Joyful

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  Unfortunately, that had been the least of it.

  Christina’s light blue eyes turned serious. “I’m sorry to hear that, Pippa.”

  “No reason to apologize. It’s water under the bridge.”

  “Is it? Well, from what the other girls and I can tell, Bud seems to treat you good.”

  Pippa smiled, enjoying the way that Christina referred to all the girls being interested in her. “He does. So far, he couldn’t have been kinder.” Sometimes he said the sweetest things, and made her feel almost pretty, too.

  She opened her mouth to add what else she was thinking, but shut it just as quickly. It was wrong to share such private thoughts about someone who had done so much for her.

  After seeing that none of the four tables that were filled seemed to need anything, Pippa took a plunge. “How are you doing? Is married life agreeing with you?”

  “Oh, jah,” Christina replied with a dreamy smile. “Being married to Aden is everything I dreamed it would be. Wunderbaar.”

  “You, my dear, are a smitten newlywed.”

  She blushed. “I can’t help it! When Aden lost his parents ten years ago, he moved in with us. Sometimes I feel like I’ve spent most of my life waiting for our friendship to bloom into something stronger.” Before Pippa could comment on that, Christina rushed on in a darling, giddy way. “You know, my mamm says we make her feel old. But she also whispered that she thinks all newly married couples should be so in love.” She sighed. “It’s nice, you know?”

  So in love. Pippa couldn’t remember if she and Miguel had ever considered themselves that way.

  Which was a problem.

  “It sounds very nice. And you have your own place, too.” Thinking about the history of Christina and Aden’s apartment, and how it was a little off the main strip, she asked, “Is it strange, living above the old hardware store?”

  “I thought it might be scary, but I kind of like it. Aden works at the hospital in Millersberg, you know, so he has to take a van to get back and forth. He used to have to go to the livery, hitch up his horse and buggy to get there. Now, because we live so close, I can walk right here and Aden can walk to the van. Plus, we both agreed that we needed some time to ourselves. My parents offered to expand Aden’s room into a little apartment, but neither Aden nor I wanted that.”

  “I wouldn’t have wanted that, either.” Pippa was genuinely happy for her sweet, young employee. Of course, there was a part of her that wished she could be that carefree. Sometimes she felt like she was double her age, carrying around her baggage from her first marriage. “It sounds like you and Aden are off to a good start. I couldn’t be happier for you. And I’m very thankful that you’re still working.”

  “I like working. Aden and I aren’t quite ready to start our family. So if I didn’t work, I’d be at home alone all day. This is a gut job for me. And I really do like waiting tables.”

  “If things change, please talk to me before you do something drastic and quit.”

  She smiled. “I promise that I will do that. Pippa. Me and the girls really like having you as our new boss.”

  “You do? Thank you for telling me. I know it’s been hard, trying to get used to a new manager.”

  “You’ve been easy.” She fiddled with her apron, then blurted, “And if you don’t mind me saying so, I hope you give Bud a chance.”

  “I will, if he still wants to give me a chance. I’m a little out of practice when it comes to dating, you know.”

  “You must be doing something right, because he always looks at you like he can’t look away.”

  “Now you’re really making me embarrassed.” She would have said more but she spied Bud walking down the sidewalk. “Oh! Here he comes.”

  She’d just walked to the door when her heart just about stopped. Bud wasn’t alone today. He was with Miguel, and they were both talking animatedly outside the restaurant.

  Her heart sank. Had Bud only been pretending to get to know her so he could report back to Miguel?

  “I need to go talk to Bud outside. Look after the last tables of diners, would you? I think they’re almost done.” She walked out without bothering to hear Christina’s reply.

  Both men were still in deep conversation when she walked out to join them.

  She was so fired up, she didn’t know who to talk to first. She decided they both needed a piece of her mind. “What’s going on? Bud, why are you here with Miguel?”

  “That’s a fine way to greet me—” Miguel began.

  “We’re divorced. I don’t have to greet you anymore. Why are you here?”

  “Can’t we talk about this inside?”

  “Definitely not!” And have everyone in the restaurant, including all her employees, overhear her conversation? That was the last thing she needed!

  Bud glared at Miguel. “This was exactly what you promised not to do.” Then, turning to Pippa, he said, “Pippa, Miguel stopped me on my way over here. He found out we’ve been dating.”

  “And?”

  “And what do you think?” Miguel asked. “I don’t want you two seeing each other.”

  Bud raised a hand before she told Miguel exactly what she thought about that. “I don’t want to fight. Since I had promised to pick you up, I thought maybe we could talk about things for a few minutes.”

  “And then what? We’ll all drive back to the complex together?”

  “He brought his own car.” After giving Miguel another warning glance, Bud said, “Please, Pippa? Can we talk things out? I really do think it’s better to have everything out in the open.”

  She wasn’t so sure she agreed, but she realized that she didn’t have much choice. Whether she wanted to have this conversation or not, it was about to happen.

  With a sigh, she pushed open the door. “Well, let’s go get this over with.”

  And after they talked, she had a very good feeling that she’d be walking home.

  Obviously, dating her ex-husband’s friend hadn’t been a good idea, after all.

  The first thing Randall noticed when he opened his eyes was that every bit of him hurt. He kind of felt like he’d been run over by a Mack truck, and then the truck had reversed and taken another swipe at him.

  The second thing he noticed was that Elizabeth Nolt was sitting by his side.

  “Hey,” he mumbled. “You’re here.”

  “And, you’re up. At last.” She smiled, but there was a new, guarded look in her eyes.

  That worried him, but he was too bleary to remark on it. Plus, it felt as if his mouth had been stuffed with cotton. He awkwardly tried to clear his throat. “Have I been asleep for long?” he asked, then frowned as he realized he sounded like he’d swallowed a frog.

  “Awhile. Four hours, give or take.” Her voice warmed. “You’ve slept long enough to be ready for some pain reliever, I think. And maybe something to drink, too?”

  “That sounds real gut. Danke.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  He nodded, then immediately regretted the motion. His head was pounding.

  She rushed out, then returned moments later with Neil by her side. “Look who I found.”

  Her voice sounded unnaturally cheery. “Hey,” he said. Though he appreciated his brother taking the time to check on him, Randall was suddenly eager to spend some time alone with Elizabeth. If his head ever cleared, he hoped to discover what had put the new line of worry on her face. Unless she was just concerned about his injuries?

  After handing him a glass of water, Neil pulled up a second chair. “Glad you could join us again. We were starting to worry.”

  “What happened?” he asked after he nearly drained the glass.

  With a frown, Elizabeth pulled the glass away from him. “Careful, you’re supposed to sip.”

  While Elizabeth left the room, presumably to get him more water, Randall turned to his brother. “Neil, the last thing I remember is balancing on a joist.”

  “That’s probably because right after that you sli
pped and fell almost fifteen feet. As soon as you fell, your supervisor called nine-one-one and they rushed you to the hospital. Another person on your crew took Levi around to tell us the news.”

  “Wow.”

  “We were all real worried. You were unconscious for a few minutes, long enough to give us all a scare.”

  “Wow. I had no idea.”

  “It’s a wonder you weren’t more badly hurt,” Neil said. “But then, just as we were all sure we were going to be camped out at the hospital for the next few days, the doctors said you were complaining and doing better. I mean, better, considering that you’ve got a broken leg.”

  Randall glanced at the cast around his leg. “It hurts something awful.”

  “Lucky for you, I have your medicine,” Elizabeth said, coming back into the room. “Open.”

  Feeling far too old for this, he did as she bid. She popped two pills in his mouth, then helped him take a couple of sips of water through a straw. When she leaned closer and slid a cool hand behind his shoulders it was all he could do not to moan in appreciation.

  For a split second, it seemed like it was just like old times. They were a couple again, and when the two of them shared a smile, it felt like the rest of the world was suspended. That nothing mattered besides those few minutes when they were together.

  As he gazed at her, her own expression softened, giving him hope. Until he remembered that they were in two different places now.

  Deliberately, he turned away and pretended he was very interested in his cast. “Do they not use plaster casts anymore?”

  “They don’t give you permanent casts until your swelling goes down,” Neil said. “We’ll take you to the doctor in a couple of days to see how you fare.”

  “And that means you’re going to have to be careful and let us help you,” Elizabeth cautioned.

  “I’m going to be stuck here in bed for a while, aren’t I?”

  “Yep,” Neil said.

  He hated the idea of being so dependent for days and days. “I don’t know how I’m going to survive that.”

  Neil didn’t look all that concerned. “You’re simply going to have to. You don’t have any choice.”

  “That’s true.”

  “It is. And if you didn’t try to fight us so much, you might find it easier than you think.”

  “I would, if I thought I really needed all this rest.”

  “You do.”

  “You’ve got a whole host of cuts and scrapes, too,” Elizabeth interjected. “Randall, you needed stitches on your arm.”

  Feeling vaguely foolish, Randall lifted his arm and raised his brows at the bandage. “I don’t remember getting those.”

  “It’s no wonder. You’re covered with bruises,” Neil said. “It really is a wonder you aren’t in the hospital right now. The Lord must have heard our prayers.”

  “Indeed. And your guardian angel must be working overtime, too. There’s no other explanation.”

  “Although, you are a stubborn man, to be sure,” Neil said with a grin.

  “Stubborn and obstinate,” Elizabeth agreed.

  “I think those are the same thing,” Randall murmured, realizing even this small interaction was tiring him. Already, his eyelids were getting heavy. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I’m tired again.”

  Neil stood up. “That’s my cue to get out of here. Get some sleep, bruder.”

  When it looked as if Elizabeth was about to follow, he held out a hand. “Stay for a little longer, wouldja, Beth?”

  After a second, she slipped her hand in his and squeezed gently. “Just for a bit. You need to rest, Randall. The doctors said that sleeping is the best thing for you.”

  Her voice was so soothing. And now that she was back by his side, he could smell the honey-scented lotion she always used. It warmed his senses, making him feel like maybe he hadn’t ruined everything between them.

  But then he remembered their conversation in the kitchen and how rude he’d been.

  And how he’d been sure that she’d never want to have anything to do with him ever again.

  “Why are you really here?” he blurted, too groggy to put things more eloquently.

  “Because I was asked to help tend to you,” she replied.

  Too late he realized that it would have been far better if he’d simply kept his mouth shut. He closed his eyes and wondered what it was about her that always brought out the worst in him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “There’s nothing to apologize for.”

  “I kind of remember saying something I shouldn’t have. Did I?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t know what you truly meant and what you didn’t. The pain medicine had you kind of out of sorts.”

  He was feeling groggier than ever, but he was pretty sure he knew enough to regret hurting her feelings. “Beth, if I said something to hurt your feelings, I truly am sorry.”

  She sighed. “We are in a bad place, you and me. You are hurt.”

  “I’m hurt, but that’s not all that’s going on.”

  “I agree. You are trying to take care of your family. I am, too, I think.” She frowned. “And sometimes when we try to take care of our families, we say and do things we wish we hadn’t.”

  “What have you had to do or say that you regret?”

  “I’ve let my pride interfere with my responsibilities. I should have contacted my mamm by now and told her that I needed more money. But instead of doing that, I’ve been scrimping and saving. And maybe worrying my grandmother too much.”

  “What happened with your mamm? Did she forget that you had bills to pay?”

  “I don’t think so. Maybe it’s more a matter of me and Mommi being out of sight and out of mind. She’s got a new family, now.”

  “I wish you didn’t have to make things better by working here.”

  “You really don’t want me here?”

  That couldn’t be further from the truth. The problem was that he wanted her too much. But he wanted her there on her terms. Mainly, he wanted her to want to be around him, not because she needed a paycheck. “That’s not what I meant.” Though his head was starting to hurt worse, he added, “Beth, it just seems to me that you could use some choices.”

  “I don’t mind being here,” she murmured.

  “Sure?”

  “I’m sure,” she said quietly. “At least for now.”

  chapter eighteen

  Because she was bothered too much by the conversation that had just taken place, the moment Randall started breathing evenly, she made her way down to the kitchen. She was determined to cook away her frustration and troubles.

  If she was going to be steamed about the things that Randall continued to say to her, at least she could be steaming something in the kitchen.

  She was pleasantly surprised that no one was in the kitchen. Before he’d drifted off to sleep, almost everyone had peeked in at Randall to make sure he was doing all right. She had imagined they’d be congregated around the kitchen table for the rest of the afternoon.

  After opening the refrigerator and again feeling grateful that someone had put away the few groceries she’d managed to buy, she pulled out a chicken, some eggs, and a quart of milk. Fried chicken sounded like the perfect meal to make since the house was currently at odds and ends. Even though she had planned to make lasagne, she knew the boys would think fried chicken a treat since the only chicken Randall had ever managed was grilled—and usually overcooked.

  She’d just heated up the oil and had put the first pieces of chicken in the pot when the kitchen door opened and Kaylene scampered in.

  “Hi, Elizabeth! You’re back.”

  After making sure the pot was well out of Kaylene’s reach, Elizabeth turned to her. “I came to help out. My grandmother is here, too. Did you hear about Randall?”

  She nodded earnestly. “Uh-huh. I wanted to come home, but my teacher said I had to wait ’cause there wasn’t nothing I could do.”

 
; “I’m glad she had you wait. All we’ve been doing is watching Randall sleep.”

  “Now what are you doing?”

  “Making fried chicken. Want to help?”

  “Can I go see Randall first?”

  “Nope. We’ve got to let him sleep.”

  Kaylene’s eyes grew wide. “Nothing’s gonna happen to him, is it?”

  “What are you worried about?”

  She bit her lip. “Nothing.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Kaylene said nothing, only looked down at her bare feet.

  Elizabeth looked at the little girl closely. There was a line of worry on her face. Etched clearly there, as clearly as if she was spouting off a whole list of complaints.

  “Come here.” When Kaylene got close, Elizabeth picked her up at the waist and swung her onto the kitchen counter.

  “Lizzie, I’m not supposed to be sitting up here!”

  “Maybe not. But I saw Levi sitting in this same place the other day. As far as I’m concerned, that means you can sit up here, too.”

  She giggled. “You’re funny.”

  “Don’t tell anyone that!”

  “Why not?”

  “Because everyone thinks I’m very serious, you see.” When Kaylene giggled again, Elizabeth smiled. “Do me a favor and stay right there for a few minutes while I finish the chicken. Then I’ll make you a snack and we can talk.”

  “What should I do while you’re cooking?”

  “You can tell me all about your day. How was school?”

  “Okay.”

  “Just okay?”

  She shrugged. “You know I’m not very smart.”

  “I don’t know any such thing. You shouldn’t talk like that.”

  “It’s the truth. I have trouble reading. And I’m not that gut at math, either.”

  Carefully, Elizabeth pulled another two pieces of chicken out of the hot oil. “I thought Miriam was helping you with your reading.”

  “She did. But I still don’t make the best grades. That’s okay, though.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because we all have things we’re gut at. Schooling isn’t what I do best.”

  “What do you do best?”

  “Art. I’m a real good artist.”