An Amish Homecoming

by Amy Clipston

  The woman beamed. “I hope one day he’ll think so. Thanks for your help, Irene.”

  “You’re mighty welcome.”

  She gave them both a smile and left with a canvas bag of books in her hand.

  Marcus noticed that Irene was smiling as she watched the woman leave. It was obvious she enjoyed helping the woman. “You do a good job with the customers,” he said. “I can tell that you’re already making an impression on them.”

  “I don’t know about that,” she murmured. “But working here feels easy, almost like I’m working with friends. I like reading and talking about books with everyone.”

  Marcus leaned against the side of a wooden bookshelf and watched as Irene straightened the stack of receipts on the counter. “Are you about ready to get out of here?”

  “I am. I hope you like everything on your pizza.”

  He laughed. “I should have known that was your favorite.”

  “Why?”

  “Because when it comes to food, you enjoy everything. It’s adorable.” He laughed, liking the way she looked mildly embarrassed.

  Agnes appeared from the back, looking like a frazzled hen. “Irene, are you all done?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” she said quickly. “I was just about to close out the register.”

  Marcus noticed that some of Irene’s lighthearted demeanor faded. He knew now that while she truly enjoyed the bookstore, she wasn’t always as fond of her employer and landlady as she’d hoped.

  “I’ll do that. There’s a few things I want to check. You walk around the shop and make sure everything is spick-and-span. Especially the children’s section.”

  “All right.” Irene cast an apologetic look his way. “I’ll just be a minute.”

  “How about I walk with you? I can pick up books as easily as you.”

  She smiled at him but fussed with the apron on her dress a bit. It was obvious she was becoming distressed. That worried him. Just minutes before, she seemed to love the job.

  When they walked down one of the aisles and were partly concealed, he pressed his hand to her back. “Hey, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t seem like it.”

  She lowered her voice. “I love working with the customers. But sometimes . . . Well, let’s just say Agnes has been especially hard to please today.”

  Since he’d already shared his worries about her boss, he tried to keep things light. “Everyone has a bad day now and then. Maybe it’s her turn.”

  Still looking uneasy, she nodded. “I hope that’s it.”

  “From what I saw with that customer, you are doing a fine job here, Irene.” Unable to help himself, he leaned down and kissed her cheek lightly. “Please don’t worry so much.”

  Her eyes widened at his gesture, but she didn’t seem upset. “You’re right,” she said with a little smile. “I need to relax and be more confident.”

  “There you go,” he said as he continued to walk by her side. Every few feet Irene stopped to straighten books or knelt to pick up a stray piece of trash on the floor. He helped when he could, placing books on the high shelves when she asked.

  Every time they made a turn, Marcus glanced over at Agnes. She stood at the front desk punching numbers in her calculator with a frown on her face. He could almost feel animosity radiating from the older woman.

  Marcus decided right then and there that he would encourage Irene to quit sooner rather than later. Though he knew she loved being around books, he thought his parents were right. She already worked so hard at the diner. She didn’t need to be stressed out at the bookshop too.

  “Almost done,” she whispered.

  He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “Gut. I’m starving.”

  As if she couldn’t help herself, Irene smiled and giggled. Then slapped a hand over her mouth.

  “Irene, come here.”

  Irene flinched but dutifully walked to the front of the store. “Jah, Agnes?”

  When they got to the desk, Marcus saw that Agnes had several checks and credit card receipts on the countertop . . . and a business-size envelope. She was also glaring at Irene like she’d done something awful.

  “I just tried to close out the register. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do it because we’re missing cash.”

  Irene’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

  Agnes pulled out a sheet of paper. “This is yesterday’s report. I know I had a hundred and twenty dollars in this envelope this morning. Now there’s only sixty. Half is gone.”

  Irene stepped closer. She looked from the envelope to the notations, and finally to Agnes’s angry expression. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You handled most of the sales today. It looks like you made a mistake.”

  Paling, Irene shook her head. “Nee. I am careful when I check people out.” Pointing to a light-pink notepad, she said, “See? I always write everything down so I remember to tell you what books were bought.”

  Marcus approached and saw Irene’s list of each item sold and the amount of each sale. It was obvious she put a lot of effort and care into it.

  “Well, I certainly didn’t take my own money. So either you made some very big mistakes or you have some explaining to do.”

  “I don’t know where your missing money went.” She glanced at Marcus and looked even more agitated.

  He wondered why.

  Seeing that Irene looked near tears, Marcus said, “Maybe other people know the envelope is there. Maybe someone took the money out while Irene was helping other customers?”

  Irene bit her lip and nodded. “Jah. I don’t like to think of anyone doing that, but it might have happened.”

  “I don’t know what else could have happened. It was there last night and now it ain’t.”

  “M-maybe you miscounted the money?” Irene said, her voice quivering.

  “Or maybe you took advantage of my generosity.” She jabbed a finger on the counter. “I think it’s high time you told me the truth.”

  “I did.”

  “If you insist on lying, I’m going to have to call the sheriff and file a report.”

  Irene wiped away a tear. “If you want to file a report, you should. But you mustn’t blame me. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  Marcus had had enough. He pulled out his wallet and placed three twenty-dollar bills on the counter. “Here is your missing money.”

  “Marcus, no.”

  “You don’t have to stand here and take this, Irene. It’s not worth it. And neither is this job.”

  The expression on her face was filled with pain. “Do you believe me?”

  Not caring that Agnes was watching them, he stepped closer and lifted her chin with his thumb. “Of course I do. You wouldn’t steal money any more than I would.”

  “I don’t know what happened.”

  “Agnes will figure it out. Or she won’t,” he soothed. “I don’t really care because we won’t have to worry about you being here any longer.”

  “But—”

  “And we’re going to move you out of that apartment tonight.”

  Agnes shook her head. “She can’t do that. Irene, you said you’d give me two months’ notice.”

  Irene turned to her, her expression slack. Then it hardened. “You said you didn’t want to write a contract, so we don’t have anything that says that. Marcus is right. I’m leaving tonight. I don’t want to sleep anyplace I don’t feel safe.”

  Marcus was so proud of her. “Gut job, Irene.”

  Agnes glared. “You are making a big mistake.”

  “You are too,” Marcus bit out. “I just hope you will be humble enough to admit your mistakes when you realize you were completely wrong and misjudged Irene.”

  He watched as Agnes picked up his money without the slightest hesitation. “I appreciate you paying this, but I feel like it is my duty to warn you that you should probably stay away from her, Marcus.”

  Marcus wrapped an arm around Ire
ne and pulled her close to his side. “I don’t want to hear that you’re making up tales about Irene. If you do that, I’ll make sure no one comes to this store.”

  While Agnes gaped at them, he linked his fingers through Irene’s and pulled her toward the stairs leading up to her room.

  “Come on,” he said softly. “We’ve got to pack you up.”

  CHAPTER 13

  As soon as her door closed behind them, Irene started crying. Big, noisy tears. Marcus wrapped her in his arms.

  “Hey now,” he soothed as he rubbed her back. “Shh . . . shh, now. Don’t fret. It’s going to be all right.”

  She rested her head against his strong chest for another moment, then raised her head so she could look him in the eye. “I’m not crying because of her.”

  Still rubbing her back, he said, “Why, then?”

  “Because of you.” When he blinked in confusion, she pressed her palm to his cheek. “You really did believe me.”

  “Of course I did.” He stepped away slightly and tilted his head down to meet her gaze. “I know you would never steal from anyone.”

  Irene shook her head. “Nee, you don’t understand. Marcus, for my whole life, I’ve felt like no one ever really believed in me. My parents never acted like yours. I never felt safe or happy or loved at home.”

  She braced herself, then continued, wanting to be completely honest with him. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes. More than you can imagine.”

  “We all have.”

  “Maybe so.” Maybe she’d been so hard on herself for so long that she’d forgotten she wasn’t any different from everyone else. People made mistakes and sometimes said things they didn’t mean. But they could also apologize for their actions, make amends, and forgive each other.

  Just like she’d done with Marcus. Just like God’s grace did for all of them.

  “What I’m trying to say is that even though I’ve made some mistakes, getting to know you isn’t one of them. You’ve been a blessing to me. A good friend.”

  “Only just a friend?” he asked, his voice suddenly soft.

  She smiled. “Nee. Something more than that.”

  Pleasure entered his eyes. “Good. I want to be more. I want to mean so much to you that you won’t ever be afraid to tell me the truth or to let me see anything bad about you. Or ever worry that I won’t take your side.”

  Had anyone ever given her a better gift? “Your trust in me means so much.”

  “I hope so, because I feel the same way about you.” He placed his palm against her cheek and lowered his voice. “I want to mean a lot to you too. I want you to trust me. I want you to believe in me. Because . . .” His voice drifted off.

  “Because?”

  “Because I love you, Irene.”

  Her breath hitched. “Truly?”

  He nodded. Looking a little worried, he pressed two fingers against her lips. “Irene, hush. You don’t have to say a thing. You don’t have to say the words back.”

  “But what if I want to? What if all this time I’ve been trying to find the courage to give my heart to someone? Trying to find the courage to give it without worrying that it’s going to get hurt?”

  “Your heart is safe with me. I can promise you that.”

  What more did she need?

  She gathered her courage. “I love you too.”

  His gaze heated. “Promise?”

  “Oh yes.”

  As they smiled at each other, Irene realized that nothing else mattered.

  Nothing to her, at least. What mattered was that they loved each other and that he was going to handle her heart with care, just as she was determined to protect his.

  So thankful for that knowledge, Irene closed her eyes as she relaxed against his chest. It had been such a horrible afternoon, but it was followed by the sweetest moments ever.

  He loved her. Marcus Wengerd loved her. At that moment, she couldn’t think of another time when so few words had meant so much.

  CHAPTER 14

  One month later

  Rats!” Henry shouted when Marcus held up the small envelope and announced that the murderer had been Professor Plum with the wrench in the ballroom. “I was going to say wrench but it didn’t make sense. No man is going to be carrying around a wrench in a ballroom.”

  Sitting on the floor in a cranberry-colored dress with one of Marcus’s hoodies over it, Irene giggled. “Henry, when are you ever going to learn that you aren’t supposed to make sense of the crime, just look for clues?”

  “Next game, hopefully.” He looked sheepish as he started cleaning up the cards and plastic pieces. “Does anyone want to play again?”

  “Nee!” Marcus, Irene, and Mary Ruth all said at the same time.

  “We already played an extra game because you whined and complained, Henry,” his wife said. “We need to get some sleep.”

  Henry got to his feet and groaned as his knees popped with the effort. “That’s probably a gut idea. I am suddenly feeling tired. Let’s go up to bed, Mary Ruth, and let the kids clean up the rest of the mess.”

  Mary Ruth raised her eyebrows at them. “Would you like some help cleaning up?”

  “Go on up to bed, Mamm. We’ve got this,” Marcus said.

  “I won’t argue with you. I really am tired,” she said as she covered a yawn. “Gut naut.”

  “Gut naut, Mary Ruth,” Irene said to her future mother-in-law. “Sleep well.”

  “You too, dear.” After squeezing Marcus’s shoulder, Mary Ruth followed her husband up the stairs to bed.

  “Alone at last,” Marcus said with a grin. “I was beginning to think my parents would never leave the room.”

  “Oh, stop. I had fun with them.”

  “I had fun with them too. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like being alone with you.”

  Smiling at Marcus fondly, Irene felt the same way. So much had happened in the month since Agnes accused her of stealing and Marcus came to her defense. And admitted his love for her.

  She moved out of her room above the store and back into her room at his parents’ home. When Henry and Mary Ruth heard about Agnes’s accusations, they were vocal about her defense. So much so that Bill and May from the diner had gone over to the bookstore and demanded to help Agnes organize her financial books—and soon discovered that Agnes might know a lot about books but next to nothing about accounting.

  It soon became apparent that she’d simply miscounted the cash and the previous day’s receipts and instead of taking the blame for her mistakes had decided to blame Irene.

  When Alice and her husband, Calvin, heard about it, they gave Agnes a piece of their minds too. Calvin acted very official and told Agnes that legally she had to hire someone to manage the store’s finances.

  No doubt stung by all the negative reactions, Agnes eventually did apologize to Irene, but it was grudgingly.

  As far as Irene was concerned, she realized she didn’t need Agnes’s apology—heartfelt or not. She now had people in her life who were willing to have her back and stand up for her. Those people were important to her. Not Agnes.

  She and Marcus were planning a Christmas wedding. It was going to be small and simple. Irene thought it sounded perfect.

  Walking up to her side, Marcus pulled the game board out of her hands. “Put that down,” he whispered. “We can finish cleaning up in the morning.”

  “But we promised your mother—”

  He kissed her quickly, shutting off her protest.

  His lips were warm, and the way he wrapped his arms around her made any further protest quickly fade away.

  “Our wedding day can’t come soon enough,” he said with a heated gaze.

  Irene smiled, though she wasn’t sure she agreed.

  “What?” he said. “Aren’t you as anxious as me to be living together at the farm?”

  “I am excited for that . . . but I also have to admit that I kind of like this time. There’s so much to look forward to.” It was a relatively new feeling and o
ne she planned to savor as much as she could.

  Marcus’s gaze softened. “You’re exactly right, Irene. I have you. I have your love and your promise to be my future. That is something to savor indeed.”

  She rested her head on his chest.

  Irene breathed deep, enjoying the scent of the fire, the cinnamon candles, and the faint scent of soap on Marcus’s skin.

  She was more than happy knowing the best was yet to come.

  Discussion Questions

  1.Both Irene and Marcus were afraid to reveal parts of their pasts. Why do you think it’s so hard to be vulnerable with other people—even people you love and trust?

  2.God placed Mary Ruth and Henry in Irene’s life at just the right time. In what ways did they help her heal?

  3.I used the scripture verse from Joshua as my guide for this story. “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” What part of this verse resonates with you?

  4.I thought the following Amish proverb, “Experience is a different teacher, giving you the test first and the lesson later,” went especially well with Irene’s and Marcus’s story. In what ways did their past experiences give both Irene and Marcus the courage to love?

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I was so excited to be asked to be a part of An Amish Homecoming! I’ve known Amy, Beth, and Kathleen for quite a few years, so having the opportunity to publish a story alongside them felt like writing with friends. I also am indebted to Erika Tsang, my editor over at Avon Inspire, for first allowing me to introduce Irene’s story in His Risk. She gave me the freedom to bring a real variety of characters together and run with it. I’m also indebted to editor Kimberly Carlton for helping me fine tune Irene’s story so it would actually make sense to new readers! She also was instrumental in helping me make Marcus into a hero worthy of Irene. Yay for that! Finally, I’m grateful for my readers, who loved Irene as much as I did and asked me to give Irene her own happily ever after.

  WHAT LOVE BUILT