“Jah, but you also help create something other people enjoy.”
He chuckled. “I never thought of corn like that.”
“You should.”
“I will, then. Anyway, your job sounds interesting. In her letters, Sherilyn told me about her nursery school job. I have to say I don’t know how she does it. Watching all those kinner sounds chaotic and crazy. She must have the patience of a saint.”
“She is patient. Well, with kinner.”
Graham’s gaze settled on her again, this time almost a bit uncomfortably long.
Sharon might have been imagining things, but she was beginning to get the feeling he wanted to talk to her about something but was trying to figure out the best way to do it.
She decided to put him out of his misery. “Did you want to talk about something special?”
“What? Nee.” He looked away.
“Oh.” She was disappointed. He was obviously lying. But then he looked at her again, this time a little sheepishly.
“Sharon, I’m sorry. Something has been on my mind, but nee matter how I try, I can’t think of an un-awkward way to say it.”
“Un-awkward, hmm? Well, now you have to tell me. You’ve got my curiosity piqued.”
“All right. Do you . . . do you ever wonder why some things happen the way they do?”
“You’re still being awfully vague there, Graham.”
“I guess I can’t help but wonder why it was Sherilyn and me who started writing to each other.”
It was as if he’d read her mind. Her secret, most selfish thoughts. And that stung. Both because he was asking and because there wasn’t anything she could say without hurting her little sister’s feelings. “Does it matter?” she asked lightly.
“Nee. I mean, I guess it doesn’t. I was just thinking about how strange it is the way things worked out.”
“I can only imagine you encouraged Sherry to keep writing to you. Didn’t you?” She was sure she was red-faced by now, but she had to know.
He opened his mouth, looked around in frustration, then signaled her to come with him. She hesitantly followed him through the groups of people and out the front door. Luckily, the rest of their friends had been in deep conversation or sorting through travel brochures. They hadn’t seemed to notice them leaving.
When they were standing on the wide covered porch, Sharon said, “This is nice out here.”
He leaned against the railing. “I’m sorry I brought any of this up.”
“You didn’t. I asked what was on your mind, remember?”
He looked relieved. “This is true. Anyway, you were right. It doesn’t really matter how things worked out. The Lord is in charge, after all.”
She was all for believing in the Lord guiding her life, but she couldn’t help but think Graham was making a bit of a stretch. “The Lord?”
“Jah. I mean, it could have so easily been maybe Carla and Matthew writing. Or if you’d met him, Toby and you.” He swallowed. “Even you and me. But instead it was Sherry and me.”
Now that she understood where he was coming from, Sharon relaxed. “I see what you mean now. But you have to know Sherry. She’s a super letter writer. She writes to everyone. And, well, at the wedding, I wasn’t myself. And I still wasn’t myself for a while afterward. I wouldn’t have written to anyone.”
“Why not?”
“When we met, it was just two months after I broke up with my boyfriend. I was pretty upset about what I found out afterward. He and my friend had been flirting behind my back.”
“Are you doing better now?”
“I think so. It took a while, but I realized even if John Marc hadn’t cheated on me, we wouldn’t have made a gut match. We’re too different.”
“I’m sorry he treated you so poorly.”
“Danke. It was hard. I won’t lie. Actually, it put me in a bit of a tailspin.” She tried to smile to take the sting out of her words. “Now that we’re here, I do remember meeting you and some others from Sugarcreek. Normally, I would have wanted to get to know you all better.”
“But . . .”
“But because of what happened with my boyfriend and friend, I wasn’t sure if I could trust you.” Hearing her words, she winced. Not only because what she said was the raw truth, but because she no longer felt Graham had behaved so badly. After all, he made her feel special that day, and she’d needed that.
“I’m sorry. That sounds bad,” Sharon said.
“It doesn’t. It sounds like you’re a cautious woman.”
“I’ve become one. I especially don’t trust men too much anymore. At least ones who don’t tell the truth.”
“I bet you don’t,” he said after a pause.
To her surprise, Graham now looked even more agitated. “Um, did I say something wrong?”
“Not at all.” He’d said that quickly, but his voice had an edge to it.
He seemed to be avoiding her eyes. “Sure?”
“Of course.” Taking off his hat, he ran a hand through his hair. “Well . . . I’m sorry, but the truth is, I am concerned about something. It ain’t important, though. It’s especially not anything you need to worry about.”
Taking a stab at what he might be talking about, she said, “If you have any questions about Sherry, feel free to ask them.”
He blinked. And looked even more uncomfortable. “Danke.”
“I’m happy to help. I bet it’s a bit difficult for the two of you to learn to communicate face-to-face now. I think it’s easier to be more open and honest in a letter, don’t you? People can take all the time they need to find just the right words.”
“I never really thought about that. You’re right. Getting to spend so much time writing those letters felt like a gift. Now I’m doing my best to figure out how to have the same kind of conversations. It is difficult.”
“Maybe you don’t need to worry so much, Graham. I mean, you’re doing just fine now.”
He swallowed so hard she could see his Adam’s apple move. “Honestly, I don’t know if I am or not.”
“I’m sure everything will work out like it’s supposed to.” For a second, she was tempted to rest her hand on his arm. To assure him everything was going to work out the way the Lord intended.
But that sounded condescending and would probably reveal that she cared a little bit more for him than she should. Ruthlessly, she pushed her discomfort away. “Just remember that my sister has a soft heart,” she said quietly. “She might come off as a little brash, but that’s because she wears her heart on her sleeve.”
“I’m sure she does,” he agreed as the front door opened and the focal point of their conversation popped out.
Sherry looked from Sharon to Graham curiously. “Hey. I’ve been wandering around looking for each of you. I didn’t think you’d be out here together.”
Sharon felt guilty even though she knew she’d done nothing to feel bad about. “Graham and I were catching up. The living room was noisy. We were having a difficult time carrying on a conversation.”
Sherry smiled at Sharon’s hand, which still held three-quarters of a frosted sugar cookie. “At least you took a snack out here with ya.”
“I guess so. I, um, had forgotten this was in my hand.”
After looking at her quizzically, Sherry turned to Graham and said, “Would you like to go for a walk? I know it’s awfully warm, but we could stay in the shade of the trees lining the street.”
“Uh, sure. That sounds gut. Are you ready to go now?”
The joy that transformed Sherry’s features was a sight to behold. “I am.”
“Then I am too.”
Sharon made sure she kept a happy, carefree smile on her face as the couple walked down the steps.
No matter what, neither of them could ever find out a big part of her wished she was the girl walking by Graham’s side.
CHAPTER 4
THIS SITUATION HAD TO BE ONE OF THE MOST AWKWARD of his life.
Graham approached S
haron and then invited her to talk outside with the purpose of getting to know her better—and to admit he hadn’t realized he’d been writing to Sherry and not her this whole time.
He’d been certain complete honesty was the right thing. After all, they were about to spend fourteen days together. That was far too long to maintain a lie. So, though he’d been nervous, he’d also been determined to tell her the truth. He would have tried to get her to understand . . . if Sherry hadn’t joined them with such an excited, expectant look on her face.
How could he embarrass Sherry by revealing he hadn’t meant to be writing to her all these months? That would be cruel. Besides, Sharon had obviously and firmly latched onto the role of the caring older sister, and there was probably no real way she would ever accept that he wanted to date her and not Sherry. There was never going to be a right time to confess his mix-up.
As he and Sherry walked along the street in front of the inn, Graham forced himself to concentrate on the girl beside him and respond to the comment she’d just made. “Jah. I mean, it does seem like a nice time to go for a walk.”
“I’m relieved to hear you say that. I have a bad habit of being a bit too forward. I think it comes from organizing small kinner,” she said, joking. “I start wanting to organize everybody around me.”
“It’s not too forward. It’s refreshing.”
Sherry smiled. “Carla and Toby and I were making plans. We thought it would be fun to go to Siesta Key on Monday, the day after tomorrow. What do you think?”
There was no mistaking the look of excitement and longing she wore. “I think that sounds like fun. Do you think you girls will be up for a day at the beach so soon after your long trip? It’s taken us two days just to catch up on our sleep.”
“Carla and I thought we could sleep all day tomorrow. That’s the plan, anyway.”
“I’ll be sure to be quiet if I’m anywhere near the attic,” he teased.
Her eyes twinkled. “That will be appreciated. Anyway, we figure by Monday we’ll be more than ready to see the ocean. I can’t wait to see it.”
“You have a point there. You should probably be going to the beach at every opportunity.”
“So, um . . . do you want to join us?” Her question sounded awkward and tentative.
It shouldn’t have sounded either way.
Fact was, he was definitely not opposed to going to the beach. His buddies had come to Florida for a vacation, not just for his suddenly drama-filled life. That said, he was also opposed to leading Sherry on. His letters had been bad enough, but now he really didn’t want to make her think he regarded her as other than a younger sister.
Although . . . maybe he wasn’t even sure about that? Her letters had meant something to him. He’d loved them. He’d looked forward to receiving them. Didn’t that mean he owed it to Sherry to take the time to get to know her better? He decided to get some more information.
“Who else wants to go? Or is it just the three of you?”
“I haven’t talked to Sharon about it yet, but I bet she’ll go. And if she goes, then Vera will too.”
Here was his answer. “If Vera and Sharon go, I’ll go as well. You’ll need more men with you.”
Sherry looked taken aback for a second before nodding agreeably. “Yeah. Okay. That makes sense.”
“What time do you want to leave?”
“Carla wants to be sure she gets some more sleep. Maybe around nine thirty? Is that time gut for you? It’s late, but maybe not too late for vacation.”
“It’s a date then,” he quipped, then wished he’d said just about anything else when he saw Sherry’s look of pure happiness.
How in the world was he going to get himself out of this mess? And if and when he did, how was he ever going to get Sharon to give him the time of day?
He really was too old for this.
It was almost nine o’clock on the day of their trip to the beach, and Sharon was the first to arrive for breakfast. Secretly pleased by this, she took another fortifying sip from her coffee cup and eagerly unwrapped her muffin.
The muffin had an orange marmalade glaze and swirls of cream cheese running through its center. Saying it was delicious was an understatement.
“Oh, good. I see you’ve already found the muffins,” Beverly said when she entered the dining room. “I hope you’re enjoying yours?”
“I think this is one of the best I’ve ever eaten. Do you share your recipes?”
“Of course. I’ll write it out for you before you head back to Ohio.”
“Danke. But I hate for you to go to any trouble. I’m happy to do the copying myself. I have a feeling I’ll be asking you for several recipes. You really are gifted.”
“That’s very sweet of you to say.” Pleasure lit her green eyes. “My husband, Eric, keeps telling me I should put together a cookbook for guests to purchase. I haven’t wanted to tackle that project yet, but it might save me time in the long run.”
“I bet it will. I can’t imagine you aren’t asked for recipes at least once a week.”
“I am.” Her cheeks flushed. “Now I just need to figure out how to get started on it.”
“I could help you, if you’d like,” Sharon offered. If she worked on the cookbook, she wouldn’t have as much time to watch Graham court Sherry. It felt like a perfect solution.
“What? Of course you can’t! You’re on vacation.”
“This would be a fun project for me.” Sharon held up a hand. “But I don’t want to overstep my bounds. If you don’t want any help, I understand. It’s just that I really love to bake and would enjoy helping you.”
“I . . . well, thank you. I might take you up on that,” she said, just as a handsome man in a wrinkled pair of shorts, a dark-blue T-shirt, and bare feet wandered in.
Right in front of Sharon, he pressed a kiss to Beverly’s temple. “You sound like you’re hatching a plan.”
“I am. At least, I think I am.” Turning to Sharon, Beverly said, “Sharon, please meet my husband, Eric. Eric, this is Sharon Kramer. She wants to help me work on that cookbook with my recipes while she’s here.”
Interest lit his eyes. “Really? That’s terrific. I’ve been telling my wife I’ll take care of getting everything typed, printed, and bound into books, but I can’t do anything without those recipes. This is really kind of you.”
“Not so much. Besides, if I help, I’ll get to see all the recipes myself,” she said, making a joke.
Beverly chuckled. “I like how you think. You just let me know when you want to get started, and we’ll come up with a time.”
“I will,” Sharon promised as the room began to fill with her friends and other guests. “We’re going to Siesta Key today, but while we’re there, we’re also going to make some tentative plans for the rest of our vacation. I’ll touch base with you tonight.”
“That sounds perfect.” Smiling broadly, Beverly added, “I better go get more coffee going.”
“I’ll help bring out more platters of muffins and that hash brown casserole too,” her husband said.
As they darted into the kitchen, the white door swinging in their wake, Sherry arrived at Sharon’s side. “Sorry we’re late. I’m afraid we stayed up talking last night.”
“I wasn’t in any hurry. Actually, I was having a gut conversation with Beverly and Eric about cookbooks.”
Sherry wrinkled her nose. “Only you would be talking about baking when we’re heading to the beach.”
“I know. I can’t seem to help myself, though.”
Sherry patted her on the arm. “You know I’m kidding! Now, I need coffee and something to eat.”
Sharon took a seat as her sister, joining the other late arrivals at the sideboard, began filling her plate.
“Anyone sitting here?” Graham asked.
“Not yet,” she said with a shy smile.
“Great.” He set a glass plate piled high with fruit on the table. “I’ll be right back.”
When he returned wit
h even more food, Sharon couldn’t help but be impressed with the amount he planned to consume. “Do you eat like this every morning?”
“I wish, but nee. Usually I make myself a big bowl of oatmeal or cook a couple of eggs,” he said after he paused for a moment to say a quick, silent prayer of thanks. “But I do eat a lot of food. That’s what happens when you work in the fields all day long.”
“I bet. You didn’t say the other day. Have you harvested your corn yet?”
“Nee, it needs another three weeks, which is what made this the perfect time for me to get away. It’s going to be a grueling few days when I get home.”
“But you have a lot of help, don’t you?”
“Sure. My two brothers, Robert and Caleb, plus my father, an uncle, and a cousin. We also hire some temporary workers for two of the three days.”
“I’m impressed.”
He shrugged. “It’s a pretty big farm. We plant over three acres of corn alone. A gut crop makes our year.”
“Jah, I suppose it does.” She sipped her coffee and smiled as he dug into his egg-and-sausage casserole with obvious gusto.
He paused in midbite. “Am I being rude?”
“Not at all. I’ve been here for a while.”
“An early riser, hmm?”
“Not especially, but I guess I was today compared to everyone else,” she said as Graham’s friends Matthew and Toby joined them.
After the two men prayed and they all marveled at the array of breakfast food, Graham said, “Did I overhear you talking to Mrs. Wagler about working on a cookbook?”
She was embarrassed now. “You did. I know I’m on vacation, but I guess I can’t help but lean toward all things food and baking.”
“You shouldn’t apologize for finding something that sparks your interest. It’s kind of you to want to help her too.”
“The project will do me gut. I am looking forward to going to the beach today, but I have nee desire to spend every day there.”
Matthew held out an arm. “Me neither, Sharon. I’m so pale I’m going to have to slather on sunscreen every ten minutes.”
She laughed. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating, but I bet you can’t be too careful.”
A Reunion in Pinecraft Page 3