Ezra tapped his foot, never losing eye contact with Ellen. “If you don’t want to stock the shelves, guess I’ll have to do ’em myself.”
Holding her hands behind her back, while gripping her wrists, Ellen said, “I’ll put the shoes out.”
Ellen had never seen this side of Ezra. She was sure he didn’t use an overbearing, almost haughty attitude with Dad, because her father would never put up with that. In all the times she’d spoken to Ezra, he’d never acted so bullish. Maybe the power of being in charge had gone to his head.
Ellen found several shoe boxes stacked inside the storage room and bent down to gather up a few. Should I say anything to Dad about Ezra’s attitude, or just let it go? I don’t want Ezra to lose his job, but he shouldn’t have talked to me that way.
Lihue
The piercing sound of his alarm going off jolted Rob Smith out of bed. He peered at the clock on the nightstand by his bed and grimaced: 6:00 a.m. It was too early to be getting out of bed. But if he wanted time to eat and take a dip in the ocean before heading out to look for some odd jobs, he had no choice but to rise at the crack of dawn.
Rubbing his short-cropped hair, Rob glanced across the room, where his buddy, Taavi Kumar, lay on a similar bunk. The young Hawaiian native hadn’t moved a muscle. It was apparent the alarm hadn’t woken him.
Soon after Rob arrived on Kauai, a little over a year ago, he’d met the island native when they’d been surfing on a beach in Kapaa. When Taavi heard that Rob had no job or place to stay, he’d invited him to share his tiny rental, stating that Rob could begin paying half the rent when he found a permanent job. It may have seemed strange to some people that someone would befriend, and even welcome, a total stranger into their home, but Rob had heard the people of Kauai were considered some of the friendliest folks in the Hawaiian Islands. Taavi’s sunny disposition was proof that the rumor must be true, for he had the spirit of Aloha.
While the conditions weren’t ideal, since the place only had one bedroom, it was a far cry from sleeping in the dense forest, or under a palm tree near a secluded beach.
Rob shuffled his way to the small kitchen and opened the refrigerator. His stomach growled as he scanned the shelves and spied a slice of pizza still in the box from their supper last night. It wasn’t something most people might eat for breakfast, but Rob grabbed it anyway and took a bite. Hot pizza or cold, he didn’t care, since it was one of his favorite foods.
After he finished the slice, Rob looked out the window. The dawn moved slowly as it filled the sky, and the morning tide rose and covered the beach. Looks like it’s gonna be a good day for that dip in the ocean. He looked down at his tan chest and arms.
Rob noticed the bottle of sun protector sitting on the counter. Shaking his head, he muttered, “I’ll bet Taavi put it there, but I’m not using that stuff anymore.” Because his skin had turned three shades darker since arriving on the island, Rob no longer felt the need to use sun tan lotion. Even Taavi, a natural-born Hawaiian, put a barrier of lotion on his exposed skin before they went surfing.
Rob respected Taavi, but stubborn as he was, Rob wanted to prove he didn’t need sunscreen anymore.
Taavi had become a good friend and recently let Rob know that a bellhop position might open up in another month or so at the hotel where he worked as a gardener. It wasn’t Rob’s idea of a perfect job, and he didn’t want to do that for the rest of his life. But if the job panned out, it would be better than panhandling or doing odd jobs whenever he could find them. The money Rob made now, although small, helped Taavi pay the rent and put some food on the table. Since Rob didn’t have a lot of other expenses, it was adequate—at least for now. But if a better job more to his liking came along, he’d take it, no questions asked.
CHAPTER 12
Middlebury
After putting the OPEN sign in the store window Wednesday morning, Ezra saw Ellen approaching. Unable to take his eyes off her, he stood in the open doorway, watching as she parked her bike. Ellen’s golden hair, peeking out from under her head covering, looked shinier than ever in the morning sunlight.
Ezra’s mouth felt so dry he could barely swallow. Wish I had the nerve to ask her out. He shook his head. But what would be the point when she might say no?
Ezra thought about yesterday and how he’d acted around Ellen. Was I a little bit tough on her? He rubbed his temples. In time, I hope she’ll realize I’m a nice fella. My mamm tells me that all the time.
“How’s your daed?” Ezra asked when Ellen stepped onto the porch. “What did he find out at the doctor’s yesterday?”
She lifted her hands and let them fall to her sides. “Dad will be having surgery next Monday to repair both hernias.”
“Both?” Ezra’s eyebrows lifted.
“Turns out he has two hernias. Who knows how long he’s been hurting. Until Monday when we picked Darla and Ruby up at the train station, he’d never said anything about being in pain.” She shook her head slowly. “Dad wasn’t happy when the doctor recommended he take it easy for several weeks following surgery.”
“So he won’t be able to work at the store for a while?”
“Right.” Ellen stepped inside. “Which means I’ll be working here until he’s well enough to take over his duties.”
Ezra turned and followed her into the store. The notion of working with Ellen for several weeks made his heart pound. Sure hope I can do this without letting on to Ellen how I feel about her. If she gets any idea of it but doesn’t feel the same toward me, she might leave me to deal with customers on my own.
Kapaa
Mandy had spent a good portion of the morning helping Ken clean out dusty, smelly chicken houses—certainly not one of her favorite chores, but it needed to be done on schedule. When she looked down at her arms and saw a layer of brown dust, she grimaced. “I can’t wait to take a shower and get rid of this filth and putrid odor.”
“I hear you.” Ken wrinkled his nose. “I’m not fond of smelling like poultry either.”
Other than caring for her flowers and the organic vegetable garden, Ken’s mother didn’t do much outside with the chickens. She did, however, take care of the financial end of the business and kept a good record of things. They all had jobs to do, and no one took time off.
This evening, rather than cooking a meal at home, the three of them would attend their church’s mid-week potluck supper, followed by Bible study. Mandy looked forward to the fellowship, as well as studying God’s Word with other believers.
Middlebury
Ellen stepped into the outside storage shed and clicked on the battery-operated light. She inhaled deeply. The weather was typical of late spring—growing warmer but still less humid, making it nice to be outside. Unfortunately, it was stuffy in the shed. On top of that, as the day had worn on, her tension increased. Ezra seemed to be throwing his weight around, even more so than the previous day. Does he think he has the right to tell me what to do?
Unlike yesterday, they’d been busy with customers most of the day, which was good for business, but not good for Ellen. While Ezra waited on customers in the store, he kept her running back and forth to the storage shed to get shoes that weren’t in the store. At least the little jaunts to the shed gave her some time away from Ezra.
Their most recent customer, John Schrock, couldn’t decide what style of black shoe he wanted. Once he’d made a selection, the size wasn’t in the store, which had brought her out to the storage shed. It was close to quitting time, and Ellen hoped it would be her last trip out for the day.
She gathered four boxes of the correct shoe size and started for the door. The top one almost toppled off, but she caught it in time, balancing the box with her chin.
When Ellen entered the store and discovered John wasn’t there, her frustration mounted. “What happened to John?” She placed the boxes on the counter, which Ezra sat behind, looking like he owned the place. “I thought he wanted to try on more shoes.”
Ezra shrugged. “He ch
anged his mind and bought the first pair he tried on, which were close to his size.”
Ellen heaved a sigh, gesturing to the boxes she’d brought in. “Guess I’d better put these on a shelf in the men’s section.”
“That won’t work, Ellen.”
She tipped her head. “How come?”
“The shelves are full with the new shoes you put out yesterday, so there isn’t room for more boxes.”
“But you sold several pair of shoes today.”
“True, but not in the sizes you have here.” Ezra nodded toward the shoe boxes.
Refusing to look at him, Ellen scooped them up and headed across the room. She almost made it to the door, when the top box slipped. In the process of trying to right it, she lost her grip, and all four boxes landed on the floor.
“Always trouble somewhere,” Ellen muttered, going down on her knees to gather up all the shoes that had fallen out.
“Here, let me help you with those.” Ezra knelt beside her. He reached out at the same time as Ellen. Her cheeks warmed when he grabbed her hand instead of the shoes.
“Oops! Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” Ezra’s ears flamed as he quickly withdrew his hand.
Avoiding his gaze, Ellen grabbed the rest of the shoes as quickly as possible and put them in the boxes. In the shed, she would make sure each pair was in its correct box. Right now, she just wanted to get outside as quickly as possible.
Kapaa
“Looks like we may be in for some rain,” Ken’s mother commented from the back seat of Ken’s SUV.
As huge raindrops slowly splattered on the windshield, Mandy glanced out the front window, and up at the sky. Dark, massive clouds billowed in off the ocean, while palm trees swayed in the heavy wind. Rain was typical for Kauai, but they hadn’t had any moisture for the past five days, so the forthcoming storm was a good thing.
“Here we are.” Ken pulled into the parking lot and turned off the ignition. “Don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m hungry as a shark going after its prey.”
Mandy looked over at him and rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you compared yourself to a shark.”
He poked her arm playfully. “Didn’t say I was a shark—just hungry enough to eat like one.”
She snickered. “Okay, whatever.” When Mandy opened the car door the rain fell harder. “We’d better hurry inside with our food before we’re drenched.”
Ken carried the box with their casserole dish and deviled eggs, while Mandy and Ken’s mother hurried alongside. When they entered the fellowship hall, they were greeted by Luana and Makaio.
“Aloha!” Luana pulled Mandy into a big hug, as Ken and Makaio headed to the kitchen with their food containers. “So glad you could come tonight. I can only imagine how busy you’ve all been at the farm.” She greeted Ken’s mother with a hug too. “How are you, Vickie?”
Vickie’s chin trembled. “I miss Charles so much, but thanks to my son and his sweet wife, I’m getting along okay.” She slipped her arm around Mandy’s waist. “I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
Mandy teared up. While it might seem to some that she’d made a sacrifice by moving here, she realized it was a privilege.
“Come, let’s find a table,” Ken called from across the room. “A little birdie told me Luana made my favorite ambrosia salad.”
With hands on her hips, Luana looked over at Makaio and frowned. “Did you tell him? It was supposed to be a surprise.”
Makaio winked at his wife. “What can I say? Hunger makes me do crazy things.”
Mandy giggled and linked arms with Luana and Vickie. “Guess we’d better not keep our hungry men waiting.”
Middlebury
Unable to sleep, Ellen crept down the stairs and into the kitchen. She’d no more than lit one of the gasoline lights when Lenore entered the room.
Ellen jumped. “For goodness’ sake, Sister, you scared me. What are you doing up in the middle of the night?”
Lenore gave a sheepish grin. “Couldn’t sleep, so I came down to find something to eat.”
“Maybe we can share the last piece of Mom’s apple pie. It would go well with a glass of cold milk.”
Lenore nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll get the glasses and plates while you fetch the pie and milk.”
Ellen bit back a chuckle. “Aren’t you the bossy one?”
Lenore dropped her gaze. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I bet you could tell Ezra Bontrager a thing or two.” Ellen opened the refrigerator and took out the milk.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing. I was thinking out loud.” Ellen pulled out the pie pan and placed it on the table beside the milk.
Lenore set the glasses and plates down, then opened the silverware drawer. “Don’t think we can eat the pie without these.” She held up two forks.
Ellen laughed. “Guess we could, but it’d be messy.”
They ate their snack in silence, until Lenore posed a question. “How do you like workin’ at Dad’s store?”
“It’s okay, I guess.” But I’d like it better if I was in charge.
“You’re lucky. I wish Dad had asked me to work there.”
“Hmm …” An idea popped into Ellen’s head. “You’re out of school now, so if it’s okay with our folks, why don’t you go with me tomorrow and I can show you what to do.”
Lenore’s eyes brightened. “Sure hope they say yes. It’d be fun workin’ in Dad’s store.”
Ellen ate a piece of pie, savoring the juicy, cinnamon-flavored apples. If things go right, and Lenore catches on fast, maybe she can take over for me at the store, and I’ll be free to look for another job. No more dealing with Ezra telling me what to do. He can deal with my feisty sister.
CHAPTER 13
By the first Saturday of June, Ellen felt very thankful for her sister’s presence at the store. Lenore’s work not only lightened the load, but Ezra’s bossiness toward Ellen had lessened a bit as well, since he now had two helpers to tell what to do. Ellen wished this was a job she liked more, but for Dad’s sake she would work without complaint—even though dealing with Ezra at times still felt like having a burr under her saddle.
“Where shall I put this pair of schuh? I don’t see a box for them.” Lenore bumped Ellen’s arm, halting her thoughts.
Ellen took the black sneakers from her sister and looked inside to check the size. “Did you look on the shelf for size nine in women’s shoes? Sometimes people put the empty box on the shelf but set the shoes someplace else.”
Lenore squinted her blue eyes. “You want me to go through every box on the shelf?”
“Jah.” Ellen pointed in the right direction. “As soon as you find it, I’d appreciate some help opening several boxes in the back room.”
“Okay.” Lenore smiled. “I like workin’ here in the store. Don’t you?”
“It’s all right, but I’m hoping to find another job after Dad comes back.”
“If you quit working here, do you think Dad will let me keep helping?”
“Maybe. That’s why I’m training you the best I can—so you can fill my shoes.” She snickered.
“Good one, Ellen.” Lenore grinned. “When I get paid I’d like to go shopping. Maybe we could go together.”
“That would be nice, and we could stop for ice cream afterward.” Ellen glanced out the window and saw a minivan pull into their lot. Things had been busy today, with a steady stream of customers.
Lenore headed down the women’s aisle, and Ellen turned toward the front door as an English couple with three children entered the store. Since Ezra was behind the counter, waiting on a customer, Ellen greeted the couple. “May I help you?”
The woman, who wore her brown hair in a long braid, nodded. “My girls and I need new shoes.” She gestured to the man and small boy. “They may want to try on a few pairs too.”
Ellen smiled. “I’d be happy to assist.” She directed the man to the men’s and boys’ section, then led the woma
n and her daughters to the women’s department.
Ezra came out from behind the counter. “Lenore, when you get done with whatever you’re doing, could you help Ellen?” he called.
Ellen looked back at Ezra. There he goes again—telling us what to do.
“Okay, I’ll put these away and be right back to help.” Lenore rushed off.
Ezra’s bossiness didn’t seem to bother Ellen’s sister. If it did, she never let on. Perhaps I’m just too sensitive.
“Is this your store?” The woman looked at Ellen with a curious expression.
She shook her head. “My father owns it.”
“Oh, I see. I didn’t realize until we came in that it’s an Amish shoe store.” The woman reached into her purse and withdrew a small camera. “Mind if I take a few pictures? This is our first time visiting Amish country, and I want to take some photos to share with my friends in Chicago.”
“It’s okay to take pictures of the shoes, but please, no photos of those who work here.”
The woman’s shoulders rose as she gave a huff. “Okay, if that’s what you’d prefer.”
Ellen didn’t have a chance to explain, for the woman grabbed her daughters’ hands and hurried down the first aisle.
Lenore came back and stood by her sister. “How can I help?”
“Depending on what our customers want, I may need you to run out to the shed for more shoes.” Ellen glanced over her shoulder and saw Ezra talking to the man and his boy. A few seconds later, they started down one of the aisles.
Heading down the aisle of women’s shoes, she and Lenore were almost run over by the young girls, each waving a pair of shoes in their hands. Before Ellen could say anything, the girls zipped past them and raced toward the front of the store. Thinking their mother would go after her daughters, Ellen paused.
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