by Amy Clipston
A slight blush tinted his cheeks. “You said you like strawberry ice cream.”
“Ya, I know.” Emily searched Chris’s eyes. What was he hiding?
“Your hair,” he began. “It smells like strawberries. At least, that’s what I think it smells like, but I was too embarrassed to ask you if you use strawberry shampoo.”
Emily laughed. “You were afraid to ask me about my shampoo?”
He gave a shy shrug.
“You should’ve asked me, Chris.” She playfully smacked his shoulder. “Ya, I do use strawberry shampoo. Do you like the scent?”
“Very much.” They sat close enough that Chris could inhale the scent of her hair now, and when he did his smile showed that he liked it. Did that mean he was attracted to her? The question sent a shiver of excitement through her.
“So where were we?” He lifted the sandwich again. “That’s right. Your favorite meal.”
“I suppose it’s meat loaf. I love mei mamm’s recipe.”
“All right. What about cake? What’s your favorite cake?”
“I would say vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream icing.” She bit into her sandwich.
“Yum.” He raised his eyebrows, and she giggled.
A comfortable silence fell over them as they continued to eat. What was he thinking? She hoped he didn’t suspect she was planning anything for his birthday. Gift ideas rolled through her mind. She considered clothing, such as suspenders, shoes, or a winter coat. She could also get him something for his room—a lantern or a candle. How about something more personal, like a shaving kit?
“I left a voice mail message for mei mamm,” he suddenly said.
“Really?” Emily was pleased. “When did you call her?”
His smile was bashful. “The night you told me I should. I thought about what you said about how she would want to hear my voice and know I’m okay, and I realized you were right.”
“That’s fantastic, Chris.” Emily wiped her mouth with a paper napkin. “Have you heard back from her?”
Chris nodded. “Ya, she left me a message last week, telling me how everyone is doing. She said my bruderskinner are outgrowing their clothes and the horse farm has been busy. Everyone is fine.”
He sidestepped the subject of his father, but she didn’t want to press him. He had made tremendous progress with his family just by calling his mother. “I’m so froh to hear that.”
His brow creased. “I didn’t mention mei dat in the message I left for her, but she mentioned he’s doing well too.”
“Oh.” So there it was—the topic was out in the open. Emily couldn’t bear the anger in his tone.
“She didn’t say he’d asked about me, but I’m sure he hasn’t.” Chris grabbed a few chips from the bag. “I’m sure he’s froh I’m gone since what happened to Gabriel was my fault.”
“Chris, you have to stop saying that about yourself. It’s not true.”
He huffed before eating a chip.
“Did you like the note I left for you today?”
Chris met her gaze and his brow relaxed. He wiped his hand on his napkin and lifted the pink envelope from his pocket. “Ya, I did. Danki.”
“Gern gschehne.” She could feel herself beaming as she retrieved a ziplock plastic bag from the basket. “I made you some kichlin. Chocolate chip.”
“Danki.” He took one from the bag.
Emily glanced across the table and spotted a leather wallet with a horse and buggy design carved on the front. She took in a quick breath as she picked it up and ran her fingertip over the horse and buggy. “Did you make this?”
His eyes were guarded, as if he worried she wouldn’t approve of his work. “Ya. It’s my first one.”
“This is amazing, Chris.” She turned the wallet over in her hand and examined the horse and buggy. The detail was breathtaking. “Did you draw this freehand?”
“Ya.”
“I had no idea you could draw.” She looked up again, and he shrugged. “You have a talent you kept from me.”
The tightness returned to his jawline, and a muscle worked there. Clearly he was still not comfortable with compliments about his work. She wondered why the notes she left him hadn’t helped to restore his confidence. She needed to find a way to convince him he was worthy of praise for his accomplishments.
“Have you always liked to draw?”
Chris’s eyes walled up, resembling two blocks of ice. Gone was the affable, gentle Chris. Instead, he once again resembled the angry, belligerent Chris who had walked into the harness shop for his first day at work and frowned at Emily.
Emily’s stomach muscles cramped, and she longed to take the words back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know—”
“It’s all right.” He turned his attention to the cookie crumbs dotting the paper napkin on the table. He pushed them around with his finger as he spoke. “It was a bone of contention between mei dat and me. He once caught me drawing and told me it was sinful. But it was a stress reliever for me. I like to draw mundane things like a tree or a farmhouse with a barn behind it. I wasn’t creating a graven image, but he didn’t seem to understand. After that, I hid my drawings so he wouldn’t find them and criticize me again. He wouldn’t want anyone to know one of the bishop’s sons had done something prideful.”
Emily gaped. She hadn’t meant to bring up another painful subject. When would she learn to tread lightly when she spoke to him? “I’m sorry.”
The muscles in his jaw relaxed. “Em, my problems with my father are not your fault.” He swept the crumbs into his hand and brushed them into the wastebasket beside him.
“Mei dat told me you’ve single-handedly boosted sales. You’re doing a great job.”
“Danki.” He picked up two cookies and handed one to her. “I just thought I’d give it a try and see how your dat and mei onkel liked the wallets. I wonder if they will be as popular as the key chains and coin purses.”
“I imagine they will all sell.” She bit into her cookie. “You’ll probably have to work late some nights to keep up with the demand.”
Chris chewed the cookie and swallowed. He paused as if contemplating something, and his eyes warmed. “I’ve gone two nights without a nightmare.”
Emily clapped. “That’s wunderbaar news!” She squashed the desire to hug him as excitement rushed through her. “Oh, I am froh to hear that.”
“Thanks.” A shy smile overtook his lips again. “I was afraid to tell you because I thought maybe it was a fluke, but I actually slept through the night last night for the first time in months.”
Chris shifted closer to her and placed his hand on top of hers, and heat swept through her. “Danki.”
“Why are you thanking me?”
“You’ve helped me tremendously just by listening to me and leaving me the encouraging notes.” Chris laced his fingers with hers. “I can’t thank you enough.”
As she stared into his blue-green eyes, she glimpsed her future. She envisioned herself starting a life with him. Warmth flooded every cell in her body. Was Chris the man for whom she’d been waiting? Had God sent Chris here to heal his battered heart and fall in love with her?
A blend of excitement and fear overtook her.
Maybe this was happening too fast. She recalled how Veronica had worried she’d fallen in love with Jason too quickly. But that had turned out all right, hadn’t it?
Emily’s mind spun with confusion. Maybe she was imagining this sudden and powerful feeling.
The bell chimed above the door. She instinctively pulled her hand away from his, sat up straight on the stool, and smoothed her hands over her gray dress. She hoped her cheeks would cool down.
“Lunchtime passes by too quickly, doesn’t it?” Hank’s question boomed through the small building.
“Ya, it sure does,” Chris agreed.
The phone rang, and Hank moved behind the counter to answer it.
“I better get back to work on the dresses for Rachel’s wedding.” Emily busied herself w
ith cleaning up the remnants of their lunch to avoid passing out from humiliation. Holding Chris’s hand got her so worked up.
“Danki for lunch.” Chris tossed the used napkins into the wastebasket. “It was appeditlich.”
“Gern gschehne.” Emily kept her eyes focused on packing up the basket. Once the basket was closed, she stood. As she took a step toward the front of the store, Chris caught her arm, forcing her to peek up at his worried eyes.
“Is everything all right?” he whispered. “Did I say something to offend you?”
“Everything is fine,” she insisted, and he released her arm. “I have to get home, but I will see you tomorrow.”
Chris tilted his head, suspicion lingering in his eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ll let you get back to making those fantastic wallets so you can continue to impress mei dat.”
His smile removed the worry from his face. “Have a gut afternoon.”
“You too.” Emily hefted the basket onto her hip and gave Hank a little wave as she exited the store. Instead of going straight home, she walked up the rock path to Hank and Tillie’s house. And just before she knocked on the back door, she got an idea.
Tillie wrenched open the door. “Emily! It’s so gut to see you.”
“Hi, Tillie. Do you have a minute?”
“Ya, ya. Come in.”
Emily followed Tillie into the kitchen and set the basket on the table.
“Have a seat,” Tillie said. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No, danki.” Emily sat in a chair. “I want to ask for your help and advice.”
“Oh.” Tillie’s brown eyes twinkled as she sat down across from Emily. “What do you need?”
“As I’m sure you know, Chris’s birthday is Friday, and I’m planning a surprise party for him.” Emily touched the basket handles. “I was wondering if we could have the party here. I’ll bring the cake after supper so he won’t suspect anything.”
“That’s a great idea. Do you need me to make anything to go with the cake? Do you want me to pick up ice cream?”
“That would be great. He told me his favorite is cookies and cream.”
Tillie picked up the pencil and notepad on the table and wrote that down. “I’m going shopping Friday afternoon, so I’ll get it then.”
“Danki. Now I need your advice.” Emily sighed as her fingers continued to rub the smooth wooden handles. “I’ve had no idea what to get Chris for his birthday. Do you have any thoughts?”
“Oh. I don’t know. I was going to give him some money.”
“Well, on the way over here, I got the idea of getting him a set of leatherworking tools. I thought he might want his own tools since he’s excelling at the work. Does that sound gut to you?”
Tillie looked at Emily for a moment. “You realize the tools are very expensive, right?”
“I was going to ask mei dat where the best place is to buy them.” When Tillie didn’t answer, Emily kept talking. “I can’t think of anything else, and I don’t want to ask him and give away the surprise. I’m making him a quilt, but I’ve been so busy with Rachel’s wedding preparations that I’ve only had time to sneak in some work on it before bed every night. I’m going to have to give him the quilt for Christmas.”
“You’re making a quilt for him?” Tillie’s eyes widened.
Emily shrugged. “Ya. It’s a lap quilt. I’m glad I chose a small size and easy pattern since I don’t have much time.”
“You really care about Christopher.”
“Well, ya. We’re gut freinden.” Emily tried to keep her words nonchalant.
Tillie’s eyebrows drew together. Was it disapproval or maybe concern? The uncertainty stirred apprehension in Emily’s chest.
“I think tools would be a nice gift, but I don’t think you can afford a set by yourself,” Tillie finally said. “What if Hank and I chip in to help you pay for them?”
“No, danki. I’m going to check with mei dat.” Emily appreciated the offer, but she wanted to give Chris a gift from just her. “Does Chris like a particular snack? I need ideas for what to tell my family to get him if they ask me.”
Tillie touched her chin. “I’ve noticed he likes to get into Hank’s roasted peanuts, and I’ve seen him pick up packs of Skittles at the grocery store. I think he enjoys sweet-and-sour candy.”
“Oh, gut. That helps me a lot.” Emily’s mind ticked off a list of things she’d have to accomplish for the party. “Do you think I can bring the cake around six?”
“Ya. That’s perfect.”
“I’m going to invite Veronica and Jason, and I’ll tell Rachel to call Mike.” Emily rubbed her hands together. “I’m so excited. I think Chris will be surprised.”
“I think so too.”
“Danki,” Emily said. “I need to go, but I will see you Friday if not before.”
Emily said good-bye to Tillie and then hurried home. Rachel and Mamm sat in the sewing room, working on the dresses for the wedding. They both greeted Emily when she entered the room.
“You look excited about something,” Rachel observed. “How was your lunch with Chris?”
“It was gut.” Emily sat down on the chair across from the sewing table. “I talked to Tillie about the surprise party Friday, and she said we can have it at her haus. After everyone gets here, we’ll go over there and surprise Chris.”
“You’re going to have a surprise party for Chris?” Mamm looked up from the dress she was pinning.
“Ya, I thought I told you.” Emily went over her plans. “I’m going to ask Dat where I can get Chris some tools. He’s doing so well with his leatherwork and I imagine he wants his own set. Tillie said they are expensive, but I thought maybe Dat would know where I can get a used set.”
“That’s a gut idea.” Rachel nodded before returning to pinning the skirt on a dress.
Emily bit her thumbnail as trepidation sent questions whirling through her mind. She wondered if Chris would appreciate getting tools for his birthday or if he would prefer something else. If he didn’t like drawing attention to himself, he may not want to have a party at all. On the other hand, his feelings might be hurt if she didn’t give him a party.
Then her thoughts turned to Tillie and the expression she’d given Emily. Why did Tillie look anxious when Emily mentioned she and Chris were friends? Emily had known Tillie her whole life, and Tillie had always been supportive of Emily and her sisters. It didn’t make sense that Tillie wouldn’t want Chris to have a friend here after all he’d endured over the last few months.
“Emily, stop biting your nail. That’s a disgusting habit.” Mamm’s comment tugged Emily back to the present.
“Oh.” Emily dropped her hand into her lap and stood. “What would you like me to do?” she asked Rachel. “I can take over for Mamm if you’d like.”
“Sit, Emily,” Mamm said. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
She sat back in her chair. “Nothing is wrong. I’m just thinking about the party. I need to make a list of everything I need to do. Chris told me his favorite food is chili, so I’ll take that to him for lunch on Friday. Also, he likes chocolate cake. I need to go to the grocery store.”
Rachel peered up from her sewing. “Are you sure that’s all that’s on your mind?”
Emily started to lift her thumb to her mouth again and then folded her arms over her chest to prevent herself from biting her nails. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Chris and how I feel about him.”
Mamm and Rachel simultaneously lifted their eyebrows.
A grin slowly spread across Rachel’s face. “Are you in love?”
“I think so,” Emily whispered. “I’m not sure, but something happened today at the shop. It was as if I suddenly realized I’m meant to be with Chris. It was overwhelming and confusing.”
Rachel squealed as she reached over and squeezed Emily’s hand. “That’s fantastic!”
Mamm beamed. “Did he tell you he loves you?”
&n
bsp; “No.” Emily shook her head. “He hasn’t said it to me, but he said I’ve been a tremendous help to him with everything he’s gone through with losing his bruder.”
Mamm’s blue eyes were suddenly full of concern. “Just take it slowly with him. Let him tell you how he feels when he’s ready and don’t rush it.”
“I won’t.” Emily looked at the dresses. She needed to change the subject so she could take her time to sort through all the confusing feelings swirling inside of her. “Now, what can I do to help?”
CHAPTER 16
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” EMILY SANG AS THE BELLS ABOVE THE door chimed.
Chris looked up from the cash register and grinned as a customer who was on his way out of the shop held the door open for Emily. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome! I hope you’re hungry.” Emily looked positively radiant as she stood in the doorway holding two cupcakes with chocolate icing in one hand and the picnic basket in her other. A delicious spicy aroma permeated the store. Was that chili? Emily thanked the customer as she stepped into the shop, and Chris couldn’t stop smiling at her.
“Aw. Is it your birthday?”
Chris hadn’t noticed another customer had come up to the counter until she spoke.
“Yeah, it is.” Chris gave the middle-aged woman a diffident smile.
“It looks like your girlfriend is going to make it special for you,” she said with a smirk.
“I’ll set everything out on the table.” Emily’s cheeks blushed bright pink as she walked to the back of the harness shop.
My girlfriend? I should be so blessed to call Emily my girlfriend. Chris told the woman the price before slipping her four wallets and four coin purses into a bag.
The woman paid him and took the bag. “These wallets and coin purses are going to make fantastic gifts for my family back home. I’m so glad I stopped here.”
“Thank you,” he said. “Have a nice day.”
“You too. Happy birthday!” The woman disappeared out the door.
Chris sauntered to the back of the shop where Emily had cleared off one side of the worktable and covered it with a blue tablecloth. She set out two bowls of chili, the two cupcakes, and two bottles of water. The delicious aroma of the chili wafted over him and made his stomach gurgle with delight. “Did you make chili for me?”