by Tricia Goyer
Eight
Each new day can be a door to joys we’ve never known before.
AMISH PROVERB
Noah walked in the back door of his uncle’s cottage to find the three teenage boys sitting at the kitchen table. Each with a large bowl of cereal in front of them, shoveling it into their mouths. When he’d left they’d been eating caramel popcorn—one of the few things his uncle Roy could make—and playing video games. He’d told them this morning to be dressed and ready for work by noon. To his amazement they were.
Their faces were eager as they looked to him, and each of them wore their Amish clothes. In the house the teens wore jeans or basketball shorts and T-shirts. But on the drive down to Pinecraft their driver had given them advice. They’d get more work around Pinecraft if they dressed Amish. No matter if they were all in their rumspringa years.
So before they went out each day they put on the handmade trousers and shirts that their mems had made with care. Not that it helped. It had been two months and they still hadn’t gotten work.
Noah had been fooling himself thinking that his reputation wouldn’t reach them there. Most Amish read The Budget. Most knew of Ray Yoder’s wayward nephew and all the trouble and damage he’d caused. There’d also been plenty of news about the trouble these boys had caused. They’d all traveled far from home, but obviously not far enough.
“Are we still going to tear down that shed today?” Mose asked, setting his spoon on the table. His eyes flashed excitement, and Noah knew he was thankful they were going to make some more money. That’s what Noah had promised, after all—that they’d build their carpentry skills and put some money in their pockets. But sifting through materials at remodeling projects and cleaning out old buildings hadn’t provided that.
Noah shook his head. “I stopped by to check on that, and Mr. Hosteler would like to wait a week. There’s a family in town looking to see if they want to buy the place. Mr. Hosteler figured that an old shed still standing would be less of a problem than his backyard filled with the noise and mess.”
Mose scoffed. “Or most likely that he didn’t want the likes of us hanging around there—giving the place a bad vibe.” He ran his hand through his hair and then balled his fist.
“Now, don’t jump to the wrong conclusions.” Noah tried to stay upbeat. He shrugged like it really didn’t matter, but he’d also had a problem with how the guy handled the situation.
Noah pulled up a chair and sat facing them. His stomach growled, and he knew he should eat lunch, but he didn’t feel like cooking and it looked as if all the cereal was gone. Being a bachelor left him wanting for some good home cooking.
He debated whether to tell the guys more about the warehouse, and from the forlorn looks on their faces decided it was a good idea.
“I have a lead, and I hope it pans out. There’s someone who wants to turn the warehouse behind us into a bakery. I’m meeting with her—this person—in just a little bit to sketch some ideas.”
“Yeah, we were here, remember? We answered the door. She’s pretty. And kind of young.”
“Too young for me? I’m not going to date her if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Too young to wrap herself up with a money hole like that,” Gerald butted in, pointing out the back kitchen window.
“Have you learned nothing I’ve taught you over the last few weeks?” Noah opened the cupboard and scanned the sparse contents. He didn’t feel like Ramen noodles again. He closed the cupboard, deciding ice cream would make the perfect lunch. “People often overlook treasure, thinking it’s trash.”
No one argued then. They’d all been there, hauling away items from the dumpsters. They’d all been amazed what people threw away. An old iron railing had been his best find and had provided enough income to keep these guys fed for a few weeks, which was saying something, considering the amount of groceries they went through.
Gerald rose and gathered up all the dishes, taking them to the sink. “So if you’re off wooing that girl, does that mean we can go back fishing?”
“Yeah!” Atlee chimed in. “We saw a huge fish that someone pulled out last week. It was nearly as tall as him.”
“Sure, but just watch out,” Noah warned. “It’s brackish water and I heard that sometimes sharks make their way up the river.”
Excitement brightened their faces, which was the opposite of what Noah wanted to see. He considered telling the guys again to be careful, but he knew it would do no good. Teen boys were teen boys. At that age he would have been the first to be figuring out how to draw a shark into the area.
Mose, Gerald, and Atlee headed into their room to get their fishing poles, and he smiled at their banter. Noah had been praying that God would make a way for them to stay. He’d been praying for someone to give these guys a second chance. And he was pleasantly surprised to discover that God had sent someone pretty to do that task.
“Lovina.” He let her name play on his lips. It was as pretty a name as any he’d heard.
From the hesitant way that banker was acting it sounded like her ability to get the warehouse would be a long shot, but Noah was determined to help her any way he could. It would help these teens find work. It would help his cash flow, selling items to Sarasota Salvage. More than that, he’d get to spend more time with that pretty Amish lady.
Joy mixed with anxiety over the thought. He’d like to get to know her, it was true. The problem was, he worried about her getting to know him. That’s when things usually fell apart.
The boys joked about sharks as they made their way out, waving a goodbye. It was funny how that worked—how easy it was to be attracted to danger. Would building a friendship with Lovina take him into murky waters? He had a feeling it would.
He needed to keep his mind on business and not her pretty smile. Noah wasn’t worried so much about his heart. It had been broken before. But if he got too close to Lovina she’d discover the truth about him—about them—and that would hinder all he was working for.
A pretty face and a warm smile from a young, bright woman was the same lure to a bachelor as a shark was to daring teens. He knew this. He did. But even as he combed back his hair, preparing to meet Lovina, Noah felt the draw all the same.
Lovina held the bread pan in one hand and knocked on the door with the other. She’d been inside Vera Chupp’s house a few times. They shared a love of baking and had worked together to make a nice meal and dessert for the bishop’s family on his birthday. She tried to remember if Vera had talked about her nephew Thomas before, but nothing stood out in her mind. Like most Amish families Vera had dozens of nephews and nieces. It wasn’t uncommon to have rooms full of guests during season, and Lovina hoped that Thomas didn’t mind Pinecraft being more quiet this time of year.
The sun’s rays warmed her kapp, and she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. With a squeak the door opened. Lovina expected to see Vera standing there. Instead there was a young man. He wore a bright smile, and his teeth were the whitest she’d ever seen. He opened the screen door, and she noticed his Amish clothes were fine. They were handmade, but whoever had made them had been skilled at the sewing machine.
“Hello.” He tilted his head and studied her, as if pleasantly surprised.
“Hello. I’m Lovina, and my mem sent me…I mean, what I’ve come for is to give you this—I mean it’s for your family. My mem heard that Vera had family in town. She—we’re—trying to be neighborly…” She held the bread out to him as an offering. As proof she wasn’t rambling for no reason.
He sniffed the air and his smile brightened, if that was even possible. “That is so kind. Won’t you come in?”
Lovina knew she shouldn’t. She had less than five minutes to make it to Big Olaf’s, but something about the expectant look in the man’s dark eyes made it hard to say no.
“Ja, just for a moment. Is your aunt here?
“No, she and Mem just went for coffee at Sherry’s house. They read her stories in The Budget, and Mem went to
her house and introduced herself yesterday. Mem is always one to make quick friends.”
I see where you get it from, she wanted to add.
Lovina stepped inside. The air conditioning was running on high and a chill traveled down her spine. The simple living room was exactly like she remembered it, except for a guitar leaning in one corner of the room. She eyed the instrument but didn’t say anything. Up north playing musical instruments was discouraged, but in Pinecraft people often gathered to listen to music or to sing together, accompanied by guitars.
Thomas moved in the direction of the kitchen. “Would you like some lemonade?”
She was going to decline, but with eager steps he’d already reached the kitchen. He set the loaf of banana sour cream bread on the counter, and then he opened the refrigerator, taking out the lemonade. She watched as he took two glasses from the open cupboard and realized it was strangely quiet.
Lovina glanced around, wondering if anyone else was in the house, unsure of what to do.
“My dat just went to lie down,” Thomas said, as if reading her thoughts. “He isn’t feeling too good. He’s been sickly lately, which is the reason my parents are considering moving to Pinecraft.”
“Ja, my dat too. It’s the reason we’re here.”
Thomas approached with a glass of lemonade.
“I’m so sorry.” Compassion filled the man’s gaze. “I hope your dat is well. I’m Thomas, by the way. Thomas Chupp.”
“Ja, my Mem told me. And I’m Lovina. Lovina Miller.”
“Aha!” He pointed a finger into the air. “You’re the Pineapple Pie lady.”
“Excuse me?”
“My Aunt Vera told me she was invited to a sewing frolic at her friend’s birthday and she was served Pineapple Pie, and it was the best pie she’d ever eaten. She said it was made by a young lady named Love, and that it was a delightful name.”
Lovina blushed and took a sip of lemonade. “Oh, that’s just a family nickname. When my sister Hope couldn’t say Lovina, she called me Love. Mem and Dat thought it was sweet, having daughters Love and Hope. That hadn’t been the plan. But when they had another daughter they named her Faith—after one of my mom’s sisters who passed—and then they had to keep going.”
“And there are more of you?” He looked at her with large brown eyes full of amusement.
“Five girls in all. Me, Hope, Faith, Joy, and—”
“Let me guess, Peace!” Thomas’s grin added brightness to the small cottage.
Laughter spilled out. “No, Grace. Although if Mem and Dat had more kids Peace, Gentleness, and Longsuffering were options.” She winked.
Laughter bubbled up, and the sound of it made her laugh too. Then she covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m so sorry. I hope I didn’t wake your dat.”
Thomas shook his head. “No. He always takes his hearing aids out before he lies down. He’s a bit older. I’m the youngest son of his second wife, who is quite a bit younger than him. His first wife died of cancer years ago.”
Lovina nodded, feeling the gleefulness of a moment before slip away. “I’m so sorry.”
“Ja, horrible thing, but I do think Pinecraft would be a good move for my parents.”
The clock on the wall chimed, and Lovina startled. “Oh no, I’m so sorry. I have to go.” She handed the glass back to him and moved to the door. “I have to meet a friend.” She smiled. “It was nice meeting you. I hope you enjoy your stay!”
He followed her out onto the porch, still holding two glasses of lemonade in his hands.
“I’ll see you again,” she said as she climbed onto her bicycle.
“I look forward to it.”
The way Thomas said those words made Lovina really feel that he would. And as she pedaled away on her bicycle, she didn’t know what to think. Two handsome bachelors in one day.
Of course just because she’d met two friendly, handsome men didn’t mean anything would come from it. In fact, she was sure nothing would. Instead she needed to set her mind on what she could accomplish.
She’d never fared well with men. She’d never known what to say or do. She’d always felt as if every kind word offered her was given out of duty rather than interest.
But she did know how to make pie.
The sun bore down upon the top of her kapp as she rode toward Big Olaf’s ice cream shop. Nervousness fought with excitement inside her. Would Noah Yoder really be able to help her?
And what about her parents? Would they think it was a good idea?
Mostly, would teaming up with Noah Yoder help or hurt her plans? After remembering how Mem had made no mention of his presence to any of her daughters, Lovina worried that the very help she needed might be the thing to keep her from achieving her dreams.
Pineapple Pie
1 large (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
graham cracker pie crust
nondairy whipped topping for garnish
maraschino cherry halves for garnish
Stir pineapple and pudding together. Fold in sour cream and spread in crust. Top with nondairy whipped topping and cherry halves.
Nine
When faith is most difficult, that is when it is most necessary.
AMISH PROVERB
Lovina parked her bike in the rack next to the picnic tables in front of Big Olaf’s Creamery. The building, she’d heard, used to be the old post office. Now the ice cream shop was up front and Village Pizza was in back. During the season, and on some cooler days during the summer—when people were out—Mike had his pretzel stand near the rear of the building.
The clerk behind the counter greeted Lovina as she entered Big Olaf’s. Noah was sitting at a black garden table in the back of the ice cream shop, and she thought he seemed much too large for the small chair.
The doorbell chimed, stating that a customer had arrived, and Noah looked up. His eyes met hers and a smile lit his face. He stood up as she approached. There was a sketchbook on the table, and she placed her notebook next to it. She was about to ask him if he wanted something to drink or some ice cream when the motion of her notebook caused his pencil to roll off the table to the floor.
“Here, let me get that.” She bent down to retrieve it the same time he did. He moved more quickly, and as his head came back up again it hit her forehead.
“Oh!” the force nearly knocked Lovina off her feet. She staggered backward, but thankfully Noah’s strong arms reached for her. He caught her up, pulling her toward him so she couldn’t topple over.
Lovina’s hands rested against his chest, and she felt the warmth of his skin seeping through his cotton shirt. He smelled of soap and the ocean breeze. His nearness made her even dizzier than the knock to her head.
His breath was warm on her cheek.
“Are you okay?”
“Ja, but I think…I think you’re poking my arm.”
She glanced down and noticed the pencil in his hand poking into her forearm.
He jerked back, and the motion made her sway slightly again. He reached for her with the hand not holding the pencil, but she waved him away. “No, it’s okay. I’m fine. Really.” She touched her kapp and straightened it. “I suppose everyone needs some sense knocked into them now and again.”
“Please, let me get some ice for that.” He pointed to the place where her hairline met her forehead, and she assumed there was going to be a bump.
“I don’t need ice, but I wouldn’t mind ice cream.” She settled into the chair as if nothing big had happened. Then she reached for the small wallet in her pocket.
Noah waved a hand her direction. “No, let me get it. What’s your favorite flavor?”
“Pralines and cream, please.”
“Oh, you’re that type of girl.” He rubbed the top of his head, but she pretended not to notice. “It’s my grandma’s favorite ice cream too. She says it reminds her of simple home pleasures�
�nothing too fancy.”
“Ja, I suppose I am like that…not too fancy.” Simple, plain, unlike my beautiful sisters, she added to herself.
He walked to the ice cream counter, and she couldn’t help but lean forward and take a look at the sketch in his book. There wasn’t much to it. It looked as if he’d made a rough draft of the warehouse layout, including the offices. He’d marked the front half as pie shop and the back half as storage. He’d separated the two by the word kitchen.
Lovina’s stomach tumbled as she read that word, and uneasiness came over her. Even if she could get the building…and even if Noah was willing to do the work in exchange for the items inside…and even if they could put some of those items for use in the shop, there would still be the expense for all the lighting, the tables, and the workstations. And then there was the cost of the kitchen. Lovina bit her lip and pushed the sketchbook back from her.
Why am I doing this? Why am I wasting our time?
She felt her kapp and straightened it, wondering what to do and what to say as Noah approached. He handed her a large, double scoop ice cream cone, and laughter burst from her lips.
“That’s for me?” She shook her head. “I’ll never be able to eat it all.”
He looked at her in disbelief. “It’s ice cream.”
“Ja, but it’s a lot of ice cream.”
“Here, hold this for a second.” He handed her his cone, which looked to be one scoop of mint chip and one of cookies and cream, and then walked off with hers.
She turned and watched as Noah handed the cone back to the man behind the counter, saying something. A moment later the man handed back a much smaller cone and a small cup, filled with the ice cream he’d taken off the top. Noah returned and sat, handing her the cone in exchange for his. “That’s much better,” she said. “But what are you going to do with the extra?”
Noah shrugged and looked at her as if he wondered if she really needed an answer. “I’m going to eat it.”