, and once again Christiana turned her attention to her coffee. He nodded at her cousins, who at least didn’t pretend as if he weren’t there, and left for his booth.
After drinking his coffee and downing the donut, he was rearranging a belt display when Sara Ann entered his booth.
“Gude mariye,” she said as she smiled at him. “How are things at your dat’s farm?”
Salina and Bethany had warned him long ago that Sara Ann was a gossip, but he’d already known that. They lived in the same district, and everyone in their congregation knew what she was like. He would never say anything he wouldn’t want shared. At least she’d never told anyone at the market about Ella leaving him—he didn’t think. Even Sara Ann had to have a heart.
“Things at the farm are gut.” He forced a smile, and then he started reorganizing his key chain display so he’d look busy. Maybe then she’d leave.
“How has business been here?”
He stilled and studied her. Did she already know the answer to that? If so, was she hoping to get more details to spread around? No, he wouldn’t allow her to use him.
“It’s been fine. How about yours?” He tried to keep his tone even.
“Business is gut.” She brightened. “I sold six quilts over the weekend.”
“Huh.” He tried to ignore the river of envy that flowed through him. So Sara Ann’s booth really did do just fine despite all the attention given Christiana’s, and he had a feeling Salina’s did too.
“I heard you and Christiana had a disagreement.”
Jeff gritted his teeth as he took in her expression, suddenly smug. She’d been leading up to this.
So Christiana was talking about him—and to a gossip. Why did that hurt him so deeply?
“Who told you that?” He had to know.
“Christiana’s schweschder told me when they were leaving the market that day. She was really upset about it too.” Her pretty face became animated as she recalled the conversation. “She said you were frustrated that the Bake Shop line blocked your booth, and that you had only two customers that Friday and Saturday. Is that true?”
Jeff folded his arms over his chest as he looked at her. A wave of shame rolled over him, and he didn’t respond.
“I guess it is true,” Sara Ann said. She twirled a ribbon from her prayer covering around her finger. “What are you going to do to improve your sales? I assume you can’t pay the booth rent if you don’t.” She pointed to his shelves. “And you have quite a bit of inventory.”
“That was a holiday weekend, and I’m sure her business won’t always be as busy as it is now. It’s probably just getting extra attention because it’s new.”
“I suppose so, but I’m certain word about how wunderbaar her baked goods are is traveling fast. I heard a few customers say her pies are the best they’ve ever tasted. They also said she makes superb lemon bars. I’ll have to try them. Have you had them?”
“No.” He felt his eyes narrow. Was she trying to provoke him?
“I need to take some home to my family. Mei dat loves lemon bars. I’ve tried to make them, but I don’t get them quite right.” She looked over her shoulder and then back at him. “How are your parents doing?”
First the farm and now his parents? “Fine.” He thought he might get whiplash from her quick change of subject.
“And your bruder and his girlfriend?”
“They’re just fine too.”
“That’s nice.” She looked over her shoulder again, and she waved at Christiana and Salina as they walked by.
His guilt raised its ugly head again as Christiana walked with Salina to her booth. They stopped there and kept talking.
How he longed to interrupt their conversation and apologize, but his fear of rejection kept him cemented in place like the coward he was. Besides, Sara Ann was still there.
“Oh, I wanted to tell you something,” she said. “Mei mamm, schweschder, and I went to a quilting bee yesterday.”
“Uh-huh.” Jeff looked past her at Christiana.
“Well, you’ll never guess who was there.” When he didn’t respond, she said, “Jeff. Did you hear me?”
“What?” He turned toward her.
“Guess who was at the quilting bee.” She stuck her lower lip out in a pout.
“I don’t know. Who?”
“Ella.” Her smile widened. “She looked gut. She looked froh too.” Her expression suddenly took on a look of concern, but he didn’t think it was genuine. “What happened between you two to make her leave you like she did? I never heard.”
Something inside him froze. So that’s why she’d come. Sara Ann’s mundane questions were just leading up to that one. Did she really think he’d tell her anything about Ella, allowing her to gossip about what happened even more than she probably already had among her friends?
He turned away and started rearranging his display of leather bracelets, his hands vibrating with fury. He shouldn’t think the worst of Sara Ann, but at the moment, he couldn’t help it.
“The market is going to open soon,” he muttered as the donut he’d eaten turned sour in his stomach. “I need to finish getting ready.”
“I never understood why she picked John Lantz over you,” she said. “I would have chosen you any day. John has no personality. He reminds me of a wet mop.”
Was that supposed to make him feel better? Or more open to discussing this with her? Because it didn’t. John might have the personality of a wet mop, but he won Ella over and convinced her to marry him. Apparently, a wet mop was better than the house Jeff had built for her.
Jeff banished the thought. He had to calm down.
“Well, I suppose I should get ready as well,” Sara Ann said. “Have a profitable day.”
As Sara Ann flittered across the aisle to
her quilt booth, Jeff spotted Christiana walking from Salina’s booth toward hers. Their gazes entangled, and his heartbeat ticked up. She nodded, but when he returned the gesture, she looked at the floor.
He took a step toward her booth, but then he halted when a half-dozen customers came around the corner. Without hesitation, they filed into the Bake Shop, their excited voices bouncing off the marketplace’s walls.
This chance to apologize to Christiana was gone, too, and now he had to wait until the next opportunity presented itself.
He just hoped his courage would appear as well.
10
“You look hungry.” Salina walked up to Christiana’s counter later that afternoon and handed her something in plastic wrap.
“What’s this?” Christiana asked.
“Lunch.” Salina nodded at it. “It’s half a turkey and cheese sandwich.”
“Danki.” Christiana hopped up on a stool as Salina pulled over a second one.
“You’ve been busy again today,” Salina said between bites. “I saw a line every time I looked over here.”
“I know.” Christiana pulled two bottles of water out of a cooler at her feet and handed one to Salina.
“You sound disappointed.” Salina opened her bottle and took a drink.
“I’m not disappointed about the business.” Christiana gestured toward her shelves. “My baked goods are selling, and I’ve noticed repeat customers coming in. I’m just disappointed the line is still blocking Jeff’s next door. I put out a sign asking people not to block any other booths, but the line looks the same to me. I don’t know how else to help him.” She took a bite of the sandwich.
“Why don’t you talk to Jeff about it?”
Christiana shook her head as she chewed and then swallowed. “I’ve forgiven him, but I have nothing to say to him until he tells me he’s sorry.”
Salina lifted an eyebrow. “Have you always been this stubborn?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.” Christiana grinned, and they both laughed. “I’ll take that as a ya.”
“You still care about him,” Salina said.
“I care about his business, but he was rude to me. I think he should approach me first. I saw him looking over at me this morning when I was talking to you at your booth.” Christiana gestured toward her cousin’s farm stand. “But he didn’t come over. He needs to make the first move.”