It was amazing how quickly the change had taken place . . . though maybe not.
Another two weeks had gone by but, as far as Jay was concerned, it might as well have been two hours. He was slowly discovering that planning a wedding took far more work for the father of the groom than he’d originally thought.
It was also far more nerve-wracking than he’d imagined it would be.
When he and Evelyn had gotten married, he’d been filled with the surety that what they were doing was the right thing. He’d been eager to have Evelyn by his side for the rest of his life. To be honest, he’d been looking forward to a lot of things about being married.
Now, as the groom’s father, though he rejoiced in his son’s happiness, he couldn’t help but worry about Ben and Tricia. A dozen questions continually floated through his mind: Were they too young? Had they known each other long enough? Were they compatible enough to withstand the hundreds of little adjustments that came with married life? Had they considered those pesky things called patience and compromise?
Jay simply wasn’t sure.
Though he was relieved that they’d visited with the bishop and the preachers several times. Jay figured if the leaders of their church hadn’t insisted that they wait longer to speak their vows, then their discussions must have been going well.
He had also been delighted to discover that he had much in common with Edward and Kathleen Overholt. He’d found Tricia’s parents to be faithful, kind to their daughter, and a lot of fun, too.
After that first awkward hour, which had involved several minutes of cautious conversation, they’d settled in and ended up having a good time. They had enjoyed the following two evenings as well when they’d begun playing Rook, which had allowed the two families to spend time together without fumbling for conversation. Little by little, Tricia had come out of her shell and Ben had gained his confidence. It soon became obvious that the young couple knew what they were doing.
The night before Edward and Kathleen were to leave, Beverly had invited everyone over to the inn for supper. She’d made a beautiful buffet and served it outside on her back patio. She and Tricia had even strung up white lights around the porch.
It was an evening of fun and laughter. The food had been delicious, but spending time with family and friends had been even better. He’d especially enjoyed watching his eldest fuss over Tricia and become friends with her parents. He’d also liked watching Beverly and her brother. She’d seemed to relish the family time even more than Ben and Tricia.
Now, the wedding preparations were in full swing and just this week Jay had opened the market full-time. Life was busy and full and rich with new experiences—including the knowledge that it had been a very good decision to follow the Lord’s plan and relocate to Sarasota.
The only area he wasn’t sure about was his relationship with Emma. He liked her—he liked her a lot—but he also knew that being “in like” wasn’t enough to build a relationship.
Furthermore, she seemed to be having some of the same misgivings. She’d canceled the last date they’d planned, citing that she needed to be home with the girls. Perhaps that was true. But he also wondered if there was more to it. Which was why he’d told Ben that he would be the one to get William from Emma’s house that afternoon. He wanted to spend some time with Emma and gauge how she was feeling about him.
They were all in the backyard when he arrived, and Frankie alerted the girls to his approach with a happy howl.
“Who’s here, Frankie?” Mandy asked. Then, when she spied Jay, she opened the gate and rushed to him.
“Mandy, don’t leave the backyard!” Emma cried.
“I’m not leaving. I’m lettin’ Jay in,” she called back, then looked up at him happily. “Hiya, Jay.”
Jay knelt down to give Mandy a little hug. “Hello, Miss Mandy. How are you?”
She giggled. “I’m gut. We went on a walk today at school.”
“That sounds like fun. Where did you go?”
“To Yoder’s. A lady there showed us how they make pies.” Her pretty smile turned into a bright, blinding grin. “And guess what?”
“What?” he asked, unable to keep from mirroring her excited expression.
“We got to have pie, too!”
“That sounds mighty special,” he said as he led her into the backyard. “What kind of pie did you have?”
“Peach.”
“Yum.”
“Uh-huh.” She smiled again. “It was yummy.” Then she let go of his hand and ran to where William and Lena were climbing on Emma’s small jungle gym.
And that, Jay decided, was the difference between little girls and boys: His boys would have simply shared that they’d had pie at school and been done with it. But for little girls like Mandy? A walk to Yoder’s, followed by a slice of peach pie?
It was very big news, indeed.
Spying Emma kneeling next to Annie on the ground he walked over to say hello. “What’s going on here?” he asked as he noticed they were both peering into a plastic sand pail.
“We found a frog, Jay,” Annie said. “I’m going to keep him forever.”
After peeking at the little green frog sitting rather forlornly at the bottom of the pail, he teased, “Is that right? Are you hoping he will turn into a prince?”
“Nee. I just want him to be a frog. He likes being a frog, I think.” She looked so intent and serious and sweet that it took everything he had not to press his lips to her brow. Each time he was around Lena, Mandy, and Annie, it seemed that they let him into their hearts just a little bit more. And as they became more comfortable with him, he felt more comfortable reaching out to each of them.
When he turned to Emma, her expression was soft . . . and a touch guarded. He was glad he’d decided to stop by.
“What brings you here this afternoon?” she asked.
He knew he needed to be as honest and direct as possible. “I wanted to get William, but I also wanted to see you, too. I think we need to talk, Emma.”
“Now isn’t a good time.”
He knew she was hoping he’d nod and retreat, but he was pretty sure that giving her more time was not the answer. “How about in five minutes then?”
“Five?”
“Come on, Emma. Don’t make me beg.”
Her eyes widened in that cute way he had come to realize was a mixture of happiness and shyness. He found it endearing that a woman like her, who’d had a rich married life and three daughters, could still be as sweetly shy as she was.
“All right. We’ll talk. Annie, dear, go play with your sisters for a few minutes, ’kay? I need to visit with Mr. Jay for a minute.”
“Okay, Mommy,” she said as she trotted off to Mandy’s side.
Jay smiled at Annie’s retreating back. “She listened to you right away. That’s impressive.”
Emma chuckled. “It doesn’t happen all that often, though my Annie is the most agreeable of my girls.” She looked as if she was about to add something more about her daughters, but she swallowed instead. “So . . .”
“So, I wanted to make sure I hadn’t done anything to upset you the last time we went out.”
“You mean when we went out for ice cream?”
He nodded. Because it had been a school night, he and Emma had simply gone for a walk to Olaf’s for ice cream while Tricia and Ben watched the girls. Mark had stayed back at the farm with William. Ever since he’d said good night to her, Jay had been replaying everything they’d done and said, but no offenses came to mind.
“You haven’t seemed as open the last couple of times we’ve talked,” he said. “I may be overthinking things, but I wanted to hear what you had to say.”
After glancing at the children again, she nodded. “You’re right. I’ve been having second thoughts about us.”
Her explanation was surprisingly painful to hear. “What did I do?”
“Oh, goodness, Jay. It isn’t you. It’s me. I, well, I’ve been worried that maybe we’ve been rus
hing into things.”
“I see.” Of course, he really didn’t. Though he had been honest about his feelings toward her, Jay had made a concerted effort not to push Emma. He’d been careful not to talk about the future. He certainly hadn’t done anything more than hold her hand.
“I had another conversation with my mother,” she added. “She reminded me that I might be asking for too much.”
“What were you asking for?”
She shrugged but didn’t meet his eyes. “You know. To have another relationship.”
“Emma, surely you don’t imagine that the Lord wants you to live the rest of your life as a widow?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think He wants you to be alone? I thought all of us being together made you happy.”
She blinked. “It did. I mean, it does.”
“Then why isn’t that enough? Why can’t we simply be happy for now . . . and let the future take care of itself?”
“Do you think that is possible?”
He nodded. “Isn’t that what happens anyway? I was happy with Evelyn and you were happy with Sanford. But they both got sick. How would you feel if you had spent all your time with Sanford doubting yourself or wondering if you deserved your time with him?”
“I would regret it.”
“I’m going to regret it if you give up on us,” he admitted. “Please don’t give up on us yet.”
She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. Then, at last, she nodded. “All right, Jay. You win. I won’t give up on us.”
Only then did he release the lungful of air he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding.
Chapter 23
The next afternoon, Emma was sitting outside in the backyard with the kids when Jay came over again. The kinner reacted to his arrival much like they had the day before. Lena and William looked pleased to see him but tried hard to act far too old to get excited. Annie and Mandy, on the other hand, rushed to him with outstretched arms. Jay got down on one knee and gently hugged each of them. And then gave Frankie a pat, too. Only after the girls went back to the tent they were making out of an old sheet did he walk to Emma’s side.
“Hi.”
“Hi, Jay. It’s nice to see you two days in a row.”
He grinned. “Ben and Mark have been teasing me, saying I’m smitten.”
“Are you?”
He winked. “Maybe.”
And just like that, her heart started beating a little bit quicker.
He took a seat next to her at the picnic table. “Do you have plans for supper?”
“Nothing too special. The girls and I were going to have soup and sandwiches.”
“Then, would you consider going out for pizza?”
“All of us?” a small voice said.
“Of course.” When he turned and saw that Annie had just walked up to them and had heard, he tapped her nose with his finger. “I couldn’t get a pepperoni pizza without Annie, could I?”
“I like pizza,” she said. “My frog does, too.”
“Everyone likes pizza. Well, except for frogs. I doubt they care for it.”
Annie frowned. “You don’t think?”
“I think he’d rather have a fly or something, dear.” While Annie stewed on that, he raised his gaze, meeting Emma’s eyes again. “So, what do you say? Will you and your girls join William and me?”
“Say yes, Mamm,” Annie coaxed.
Smiling at her daughter, she nodded. “I would like that. Danke.”
After Annie went to go tell the others, she asked, “Do you want to go right now?”
Jay and Emma looked around the yard. William was playing with Lena, Mandy was tossing a tennis ball with a happy beagle, and little Annie was now sitting at the picnic table with her frog. It was a nothing-special kind of day.
It was exactly the kind of day she’d used to take for granted.
“Do you mind if we wait a little bit?” he asked. I would like to simply sit right here.”
She pointed to the bucket with Annie’s frog in it. “You don’t mind sitting here, keeping company with a frog?”
“I would be content to sit with you all afternoon. And four kinner, and a beagle, and a frog.” He shifted, waving a hand in the air. “The kinner aren’t arguing, the sky is clear, the day is warm. I can’t think of any place I’d rather be.”
“I agree with you, Jay. Days like this are special. Too special to take for granted.”
Ten minutes later, Annie asked, “Jay, what should we name my frog?”
“How about instead of naming him, we let him go?”
She frowned. “But I don’t want to.”
“That’s your decision, but he looks kind of lonely, don’tcha think? He would probably rather be with his frog friends.”
Annie stared hard at the frog, then at the grass, then at last at Jay. Then, with a sigh, she held out her hand. “Will you help me put him back?”
“Yep.” Over her head, he caught Emma’s smile. “Don’t move, Em. I’ll be right back.”
As she watched Jay walk with Annie’s hand nestled in his, Emma thought that this was not simply a good day.
It was the best day she’d had in a very long while.
A FEW HOURS LATER, Emma was sure her girls had never been so spoiled. Jay’s pockets seemed to be filled to the brim. There was no other explanation for the bounty of food he’d ordered for the six of them.
He’d ordered not one but three pizzas. Three! Then he’d ordered Em some Stixs—Village Pizza’s famous breadsticks. And soda!
“The kinner are not going to be able to eat all of this,” she exclaimed, staring at the plain cheese pizza, the Pinecrafter, and the Veggie Delight all sitting in front of them. “I hate to see you waste your money on so much food.”
He laughed. “It’s not a waste if they enjoy it. Plus, you forget I’ve got Ben and Mark. They’ll think they’ve died and gone to heaven when they forage in the refrigerator later tonight.”
“I suspect boys are always hungry.”
“Always!” William chirped.
“See?” Jay asked. “Now, let us pray and then eat.”
Automatically, they bent their heads in silent prayer. Emma gave thanks for the bounty of food, the hands that made it, and her new relationship with Jay and his sons. After everyone raised their heads, Emma and Jay handed out paper plates and plastic utensils. And napkins! Lots and lots of napkins.
Finally, Emma took a slice of veggie pizza for herself, neatly cutting a piece with her fork and knife and savoring her first bite. “It is wonderful.”
“It is,” he said, amused.
“What are you smiling about?” She grabbed a napkin and pressed it to her lips. “Do I have pizza sauce on me?”
“Nee. I was simply thinking how cute it is that you eat a pizza with a fork and knife.”
“It’s neater that way.”
“I’m sure it is,” he agreed, just as he folded his pizza in half and took a generous bite.
She laughed. “It would serve you right if pizza sauce spilled on your shirt.”
“Since I do the laundry at my haus, I guess I’ll have to deal with my mistake.”
She laughed, enjoying the silly conversation about nothing important. Then froze.
Because right there, walking toward them from the post office, were Sanford’s parents, Rachel and Samuel. And they were staring at her with pained expressions.
Immediately, her hands began sweating.
Jay noticed her discomfort. “What’s wrong, Emma?”
She shook her head, not trusting herself to try to explain. Instead, she did what she knew was the right thing and stood up. “Hello, Rachel. Good evening, Samuel.”
A little bit of the worry eased from Rachel’s expression, though it was evident that she was uncomfortable. “Hello, Emma.”
“Grandmommi! Dawdi! Hi!” Lena said as she hopped up and ran over to them. Mandy and Annie followed.
As William watched them curious
ly, Jay got to his feet as well. “I’m guessing these are Sanford’s parents?” he asked Emma quietly.
“Jah.” She swallowed. “They are nice folk.”
“I’m sure they are.” He gave her a smile before introducing himself. “Hi, I’m Jay Hilty.”
Sanford’s parents had always been gracious. Right away Samuel shook hands with him and introduced Rachel. Then Jay found a way to usher the girls back to their places at the table, introduce Sanford’s parents to William, and then, to Emma’s bemusement, invite Rachel and Samuel to join them!
In the midst of all that, he’d somehow made it obvious that he was important to Emma . . . and that he would not appreciate them being distant or rude to her, especially not in front of her girls.
Though they politely declined his offer to join them for supper, Rachel and Samuel did linger. After eyeing the children all together, Rachel said awkwardly, “Emma’s mother told us that she and the girls had been spending time with another family. I’m, uh, glad to know you . . .”
“I’m pleased to know you, too.” Jay smiled. “Since we each have three kinner, we sometimes tease each other that we have too much in common not to be friends, though of course, our losses are not something we wish others would share.”
Samuel exchanged a glance with Rachel who then smiled awkwardly. “I imagine not.”
Emma noticed that Samuel was obviously waiting to help Rachel if the conversation became too much. Then, to her surprise, she realized that Jay was doing much the same thing for her. He, too, was being protective. Unable to help herself, she lifted her chin and shared a smile with him.
He squeezed her shoulder as he said, “I know this is hard, but I really would like us all to be friends. Emma has told me how much you both mean to her and the girls.”
Rachel’s lips parted slightly. “You still want to know us, Emma?”
A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn Page 19