by Amy Clipston
* * *
“Christiana!” Mamm called as she walked into the kitchen. “You’re late. I was starting to worry, but then I heard you bring your baker’s racks into the mudroom.” She set a platter of pork chops on the table as Phoebe carried over a bowl of rice.
“Jeff gave me a ride home.” Christiana set her tote bag on the floor.
“How did that happen?” Phoebe asked.
“He wanted to talk to me.” Christiana told them how he explained that he had trouble trusting people ever since his fiancée left him, but she withheld the most intimate details Jeff told her.
“I want to help him learn how to trust again,” Christiana said. “We’re going to give our friendship another try.” Her heart seemed to perform a little flip at the thought.
“That’s gut,” Mamm said, “but take it slow.”
“Ya. We will.” But she’d be lying if she said she didn’t already wonder if their relationship could grow into something more.
“That’s wunderbaar!” Phoebe clapped her hands.
Dat appeared in the doorway. “What’s wunderbaar?”
Christiana’s happiness dissolved as she took in her father’s grim expression. He’d already made it clear that he wanted to meet her future boyfriends, but Jeff wasn’t her boyfriend. He was only a friend who had driven her home.
“Christiana said she had a nice talk with her freind Jeff.” Mamm stressed the word friend.
Dat studied Christiana, and she felt herself wilt under his intense gaze. “Is this the same Jeff who has the booth next to yours?” he asked.
Christiana nodded.
“Did I see you get out of his buggy when you got home?” Dat asked.
Uh-oh. “He gave me a ride home only so we could talk. We had a misunderstanding, and he wanted to explain why he—”
“What have I told you about not dating before I meet and approve the man?” Dat’s voice boomed off the cabinets in the large kitchen.
“We’re not dating.” Christiana held up her hands to calm him. “I meant it when I said we were just freinden. I want to get to know him better before I consider something more serious with him.”
“I decide if he’s worthy of dating you.” Dat pushed his finger into his chest. “I forbid you from accepting any more rides from him before I meet him.”
Christiana nodded. “Okay. I won’t.”
“Gut.” Dat looked at the table, where Phoebe had added a bowl of corn and a basket of rolls. “This meal smells appeditlich. Let’s eat.”
As they sat down to enjoy their supper, Christiana imagined Jeff asking her father’s permission to date her. Would that day come soon?
* * *
A knock sounded on Jeff’s back door. He crossed the kitchen and then headed through the mudroom. He pushed open the screen door and found his brother standing on the porch.
“Hi,” Nick said. “Are you busy?”
“No.” Jeff pushed the door open wide. “Come on in.”
“Danki.” Nick wrung his hands as he stepped into the mudroom.
“What’s going on?” Jeff studied his brother as he pushed his shaking hands through his dark hair. “Why are you so jittery?”
“Because I’ve decided to ask Kathy to marry me.”
Jeff grinned. “That’s fantastic.” He pointed to the table. “Let me get us a cold drink.”
Nick sank down into a chair, waiting for Jeff. Soon he brought them two mugs of root beer and sat down.
“When are you going to ask her?”
“I’m going to go see her dat tomorrow. I just wanted to talk to you first.”
“Really?” Jeff smiled. “Did you tell Mamm and Dat?”
Nick shook his head. “I want your opinion before I tell anyone else.”
Surprised, Jeff rubbed his chin. “Danki, but why do you need my opinion? This is your life, not mine.”
“Ya, but do you think it’s too soon? We’ve been together only a year. How do I know if it’s the right time?” Nick took a long drink.
“You’re asking me?” Jeff gave him a half shrug. “What do I know about relationships? My wedding didn’t even happen.” He gestured around the large kitchen that had also been one of Ella’s dreams. “I’m living in a haus I built for a maedel who married someone else.”
“Ya, but you’re my older bruder. I care about what you think.”
Jeff looked down at his mug and then up at Nick again. “You and Kathy obviously love each other very much, and I think you’ll have a gut marriage.” He glanced around his house, and the familiar loneliness crept in. He’d been smiling ever since he dropped Christiana off at her house, but if he assumed their friendship would grow into more, he was getting way ahead of himself.
“What?” Nick leaned forward. “You look like you want to say something.”
“Why don’t you and Kathy move in here?” Jeff gestured around the kitchen again. “This place is too big for me, and I’d love to see this haus have a family to enjoy it.”
Nick’s expression clouded with a deep frown. “Though that’s a kind offer, you need to stop being so negative.”
Jeff winced as if his brother had hit him. “Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”
“You act as if you’re going to be alone the rest of your life because Ella left you. She left you. That was her decision, but that doesn’t mean your life is over.” Nick pointed at him. “I keep telling you. We all keep telling you. You need to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and find someone new. You’ve grieved for a while now, and it’s time to move on.”
“I know.” Easier said than done, though. “So where are you going to live?”
“I haven’t figured out a long-term plan, but her parents already hinted they’d let us live in the daadihaus on their property. That will work for at least a few years.”
“Or you could buy this haus from me,” Jeff said, making his offer again.
Nick raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, okay.” Jeff took a drink of root beer.
“What about Christiana?”
“What about her?” Jeff tried to sound casual.
“Have you talked to her?”
Jeff nodded before taking another drink.
“And . . .”
“I took her home tonight, and we had a nice long talk. Our friendship is back on track.”
“See?” Nick held up his mug. “You think you’ll be alone in this haus forever, but you won’t. God will lead you to your fraa. Just pray about it.”
Jeff nodded. “All right. I will, but that doesn’t mean he’s chosen Christiana for me.” Then he smiled. “So tell me what you’re planning for Kathy. And when are you going to talk to her dat tomorrow?”
After Nick left, Jeff tried to imagine his own marriage. Did God have a wife for him? And if so, would Jeff know her when he met her? If the woman was Christiana, wouldn’t he already know?
Jeff longed to share his home with a special woman, and he hoped against hope that he would someday. But until then, he didn’t look forward to being a bachelor while Nick and Lewis enjoyed married life.
16
On Tuesday afternoon Christiana and Phoebe stepped into the Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant and waited at the podium.
“I’m starved.” Phoebe peered toward the tables and booths, and then suddenly her eyes widened. She tapped her sister’s arm. “Christiana! Isn’t that Jeff in that booth by the window?”
“Where?” Christiana looked around the dining room, and her pulse ticked up when she spotted Jeff sitting with another man. He looked to be about Jeff’s age, and he had dark hair and eyes too. “Ya, I think it is Jeff. I wonder if that could be his bruder?”
“Let’s go say hello.” Phoebe started toward the booth.
“Phoebe. Phoebe, no!” Christiana trailed after her. “They might not want to be interrupted.”
“Hi, Jeff.” Phoebe smiled as she reached the booth. “How are you?”
“Phoebe.” Jeff looked surprised. His gaze move
d past Phoebe, and his smile broadened when he saw Christiana. “Christy. Hi!”
Christiana’s stomach fluttered when he used her nickname. “Hi, Jeff. We didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch.” She smiled at the other man. “Phoebe and I were just out shopping”—she lifted two shopping bags—“and we thought we’d stop in for something to eat. Phoebe spotted you over here.”
“I’m so glad you did.” Jeff gestured to the man across from him. “Christiana and Phoebe, this is mei freind Lewis.”
“Nice to meet you.” Lewis gave Christiana and Phoebe a nod. “Jeff came to see me at my lawn ornament shop, and I reminded him that he still owes me lunch.”
“I do not owe you lunch. You’re making that up so you don’t have to pay for your meal.” Jeff chuckled and then smiled up at Christiana again. “Join us.” He scooted over on the bench seat and then patted the empty space beside him.
“No, we don’t want to intrude—”
“We’d love to.” Phoebe smiled as Lewis slid over and she sat down beside him.
Christiana cringed with embarrassment as she slipped into the seat beside Jeff, but then she told herself to just enjoy having lunch and getting to know Jeff’s friend.
“We were about to order,” Lewis said.
“We’d better pick something out.” Phoebe perused the menu. “What’s gut today?”
“Everything is always gut here. I’m going to have my usual.” Christiana smiled at Jeff. “What a coincidence to run into you here.”
“I was just thinking that.” He pointed to the bags at her feet. “Where did you go shopping?”
“We went to the fabric store, and then I bought some new pans for mei kichlin.” Christiana pointed at his bag. “How about you?”
“I needed supplies for my booth since business has been picking up, and Lewis’s shop is next to the hardware store.”
“I hear you make the best baked goods in all of Bird-in-Hand, maybe in all of Lancaster County,” Lewis said to Christiana. “Jeff was just telling me about your wunderbaar macadamia nut kichlin.”
“Were you?” Christiana felt giddy at the thought of Jeff talking about her.
Phoebe winked at Christiana from across the table.
“Ya,” Jeff said as he shot Lewis a look. Was he embarrassed?
The server arrived. After distributing water in glasses, she took their orders and walked to the kitchen.
“So, Phoebe,” Lewis began, “do you like to bake like your schweschder does?”
“I do, but she’s the best baker in the haus,” Phoebe said. “I’m better at sewing and quilting.”
“Really?” Lewis asked. “Mei mamm likes to quilt too.”
While Lewis and Phoebe settled into a conversation, Christiana turned toward Jeff, and when her leg brushed his, a tremble raced to the place their bodies touched. She tried to ignore the excitement bubbling through her, but she longed to reach over and hold his hand. Now that he’d told her about his past, she felt so much closer to him.
“We were both so busy on Saturday that we didn’t get to talk, not even on a break for lunch. It’s going to be even crazier at the market next week with the Fourth of July being on Saturday,” Jeff said. “Are you ready for another busy holiday weekend?”
“I suppose so.” Christiana fingered her glass. “Phoebe and I are going to start baking when we get home and get as much as we can in our freezers ahead of time. I bought more baking sheets so we can have more kichlin ready to go into the oven at a time.”
“That’s a gut idea.”
“Have you prepared for a rush?”
“Ya. I’m going to have more plain bracelets and wallets ready to go. I also started making leather journal covers. That way I just have to personalize them while the customers shop around the other booths.” He picked up his glass of water and sipped from it.
“Those items sound great.”
“Danki.” Jeff sat up a little straighter. “The wallets have boosted my sales, so I thought I’d give the journal covers a try too.”
She glanced over at Phoebe, who was now talking with Lewis about someone named Renae. She turned back to face Jeff. “How’s your family?”
“They’re all gut.” He seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Mei bruder got engaged on Sunday.”
“Really?” Christiana clasped her hands. “That’s so exciting.” Then she stilled as she recalled their conversation in his buggy. “Are you okay with that?”
He paused and then nodded. “Ya. Why?”
“It must be difficult for you to think about your bruder getting married after what happened to you.”
His expression warmed. “That’s really thoughtful, but I’m okay. I’m froh for him. Kathy is great, and I think they’ll be froh together.”
“Gut.” Christiana studied his eyes and didn’t find any sadness there. Was their renewed friendship already helping to heal his heart?
When their food arrived, they all bowed their heads in silent prayer and then began eating.
“How long have you known Jeff, Lewis?” Christiana asked as she cut into her meat loaf.
“How long?” Lewis grinned at Jeff. “We met in first grade when we were seven years old.”
“That was a long time ago.” Jeff shook his head as he picked up a french fry and popped it into his mouth.
“Tell us some stories about Jeff as a kid,” Phoebe said as she picked up a section of her club sandwich.
“Hmm.” Lewis rubbed his clean-shaven chin. “One time he tripped while running on the playground and ripped the back of his pants.”
“No!” Phoebe said with a cackle.
Jeff groaned and covered his face with his hands. “You had to tell that story?”
“Ya.” Lewis laughed. “The teacher had to sew his pants for him.”
Christiana tried not to laugh. “You must have been so embarrassed.”
“You have no idea. The kids teased me about it for weeks.”
“Tell another story,” Phoebe said.
“Well, another time he brought a frog to class to show one of the maed,” Lewis began.
“Stop,” Jeff warned, pointing a fry at him.
“The frog got loose in the classroom, and the teacher was furious,” Lewis continued. “It took the class probably thirty minutes to find it and take it outside.”
“I had to clean the classroom for a week as punishment,” Jeff said.
Christiana and Phoebe chuckled.
“Your turn, Lewis. How about I share some embarrassing stories about you?” Jeff said. “How about the time you were trying to get a girl’s attention, so you ran after her and then tripped and fell in a puddle? Or that time in youth group when we took a few girls fishing, and you fell out of the boat?”
Christiana couldn’t stop grinning as Jeff and Lewis spent the rest of lunch sharing stories about their adventures in school and youth group.
When they had all finished, they shared a couple of pieces of oatmeal pie before the server brought the check.
Christiana pulled her wallet from her purse. “How much is Phoebe’s and my portion?”
“I’ve got it.” Jeff put a pile of bills on the check and handed it to the server.
“Please, let me pay for ours.” Christiana held out some money.
“No, no.” He gently nudged her hand away, and when their skin brushed, she felt a thrill rush up her arm. “It’s my treat today.”
“So I can pay another time?” she asked.
“Probably not, but I’ll say ya if that makes you feel better.” He smiled, and her heartbeat galloped.
“Danki,” Christiana said.
“Gern gschehne.”
Christiana climbed out of the booth, and she and Jeff started toward the restaurant exit together, walking behind Phoebe and Lewis.
“I’m so glad you joined us for lunch,” Jeff said. “I’d like to spend more time with you.”
“How about I bring us lunch on Thursday?” she offered.
“Perfect.�
��
They walked outside together.
“Well, I need to get back to work. It was nice meeting you.” Lewis shook Phoebe’s hand and then turned to Christiana to shake hers. “It was very nice to meet you too. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Really?” Christiana cut a glance to Jeff as he shot Lewis a warning look. “That’s nice to know.”
“I hope to see you both again soon.” Lewis gave a little wave, and then he loped across the parking lot.
“Do you two need a ride home?” Jeff asked.
“No, danki.” Christiana shook her head, remembering her father’s words. “Our driver will be here in a few minutes, but I appreciate your offer.”
“Okay.” Jeff smiled. “I’ll see you Thursday.”
Christiana and Phoebe thanked him again for lunch before he ambled back to his waiting horse and buggy.
“Lewis is an interesting man. He told me all about his girlfriend, Renae,” Phoebe said once they were sitting in the back of their driver’s van. “And Jeff is so nice,” she gushed. “And so handsome.”
“I know.” Christiana peeked out the window to avoid grinning at her sister.
“He really likes you too.”
I hope so. Christiana pretended to be fixated on the stores they passed.
“Was iss letz?” Phoebe bumped her shoulder against Christiana’s. “I thought you’d be in a better mood after seeing Jeff today. It was such a special treat.”
“Ya, it was.”
“So what’s wrong?”
“I’m trying not to get too excited about the possibility of dating him.”
“Why not?”
“Because Jeff’s had his heart broken and he’s hesitant.” Christiana looked down at her lap and smoothed her hands over her apron. “Plus, you know how strict Dat is. I might get my hopes up only to have Dat tell him no if he asks to date me.”
Phoebe’s forehead puckered. “Why would Dat tell him no?”
“I don’t know.” Christiana shrugged. “I just don’t want to get too excited until it happens.”
But deep down, Christiana knew it was too late. Jeff had once broken her heart, but now that it was mended, he’d stolen a piece of it.
* * *
“Gude mariye.” It was Thursday morning, and Christiana walked into Jeff’s booth carrying a fresh cup of kaffi and a donut. “I brought you some breakfast.”