Because that’s not how it’s done in my community. Katy kept the comment to herself. Group activities were fine, but pairing up sent a completely different message within the fellowship. Shelby wouldn’t understand how many of the girls from her fellowship became published to be married at ages not much older than Katy. Her own mother was only eighteen when she’d married Dad and twenty-one when Katy was born. For her Old Order Mennonite sect, seventeen meant being finished with school, possessing the skills to be a wife and mother, and being considered mature enough to enter into a marriage relationship.
She said, “It doesn’t work that way for me.”
“Well,” Shelby said in a reasonable tone, “then I guess the best thing to do is let both of them know right now you aren’t interested. Or they’ll be like Caleb — showing up every time you turn around.” Her eyes grew round and she whistled softly. “I can’t believe Bryce just came out on Sunday. And it’s obvious Jonathan wants time with you. But if you really think spending time with either of them will lead to you being pulled away from your dad and your town, then you gotta just tell them …’don’t come around.’”
Katy folded her arms over her chest and huffed again. “That’s easier to talk about than actually do.”
Shelby laughed. “Yeah, I know, but —” The telephone in her pocket started playing a tune. She yanked it out and flipped it open. She looked at the little screen, and a funny smile curved her lips. She clicked the on button and put the phone to her ear. “Hi, Bryce.”
Katy’s heart jumped into her throat. Shelby listened for a moment, her forehead furrowed, and then she grinned. “Yeah, she’s right here.”
Katy waved her hands wildly, shaking her head so hard her ribbons flopped.
But Shelby held the phone out to Katy and whispered, “Here’s your chance — set him straight.”
Katy’s hand trembled as she took the telephone from Shelby and pressed it to her ear. “H-hi, Bryce.”
“Katy …” His familiar voice carried clearly through the line. “Thanks again for supper last night. I know I kind of barged in on you, but it was great to be included.”
Katy swallowed. She wanted to tell him it was great to see him too, but she was afraid the words wouldn’t be completely true. “You’re welcome.”
For several seconds neither of them spoke. Then Bryce’s voice blasted. “Part of the reason I came out yesterday was to ask you about something. But then other people” — somehow Katy knew he meant Jonathan — “were there, and it just didn’t seem right to ask.”
Katy clutched the little phone with both hands. “What’s that?” She wished her voice would sound normal instead of squeaking.
“Well, the youth group at my church is getting together this coming Saturday. We’re doing a sand volleyball tournament at the park. And then I thought we could go get a pizza or something afterward. Just you and me.” The final sentence communicated the purpose of his call. He was asking her on a date.
Katy’s heart set up a wild thudding that made her breath come in little spurts. “Bryce, I …” She gulped, and tears stung behind her nose. She liked Bryce so much.
But as she’d just told Shelby, they came from two different worlds. Praying silently for the right words, she bravely pressed on. “I really appreciate you asking me. And I know I’d have fun. But I think … I think I need to say no.”
Another lengthy silence hung on the line. Then Bryce’s voice again. Soft, and uncertain. “Oh. Well …”
The hurt in his voice pierced Katy. “I’m sorry. It’s just that dating is taken pretty seriously around here. If I went out with you—just you and me, alone — people would think …” Bryce was smart enough to understand without her spelling it all out.
“Yeah. I see what you’re saying.” He still sounded hurt, but at least he wasn’t angry. “I guess it’s not such a great idea after all.”
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be your friend,” Katy blurted. “You—you’re special to me, Bryce. You, and Shelby and Cora and Trisha … I don’t know what I’d do without you at school.” She caught Shelby’s eye, and Shelby gave an encouraging nod. Katy continued. “Even if we don’t … date … we can still talk and — and …”
“And be debate partners?”
Katy smiled, hugging the phone to her cheek. He wasn’t mad, and he wasn’t throwing her friendship aside. “Yes. I’d really like that.”
Another time of silence fell, but this one wasn’t awkward. It felt more like a settling in, of finding a comfortable niche. Katy waited for Bryce to speak again.
“Well, I guess I should let you go then.”
Katy swallowed a lump of sadness. His words held a double meaning, although he probably didn’t realize it. “Yeah …”
“I’ll keep your aunt in my prayers. You and Shelby have fun. I’ll talk to you later.” A little click disconnected the line.
Katy held the phone for a few more seconds, blinking to hold back tears. Tears of both regret and relief. “You okay?” Shelby asked.
Shelby’s sympathetic tone increased Katy’s desire to cry, but she sniffed hard and nodded. She handed the phone back. “I’m okay. I did the right thing.” I just wish doing the right thing didn’t have to be so hard sometimes.
Chapter Eleven
For the remainder of the week, Katy stayed too busy to think much about Bryce or Jonathan. Aunt Rebecca came home from the hospital on Thursday afternoon, but Uncle Albert wouldn’t allow her to step foot out of the house, leaving Katy and Shelby to run the shop alone. Katy didn’t mind — she’d worked summers and Saturdays in the fabric shop since she was thirteen, so she was familiar with the routine, and the last few weeks with Shelby had gone well. But being in charge was very different from following her aunt’s directions. Even though things went smoothly, she still felt exhausted from the weight of responsibility.
Saturday noon she put the CLOSED sign into place and then sank onto the window ledge with a mighty sigh. “Oh, wow, I am sooo looking forward to the weekend!”
Shelby grabbed her crutches and hobbled to Katy. “It should be a quiet one, since you won’t be going to that volleyball tourney with Bryce.”
Guilt pinched the corners of Katy’s heart as she thought about her conversation with Bryce. Although she’d been honest, she still felt very bad. She never enjoyed hurting someone’s feelings, especially when she cared about the person as much as she cared about Bryce.
“Unless, of course, Jonathan makes an appearance at the house.”
Katy turned her head in Shelby’s direction. “Why would he do that? I mean, he only came out last Sunday because I invited him. I don’t think he’d be forward enough to just … well … show up.” She turned her attention to a hangnail on her thumb. “Besides, he’s working for his cousin. Corn harvest is right around the corner — I’m sure Dan Richter will keep Jonathan plenty busy.” Until that moment, she didn’t realize how much she’d missed Jonathan during the week. She pushed away the beginnings of melancholy and asked, “Since we have the afternoon free, what do you want to do?”
Shelby tipped her head. “Should we go by your aunt’s house and give her an update on how things have gone here? I’m sure she’d like to know.”
Katy nodded. “Great idea. Let me do one more check to make sure everything’s in order, and then we’ll go.”
When Katy and Shelby entered the house, they found Aunt Rebecca stretched out on the sofa. Katy released a little gasp. She’d never seen her aunt without a cap covering her hair. But today Aunt Rebecca’s long dark hair, woven with a few silvery strands, hung across the bodice of her cotton robe. She looked years younger. And very fragile and vulnerable. Tears stung the back of Katy’s nose.
Katy sat gingerly on the edge of the sofa. “We just wanted to come by and see if you had any questions … about the shop.” She forced a bright smile. “Things went well, but we missed you.”
Aunt Rebecca offered a tired smile. “It’s nice to be missed. I hope to
be in some next week. I’m still a little worn out from the surgery, but each day I feel stronger. I won’t have another chemo treatment until a week from Monday, so the next few days should be better.”
Shelby hitched to the end of the sofa. “While we’re here, do you need help with anything? Dishes washed? Laundry?”
Katy hadn’t thought about asking the question. She flashed a grin in Shelby’s direction, grateful for her consideration. “Yes. We could —”
“No, no,” Aunt Rebecca said, shaking her head slowly. “The twins are very capable of handling the household chores, and your gramma Ruthie is keeping the boys under control.” She sighed. “They’ve been especially rowdy, but I suppose I can’t blame them. Their world has been disrupted.”
Again, Katy was struck by the change in Aunt Rebecca’s attitude. She’d never been one to tolerate any kind of misbehavior. Yet, as sick as she must feel, she chose to exhibit patience and understanding rather than frustration. Katy squeezed her aunt’s knee through the robe. “Yours has been too.”
Aunt Rebecca chuckled softly then sighed. “I suppose. But it’s given me a chance to slow down and reflect. Sometimes that’s a good thing for a person to do.” Her expression turned pensive.
Katy wasn’t sure how to respond, so she stood. “Well, we’ll get out of your way so you can rest. We’ll see you in service on Sunday?”
Aunt Rebecca shook her head slightly. “I doubt it, Katy. Albert prefers I stay in for a full week after my release from the hospital. So I probably won’t see you again until the middle of next week when I come into the shop … unless you stop by here.”
Katy wondered if her aunt meant to hint she should come by. She smiled. “Maybe we’ll all come by after service Sunday. We can check on you and bring you a special treat. Rosemary always bakes something good on Saturday for Sunday’s dessert, so —”
Aunt Rebecca grimaced. “Nothing rich, please. My stomach …” She pressed both hands to her middle. “It isn’t tolerating food very well right now.”
“All right. Just a visit then. And if you’re not up to it, you can just send us all away.”
Her aunt smiled — a genuine, tender smile. “That’s sweet, Katy. You girls enjoy your time off. Do something fun.”
“We will.” Katy ushered Shelby to the door. “‘Bye now.”
Out under the smoldering sun again, Katy blew out a huge breath. “Wow … Aunt Rebecca isn’t Aunt Rebecca anymore.”
“Yeah, she looks really weak and worn out,” Shelby said.
Katy frowned. “Yes, but that’s not what I meant. There’s something … different.”
Shelby paused beside the cart, balancing on her crutches. “How so?”
Katy glanced toward the house, various images of her aunt playing through her mind — remembrances from the past competing with the present. “She doesn’t act like herself. It’s weird, Shelby.” She helped Shelby climb into the two-wheeled cart as she explained, “All my life, I’ve felt like I needed to be careful about what I said or did around my aunt. She can be so critical and picky. But now …” Katy boosted herself onto the seat and picked up the reins. “She’s actually kind of …” She sought a word.
“Nice?” Shelby contributed.
Katy flicked the reins, and the cart jolted forward. Shelby’s choice was too simplistic, but it worked. “Yes. Nice.” She sent Shelby a sidelong look. “And you’re right about her looking really, really tired. I wonder how long it’ll be before she’s able to take care of the shop again.”
Shelby shrugged. “Cancer isn’t something you just get over in a week or so. She’ll probably be sick for as long as she takes chemo.”
“That’ll be weeks — maybe months,” Katy mused.
Shelby grabbed Katy’s arm. “Katy, what about school? I mean, if she’s still not feeling strong enough to run the fabric store when mid-August arrives and school starts up again, what will you do? Will you find someone else to work in the shop so you can go to school, or will you have to drop out?”
For the first time, Katy realized her aunt’s illness might affect more than just her summer. She gulped. Katy turned to Shelby. “Well, how about —”
“Katy!”
The male voice brought Katy’s comment to an abrupt halt. She turned and spotted Caleb jogging toward her. Pulling on the reins to stop Rocky, she sucked in a breath of fortification, reminding herself she needed to be nice no matter what Caleb wanted.
He caught up to the girls and flashed a freckled smile over both of them. “Hey, you got anything planned for this afternoon?”
Shelby opened her mouth to answer, but Katy cut her off. “Why?”
“A bunch of us are gettin’ together and driving to the bowling alley in Salina.”
Shelby’s eyebrows shot up. “You bowl?”
Katy laughed at Shelby’s surprise. “Yes, the young people often go into Salina to bowl or go roller skating. Those are favorite activities, especially during the winter when there isn’t much else to do.”
Caleb glanced at Shelby’s cast and grimaced. “I guess you wouldn’t be able to actually bowl, but maybe you could cheer us on or something. That is, if you girls wanna join us.”
Katy and Shelby exchanged a look. Katy read the desire in Shelby’s eyes to get away and do something. She said, “Sounds all right. I’ll have to check with Dad first, and he’ll want to know who all is going.”
Caleb rolled his eyes skyward and crunched his face in concentration. He flicked his fingers in the air as he named young people from Schellberg. “Um, lemme see … Annika, Todd, Justin, I think maybe your cousins Lori and Lola if their dad says yes, Jane and Terry, Yvonne — oh.” He made a face. “I s’pose that means her cousin Jonathan’ll go too. She seems to drag him everywhere.”
Katy wanted to smack Caleb for his derisive tone. What was his problem with Jonathan?
Shelby whistled. “Wow, that’s quite a few kids. How are you all getting there?”
Caleb shrugged. “Todd and me both have cars that’ll hold six people if we squeeze three into the front seats.” His grin twitched. “You and Katy could ride with me.”
“I need to check with Dad,” Katy repeated. “If we do go, we’ll drive ourselves and meet you there. You go on ahead.”
“Better hurry. I’ve gotta go pick up my riders right now.”
“What about lunch?” Shelby asked. She rubbed her stomach. “I’m hungry.”
Katy was too. The store had been busy all morning, and the macaroni and cheese casserole Rosemary had promised them for lunch was sounding better by the minute.
“We’re gonna eat at the bowling alley,” Caleb said. “They’ve got that grill where they cook burgers or hot dogs.”
Katy had eaten at the bowling alley before. Caleb might appreciate their food, but she thought everything was greasy and flavorless. “Yuck.”
Caleb shook his head and huffed. “Fine, then eat at home first if you want. Do you think your dad will let you go or not? We need to know whether to wait at the bowling alley for you.”
Katy wished she knew for sure if Jonathan was going. He probably had to work all Saturday afternoon. “I don’t know, Caleb. Like I said, I’ll have to check with my dad. And I’m not sure I want to spend money for bowling …”
Caleb huffed again. “All right, but don’t say you didn’t have the chance to do something fun.” He whirled and charged off toward his car.
Shelby lightly bopped Katy on the leg. “What’s the deal? Other than going to the sundae party at Annika’s, all you’ve done since I got here is work at the fabric shop or hang out at your house. I’ve got some money — I could’ve paid for us to go.” She looked longingly toward Caleb’s car as it rolled out of town. “They could have saved room for us, if you’d said yes.”
Guilt pricked. Although Katy wasn’t keen on spending the afternoon with Caleb, she didn’t want to spoil any potential fun for Shelby. Shelby probably felt stifled, stuck here in Schellberg away from all her other friends. I
f they went to Salina, Shelby could call Trisha and Cora. Maybe they’d come to the bowling alley and play a couple of games too.
“I’m sorry, Shelby,” Katy said, and she meant it. She loosened the reins and urged Rocky forward. “Want me to see if Dad will let me borrow the truck and drive to Salina after lunch? He’s let me take it twice before.”
Shelby’s grin returned. “That’d be great. No offense, but I’m a little stir-crazy. I’m not used to small towns and cows for company. I’d love to just get out and do something.” Then she laughed. “Not that I can do much with this crazy plaster-covered foot. But even doing nothing somewhere else would be kind of nice.”
At lunch, Dad looked uncertain when Katy asked permission to take the truck into Salina, but Rosemary leaned forward and put her hand on his arm. “Now, Samuel, these girls have worked extra hard for the past two weeks. Don’t you think they deserve a little diversion? If you’re reluctant to let Katy use the truck, I’d be willing to give up my car. I won’t need it this afternoon, so it’s fine with me.” Then she added in her typical diplomatic way, “But it’s up to you.”
Katy gave Dad her best pleading look. Driving Rosemary’s car was preferable to driving Dad’s old truck anyway. The car was not only more comfortable, it had an automatic transmission, making it much easier to drive.
Dad worked his jaw back and forth for a few seconds. He fiddled with his fork and pushed some macaroni around his plate. Finally he sighed. “Well, I suppose it’s all right —”
Shelby let out a little squeal, and Katy grinned.
“— if you’re extra careful.” He softened his stern look when he turned to Rosemary. “The bowling alley’s on the edge of town, right off the highway. So she won’t have to do much busy in-town driving.”
Katy cringed. Did Dad have to embarrass her that way? She knew how to drive!
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