The Sisters of Sugarcreek

by Cathy Liggett

  “Hey, be careful with those superpowers of yours, buddy,” he said. “You could hurt someone. Right, Mom of Spider-Man?” He glanced over at Jessica. “I didn’t realize you were raising a superhero.”

  “He’s my super superkid, all right.”

  Derek had always been good with adults when he was a child. It was fun to see him being just as successful with her child as an adult. Not only that, she felt grateful he was giving Cole so much attention. All morning long it had felt like there was something missing. And of course, there was. Not a something, but a someone. Grand Rose. Every year since Cole had been in preschool, she had gone to Creepy Carnival with them.

  “Cole is really excited about the day,” she informed Derek. “He’s been ready to go since early this morning.”

  “Ah . . . well, I guess he takes after his mom.”

  She looked at him quizzically, and he shot the look right back at her.

  “Seriously, you don’t remember? All the days before Halloween?” His eyes grew openly amused. “Your mom would put on whatever scary costume she had,” he said to Cole, “and jump out from behind doors and furniture, trying to scare me.”

  She didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or entertained. “Oh . . . I did used to do that to you, didn’t I?”

  “I think she was trying to scare me away,” he said in a side whisper to Cole.

  “Mommy tried to scare you?” Her son looked confused.

  “Yeah, but I guess it never worked. I’m still here.” Derek chuckled at his own joke.

  “I wasn’t trying to scare you away—it was just . . . you never seemed to mind.”

  Which was the truth. Whereas other friends of hers back then might’ve thought she was weird or uncool, and not understood she was just having fun, Derek simply accepted everything about her. Always.

  Just like her messing up on her dinner invitation to him. It wasn’t until the week was nearly over that she’d looked at the calendar and realized Creepy Carnival was the same day she’d scheduled dinner and couldn’t be missed. She’d asked if she could push back dinnertime, and Derek had taken it in stride. He’d even asked if he could come along for the festivities.

  “So are you guys ready?” Derek clapped his hands. “Maybe we’ll stop and have you climb some tall buildings along the way to school, Spider-Man.”

  Her son’s eyes lit up at the wild suggestion even though it was all pretend. And that did it. Her old best friend was suddenly Cole’s new one. He chatted nonstop all the way to the school, even sharing some Halloween jokes with Derek, which in the past he’d always reserved for his Grand Rose.

  Meanwhile, as she listened to Cole prattle on, Jessica felt thankful he seemed so comfortable and more back to his old self.

  “Why doesn’t Dracula have any friends?” he asked Derek.

  “I don’t know. Why?”

  “Because he was a pain in the neck.”

  “Ha, that’s a good one,” Derek said, which encouraged Cole even more.

  “Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?”

  “I don’t know, but I bet you do,” Derek said.

  Cole nodded vigorously. “Because he didn’t have any guts.”

  She noticed Derek was wise—and kind—enough not to give an answer even if he knew it, which pleased Cole even more. But after the fourth joke she had to speak up, suggesting that Cole save the rest for the ride home.

  Derek looked over at her and smiled easily, as if they’d shared moments like these with Cole dozens of times before. She looked out the window, trying to put her thoughts to rest, trying not to imagine what it’d be like if they had. Or could . . . She was thankful when he pulled into the school lot and she could busy herself helping him search out a parking space.

  If the school parking lot had been wall-to-wall cars, the inside of the school was wall-to-wall parents . . . along with ballerinas, ghosts, brides, monsters, and many more superheroes.

  After dropping off the cookies at the concession stand, she stood in the lengthy line at the reception desk to buy games tickets while Derek and Cole went off to the side to wait for her. She could see them pointing out different costumes to each other, keeping themselves amused until she finally got back to them with a strand of tickets as long as Cole was tall.

  Eager to use the tickets all up, Cole grabbed one of her hands and one of Derek’s. Then their threesome worked their way through the crowded corridors as best they could, dipping into classrooms along the way so Cole could play games, try to win prizes, and best of all get a Spider-Man “tattoo” painted on his cheek.

  “I want to guess the pumpkin seeds in the jars next,” Cole declared.

  “I think that’s usually in the library,” Jessica told him. “At the end of this hallway, we should head to the left.”

  She didn’t know if he heard her; he was too busy talking to Derek. “Mommy guessed the seeds right last year,” Cole informed Derek.

  “Oh, yeah?” Looking over Cole’s head, he lifted a curious brow. “What did you win?”

  “You mean besides the admiration of my impressionable son?” She smiled. “Why, I won cotton candy—and not just pink cotton candy. I won blue, too.”

  “But you don’t even like cotton candy.” He leaned closer. “Could you switch up the prize?”

  She couldn’t believe he remembered such a small thing about her. “No, it was cotton candy or nothing. But aren’t you impressed with me too?”

  “I always have been.”

  His gaze rested on her, and his eyes seemed to shine with something even more than approval. But assuming it was nothing more than the customary Derek Reeves charm, she shucked off his comment as they continued heading toward the library. They hadn’t yet made the turn around the corner when a former classmate, Rob Mitchell—a rather large, burly man with a large, booming voice to match—called out to them from across the hallway.

  “Derek! Jessica!” he yelled.

  Both she and Derek waved and were happy to leave their hello at that. But Rob cut across the wave of people, not seeming to care whom he bumped into or nearly tripped along his way.

  “Well, this is something you sure don’t see every day,” he boomed as he eyed the three of them.

  “Yes, this is Cole.” Jessica put her hands on her son’s shoulders. “He’s quite the Spider-Man, isn’t he?”

  “Naw. I’m not talking about Spider-Man. Plenty of them around.” Rob waved a fat-fingered hand. “I’m talking about the two of you—when did you bring your relationship back from the dead?”

  Obviously it was Rob’s stab at Halloween humor. He laughed as if he’d said something uproariously funny, then asked again, “Seriously, when did you guys get back together?”

  “Uh, we . . .” Jessica shook her head and glanced at Derek just as Cole bit his bottom lip, a sure sign that he was confused.

  “We’re just making the rounds with Cole today,” Derek told Rob, and then being the pro that he was, having had much practice deflecting questions all through his growing-up years, he began asking questions that got Rob off the subject of them and onto himself.

  Yet throughout the afternoon, Rob wasn’t the only one who made an assumption that the two of them were an item. By the time they left the Creepy Carnival, they’d run into other former classmates who talked to them as if they’d been a couple forever—even though they’d never been one before. Or others who gave them knowing, covert looks, as if her and Derek’s secret was safe with them—when there was no secret to be safe about.

  Derek seemed completely unaffected and easygoing about the situations, turning the conversations back around to whomever they were speaking to. But Jessica couldn’t be so relaxed about all the inquiries and supposition. She had to say something to him.

  Waiting until they’d been home long enough to eat dinner and get Cole settled on the couch with his Big Hero 6 movie—which he proclaimed would be his costume for the next Halloween—she met Derek back in the kitchen. He was already clearing t
he table.

  “Derek, you don’t have to do that.” She tried to take bowls from his hands, but he beat her to the sink with them.

  “It’s not a big deal.” He shrugged. “Your chili was really good, by the way. As good as the grilled cheese.”

  “Yeah . . . well, I’m sorry we ate so late.” She leaned against the counter, not sure yet how she was going to broach her concerns with him. “It was such a disruptive day with the carnival and all.”

  “Are you kidding? Cole’s a great kid, Jess. I had lots of fun,” he added, giving her the perfect lead-in.

  “Even with all the people acting like we were together? I mean, you know—” she joined her hands in the air—“like, together together.”

  His face broke into a curious grin. “That really bothered you?” He crossed his arms over his chest, then leaned against the sink as well, facing her. “I thought you had fun too.”

  “I did have fun. But all the talk—I just wish people would mind their own business.”

  “It’s a small town, Jess. You know that. People need something to talk about.” He shrugged off the fact. “We were the something du jour.”

  “But why talk about us anyway?” she questioned. “Sure we were great friends, but we were never anything more. And now . . . all of that has changed. We’re so different now.”

  “Yeah? You really think we’re different?” He pushed off the counter and stood up straight.

  “Well, of course we are, Derek. Why wouldn’t we be? Just look at us. Look at our lives.”

  He glanced at the floor and then back up at her. “I don’t know, Jess. I think you may be overreacting some, don’t you?”

  “Oh, I’m sure you won’t be thinking that in the next month or two. Because today won’t be the end of all the talk.” She shook her head even though she wished otherwise. “I feel like people are thinking now that Aunt Rose is gone, you’ve come back here to save me. And I . . .” Her voice faltered as she was suddenly caught off guard by her emotions. “I don’t want you to feel that way, Derek. That’s not fair to you. You’re just starting a new life here and already people are trying to dictate how it’s supposed to be.”

  And all their meddling could very well have him moving on.

  But even as she was thinking that, he took a step forward and reached for her hands, clasping them in his own.

  “Hey, Jess, it’s okay,” he said gently, squeezing her hands. “You’re getting yourself worked up over nothing.” He waited a moment for her to calm down before he spoke. “You know, a long time ago—I’d say about the age of eight, to be exact—I learned that people are going to think what they want to. There’s no way I can have absolute control over that. And there’s no way you can either.”

  She nodded, knowing he was perfectly right. That had been especially true for her after she’d come back to Sugarcreek, unmarried and pregnant. How the gossip had flown then! Not that she didn’t deserve it.

  “And I promise you, you don’t have to worry about me.” He tightened his grasp. “I came back here not because I had to, but because I wanted to.”

  She nodded again, whispering a hoarse “Okay” as a tear slid down her cheek.

  “And your last issue—the one about saving you . . . Well, you might think we’re so different, but I’ve always thought of us—of you and me—like that one bumper sticker.”

  “A bumper sticker?” His comment caught her so by surprise that she giggled through her tears.

  “Uh-huh. You know, the one that’s shaped like a dog’s paw and says, ‘Who rescued who?’”

  “Oh, Derek!” Laughter floated up her throat, and she wanted to fall into his arms, so happy he was back in her life. But she restrained herself, folding her arms over her chest. “You’re right. That’s so true.”

  Even though her aunt Rose had given her what most would’ve considered a charmed life, and a life she’d been thankful for, a part of her childhood, like Derek’s, had been marked with misfortune. Something they’d always understood about one another.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” she gasped, caught between tears and the humor of it all. “You’re so—so—” She looked up at him, trying to find the right word.

  “Awesome? Wonderful? Handsome?” He grinned boyishly.

  “I’d say all of the above if I knew it wouldn’t go to your head.”

  “I promise I won’t let it. Say all you want.”

  “I do want to tell you, you were really good with Cole today. Sometimes little boys can be a handful—even more than big boys.”

  His eyes flickered with amusement. “Well, to tell you the truth, I’ve had plenty of practice. In Wisconsin I worked with underprivileged kids at a kung fu center near my house.”

  “You know kung fu? Doesn’t that bother your shoulder?”

  “What do you mean? My shoulder?” He looked perplexed.

  “Your, uh, right one—the one you used to have girls rub Bengay all over every chance you got. You know, the one that gave you so much pain after the last game of the football season that you claimed it would never be right again.”

  His face was suddenly flooded with a pink glow.

  “Oh, Derek Reeves.” She shook her head and audibly tsked. “You are so bad.”

  “Was,” he corrected. “Was bad. And I should probably get going now before we take any more trips down memory lane.” He zipped up the gray fleece he was wearing. “Besides, like Spider-Man, I need my sleep. I’ve got an early shift tomorrow.”

  Jessica followed him out of the kitchen. They both stopped for a moment to watch Cole slumbering peacefully on the couch.

  “Your Cole’s a keeper, Jess,” Derek said once they reached the front door.

  “He is indeed,” she agreed. “Thanks again for going today, Derek.”

  “Like I told you, I had a great time. But—” he lightly tapped her nose with his index finger—“you do owe me now.”

  “Owe you?” She chuckled. “Oh, I should’ve known. So what is it? What do you need me to do for you?”

  “Blackwell’s retirement party is next Saturday.”

  “And you need help with what? Picking out a suit? A tie?” She couldn’t imagine what else he’d need.

  “No, believe it or not, I’ve been dressing myself for a while now,” he scoffed playfully. “Actually, I need a date.”

  “A date?” Her head rocked back on her shoulders. “You mean you haven’t had time to get back in the good graces of half the girls in town?”

  He waved away her comment. “Bottom line, you owe me. Are you in?”

  “Sure.” She gazed steadily into his eyes. His clear-blue eyes. “What are friends for?”

  “Great.” He opened the door, and a rush of chilled air swept in, cooling her warm face. “I’ll give you a call and let you know what time.”

  “Sounds good.” She nodded, rolling back on her heels. “You be careful out there, Deputy Reeves,” she said, meaning every word.

  “Always am.” He tipped his head good-bye.

  Locking the door behind him, Jessica padded back into the family room and settled onto the couch with her sleeping son. After the day they’d had, she was sure her little guy was dreaming of super feats and superheroes. Meanwhile she closed her eyes and smiled.

  Simply smiled.

  LYDIA WAS GLAD she’d given herself plenty of time before church service to get Flora hitched up to the buggy because the creature certainly wasn’t making things easy. In fact, Flora seemed quite put out with her.

  “Flora, girl, I know you don’t believe it, but I really have been missing buggy rides with you,” Lydia said as she stood with the harness in her hands. She’d certainly been doing her share of sweet-talking for the past few minutes. Meanwhile, Flora shook her head vigorously as if she understood every word Lydia was saying but wasn’t buying any of it.

  “Truly, I have, girl,” Lydia tried again. “I thought you understood by now. I can’t be taking you to town every day while I work. You’d be mig
hty angry if I did. Being tied up in a parking lot all day long is no place for a pretty girl like you.” She reached up and attempted to gently stroke Flora’s mane. “Now it’s Sunday, and our day to be together. Don’t ya want to do that?”

  Little by little, her honeyed words were beginning to quiet Flora’s fidgeting. But it wasn’t until she and Flora both heard horse hooves coming up the drive that the creature stilled completely.

  “How’s Flora behaving today?” Jonas called out from his buggy. “I thought you might want to share a ride to church.”

  “Danke, Jonas, but I think we girls need some alone time this morning. No offense to you boys.” She nodded at his stallion.

  Good-natured as always, Jonas laughed. “Need any help getting her hitched?”

  “Nee, thank you, though. As long as both of our patience holds out, I think we’ll be in good shape.”

  “Okay, then.” She could see his dark eyes held a bit of concern for her, but instead of belittling her efforts, he took her at her word and dipped his black felt hat. “We’ll see you girls at the Keims’ house,” he said before turning the buggy around and heading back down the drive.

  Lydia didn’t know if it was the sight of Jonas’s horse leaving and Flora’s instinct to follow the stallion, but Flora seemed finished with her balking. She stayed calm the entire time Lydia harnessed her, letting herself be hitched to the buggy in no time at all.

  Contrary to her earlier behavior, the horse even seemed to enjoy their early-morning outing, clip-clopping leisurely down the road while crisp golden leaves fluttered and floated across her path. In contrast, Lydia could feel her stomach tighten the closer they got to the Keims’ property. By the time she turned Flora into the family’s driveway, she was unbuttoning her jacket and tugging at her kapp strings, suddenly feeling uncomfortably flushed, flashes of heat surging up her neck.

  It wasn’t right, this feeling she’d developed—dreading the time of worship, feeling awkward around people who believed just as she did . . . She felt so miserably out of place she wanted to break down and cry. And it wasn’t because of anything her Amish neighbors had done to her. No, she’d done it to herself.