Redemption
Page 18
“What are you talking about? I’m going to go over to Miriam’s house tonight and talk to her about Mary Kate. It’s a gut plan. Wunderbaar.”
After making sure Miriam wasn’t nearby to overhear, Joe hissed, “Miriam doesna think you’re coming over to ask about Mary Kate. She thinks you’re going courting. How do you think she’s going to feel when she discovers that you only want her help to get Mary Kate’s attention?”
For the first time, Junior was starting to realize that he should have thought things through a bit more. “Oh. Well, I didn’t think of that. I guess . . . the way I asked . . . It’s not going to go well, is it?”
“Nope. You’ve truly made a mess of it. This is not good, Junior.”
Warily, Junior glanced in the direction Joe was looking. Spied Miriam.
Noticed that she was standing near the hostess station. Her light blue eyes were bright with happiness. She was smiling softly.
Meeting her gaze, he felt his neck flush.
He had a sudden feeling that Joe was right. And that was not good.
Definitely not good at all.
Two
THIS HAD TO be the best day of her entire life.
After twenty-five years of hoping and praying for a change, of doing her best to be happy for her girlfriends when they’d fallen in love, after trying diets and hair tonics unsuccessfully to try to improve her looks, it had happened.
The boy she’d always wanted had finally looked her way.
God had finally answered her prayers! “Danke, Got,” she whispered. For a moment, she considered reminding Him that she probably hadn’t needed to wait quite so long for His blessings . . . but she decided against that.
After all, anyone who was anyone knew that the Lord worked in mysterious ways.
Standing behind one of the stainless steel counters in the kitchen, Miriam couldn’t stop smiling. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to finally attract the attention of Junior Beiler, but she wasn’t about to question her good fortune. After years of looking at him longingly, he’d finally looked back.
And now he was coming to call that very evening!
Across the vast commercial kitchen, her three coworkers kept glancing at her curiously. Finally, Marla spoke. “I’ve never seen you so happy to roll out piecrust. Why are you in such a wonderful-gut mood?”
Miriam was tempted to share her news. Marla was a good friend, just a few years older than herself, and recently married. Miriam knew that she’d relish hearing about a new romance. But even more tempting was the chance to hold Junior’s sudden interest close to her heart.
After all, there would be plenty of time for everyone to comment about their relationship when he took her out walking or for a buggy ride.
“I’m frayt today, that’s all,” she said airily.
Marla exchanged glances with Ruth and Christina. “Do you believe that our Miriam is simply happy, girls?”
“Not even for a minute,” Ruth answered, even though, at fifty, she was far from a girl. Ruth had been married, widowed, and now worked at the Sugarcreek Inn beside them in a way that made Miriam forget that she hadn’t always been there. And even though Ruth was English and favored faded jeans and T-shirts instead of dresses, aprons, and kapps, she was definitely one of their gang. “Come on, Miriam, give us a hint. Jana is in quite the mood today. Every time she comes in here, she fusses. Tell us something good.”
Miriam grabbed a handful of flour and took her time spreading it on the counter. “You all make too much of things. I’m merely happy, that’s all. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“There is if it’s a plain old Thursday in September. Which it is,” Ruth declared as she poured three cups of cream into the electric mixer. “I know, you’ve finally booked one of those trips you’re always talking about. Which one are you going on? The weekend in Shipshewana? The bus tour to Colorado?”
“My happiness has nothing to do with trips.”
Christina Kempf, twenty-two and adorable, looked over her shoulder while she did the dishes at the sink. As usual, her white kapp and violet dress looked as neat as a pin. “Does it involve a boy?”
Miriam wanted to continue to play it cool, but Christina’s question made her toss the rest of her resolve out the window.
These were some of her best friends. If she couldn’t share her news with them, she didn’t know who she’d share the news with.
“Yes,” she finally announced with a broad smile. “Yes, it does. The best thing just happened when I went out to the dining room to pour coffee. It was so wonderful-gut I can hardly believe it.”
Ruth turned off the mixer. “Well, don’t keep us in suspense. Tell us!”
“And be quick about it, Miriam,” Marla said with a broad grin. “I’m already imagining all kinds of things.”
Miriam breathed deep. “Junior Beiler asked if he could stop by my house tonight,” she blurted in a rush. “He said he has something he wanted to talk to me about.”
After turning off the faucet, Christina rushed to her side. “Oh, Miriam, he’s going courting!”
“I think so,” Miriam agreed. “After all, why else would be want to come over to my haus?”
“I certainly can’t think of another reason,” Ruth said.
Christina squeezed Miriam’s hands, her own getting covered in flour as she did so. “Junior is so handsome. He has such blue eyes, too.”
Miriam nodded. Though her eyes were also blue, they certainly weren’t the bright blue shade his were. “I know.”
“And his hair is so blond.”
“I know.” She’d always thought his blond hair was attractive. Much better than her mousy brown.
“I’m not sure who he is,” Ruth admitted. “Maybe I should go out to the dining room and get a good look at him.”
“Nee!” Miriam protested. “If you go out there you’ll stare at him. I know it.”
“I’m not that bad.”
“Yes, you are,” Marla said.
Still so happy to share her news, Miriam almost squealed. “I could scarcely believe it when he motioned me over to his table. I thought he only wanted kaffi . . . but he wanted to chat with me!”
“I’m so happy for you,” Marla said. “You’ve got such a good heart. I’m glad Junior has finally taken notice of you.”
“Me, too,” Miriam whispered to herself. Now that her big news had been shared, the four of them went back to work, Miriam still feeling like she was on cloud nine.
Then the kitchen doors opened and Jana glared at them all. “I could hear your laughter from the dining room! Just because Valerie is here to wait tables, it doesn’t mean you all can do nothing in here.”
Before any of them had a chance to point out that they’d been working, Jana snapped, “Whose turn is it to clear tables?”
Miriam raised her hand. “Mine, I’m afraid. I’m sorry. I’ll go right out and do that.”
“Honestly, Miriam, I don’t pay you to come in late and stand around the kitchen chatting. I suggest you get yourself together before you lose this job.”
Stung, Miriam rushed out to the dining room and hastily started clearing the tables.
Normally, the harsh words from her boss would have rattled her more. But today, nothing could spoil her good mood.
She hoped the day would fly by, since she was certain that the evening was going to be special.
At last, her life was going to change. She was sure of it.
About the Author
SHELLEY SHEPARD GRAY is a two-time New York Times best-seller, a two-time USA Today best-seller, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time Holt Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
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By Shelley Shepard Gray
Sisters of the Heart
series
Hidden
Wanted
Forgiven
Grace
Seasons of Sugarcreek series
Winter’s Awakening
Spring’s Renewal
Autumn’s Promise
Christmas in Sugarcreek
Families of Honor
The Caregiver
The Protector
The Survivor
A Christmas for Katie (novella)
The Secrets of Crittenden County
Missing
The Search
Found
Peace
The Days of Redemption series
Daybreak
Ray of Light
Eventide
Redemption
Return to Sugarcreek series
Hopeful
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Excerpt from Hopeful copyright © 2014 by Shelley Shepard Gray.
REDEMPTION. Copyright © 2014 by Shelley Shepard Gray. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition FEBRUARY 2014 ISBN: 9780062292346
Version 02142014
Print Edition ISBN: 9780062292353
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