John leaned up against the counter and took a long drink of water from a tall cup. “How is the secret project for your friend going?”
“Gut. I have the rocking chair all done except for the staining and varnish. I decided to add a drawer to the changing table, but it will be done after that. And I have a few more measurements to check on the crib but I’ll be getting started on that in the next day or so. Then I can stain and varnish all of the pieces at once.”
“That’s great. His wife is going to be very happy when she sees it.” John set down his cup intending to get back to working on the chair.
“Jah.” Aaron paused. “Have you talked to Samantha?”
“Nee,” John told him, and then added. “I heard the wedding was nice.”
John and Lucinda had courted each other for a short time two years ago, but both had decided to break the courtship off. It was during their Rumspringa, and they had each decided that they wanted to give themselves more time to explore and to pray about what God’s plan truly was for each of them. It was an awkward time afterwards, especially as rumors were spread about them that were not true. John had then courted Samantha Beiler for a time last year, but that didn’t last long. Her marriage to Ezra Schrock had been held last December. Although he wished them both well, John had been thankful no one had pressed him to attend.
Aaron nodded. “It looks like she and Ezra will be moving to the old Bender farm near the river. I think they’ll be closer to East Hawthorne.”
“Gut,” John said. A moment later he realized that sounded rude. “That area is very pretty. It’s a great place to live.”
John hoped that would be the end of the conversation. There wasn’t much else he could say. The truth was, he was glad to hear that they would be living farther away. He wasn’t looking forward to running into Samantha and her new husband every week in town.
Aaron had moved over to the chairs lined up along the wall. “Do you mind if I put one of these in the store?”
“Not at all,” John replied, glad for the subject change. “Do you think I should add another to the set?”
John enjoyed working with Aaron. They were very much alike and were much closer than their other cousins. For a while, John had been doing his woodworking in a small corner of his father’s barn. He and Aaron had both apprenticed with John’s father, but Aaron had left for a while to help his brother Levi fix up his new house. When Aaron came back to town last winter he asked John if he would be interested in working together. They found some space in town with enough room for a storefront and a workshop in the back.
“Nee. I just want to put it on display until you’re ready to varnish. I’ll make sure to post a sign that the chair is a display only, but it can be special ordered.”
John looked at the corner of the workshop where he was working. “Do you have room for two chairs? I could use the extra room out here.”
“Jah. Come on,” Aaron picked up one of the chairs and walked out of the workshop.
John looked around the store. “We’ll have to move the side table over a little, but I think that would be the best place.”
They had just moved the side table over when the bell on the door jingled and Daniel walked in.
“Hi, Daniel. How are you today?” Aaron asked, stepping around the side table to greet him.
“Gut. And you?” Daniel replied.
“Gut.” Aaron nodded. “What brings you in today?”
“I heard your family owns the store next to the bakery.” Daniel said.
“Jah, that’s true.” Aaron told him.
John listened while he moved the chairs into the corner.
“I was wondering if the space was for rent or possibly for sale?” Daniel asked.
Aaron leaned against the table next to him. “You can definitely rent it, if you would like. Mervin closed up before the winter and hasn’t asked to continue. What did you have in mind?”
“We’re thinking about expanding the bakery.” Daniel said. “Our lunch business is going great, but our seating fills up too quickly. We were thinking about the possibility of opening up a café in the empty store and serve breakfast and lunch.”
“That sounds like a great idea.” Aaron walked over to the desk. “We’d be happy to open it up for you as soon as possible, if that helps.”
“Just from looking in the window, it’s clear there’s some work to be done in the store.” Daniel said.
“Jah, we’ll certainly be glad to clean up before you move in. That’s not a problem,” Aaron reassured him.
“Jah, of course.” Daniel nodded. “I meant for the café itself. We’ll need some furniture built.”
“We could definitely do some work for you.” Aaron grabbed a pad of paper from the top desk drawer. “What would you need done?”
“Well, to be honest, this is such a new idea that we haven’t gotten very far in our planning,” Daniel explained. “We would need tables and chairs, a front counter and maybe some partial walls. That’s just what comes to mind now.”
Aaron wrote everything down. “I can’t see that any of that would be a problem.”
Daniel grimaced. “Uh…also, we’d need to add a door to add access to the kitchen in the bakery. I’m not sure where though.”
“I’d have to come over and look. How soon did you want to get started?”
“As soon as you can fit us into your schedule,” Daniel said.
John knew that Aaron was in the middle of a project for his friend, and wanted to meet the deadline. He realized this could be one of those planning projects he had been wishing for. The last two chairs and the table would come together easily on his own project and he was already ahead of schedule for the day. “I can come over and take a look.” he suddenly said from the other side of the store.
Daniel turned to him. “Really?”
“Ach! Danke, John,” Aaron said.
“Jah. I’ll come by this evening around five o’clock.” John crossed the room to join them by the desk. “I can show you the store and we can talk about what you want.”
“Great. Danke.” Daniel shook his hand. “I’ll let Lucinda know.”
“Lucinda Yoder?”
“Jah, she’s sort of heading up this project.”
Aaron nodded. “I’m not surprised. Rachel says that Lucinda loves to cook. Have you had her dandelion salad?”
“Jah.” Daniel smiled. “All of this was her idea, so a lot of it will be up to her. It’s a great idea.”
“Jah. It’s great.” John said, suddenly not feeling that great at all.
* * *
Chapter 2
Lucinda was wiping down the counters when Daniel walked back into the bakery. She had been nervous the entire time he had been gone.
Daniel stopped at the counter. “Great news.”
“Jah?” She waited for him to continue.
“Jah. Aaron says we can rent the space.”
Relief washed over her. “I’m so happy!”
Daniel went to the front counter and took two oatmeal cookies from the jar. He handed her one. “Aaron was all for the idea. He even said that the remodel wouldn’t be a problem either.”
“That’s even better.” Lucinda couldn’t have been happier. “I hope we can get started soon.”
Daniel smiled. “We’re going to have a meeting this evening. I let him know that this is your idea and that most of the decisions would be yours.”
“What time will Aaron be coming by?” Lucinda asked.
“Five o’clock.” Daniel turned to walk into the office then stopped to add, “Aaron is in the middle of another project so he’s not coming; John will be.”
Ach! Lucinda was not happy. She felt bad, it wasn’t John’s fault any more than it was hers, but still she was nervous about seeing him again.
Shaking her head, she got back to work. She still needed to roll out the dough for the croissants for the next morning.
Elizabeth came in a few moments later. “Did Danie
l say that John Heiser is coming by?”
“Jah,” Lucinda said. She kept her eyes on the dough she was rolling out.
“Have you talked to him recently?” Elizabeth asked, her voice quiet.
“Nee.” Lucinda sighed and looked up at Elizabeth. “I saw him several times here in town after Samantha and Ezra were engaged. If I’m walking in town and see him, I turn around and go the other way. I’ve seen him do the same thing.”
“Well, a lot of time has passed so hopefully it won’t feel so awkward.”
“I hope you’re right,” Lucinda replied.
* * *
Just before five o’clock John stepped into the bakery. He had a pen and a pad of paper in his hand. Lucinda noticed that he looked nervous.
She took a deep breath and then smiled, “Hello, John. How are you?”
He seemed surprised. “Gut. Danke. How are you?”
“Gut.” She picked up a tray of croissants. “I just pulled these out of the oven. I’ll be right there.”
John nodded.
She took a few moments to try to shake the nervousness she felt, and said a quick prayer. Dear Gott, please let this go well, and help both of us to be relaxed with each other.
When she returned, he said, “Daniel said that the idea for the café was yours.”
“Jah. Our lunch rush has grown so much.” She gestured to the table and chairs. “The seating area has always been crowded, but now that it’s summer, it’s even more so.”
“I had heard that you were now serving lunch, but I haven’t been by yet.” John seemed to realize what he had said and looked away.
She wasn’t surprised that he hadn’t come by. John hadn’t been the only one that Lucinda had been avoiding. After Ezra’s wedding she had received her share of sympathetic looks. She knew that the folks meant well, but most of them hadn’t known the truth. He had probably felt the same way and wanted to avoid the sympathetic looks.
“You should come by for lunch.” She truly didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable about coming to the bakery. “I’ll save a bowl of corn chowder for you.”
He smiled. “That sounds really good.”
“I’m glad.” Lucinda smiled back. She was glad that things weren’t as awkward as she had imagined they might be. “Let me tell Daniel that you’re here.”
“Alright. I’ll go open up the store so we can get a good look.”
“Great. We’ll be right over.”
* * *
“It’s a lot bigger than I had remembered.” Lucinda walked around the room.
There was a paned window on either side of the door just like the bakery. Two more paned windows on the far wall gave the room a warm inviting feeling.
John set his pad of paper on top of one of the cabinets. “Daniel told me a little about what’s needed but what did you have in mind, Lucinda?”
She tried to ignore the odd shiver that she felt when he said her name. And she couldn’t remember him looking more handsome. She cleared her throat. “Um…I think most of this area here should have tables and chairs.” She stood in the middle of the store with her arms spread out.
“What sized tables?”
“The same sized tables as the bakery.” Lucinda turned to Daniel. “Don’t you think?”
Daniel nodded. “Jah. I think that’s a good start.”
“Okay, so tables with four chairs?” John clarified, and then added to his notes.
Lucinda nodded. “We could push the tables together if we have a bigger group.”
John looked around the room. “I think we could add some smaller tables along the wall.”
“Ach, that would be a good idea,” Lucinda agreed.
“Jah. It’s a good way to utilize empty space while still being functional.” John looked at Lucinda. “What else did you need?”
“A counter of some sort.” She pointed to the back of the store. “There, maybe?”
John shook his head. “I think it would be better to have it by the door. That way customers can pay and then go out the door.”
Lucinda nodded. “Oh right. I didn’t think of that.”
Daniel stepped up next to John. “I think our biggest issue right now is figuring out where to place a door between the café and the bakery.”
John turned toward the back wall. “Hmm…I thought there was a door here.”
“Ach, you’re right. I’ve seen it from our back door.” Daniel told him. “Mervin must have put the shelves in front of the door.”
John shook his head and set his pen down. “Let’s move the shelves and check.”
John and Daniel moved the first shelf. “I can see part of the door,” Lucinda told them.
They moved the other shelf and John opened the door. It opened up to the back area behind the two stores. “I didn’t realize the bakery was so much bigger. I guess I never paid attention to how the store had this section here. I think the store was built first and then the bakery added on and they added the extra space.” John tapped the wall of the bakery. “What is on this wall here?”
Daniel thought for a moment. “If I’m remembering correctly I think the ovens.”
Lucinda opened the back door to the bakery. “It would be easy to check. Come on.”
Daniel smiled at John. “This is why she works here. Clearly she is smarter than all of us.”
She laughed, noticing that John had nodded and looked at her with a smile. It was the first time he had looked truly relaxed around her in a long while.
Lucinda walked into the bakery trying to remember where they had been standing outside in relation to inside the bakery.
“I didn’t bring my measuring tape but I think I can pace it off,” John said. He walked the distance from the café back door to the back wall of the bakery. When he came in the bakery he walked the distance and stopped in front of one of the ovens. He stepped back and surveyed the kitchen. “Is there is any reason that the two ovens couldn’t be moved to this area here?” He pointed to the bare corner near the back door. “We could put the door here.”
Lucinda looked at Daniel and he shrugged. They followed John back outside.
“My plan is to square off this whole area. I’ll enclose it so you will be able to go from the café to the kitchen and I’ll put some shelves for storing dishes and other items.”
Daniel looked skeptical. “That seems a little complicated.”
“It’s a little more work, but I think it’s necessary. The store has needed a storage area, so it’ll be part of our repair work before you move in.”
Daniel looked at Lucinda and then turned back to John. “Jah, that sounds good.”
“Great. I’ll come back tomorrow and take some measurements,” John said. Then to Lucinda’s surprise he turned to her. “What time are you available to meet with me?”
“Around two o’clock would be great.”
“Jah. Danke, Lucinda. I’ll see you then.”
* * *
Chapter 3
“How did it go yesterday?” Elizabeth asked Lucinda.
“It went well,” she said. “I felt bad when John came in. He looked so uncomfortable. I guess I felt a little uncomfortable too.”
“Jah. John is so sweet. I think that’s why everyone was so shocked when Samantha Beiler ended their courtship.”
“I think so too. I think most people were trying to figure out why.” Lucinda shook her head. “Not that people were being nosy; I think they couldn’t imagine her not wanting to stay with him, just like they did with me when he and I were courting.”
Elizabeth frowned. “That is very true. I have to admit that I thought the same thing.”
“Jah. I ended my courtship with Ezra and he is sweet, thoughtful and responsible.” Lucinda hadn’t really talked about this part of her breakup. “When I started courting Ezra, I thought he would make a great husband. Then one day I realized that he would make someone else a great husband. I just didn’t feel completely at peace with marrying him.”
; Elizabeth nodded. “I understand what you mean”.
“Jah.” Lucinda agreed and went on, “I could have continued the courtship, but I wanted, and still want, to be with someone I truly love, not just someone that makes me feel comfortable.”
Elizabeth held up a hand. “Did I hear that John is coming back today?”
“Jah. He wants to take measurements so we can get everything planned out.”
The oven timer dinged and Elizabeth stepped away from the counter. “I hope it goes well.”
* * *
“Aaron! I’m heading over to meet with Lucinda.”
“Okay.” Aaron called from the storeroom. “Have a gut afternoon!”
John left the store with a small toolbox. Yesterday, when he left the store he had dreading seeing Lucinda, but it had actually been nice seeing her and now today, he was truly looking forward to seeing her and hearing more of her ideas for the café.
John walked up the street to the town square and walked across to the empty store. While he was alone he walked around looking at everything, the walls, the doors, the windows and even the floor. He was imagining what the café would look like once it was finished.
“Did I miss anything?” Lucinda asked from the doorway.
John turned to her and was surprised to notice how pretty she looked standing there. He had always thought she was pretty, but now for some reason he could hardly ignore her and how her pretty pink cheeks seemed to make her face glow.
Realizing that she had asked a question, he shook his head. “Nee. I just got here. I was just looking at the space and thinking about how things will look.”
“Jah, I was thinking about it today.” She nodded and smiled.
He could tell she was very happy about the café and he smiled back at her. “Well, tell me what you’d like the café to look like when it’s all done.”
Lucinda stood there for a moment. “I’d like the walls to be a soft yellow and the wood around the doors and windows a darker oak.”
“That will look really nice.” John started taking notes. “Okay, what else?”
She went to the front door. “I think the counter should be here, with the tables and chairs arranged through the middle, of course.”
AMISH ROMANCE: The Amish Bakery Boxed Set: 4-Book Clean Inspirational Box Set - Includes Bonus Book Page 9