* * *
In the three weeks since Thanksgiving, the hours on the tree farm were longer, the work harder and the customers more demanding than Levi had expected, but it was all worth it because it meant he could repay the last of his property loan, even before the sale of the land and houses was finalized. He didn’t want to be saddled with debt when he returned to Indiana. He wouldn’t make nearly the income working in the factory or even in construction that he made working for Colin. And although he and the twins initially would live with his in-laws, as soon as he could he hoped to buy or build a house, which would be more expensive in Indiana than it was in Maine.
“If this demand keeps up for one more week, I’ll be able to pay back my loan before we move,” he confided to Maria one evening after they reconciled the cash box.
“Then you’re really moving?” she asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Maria shut the ledger. “If I can be blunt, I thought things are working out so well with Sadie that maybe you wouldn’t need to move.”
“What do you mean?” Levi was immediately wary; Maria had a reputation for pushing single people together.
“Sadie’s so gut with the kinner, I figured maybe she’d continue to live in the daadi haus and mind Elizabeth and David permanently. Then you wouldn’t have to uproot the twins.”
“Oh,” Levi said and for an instant he felt oddly let down that Maria hadn’t been playing matchmaker. “I haven’t really given that much consideration.”
Which wasn’t the same as saying he’d never considered it. Sure, the idea had occurred to him on occasion, but only as a passing wish, not as a realistic possibility. After all, he had prospective buyers for the houses and property, and his in-laws were preparing their own home for his arrival with the twins. They’d never been in favor of Levi raising Elizabeth and David in Maine and he suspected they were relieved when none of the nannies worked out after his mother died. When Levi really thought about it, he could see their point; they were Leora’s family—who better to help raise the children than them? They’d be bitterly disappointed if Levi changed his mind now.
Furthermore, Sadie had specifically committed to staying until December 24, when she’d return home to celebrate Christmas with her own family in her own community. A temporary arrangement was one thing, but Levi couldn’t ask Sadie to leave her loved ones to care for his family for years to come. As much as he cherished living in Serenity Ridge, Levi recognized the small community didn’t have a lot to offer a young, single woman like Sadie. Just because I don’t deserve to experience romantic love again doesn’t mean Sadie should forgo—or postpone—an opportunity for courtship and marriage, he thought ruefully.
“But now that you have considered it...?” Maria prompted, bringing him back to their conversation.
“You’re right, I can’t imagine anyone being a better nanny for the kinner than Sadie is. But I have no intention of changing my plans to move,” Levi stated decisively.
Chapter Eight
Sadie relished her lunches alone with Levi; conversation and laughter came easily whenever they were together and Levi was attentive to every word she said. They shared anecdotes about their pasts, discussed their faith and simply enjoyed the flavor of their meals or remarked on the beauty of the snow. It almost felt as if they were walking out together. But almost wasn’t good enough. Ever since Maria mentioned how perfect it would be if Sadie could stay in Maine, Sadie thought of little else, but time was running out. It was already December 18, the Friday before her last weekend in Serenity Ridge.
December 18—that meant Harrison and Mary had gotten married three days ago, on Tuesday the fifteenth. Sadie was delighted the day had come and gone without it occurring to her it was Harrison’s wedding day. She would have expected to experience at least a tiny smoldering of bitterness, but time and distance had healed her heart and she could honestly claim she hoped their wedding was a blessed, festive occasion.
A festive occasion! That might nudge Levi in the right direction. Sadie realized the most lighthearted moments she’d shared with him so far had occurred whenever they took part in a celebration, such as the wedding or the Thanksgiving holiday. She couldn’t very well suggest a date or a dinner for just the two of them; that simply wasn’t done. Amish women didn’t ask out Amish men. But they did make it easier for Amish men to ask them to walk out. What better way to inspire Levi to ask to be her suitor—or at least to ask her to stay in Maine—than to put the two of them in a social situation together?
She chewed her pinky fingernail, considering whether or not it was reasonable to invite people to a party at such short notice. She supposed there would be at least a few people—Maria, Jaala and Abram, perhaps, and possibly Walker—who might agree to attend if they didn’t already have plans or weren’t traveling. But Levi worked such late hours it wasn’t practical to host a party during the week. And he truly did relish a day of rest on the Sabbath.
She snapped her fingers as another idea struck her—she didn’t have to throw a full-fledged party; she could invite Maria to join them for a special supper! Maria would already be on the farm, so she could come to the house after she closed the workshop for the evening. Sadie paced the room, considering whether to invite Walker, too. Although he was a widower, he had a small daughter his mother cared for during the day; perhaps they could all come. But then the tone of the party would shift more toward a family gathering, when Sadie wanted it to be a time for adults—for couples.
As Sadie was dithering over whom to invite, Otto lumbered through the door, asking what was for lunch. Otto! Why hadn’t she thought of this before? Sadie could match him up with Maria. The four of us could play board games after the twins go to bed. It will be a lot of schpass and, who knows, maybe it will be a happy beginning for two couples!
“It’s baked ham salad,” she replied. “The twins are washing their hands. Before they kumme in, I want to run something by you.”
“Sure. Could I have a piece of that brot to eat while you’re talking? I’m starving.”
“You’re worse than the kinner.” Sadie laughed but sliced a thick piece from the warm loaf, slathered it with butter and gave it to Otto, who didn’t bother to sit before biting into it. “I’d like to have a little get-together here. I could ask Maria to join us for supper after work on Monday evening. Once the kinner are in bed, the four of us can play board games and visit.”
Sadie stole a glance at Otto, who was attentive but silent, his mouth full. She felt transparent, as if he could see the real reason behind the event. She added, “I suppose you, Levi and I could just hang out together, but it makes it more of a special occasion to have a guest. Besides, playing games with three people isn’t nearly as much fun as pairing up in teams, right?”
Otto rubbed crumbs from his lips with the back of his hand, his eyes sparkling. “Jah. That sounds wunderbaar.”
Sadie was so excited she didn’t wait to ask Levi if it was okay with him. As soon as Otto and the children sat down to eat, Sadie darted to the workshop to invite Maria. If Maria suspected Sadie was matchmaking, she either didn’t mind or she was she was too busy ringing up customers’ purchases to notice, because she immediately accepted. Sadie dashed back to the house just in time to stop Otto from dishing a second helping of ham salad to the children and what must have been a third helping to himself.
“Ah-ah-ah,” she scolded and attempted to take the serving utensil from his hand. He held fast, so she clasped his wrist with one hand and the length of the utensil with the other, pulling harder. “Levi hasn’t had any yet.”
Otto sighed and opened his fingers. “You’re right. He won’t agree to the party if he’s hungerich and cranky.”
“What party?” Elizabeth didn’t miss a thing.
“It’s for adults,” Otto informed his niece. “No kinner allowed.”
Elizabeth’s face screwed into a po
ut and David asked, “Why not?”
“Because sometimes grown-ups need to spend time alone so they can get to know each other better without being interrupted by little meed and buwe, right, Sadie?”
“That’s true, but—”
“We don’t interrupt,” Elizabeth interrupted. “If we’re real quiet, can we kumme?”
Sadie started again, “Jah, you may kumme to the first part of the party and you may each choose one game for all of us to play before you go to bed.”
“Will we have cake?” David asked.
“Jah, will we?” Otto echoed, cracking Sadie up. He really was as bad as the children.
“Sure. What kind should we have?”
“Peanut butter sheet cake,” Otto promptly replied, even though Sadie had intended for the children to answer the question.
“Does everyone like peanut butter sheet cake?”
“I love it,” David said.
“Me, too,” Elizabeth agreed.
Sadie waited, hoping they’d mention whether Levi liked it or not, too. When they didn’t, she hinted, “Peanut butter sheet cake it is, then, as long as it’s okay with your daed.” Since when have I become so concerned about what pleases a man’s appetite?
“If he doesn’t like it, I’ll eat his piece,” Otto suggested, rising to leave. “I might eat his piece anyway.”
Sadie smirked at him, but she was so grateful he’d agreed the party was a good idea she would have made him his own cake if he asked.
* * *
Because the baler jammed and Levi had to repair it, he didn’t take his break until after two o’clock. By then he could have skipped lunch and waited until supper to eat, but he didn’t want to miss out on enjoying one of Sadie’s delicious meals with her. Over the course of time as they met daily for lunch, Levi had let his guard down. Their afternoon mealtimes were filled with companionable conversation and warm humor, and although Levi’s fondness for Sadie had deepened, he was less concerned about confusing nostalgia for his wife with his feelings toward Sadie. As their time together wound down, instead of keeping his distance, Levi found himself justifying his desire to be alone with Sadie by telling himself, She’s my friend, just as Maria is my friend. But he couldn’t quite explain to himself why he was disappointed that on that particular Friday, the children were already awake from their naps and so he couldn’t enjoy a meal alone with Sadie.
“Look, Daed—” Elizabeth pointed to the window “—we decorated for Grischtdaag.”
Sadie must have helped them place boughs on the mantelpiece and windowsills. In the center of each arrangement stood a tall white candle tied with a red bow. The Amish decorated their homes sparsely for Christmas, but he’d always felt the effect was beautiful. Last year his mother had only had enough energy to decorate the daadi haus, so Levi wasn’t surprised the children were thrilled to adorn their own home this year.
He twisted his knuckles into his closed eyelids and then opened them again and rattled his head. “I’ve been around so many Grischtdaag trees I see them in my sleep, so when I noticed those boughs in the window, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me.”
Elizabeth replied solemnly, “Neh, they’re real, Daed.”
“The candles are real, too, but we have to pretend they’re burning because Sadie doesn’t ever, ever, ever want to catch us lighting a match.” David was clearly imitating Sadie’s tone.
Relieved she must have issued a stern warning, Levi said, “If you’re very careful not to bump them, the adults will light them for a special occasion, like Grischtdaag.”
“Speaking of special occasions,” Sadie began, “now that the haus is decorated and the season is winding down, I thought we’d have a little pre-Grischtdaag party on Monday.”
Since Sadie said she’d already invited Maria and told Otto about the event, Levi couldn’t refuse. Nor did he want to. For the rest of the afternoon, he was filled with jittery energy. Planning a party went above and beyond Sadie’s responsibilities as an employee. She seems to have really connected with us and with Maria. Maybe she’d be open to the idea of moving here long-term after all. As quickly as the idea popped into Levi’s mind, he forced it out—it just wasn’t feasible; he still had his in-laws’ wishes to consider. But he did look forward to the party—and judging from the children’s and Otto’s jovial moods, they were anticipating it as much as he was.
So Levi was surprised when Otto approached him in the barn late the following afternoon wearing a solemn expression, saying he needed to speak to Levi about something awkward involving Sadie. Levi’s heart drubbed his ribs. He couldn’t fathom what Otto could possibly need to discuss concerning her. Did they have an argument?
For all of Otto’s bluster, Levi had never seen him this bashful. “I think Sadie’s a—a wunderbaar person,” he stammered. “She’s vibrant and witty and schmaert. And she enjoys some of the same activities I enjoy...and, well, I’d like to court her.”
“Court her?” Levi sputtered, appalled. Realizing his knee-jerk incredulity sounded insulting, he added, “She lives in Pennsylvania. You live in Indiana.”
“That’s why I need your help. I thought maybe you could...I don’t know, find out if she’d be open to a long-distance courtship.”
Although he couldn’t account for his vehemence, Levi again lost no time responding. “Neh! Ask her yourself.”
“I can’t. If she turns me down, it will be too humiliating to be in such close quarters with her until Grischtdaag.”
“How will it be any less humiliating if she tells me neh and I tell you? You’ll still have to be around her.”
“I don’t want you to ask her outright. Just drop some casual hints. Assess her interest. If her general response isn’t enthusiastic, I won’t ask her. But I’m fairly confident she’ll say jah based on how well we get along. Plus she’s been dropping some big hints lately. At least I think she has. You know how indecipherable women can be.”
Levi’s stomach flipped. What had Sadie said or done to make Otto think he stood a chance with her? If anyone was close to Sadie, it was Levi—he was the one who’d spent the last few weeks getting to know her during their daily lunches together. Then Levi realized he was the one who’d initiated that daily practice—he’d talked her into it. Maybe she felt obligated as his employee. Or perhaps she didn’t refuse because eating separately with Levi also meant she had an opportunity to spend a few minutes alone with Otto once Elizabeth and David went down for their naps. Neh, that’s preposterous. The more Levi tried to dismiss the possibility Sadie was interested in Otto, the more urgently he wanted to know if his brother-in-law was right.
“Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll talk to her.”
* * *
After supper, as the children were playing in the next room and Sadie and Levi were drinking tea, she realized he’d hardly said two words all evening. She was so caught up in the giddiness of planning the get-together that she’d been rambling. “I’m sorry. I’m jumping from one subject to the next, aren’t I?”
“Neh, it’s not that.” Levi a pulled a napkin across his mustache. That mustache—Sadie reminded herself not to stare. “It’s that I, uh... I was talking to Otto about, uh, courtships...”
Sadie’s mouth went dry, but she didn’t trust herself to take a sip of hot tea without spilling it. She set down her cup and placed her trembling hands on her lap. This was what she’d been waiting and praying for, but she still couldn’t believe it was happening. They hadn’t even had the party yet! For once I wasn’t merely imagining a man likes me as much as I like him. She forced herself to wait silently for Levi to continue.
Seemingly as nervous as she was, he set his cup on the table, too, twirling it in a slow circle by its handle. “Anyway...Otto was saying sometimes he’d like to court a woman but he doesn’t know if she’s interested. He was, ah, talking about how enigmatic women can be—”
&n
bsp; “Ha!” Sadie uttered louder than she meant to, causing Levi to flinch. That was not the effect she wanted to have on him. In a quieter voice she explained, “Sometimes men are difficult to read, too. But anyway, go on.”
Levi swallowed. “I—he...”
The children’s voices were muffled, but Sadie recognized from their tone that an argument was about to break out. She could barely keep still. If she and Levi were interrupted, she’d fall to the floor and weep, she really would. “Sometimes it’s easier to say it as fast as you can.”
Levi complied. “What I’m trying to find out is if you’d be interested in a courtship. A long-distance courtship—at least until other arrangements could be made. Otto seems to think you would be and...”
Sadie’s heart pranced. She just knew Otto could see right through her party scheme! Ordinarily she would have been mortified to learn that he’d told Levi about her interest in him, but since the revelation clearly prodded Levi to ask to be her suitor, she was thrilled. She giggled and passed her hand across her mouth. “Otto was right. I’d be very interested in a courtship.”
Levi appeared absolutely dumbstruck. He probably hasn’t asked to court anyone since before he married Leora—the poor man almost looks as if he’s in pain. Sadie resisted the urge to take his hand in hers. She still wanted to hear him say the words unequivocally, not cloak them beneath Otto’s suggestion. Holding her breath, she waited for him to ask her outright if he could court her.
* * *
Deceived. That was how Levi felt. He’d had absolutely no clue Sadie was interested in Otto. Not that she was required to have told Levi, but there should have been some indication for him to notice. Surely she would have spoken with Otto and laughed with Otto, well, the way she did with Levi. Although she and Otto got along all right, most of the time it seemed as if Sadie was doing her best to endure Otto’s boorish behavior. What a facade—and Levi had fallen for it. He felt like a fool for believing he was the one whose company Sadie preferred, even as a friend.
Courting the Amish Nanny Page 12