The Sisters of Sugarcreek

by Cathy Liggett

  “Oh, but we really should eat, shouldn’t we? Lydia went to a lot of trouble for us. And Jonas, and Jessica too, I’d imagine.”

  “You’re right.” Stepping back slightly, he raised her chin with the crook of his finger. “It’s time for dinner for two.” He smiled into her eyes. “To share with one beautiful, incredible woman . . . mine.” Then he bent to kiss her once again, his lips warm and sweet on hers.

  “I love you, Lizzy,” he whispered. “I’ve loved you for some time now.”

  “Actually, Daniel,” she felt thrilled to admit, “I believe I loved you first.”

  “Oh! Oh! Oh!” Lydia squealed happily. “It’s working. Our plan is working!” Standing at Jonas’s kitchen window, holding Jessica’s binoculars over the bridge of her nose, she peered into her own kitchen across the way. “We did it, Jessica.”

  “Yes!” Jessica thrust a triumphant fist into the air. “I was hoping things would turn out all right for those two.”

  “But I mean to tell ya, it’s really working between them. Liz and Daniel are kissing and hugging and everything over there.”

  “Kissing?” Jessica’s eyes widened. “You’ve got to let me see,” she said as she stole the binoculars from Lydia’s hands.

  “I’m so verra happy for them.” Lydia sighed. “And so glad for Jonas, too. He was a bit nervous duping his uncle the way he did.”

  “Is that why he scooted Derek and Cole out to the barn to meet his new goat so quickly?”

  “I’m sure it was.”

  “Ah . . . nothing can stop true love.” Jessica came away from the window looking dreamy-eyed as she laid the binoculars on the table. “I’d say we make a pretty good team, Lydia.”

  Lydia laughed, both delighted and relieved by their successful plan. “Jah, we do. A pretty gut team, for sure.”

  “You know . . . I’ve been thinking.” All at once Jessica seemed unsettled, rubbing her hands together.

  “Jah?” Lydia frowned. She couldn’t imagine what had her friend suddenly stewing so.

  “It’s about the Cottage.” Jessica’s tone turned more serious. “I think I’ve figured out a way to make the Cottage more profitable all year round. But my idea—well, it’s going to take a lot of groundwork and grunt work. And I know I can’t do it alone. It’s something we’d have to do together. You and I.”

  “How so?” Lydia’s curiosity piqued.

  “Well . . . the idea came to me when I heard about Liz’s new catering position. And then it really began to feel like more of a possibility when we came up with those quilting and knitting kits for the Santa sale.” Jessica’s eyes began to glow brightly. “Oh, Lydia, with e-commerce we can cater to our clients year-round,” she said excitedly, “and we can develop so many more new customers too. And the kits—those packets—are a perfect way for us to get started. Every month we can offer a project to customers online, and seasonal projects, too, for anyone from beginners to seasoned vets.”

  Lydia didn’t want to throw cold water on her friend’s idea, but listening to what Jessica was explaining, she had reservations about her own abilities. “But, Jessica, I don’t know anything about computers. Not that I wouldn’t try to learn if you wanted to teach me, but—”

  “But that’s the point, Lydia. You don’t have to know. You’d be the creative and crafty part of the business, and I’d handle all the marketing, offline and online. We’d be partners.”

  Lydia’s cheeks flushed at the very idea of the word. “It’s all verra exciting, Jessica. But you don’t have to make me a partner to do all of that. I’d do it anyway.”

  “But it only seems fair.” Jessica shrugged. “And anyway, I’d be doing it because I want to. Not because I have to.”

  “You may want some more time to think about it,” Lydia graciously told her friend.

  “I have thought about it, Lydia. A lot. And I wouldn’t have said so if that wasn’t the way I wanted it to be.”

  “Well then . . . if you’re sure . . . I do have one suggestion,” Lydia said shyly.

  “Really?” Jessica’s expression quickly turned serious. “A suggestion already?”

  “Jah. I do.”

  “Okay then. Shoot.” Jessica wriggled beside her, then stilled and narrowed her eyes, waiting to hear.

  “Partners or not, I don’t think we should ever change the name of the shop. We should always keep it as Rose’s Cottage. Rose’s Knit One Quilt Too Cottage. I never met your aunt, but I feel like I know her. And, in a strange sort of way, I’d miss her if her name wasn’t there.”

  She hadn’t meant to bring up anything to upset her friend, but she could see Jessica’s eyes grow misty. “See—” Jessica’s voice broke. “That’s exactly why I want you to be a part of the Cottage, Lydia. You just get it.”

  “Jah, but you have to know it doesn’t only work one way, Jessica. The Cottage, and you, have been great blessings for me too.”

  Jessica stepped closer to hug her, but before Lydia could even reciprocate, her friend rocked back on her heels.

  “Uh-oh.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The guys.” Focusing her gaze out the window, Jessica pointed at the two men and her son, straggling back from Jonas’s barn. “They’re going to come in here any minute, hungry and wondering what there is to eat.”

  “Jah, you’re right.” Lydia rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I suppose when we were making dinner for Liz and Daniel, we shoulda been thinking about dinner for ourselves, too. I was already getting kind of hungry myself, peeling those carrots and potatoes.”

  “And your pecan pie . . . oh, it smelled so heavenly,” Jessica moaned. “You did leave a note in one of the napkins, didn’t you? Letting Liz and Daniel know that the pie was in the refrigerator for them?”

  “Just as we’d planned.” Lydia nodded, thinking how her stomach had growled hours ago as she blended the pecans and brown sugar.

  “Personally . . . I think we’ve cooked enough for one day. I say we go out to eat and celebrate.” Jessica raised a brow. “What do you think? Der Dutchman?”

  Lydia’s mouth watered at the mention of her favorite restaurant. “Perfect,” she said because it was. A perfect way to end a mighty wunderbar day.

  JESSICA HAD JUST FINISHED zipping her knee-high black boots and straightening her gray turtleneck sweater dress when she heard footsteps coming up the outside stairs, followed by a knock on the door. Derek’s knock—a recognizable rat-a-tat-tat that he’d been using ever since she’d known him.

  Striding in her heeled boots toward the door, she was breathless from hurrying to get herself ready and Cole, too. Or at least that’s what she told herself. But seeing Derek standing in the doorway in his black wool coat and newsboy cap, she knew without a doubt her rushing around was only a part of her shortness of breath.

  More and more lately, no matter when she saw him, or what the occasion, her body betrayed her in so many ways. Either with a catch in her breathing, an extremely dry mouth, flushed cheeks, or sometimes every symptom at once. And each time, she hoped the man who’d always been her closest friend wouldn’t happen to notice.

  “Hey, you’re early,” she greeted him, trying to sound light and breezy.

  “Yes, I am,” he said as he wiped his shoes on the outdoor mat and stepped inside. “I hope that’s not a problem.”

  “No, not at all. It’s so sweet of you, Derek. Going with Cole and me tonight. I appreciate it so much.”

  She couldn’t have felt more thankful when Derek offered to escort her and Cole to the candlelight service at Faith Community’s church grounds. Obviously he knew it would be an emotional night for her, and it comforted her greatly to know that he’d be there, close by her side.

  The service wasn’t meant to be any kind of groundbreaking ceremony. That was scheduled for January. Since the Farmers’ Almanac was predicting a mild winter, it was hoped construction crews wouldn’t face too many bad weather interruptions in the months that followed.

  But not
wanting to let Christmas go by without some kind of observance, Faith Community’s pastor had invited congregants—and any and all townspeople, too—to meet at the church grounds on this evening. To come and remember, to come worship and sing, and to celebrate their Savior’s birth as they looked forward to the rebirth of their church in the new year.

  “There’s no way I wouldn’t want to be with you two, Jess.” His eyes shone with sincerity. “Where is that little guy anyway?”

  “He’s in his room, taking pictures of toys. He’s been obsessed with the camera you got him. He carries it everywhere.”

  Derek smiled, looking pleased. “Good, good, I’m glad he likes it. I’m also, uh, kind of glad he’s occupied because I . . . well, there’s a reason I stopped by, you know, a few minutes early. . . .”

  It was so unlike self-assured, talkative Derek to stumble over anything he was saying—and he was fumbling quite a bit. Suddenly concerned, Jessica felt her heartbeat quicken. “Is everything okay, Derek?”

  “Yeah, I, uh, just wanted to . . . you know . . .”

  She nodded reassuringly, as if that might help him get the words out.

  “Well, first . . .” He shook his head, seeming to change tracks. “I, uh, I brought you something you may want to wear tonight.”

  Instantly self-conscious, she glanced down at herself. “I know the dress seems sort of plain, but I do have a plaid scarf I’d planned to wear with it, and I think that might—”

  “Jess.” Derek stopped her. “You look great. You always look great.”

  She looked up at him, questioningly.

  “Seriously, you do.”

  “Well, thanks, but then . . . ?”

  All along he’d been standing with his hands behind his back, but she hadn’t thought to ask or reason why. Now he drew both hands forward and held out a tiny crimson gift bag for her.

  Definitely too small to hold a blouse, a pair of gloves, or even earmuffs. Jessica stared at the bag. Her breathing became shallow all over again as she glanced at him, puzzled.

  “Go ahead. There’s nothing in there that will bite. I promise.”

  Taking the teensy bag from his hands, she used two fingers to pull out the equally petite box inside.

  A jewelry case. Of course. She knew that’s what it had to be. What else would be so small?

  Hands trembling at the very sight of it, she set the empty gift bag on the coffee table and held the case in her hands. Again, she looked up at Derek, baffled.

  “Like I said, it’s something I thought you’d want to wear tonight.”

  She’d barely opened the box halfway when she gasped. Opening it all the way, she let out a cry. “Oh, Derek, I can’t believe this. I can’t.”

  Tears of joy clouded her eyes. Even so, she could still see the earrings so clearly. The earrings her aunt Rose had given her so long ago. Rubies and diamonds, sparkling with a sentiment more priceless than their value could ever amount to. A piece of her heart she thought she’d lost forever.

  “I don’t understand. How did you find them? How could you possibly know?”

  His features began to relax, his voice sounding more normal and almost amused as he explained. “When we were at Mick’s Diner for lunch, remember? I got a call and then you got up to use the restroom. I noticed a piece of paper had fallen out of your coat onto the floor. I picked it up and put it in my uniform pocket, meaning to give it to you. But then I forgot.” He shrugged.

  “It wasn’t until later that night,” he continued, “that I came across the paper again when I was emptying out my own pockets. When I saw it was a receipt from the pawn shop for your ruby earrings, I knew I had to do something, Jess. I knew how much they meant to you.”

  She stared at him in disbelief. In wonder at how well he’d always known her. In awe of how much he’d always cared. “I went back for them, you know,” she told him. “After the sale, when I had some extra money. But they weren’t there, and I was so sad. I didn’t think I’d ever see them again.”

  “I’m sorry. Maybe I should’ve brought them by sooner. But I thought—”

  “That tonight would be the perfect time for me to have them back? Oh, and it is. It’s the best time ever.” She threw her arms around his shoulders, hugging him as tightly as she could. “To be able to wear them tonight . . . I can’t think of anything more special than that.”

  Letting go, she stepped back, wanting so much for him to see the gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you, Derek. Really, thank you so much. Having the earrings feels like having Aunt Rose close again.”

  As he gently brushed her cheek with his thumb, a corner of his mouth curved upward. “Anything for you, Jess.”

  Slowly and reverently taking the earrings from the case, she put them on, one by one. Then, tucking her hair behind her ears to allow the rubies and diamonds to glimmer and shine, she grinned. “I bet this plain old dress looks better already, doesn’t it?”

  “Like I said before, Jess, you always look great to me.”

  She warmed at his compliment but tried to dismiss the way it made her feel. “I can’t believe you were able to keep the earrings a secret. That’s so unlike you,” she teased. “You never said a word.”

  “Yeah, well . . .” Derek took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “Actually, Jess, there’s a lot I want to say. Even at Mick’s that day, there were things I wanted to say . . . but it wasn’t exactly the place I wanted to tell you what’s been on my heart for years.”

  On his heart . . . for years? Oh, there went the catch in her breath again!

  “For too many years.” Derek shifted on his feet. Turned the wool cap in his hands, over and over again. “That day, at lunch, you were talking about mistakes you’d made. Well, what you don’t know is, I made a huge mistake too, the day I came to visit you at Ohio State.”

  As she tried to think back to that time in her life, she frowned. “But . . . you never came to see me at college.”

  “I did. You just never knew about it. You weren’t in your dorm when I got there. You were out doing laundry or something, and a guy answered the door. He introduced himself and told me how the two of you were headed to Las Vegas the next week to get—”

  “Oh . . .” She closed her eyes. “Sean.”

  Derek nodded as he continued. “I was on my way up to Wisconsin, but I’d made a detour to Columbus first, to see you. I wanted to spill out my feelings for you. To tell you how much I’d always loved you.”

  Had he really just said those words? He loved her? She reeled on her heels, not sure she was hearing right. “But all those years, Derek . . . and you never let me know . . .”

  “It’s not like I didn’t want to, Jess. I was just waiting.”

  “For what?”

  “I wanted to be able to offer you something.” His eyes glimmered with proud determination. “I wanted to know I had a future. When my aunt and uncle suggested I come live with them in Milwaukee and offered to help me get trained in the police academy there, I finally felt like I was on my way. That I could be a whole person for you. Not just some down-on-his-luck, broken kid.”

  “But you never seemed like that kid to me, Derek. You were my best friend. You filled up my world.”

  “You were my world too, Jess. But . . . I wanted more for myself than what I had, and I wanted to be able to give more to you. To be more for you.”

  Seeing the heartrending tenderness of his gaze, she opened her mouth to protest again, but he held up his hand. “I gave up too easily. And I’ve regretted it for a long time. That day I came to OSU, I took no for an answer before I’d even asked you the question. And months ago, when I finally moved back to Sugarcreek, I didn’t say anything to you about how I was feeling because it didn’t seem like the right time. Not after all you’d been through. And I also knew there were Cole’s feelings to consider. I didn’t know how he’d respond to me.” He shifted on his feet. “But I think things have been going pretty well with him and me, don’t you?” He raised a brow,
seeking her response.

  “I’d say really well, Derek.” She smiled. Better than she could’ve ever hoped. “I think you had Cole at ‘hello.’ As in ‘hello, Spider-Man.’”

  Seeming pleased, he smiled at her answer, but just as quickly his face grew serious again. “So I guess what I’m saying is, Jess, if you have any feelings for me, any at all, I . . .” He held out his arms as if he didn’t know what else to say.

  In her mind, he’d said it all.

  As though his words had released her at last, she took his hat from his hands and tossed it aside. Then, flinging herself against him, she locked herself into his embrace. Lifting her chin to meet his, he kissed her gently at first, feathery strokes of his lips, delightedly exploring. A series of slow, shivery kisses that left her quivering at his sweet tenderness.

  But after all the years of waiting for each other, wanting each other, those light kisses just weren’t enough. Derek pulled her even closer, his lips caressing hers, over and over . . . every touch the delicious sensation she’d always imagined it would be.

  “Oh, Derek, do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that?” she said as his kisses ebbed into soft wisps of his lips again. “Ever since we were kids, going to prom. Jumping in Manor Lake. Dancing in the snow. Ever since the day you came back to Sugarcreek and walked into the Cottage and back into my life.” Happiness poured out of her in a giggle. “And you never picked up on that, Deputy?”

  He laughed at her implication. “I thought I felt something from you. But then, I wanted to believe it so much that I couldn’t be sure.”

  “So you didn’t notice my red cheeks every time I saw you?”

  “Oh, maybe once or twice.” He tenderly kissed one cheek and then the other. “Actually they’re looking pretty pink and flushed now.”

  “Happily flushed, I’d say.”

  “So, Jess, if you’re feeling what I’m feeling, maybe, uh . . . well, what I mean is . . . I was thinking . . .”

  There he was, stuttering all over again. There she was, nodding, encouraging him to say whatever was on his heart and mind.