A Legacy of Love

by Amy Clipston

  “She’s well. She’s busy with her quilting group.”

  They caught up on all their family members as they finished their lunches. When their food was gone, Kayla delivered their bill and took their empty plates. Leon picked up the check and reached for his wallet.

  “Let me pay for mine.” Susie pulled out her wallet from her small black purse.

  “No.” He shook his head. “I’ve got it.”

  “But I—”

  “You can pay next time,” he said, even though he’d never allow her to pay.

  “Oh. Okay.” Her expression brightened as she slipped her wallet back into her purse.

  Leon left a couple of bills on the table with the check and then stood. “Are you ready?”

  “Ya.” Susie rose from her chair. “Danki for lunch. It was wunderbaar.”

  “Gern gschehne. Would you like me to walk you to the market?” he offered as they headed out of the restaurant together.

  “No, but danki.”

  “How are you getting home?” Leon held the door open for her, and she stepped outside.

  “I’m going to call my driver when I’m done. When are you on duty again?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Be careful, okay?”

  “I will,” he promised.

  Susie held out her hand, and he shook it. When their skin touched, a bolt of electricity zipped up Leon’s arm, stealing his breath for a moment. Had she felt the attraction too? Or was it all in his mind? Her pleasant expression showed no sign of surprise.

  He longed to hold her hand forever. No, he longed to pull her into his arms and ask her to be his girlfriend again. But he couldn’t. She belonged to another man.

  “I’ll see you soon.” She released his hand and strolled down the sidewalk, turning once to wave before disappearing around the corner.

  Leon hurried back to the store and into the workroom, where Ben was still working. “Didn’t you take a break for lunch?”

  “Ya, I did.” Ben stood up and wiped his arm over his forehead. “But my break wasn’t as long as yours.”

  “I wasn’t gone that long,” Leon muttered as he picked up a piece of sandpaper and went to work on the same spindle.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “What?” Leon looked over at his brother.

  “Don’t play dumb with me.” Ben gestured toward him. “What do you hope to accomplish with Susie? Do you honestly think Josh would approve of your lunch date?”

  “It wasn’t a date.” Leon ground out the words. “We’re freinden, and sometimes freinden go to lunch.”

  “Right,” Ben deadpanned. “You keep telling yourself that.”

  “Mind your own business.”

  They worked in silence for several moments as irritation completely seared his previously good mood. Why couldn’t his older brother mind his own business?

  “Leon, please just listen to me,” Ben began, and Leon looked at him. “You’re treading on dangerous territory. You’re holding on to hope she’ll fall back in love with you, but it’s not going to happen. She’s going to marry someone else, and you’re going to wind up with a broken heart.”

  Leon glared at him.

  “I know you’re annoyed with me, but I need you to think about what I said.” Ben’s words were slow and measured. “I’m just worried about you.”

  “Danki, but I’ll be fine.”

  As Leon returned to his work, he tried to shove away his brother’s warning. Ben was wrong. He had to be. He didn’t think Susie would fall in love with him again. And he could be friends with her even after she was married, right? He had nothing to worry about.

  Then why did a fog of foreboding seem to be hanging over his head?

  CHAPTER 7

  How’s the sewing going?”

  Susie looked up from her machine and found her sister leaning against the door frame, smiling.

  “It’s going well.” She nodded to the dress she was making for Betty. “I’m almost done with the sleeves.”

  “Great.” Betty sat down on the chair beside her. “I heard you telling Mamm you went to lunch today while you were out shopping. Where did you go?”

  A smile overtook Susie’s lips as she recalled her time with Leon. “I went to Dienner’s Restaurant.”

  “Really?” Betty grinned. “I love Dienner’s. What did you have?”

  “Leon and I both had the barbecue pork sandwich. It was so gut.”

  “Leon? How did you wind up going to lunch with Leon?”

  “I stopped by the furniture store to see how he was doing with the chairs. He’s completely taken apart Mammi’s chair, and he was sanding the spindles. It’s going to be so schee when it’s done. I talked to him and Ben for a while, and then Leon suggested we go to lunch. At first I said no, but he insisted. We had a really nice time. We talked about mutual friends, and then we talked about our families.”

  Susie frowned. “He’s on duty again tomorrow. I hope he’s safe. I was just praying for him while I was sewing. He acts as though volunteering isn’t a big deal, but I know he puts his life on the line every time he responds to a dangerous call.” When she realized she was droning on about Leon, she swallowed against her suddenly dry throat.

  Betty’s smile dissolved, and anxiety suddenly occupied Susie’s stomach.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Susie asked.

  “Do you still have feelings for Leon?”

  “No,” Susie replied quickly. “I just enjoy spending time with him.”

  Betty tilted her head. “I think it’s more than that. You light up when you talk about him.”

  “There’s nothing going on between us.” Susie hoped she sounded convincing, but she recalled the spark she’d felt when she shook Leon’s hand. She never felt that when Josh touched her. The realization sent confusion swirling through her, and her hands trembled.

  Was she still attracted to Leon? No. And she would never do anything to deliberately hurt Josh. She was only imagining that there was anything other than friendship between her and Leon now. But why did what she’d felt seem so real?

  “I’ve never seen you light up that way when you talk about Josh.”

  “Sure I have. I’m always froh when I talk about Josh.”

  Betty shook her head. “Not in the same way.”

  “That’s not true. I’m marrying Josh, not Leon.” Susie looked down at the dress. “I should get back to work. I need to finish yours and then we can start on mine.”

  Betty touched her arm. “You can be honest with me. You can tell me if you’re doubting your feelings for Josh.”

  With her face toward the wall, Susie closed her eyes as more anxiety seized in her chest. “I don’t doubt my feelings for Josh.” She heard the tremor in her voice, but she forced herself to continue. “Please don’t try to convince me I do. I want to marry him. I belong with him, and we’ll build a gut life together.” She turned to her sister and swallowed a sigh of relief when Betty smiled.

  “Okay.” Betty patted her hand. “I just wanted to be sure you’re making the right decision.” Then she stood and started for the door. “I need to help Mamm with supper.”

  “Do you need me to come down?”

  “No, you keep working.” Betty reached the doorway, but then lingered. “The dresses will both be schee. I’m really froh for you.” She tapped the doorframe and then disappeared into the hallway, her footfalls sounding on the stairs.

  Susie buried her face in her hands as tears stung her eyes. How did her life become so confusing in only a few weeks? Before she saw Leon at the funeral, she was certain she was making the right decision by agreeing to marry Josh. Now she felt as if she were settling for a marriage without a spark. Without true love.

  Love?

  “Ach, no,” she whispered into the palms of her hands. “No, no, no!” She was not falling in love with Leon. That wasn’t possible. She belonged with Josh, and she had to convince herself of that.

  Shaking off her dou
bt and worries, she turned her attention back to the dress. She had to focus on her wedding and let go of any thoughts of Leon. He was her past, and Josh was her future.

  “Let me get this straight, Leon,” Jamie began as he sat across from his friend at the long table in the fire station the next evening. “It’s your night to cook, and you ordered a pizza.”

  “That’s right.” Leon opened the box with the large extra cheese and pepperoni pie. “If you’d rather have something else, you can check the cabinets and the refrigerator to see what’s there.” He chose a slice and dropped it onto his paper plate.

  Brody chuckled as he took a slice. “I think it was a great idea. We haven’t had pizza in a while.”

  “Right.” Jamie frowned. “Not since the last time Leon ‘cooked.’” He made air quotes with his fingers.

  “I thought you liked pizza.” Leon pushed the box toward Jamie.

  “I do, but it’s the lazy man’s way out of cooking.” Jamie took two pieces.

  “Don’t be such a grump.” Leon grinned and then bit into his slice, savoring the taste as he chewed. He swallowed and then drank from his cold can of Coke.

  “It’s good pizza.” Brody took a bite. “Thanks, Leon.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “So, did you and Susie get back together?” Jamie asked.

  Leon stopped chewing and stared at Jamie. He swallowed his last bite and shook his head. “No. Why would you ask me that?” As if I didn’t know. I saw the look on Jamie’s face.

  “You two looked cozy at the restaurant yesterday.”

  “She came by the store to see how her chairs are coming along, and we decided to go to lunch. We ate, and then we both went on our way. That’s it.” Leon took another bite.

  “It looked like more than lunch to me. Kayla even commented about it.”

  “She did?”

  “Ya, she did.” Jamie lifted his can of Coke.

  Leon swallowed a groan.

  “What am I missing here?” Brody asked.

  “Leon took his ex-girlfriend out to lunch yesterday at Dienner’s.” Jamie pointed his can at Leon. “We saw them there. They looked like a couple, but he’s insisting they aren’t together.”

  “We’re not a couple,” Leon repeated as he wiped his hands clean with a paper towel. “She’s marrying someone else in November.”

  “So she’s getting married, but she was out on a date with you.” Brody raised his dark eyebrows.

  “It wasn’t a date.” Leon pinched the bridge of his nose. “Seriously, it wasn’t. We were just two friends eating lunch together. We had a nice talk, and that was all.”

  “But you still care about her.” Jamie smirked. “Admit it.”

  Leon couldn’t bring himself to lie since the truth was most likely written all over his face. “Ya, I do.”

  “So you wanted it to be a date,” Jamie surmised. “You know this isn’t going to end well for you.”

  Leon looked down at his pizza and then back up at Jamie. “Look, you don’t need to lecture me. I’ve heard it all from mei bruder.”

  Jamie’s expression grew serious. “What did Ben say?”

  “He keeps telling me I’m treading on dangerous territory, and I’m only going to get hurt when she marries Josh.”

  “He sounds wise,” Brody chimed in.

  “He might be wise, but Susie is the one who keeps coming to visit me.” Leon pointed to his chest. “If she doesn’t feel something for me, then why does she keep showing up at my shop? She doesn’t have to keep checking up on me to know I’m working on her chairs.”

  Jamie nodded slowly. “That’s a really gut point.”

  “I know.” Leon took another bite of pizza, even though his appetite had started to dissolve with the painful conversation.

  “But you’re leaving out one detail,” Brody said. “She may keep coming to visit, but she hasn’t broken her engagement. If she were interested in renewing a relationship with you, wouldn’t she be letting her fiancé off the hook?”

  Leon knew Susie well enough to assume she would. And that didn’t make him feel one bit better.

  Sunday afternoon Susie sucked in a deep breath as she glanced around the large area that would soon be her very own family room. The walls were a crisp white, and the sweet aroma of fresh paint filled her senses. “Oh, Josh. It’s so schee.”

  Josh seemed to stand a little taller as he surveyed the room. “I’m so glad you like it.”

  “I love it!” She touched one wall. “You, your dat, and your bruder worked hard.”

  He walked to the doorway that led to the kitchen. “Now we need to finish up in here and install the appliances. We have a lot of work to do, but at least we’re seeing progress.”

  “And we still have time.”

  “Not really.” He frowned. “Next week is October. November is coming fast.”

  “It is.” Her stomach fluttered, but with what felt more like anxiety than excitement. She suddenly recalled the lunch she’d shared with Leon, as well as the twinkle in his chocolaty eyes as they laughed and talked. Could she live without a daily dose of laughter in her life?

  “What’s on your mind?” Josh came to her.

  “Nothing.” She smiled up at him. “I was just thinking about how excited I am to live in this haus with you.”

  “We didn’t get to talk much this week.” He touched her cheek as he looked down at her. “What did you do?”

  “Oh.” She gave him a shy smile. “Let’s see. I worked on the dresses for the wedding, and I’m almost done with Betty’s. I helped mei mamm finish up a quilt, and I did some shopping.”

  She hesitated to say more, but why shouldn’t she tell Josh about her visit with Leon? She’d told him there was nothing between them, and she meant to keep it that way. She’d just keep the account of her time with Leon light and easy.

  “I went to the furniture store on Tuesday to check on the chairs, and Leon was working hard at mei mammi’s chair. Then we went to lunch at Dienner’s Restaurant. It was so appeditlich. We both had the pork barbecue sandwich with fries. He always drowns his fries in ketchup.”

  She laughed. “I don’t know how he even tastes the fries since he puts so much—” She stopped speaking when she realized Josh’s face had clouded. Had she gone too far trying to make the lunch sound like no big deal?

  She swallowed her anxiety. “Josh? Was iss letz?”

  “So you’re telling me I haven’t seen you since last Sunday, seven days ago, but you went to see Leon and had lunch with him?”

  She nodded. “Ya, but I only saw him because I wanted to check on the chairs, and I happened to be in town to do some grocery shopping for mei mamm.”

  “You went to see him alone?” His voice echoed in the large, empty room.

  “Well, we weren’t alone. His bruder was in the shop, and we ate in a restaurant.”

  His expression changed, showing what looked like a mixture of betrayal and anger. “How often do you go to see him?”

  “About once a week to check on the chairs. I want to make sure they’re ready in time.” She pointed to a corner of the room. “I was thinking they could go right there. Wouldn’t they be nice by the large picture window?”

  Josh gritted his teeth, and a muscle flexed in his strong jaw. “I don’t like you going to see him.”

  Susie blinked. She’d never seen Josh appear so angry. In fact, she’d never seen him so animated or emotional about anything. “But we’re just freinden—”

  “Don’t tell me you’re only freinden. I’m not blind, Susie. I see what’s going on here.” He scrubbed his hand down his face, and then he pinned her with a hard glare. “I don’t want you to see him anymore.”

  She gaped. “What?”

  “I want you to stop seeing him. Can you do that for me?”

  Despair and disappointment settled low in her stomach. How could she give up her special friendship with Leon? But she had to. Josh was her fiancé, and he would soon be her husband. She
had to be submissive to his wishes.

  She nodded slowly. “Ya, I can.”

  His expression relaxed, and then something like fear seemed to flash over his features. “Just tell me the truth, Susie. Do you have feelings for him?”

  “No.” The word came out a whisper.

  “Do you still want to marry me?”

  “Ya, I do.”

  He lowered his tensed shoulders and smiled. “Gut. That’s all I needed to hear. I’m sorry for getting frustrated with you.” As he cupped her face with his hands and kissed her cheek, she prayed he couldn’t detect her growing confusion about her feelings for him—and for Leon.

  “Mamm? Could I please talk to you?” Susie stood in the doorway of her parents’ bedroom later that evening.

  Mamm looked up from the devotional she’d been reading and smiled as she patted the bed beside her. “Of course. Have a seat.”

  “Where’s Dat?” Susie sank down onto the bed.

  “He went out to check on the animals.” Mamm touched a few tendrils of Susie’s hair that had escaped her headscarf. The rest of her hair fell to her waist in red waves. “You were quiet at supper tonight. What’s on your mind?”

  “I’m so confused.” Susie’s voice quaked as tears threatened. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Ach, mei liewe. What happened?”

  “I’m certain I have feelings for Leon, but Josh is such a gut man. He’s kind and loyal. He wants to marry me, and he has a secure future on his dat’s farm. If I move into the new haus, I’ll be so close to you, Dat, and Betty.”

  Susie wiped away a tear and then stared at her mother’s quilt. “But there’s no spark with Josh. When he touches my hand or kisses my cheek, I feel nothing. When Leon and I shook hands after we had lunch the other day, I felt as if a bolt of lightning had shot up my arm. Leon makes me laugh, and we tease each other. Josh hardly ever jokes, and he rarely makes me laugh.

  “I don’t know if I can live in a relationship that has no spark and no laughter. But how can I back out on Josh now? He’s invested so much in our future.” She grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on her mother’s end table and dabbed at her eyes. “You must think I’m terrible for saying all these things about Josh. I’m a horrible person for even thinking about Leon now. What’s wrong with me?”