An Amish Picnic

by Amy Clipston

  “It’s nothing.” Phoebe looked at her father, but she could tell Kevin’s eyes were focused on her. Her nerve endings pricked under his gaze.

  “No, it was great.” Christiana gestured with her hands as she spoke. “We were talking about how customers ask for certain kuchen for birthdays or anniversaries. Phoebe suggested I start a sign-up sheet for custom kuchen. If I got the orders about a week or so in advance, I would have plenty of time to bake them. I could even personalize them with icing. This would really help the business, especially when we’re waiting for the tourist season to start up.”

  Christiana looped her arm around Phoebe’s shoulders. Usually Phoebe didn’t mind, but today she wondered what her sister was up to.

  “It’s really a wunderbaar idea,” Christiana said. “I was a little concerned about making booth rent during slow times, but this could fill in the gaps and make us more of a community destination. My little schweschder is a genius.”

  Phoebe bit her lower lip and shrugged. “Not really.”

  “I think that sounds fantastic,” Dat said.

  Phoebe allowed her gaze to move to Kevin’s, and she found his eyebrow raised as he grinned at her. He seemed . . . impressed? But why would he care about her sister’s bake shop—or any idea that came from her?

  “Well, we’d better get going,” Dat said. “Our new job site is a little bit of a drive, but I’m glad the market was on our way.”

  “Wait.” Christiana stepped to one of the shelves and picked up a box with two apple fritters inside. “You have to try these, Kevin. They’ll go great with your kaffi.”

  Kevin pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “How much?”

  “Stop.” Christiana waved off his offer and handed him the treat. “Just enjoy them.”

  “Danki.” Kevin took the box.

  “Gern gschehne.” Christiana glanced at Phoebe, and her sister’s devious-looking smile sent a tremor of worry through her. “Are you busy on Sunday afternoon, Kevin?”

  Phoebe held her breath. What was her sister doing now?

  “I’m not sure. Why?” Kevin’s gaze bounced between Phoebe and Christiana.

  “Phoebe’s youth group is going to a park to play volleyball. It should be a lot of fun, and the weather is supposed to be perfect. They’d love to have you.” Then she shared all the information he’d need.

  Phoebe rubbed her temple as irritation throbbed like a bad headache. Why did Christiana have to embarrass her like this?

  “I’ll see if I can make it. Danki again for the apple fritters.” His eyes moved to Phoebe once again. “It was gut to see you.”

  “You too.” Phoebe said good-bye to her father and then rested her hands on her hips as she watched the two men leave. Once they were gone, she spun to face her sister. “Why did you invite Kevin to the youth gathering? Why can’t you just mind your own business instead of meddling in mine?”

  “Whoa!” Christiana held up her hands. “I was just trying to help.”

  “Don’t do me any favors.” Phoebe moved to the desk in the back of the booth. She stepped behind it and began arranging paperwork to keep her hands busy.

  Christiana had followed, but Phoebe wouldn’t look at her.

  “I’m sorry,” her sister said. “But you’ve been moping around for two weeks, ever since Kevin had supper at our haus. I thought I might be able to encourage him to get to know you better, at least in a group. I hate seeing you so bedauerlich.”

  Phoebe blew out a deep sigh, and then she took in her sister’s caring expression. “I know you’re trying to help, but he doesn’t like me. If he did, he wouldn’t have stayed away ever since that supper.”

  “I disagree. Just wait. He’ll show up on Sunday, and everything will be fine. He’s had two weeks to miss you.”

  “I don’t think he’s missed me at all.”

  “I think he has. I saw the way he looked at you just now. You shouldn’t give up on him so easily. Jeff and I struggled in the beginning, but now we’re going strong. If relationships were easy, we wouldn’t appreciate them as much.”

  “That’s where you’re still wrong.” Phoebe gestured widely as frustration simmered in her veins. “I’m tired of trying to figure out what I did or said wrong with Kevin. I deserve someone who wants to hang out with mei freinden and me and jumps at the opportunity to do so. Kevin’s acting wishy-washy, and he keeps sending mixed signals. Sometimes he’s grinning at me or winking or thanking me for something, and other times . . . nothing. So please stop pressuring me to try to make it work with someone who does that.”

  Her sister blinked and then nodded. “Okay.” Then she turned toward the entrance of the booth as another customer entered. “Good morning! Welcome to the Bake Shop.”

  As Phoebe stepped from behind the desk, she wondered if Kevin might show up on Sunday. She still doubted it. But even if he did, she’d have to shield her heart from him unless he indicated any interest in developing a relationship with her.

  * * *

  Kevin moaned his appreciation for the delicious apple fritter as he sat in the back seat of the pickup behind Freeman. Christiana had been right; apple fritter was the perfect companion to Bethany’s delicious coffee.

  He smiled as his thoughts moved to Phoebe. He’d seen a different side of her today. She looked professional as she interacted with customers, and he’d been impressed by the way she contributed to the business with her idea for making Christiana’s bake stand more profitable. Maybe he really had misjudged her. Maybe she was more mature than he’d assumed after what he’d seen at the picnic.

  Phoebe had also looked so pretty today in a pink dress and black apron. He’d thought about her for the past two weeks, wondering how she was and if she’d stop by the job site again. As the days wore on, he realized he even missed her, but finding a way to see her was not the plan!

  Then today his heart seemed to jolt a little when he saw her. Still, he couldn’t tell if she’d been happy to see him. She’d barely spoken to him. She’d also seemed mortified when Christiana suggested he go to another youth group gathering—an odd invitation coming from her sister.

  Maybe he’d been way off base to think Phoebe might want to be more than friends.

  “Are you interested in my Phoebe?”

  Kevin was startled by the question. He looked up and found Freeman had turned around to face him. Had the man read his thoughts? “Why would you ask that?”

  “I just have a feeling, just like I did the night you ate supper at our haus.” Freeman seemed to study him. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you staring at her or that you seemed to want to talk to her alone before you went home. And I could tell you were happy to see her today. Just remember, she’s young. I know she invited you to her youth group, but I wouldn’t want you to break her heart. If you aren’t interested in a girlfriend right now, in exploring a future with Phoebe, I’d prefer you stay away from her. Do you understand what I mean?”

  “I understand. I don’t want to jeopardize your trust. I respect you too much, Freeman.”

  “Gut.” His boss gave him a curt nod and turned around.

  Freeman began talking to their driver, and Kevin stared out his window. Freeman was right when he said he shouldn’t show interest in Phoebe if he wasn’t ready for a future with someone. How could he even consider marriage when he was still trying to establish the career he wanted and finance a home?

  It was for the best if Phoebe wasn’t interested in their getting to know each other after all.

  * * *

  The following afternoon, Kevin pushed a shopping cart down a Lancaster Hardware aisle in search of chicken feed. Dathan had given him a list for this run to the store, and Kevin was grateful Ben Zook had stopped by and offered to ride along with him. They were best friends.

  “I’m glad my tip worked out,” Ben said as he followed him. “You seem a lot happier since you started working your new job.”

  “I think I’m a lot more satisfied with my work.” Kevin foun
d a large bag of feed and dropped it into the cart, followed by a second bag. “I feel as if I finally have something of my own.”

  “Is Dathan really okay with your working for Freeman?” Ben leaned on the cart handle.

  “Why wouldn’t he be?” Kevin turned to face him.

  “I don’t know. I was worried he might want you to help him at the farm no matter what he said.”

  “He did want me to stay, but he understands that I need to have my own life, to not be chained to the farm. He hired a farmhand to help him until Tommy gets older.”

  “Gut.”

  “Kevin?”

  Kevin turned and found Ray, Phoebe’s friend from her youth group, walking toward him. “Ray. Wie geht’s?” He shook Ray’s hand and then made a sweeping gesture toward Ben. “Ray Fisher, this is Ben Zook.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Ray said as Ben shook his hand.

  “How have you been?” Kevin asked. He wasn’t just being polite. He still wondered about that unplanned plunge Ray had taken into the lake.

  “Great. It’s been super busy at mei dat’s construction firm. We’re working on a huge haus in Strasburg.”

  “That’s great. Hey, were you okay when you left the lake that day I was out there with Phoebe?”

  “Ya. Why?” Ray’s brow knitted.

  “I saw Phoebe push you into the water. You came up sputtering and acted like you were okay, but I thought maybe you got hurt.”

  Ray chuckled. “Are you serious? One reason that swimming hole is the best place for diving is that there’s nothing to hit on the way down. And it’s plenty deep. Besides, Phoebe knows I’m an excellent swimmer. She was just joking around. We were having fun.”

  Kevin paused. Had he overreacted that day?

  Ray smiled. “Did you really think I was hurt?”

  Kevin swallowed as he contemplated what to say.

  “You should join us tomorrow,” Ray said, thankfully changing the subject. “We’re going to a park to play volleyball.” He looked at Ben. “You both should come.” Then he gave them directions and told them about what time to be there.

  “I already have plans tomorrow,” Ben said. “But danki.”

  “Okay.” He turned back to Kevin. “It was great seeing you again. Hopefully, I’ll see you tomorrow too.” Ray gave them a wave and then headed down the aisle.

  Kevin considered Ray’s invitation as he gathered the rest of the items on the list and then paid for them before he and Ben loaded everything into his buggy.

  “Tell me the story about Ray and the swimming hole—and Phoebe,” Ben said as Kevin guided the horse toward his house. “You haven’t told me about any Phoebe.”

  “I haven’t had that much to tell.” He’d also had a feeling Ben would have the same advice Dathan had, and he didn’t want to get into it. But he’d have to tell him the whole story now. At least he could do it on the way home and get it over with.

  When Kevin was finished, he said, “Phoebe is sweet and all, but she just seemed as immature as her freinden that day. They even had a food fight at the picnic table.”

  “And that’s why you don’t want to go back to her youth group?”

  “From your tone, it sounds like you disagree with me.”

  “I don’t think that’s a reason to avoid meeting new freinden.” Ben seemed to be looking into his soul. “Does any of this have to do with what happened between you and Mary? You stopped coming to our youth group after you broke up with her—even though she’s in a whole different district from ours—and I’ve never really understood why.”

  Kevin swallowed a groan at the mention of his ex-girlfriend’s name. “You know she was pressuring me to get engaged. She didn’t understand that I wanted my own career and haus first. After that, I just didn’t see any point in going to gatherings—especially if anyone was going to pressure me to pair up with someone.”

  “But you need to get out more. You can have a little fun, you know.”

  “You do sound like mei bruder,” Kevin grumbled.

  “I do? Well, that’s because he’s right. You should go tomorrow. From what you’ve told me, all you do is work, work, work. You don’t have to be looking for a girlfriend to enjoy yourself.”

  Maybe Ben and Dathan were right. Maybe he should take this opportunity to have some fun and give Phoebe’s friends another chance.

  “Why don’t you come with me?” Kevin gave Ben a sideways glance.

  “I promised my parents I would go to mei daadi’s haus tomorrow, but you’ll be okay. You’re a big bu, and Ray will be there if you get scared.” Ben gave Kevin’s arm a playful punch.

  “Ha-ha.” Kevin rolled his eyes at his friend’s teasing.

  “Seriously, you should go. It sounds like fun.”

  “Maybe I will.”

  What made Kevin smile, though, was the thought of seeing Phoebe again. He’d just have to make sure they were only friends, no matter how attracted he was to her.

  But he couldn’t be sure she’d be happy to see him.

  Chapter 5

  Sitting on her large quilt, Phoebe leaned back on her palms, and then she heaved a heavy sigh as she looked at the three makeshift volleyball courts. Members of her youth group had broken up into teams, and the others laughed and cheered for the players.

  “So, Pheebs,” Suzanna began, again calling her by her childhood nickname as she sat across from her, “are you going to tell me what’s wrong? Or should I try to guess?”

  “What makes you think something is wrong?” Phoebe asked. It was a lost cause to fib to her best friend, but she’d give it a try anyway.

  “Let’s see.” Suzanna rubbed her chin and then pointed at her. “You’re frowning on this glorious day the Lord has given us with our freinden.” She gestured around the park. “The sun is shining, and we’re healthy. But you look like someone just told you they’ve canceled your birthday party. Also, it’s obvious you’d rather be somewhere else. Why is that?”

  Phoebe sat up and brushed a few blades of grass off her black apron. “It’s not that. I’d rather be here than at home.”

  “Please tell me what’s bothering you. I don’t like seeing you this way.”

  “I just have a lot on my mind.” Phoebe looked out toward the volleyball games again, trying to focus on her friends instead of the disappointment that whipped through her.

  “Go ahead.” Suzanna crossed her legs and scooted closer before resting her chin on her palm. “I’m listening.”

  Phoebe looked at her best friend’s eager smile and couldn’t stifle a laugh. “You’re never subtle.”

  “You’ve known that since we were seven.” Suzanna tilted her head. “Come on. I’m worried about you. Let me know how I can help.”

  “I don’t think you can help. I’m just bedauerlich. Jeff came for supper last night, and I was watching him with Christiana. They’re so froh together. I’m not jealous. I’m happy for her. Honestly, I wish her the best. I just keep wondering when I’ll meet someone. Someone who will love me and want a future with me.”

  “I promise you will—in God’s time. You just have to be patient.” Suzanna’s smile was warm.

  “I know, but what if I missed my time?”

  Suzanna’s brow pinched. “What do you mean?”

  Phoebe pulled at a blade of grass as her thoughts turned to her brief encounter with Kevin at her sister’s market booth. “I’ve tried so hard not to, but I keep wondering what I did wrong with Kevin. He seemed to like me when I first met him, but now I’m exhausted by his mixed signals. I know if he doesn’t like me, I should move on. But I’m, well, confused. I can’t stop thinking about him, and my thoughts and feelings are a jumbled mess.”

  Phoebe looked up, expecting Suzanna to lecture her about letting go of her worry and giving it to God. But instead, Suzanna glanced behind Phoebe, and then her lips turned up in a smile.

  “Why are you grinning?” Phoebe asked.

  “I think you’re going to be really froh in about ten seco
nds.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Phoebe,” a familiar voice said behind her.

  Phoebe looked up and then gasped when she found Kevin looking down at her. Was that a sheepish smile?

  “Kevin?” Her throat dried. He’d accepted Christiana’s invitation to come today. She could hardly believe it.

  “Hi.” He glanced at Suzanna and nodded. “Hi, Suzanna.”

  “Hi, Kevin. How nice to see you again.” Suzanna’s grin widened as she divided a look between Phoebe and him.

  “I didn’t think you were coming today.” Phoebe studied his eyes, looking for any signs of irritation or disappointment, but he seemed happy to be there. What changed?

  “Kevin!” Ray jogged over and shook Kevin’s hand. “It’s gut to see you. I’m glad you could make it. You didn’t seem sure you could when we talked yesterday.”

  “I was able to make it work. Danki for inviting me.”

  Phoebe’s heart sank as she looked up at the two men. Kevin had come at Ray’s invitation—not Christiana’s. His presence had nothing to do with her.

  “Ray!” a young man standing on one of the volleyball courts called. “Are you going to serve the ball? Or stand there and talk?”

  Ray spun around and held up his hand. “I’ll be right there, Phil.” Then he turned back to Kevin. “I need to go, but we’ll talk later. Join us when you’re ready.”

  “Sounds gut.” When Ray left, Kevin pointed to the quilt. “May I sit here?”

  “Ya, of course.” Phoebe sat up and brushed her hands down her apron as renewed excitement buzzed through her. Maybe Kevin did want to talk to her.

  She glanced at Suzanna, who smiled as she stood. “I’m going to see if I can join a volleyball team. I’ll talk to you two later.” Then she winked at Phoebe before heading off.

  As Kevin sank toward the quilt, she pulled her picnic basket over between them. She opened it and began pulling out snacks. “Are you hungry? I have lunchmeat, bread, macaroni salad, crackers, cheese, pretzels, potato chips, kichlin, and popcorn.”

  His eyes widened as he grinned. “Wow. You sure know how to pack a picnic basket.”