by Beth Wiseman
Jacob rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Annie, it ain’t like you to be so hostile. You sick or something?”
“Ya, I guess you could say I’m sick. I’m sick of the way you have treated me. You are not the man I thought you were.” Any hint of a playful tone was gone and replaced by a voice Jacob didn’t recognize. “You’ve destroyed our lives, yet you think you can just call me at will to help with your problems.”
Jacob scratched his chin, thinking she should be apologizing about the couch. He opened his mouth to tell her that he was sorry anyway and that he missed her, but she started screaming before he could utter a sound.
“I don’t want anything to do with you. Don’t call me again.”
“You don’t mean that.” Jacob waited, but it was quiet. “Annie?”
She’d hung up on him again. In the back of his mind, he supposed he could try out this new life, and if it didn’t work out, he could always go back to Annie. If going back to Annie wasn’t a possibility—that made him want to go home more than ever. I’m a mess.
He flopped down on the couch like the pitiful, lost soul he was. Life had never seemed so confusing. He scooted to the far end of the couch, as far away as he could from the smelly brown stain. Maybe he should go home and see if he could work things out with Annie. Or at least talk to her, see if she might want to give the Englisch world a try with him. His stomach churned as he considered the possibility that Annie might not take him back. And time was running out before Jacob had to go to a hotel or go home.
Daniel was repairing the barn door when a buggy turned into the driveway. He hammered in the nail in his hand, put the two that were between his teeth in his pocket, then walked toward the visitors. It was Hannah and an Englisch woman.
“Wie bischt.” Hannah stepped out of the buggy and started walking across the yard toward Daniel. She nodded toward the other woman. “Do you remember our gut friend Charlotte?”
Daniel’s stomach flipped. The woman who had pretended she was Mary Troyer looked much different in her Englisch clothes and with makeup on. But no matter how pretty she was, he didn’t trust her, so he kept his eyes on Hannah.
“Ya, I remember her. I just didn’t recognize her in Englisch clothes.”
Charlotte took a step forward and spoke directly to him. “Um . . . I’m really sorry about that, about the lies, and—”
“Nee, nee,” Hannah interrupted, waving a hand in the air. “That is all water under the bridge, and I’m sure Daniel understands why you did what you did, and—”
“No, Hannah.” Charlotte kept her eyes on Daniel and took another step closer, until he was forced to look at her. “I need to tell those I lied to that I’m sorry. Daniel, there really isn’t an excuse for what I did. I was desperate to find out why my brother killed himself, but I should have never pretended to be Amish. It was wrong.”
Daniel wasn’t sure why she felt the need to apologize to him. He’d only been around the woman a handful of times and didn’t even really know her.
“How is Jacob?” Daniel had trouble saying the lad’s name.
Charlotte stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jeans. “He’s okay, I guess. I’m hoping that some time to himself will help him get his thoughts straight. You remember what it was like to be seventeen, huh?”
Daniel felt his jaw tense. “Ya, I do. And Annie is seventeen. She isn’t taking this gut at all.”
Hannah touched Daniel on the arm, drawing his glare away from Charlotte.
“I think Jacob will come around. I really do,” Hannah said as Charlotte stood next to her. “He has to decide soon. Tomorrow is the end of the month, when Charlotte’s lease is up on her apartment. Jacob will have to go to a motel or come home. He told me on the phone that he didn’t have a job or a place to live yet.”
Daniel’s jaw tensed again. The Englisch woman wasn’t being totally truthful with Hannah and her family again. Annie had already told Daniel that Charlotte had been thrown out of her apartment. He considered saying so, but Hannah and her family were upset about Jacob. Maybe this wasn’t the right time. He snuck a glance in Charlotte’s direction but turned back to Hannah.
“We just wanted to come pay a visit to your mother and Annie, to let them know that our thoughts and prayers are with them,” Hannah said. “We wanted to come by sooner, but we had to have someone return the rental truck Charlotte used to get here. And Isaac brought two men who work at their furniture store to help store Charlotte’s things in our basement.” Hannah shook her head. “Mei mamm is very upset, too, but we have to trust that Jacob will realize he belongs here.”
Daniel looked at Charlotte again and wondered if she was staying indefinitely, if she’d be moving into her brother’s house. Or would she accept the Kings’ hospitality until she got on her feet, then go back to where she came from?
The two women exchanged glances before Hannah said, “We’re so happy Charlotte is here. She’s gone through a bad breakup with her boyfriend, so we all need each other right now.”
Daniel wasn’t sure if Charlotte would receive a warm welcome from Annie. It was chaos with the women in his family anyway. Both of them throwing up, Annie trying to hide it from Mamm, and their mother not wanting anyone to know how sick she was, spending much of her time hiding in her bathroom. Daniel feared he might have to resume use of the old outhouse soon.
“Now isn’t really a gut time, Hannah.” Daniel avoided her eyes, but when he finally caught her gaze, she frowned.
Daniel looked over his shoulder when the front door opened and his mother stepped over the threshold.
“Hannah!” Mamm waved, started down the steps, and met them in the yard. She immediately reached out for Charlotte’s hand. “Hello, Charlotte. Thank you so much for taking care of Jacob in Houston. We’re hoping he will get his head clear and come home soon. Annie is so upset.”
Taking care of him? She made it easy for him to stay. Daniel shook his head without thinking, knowing he was scowling. He probably needed to go inside and warn Annie that Charlotte was here and tell her to behave herself. Mamm was bound to bring Charlotte and Hannah inside.
Hannah cleared her throat. “Um . . . Daniel said this isn’t a gut time. We can come back if—”
“It’s a perfectly gut time.” Mamm motioned toward the house, apparently feeling better today. “Annie made an apple cobbler early this morning, so come in, come in.”
Daniel moved quickly ahead of the women, then darted upstairs to find Annie. No surprise, she was in the bathroom. He tapped lightly on the door. “Annie, I’m just giving you a warning,” he whispered. “Hannah King is downstairs, and she has Charlotte with her. You can say you’re not feeling well if you want to, but Mamm is probably going to call you downstairs any minute.”
Annie opened the door, her eyes wide. “What is she doing here?”
“Just visiting . . . she says.” Daniel edged past his sister and into the bathroom while he had the chance.
Annie stood in the hallway, and just the sound of Charlotte’s voice made her seethe. The Englisch woman wasn’t a truthful person, but Annie also wondered how much influence Charlotte had on Jacob.
Sure enough, only moments later, Mamm yelled up for Annie to come downstairs. Annie opened her mouth to say she wasn’t feeling well but instead closed it and marched down the stairs.
Her heart pounded, and she hesitated on the last step but then pushed forward with a smile plastered on her face. “Wie bischt, Hannah and Charlotte.”
Annie had a hard time taking her eyes off Charlotte, who was dressed in blue jeans and a pink sweater. Her long dark hair fell almost to her waist, and she had on just enough makeup so that she looked naturally beautiful. But looks were deceiving, and Annie had been taught her entire life to avoid anything that enhanced a person’s outer appearance, that beauty comes from within.
After both women returned the greeting, Annie walked to Hannah and hugged her. “Danki for coming. I know how upset you all are about Jacob, just like I am.”
She cut her eyes at Charlotte but quickly looked away.
“We just wanted to come check on you.” Hannah eased out of the hug and nodded toward Mamm. “And we wanted to see how your mamm was feeling.”
“Ach, well . . . it’s been a long time since I’ve had morning sickness, but I will get through it.” Mamm folded her hands together in front of her. “The good Lord will take care of me and this new baby coming into our lives.”
Annie touched her stomach and thought about another life coming into their lives.
Mamm excused herself to the kitchen to get cobbler and coffee for Hannah and Charlotte, who both sat down on the couch. Annie sat down in the rocker facing them. “So, Charlotte . . .” She tried to keep her voice steady. “Jacob told me that you and your boyfriend broke up. What happened?”
Annie knew her voice didn’t have an ounce of sympathy, and she didn’t care.
“Um . . . he, uh . . . broke up with me.” Charlotte sighed. “It just didn’t work out.”
“Why?” Annie sat taller, raising an eyebrow, but Hannah cleared her throat.
“So, have you talked to Jacob?”
Annie’s cheeks dimpled. “Ya, I’ve talked to him.”
“That’s gut,” Hannah said. “Is he thinking of coming home? Is he missing you?”
Annie glanced at Charlotte, then met Hannah’s eyes. “Ya, he says he misses me, but it’s hard to know what Jacob will do these days.”
“I really do think he’ll come around and be back home soon,” Charlotte said.
Annie glowered but forced a quick recovery. “Charlotte, do you think you and your boyfriend will get back together, or is this a permanent move?”
Charlotte shifted her weight on the couch as she fidgeted with the hem of her sweater. “I, uh . . . he, well—”
Hannah cleared her throat. “Charlotte is here with us, taking time to heal as she gets settled into her new life. We’re her family, so she is where she needs to be.”
Charlotte’s lips curved upward for a moment, but then her eyes watered a little.
“I started to think that Ryan—my boyfriend—might be cheating on me. I didn’t have solid proof, just a gut feeling. I checked his phone. I was only going to do it once, but there were some suspicious text messages between him and a woman named Shelley. Checking his phone became a habit. He caught me looking one day and got upset. Things escalated, and he broke up with me.”
You are a sneaky woman. Annie stored the thought with her distrust of Charlotte, who blinked her eyes a few times as she looked away, her cheeks flushed.
“But, as it turns out, my suspicions were right.” Charlotte looked at Annie. “I saw him with Shelley right before I left to come here, and there was no doubt they were a couple, and had been for a while.”
Annie brought a hand to her chest as her mother returned with a tray filled with glasses of tea. After everyone had a glass, Mamm went back to the kitchen and returned with cobbler. Annie half listened as her mother, Hannah, and Charlotte chatted about the baby Mamm was carrying, but she was still thinking about what Charlotte had said. Jacob would never cheat on her—Annie knew that for sure. Things were terrible between them right now, but Annie couldn’t imagine that type of betrayal.
They all turned to the stairs when Daniel appeared on the landing. Annie thought he looked a bit pale. Probably concerned that she’d claw Charlotte’s eyes out. But nothing was further from her mind.
Charlotte had never been so ready to leave.
“Well, that was weird,” she said to Hannah as they got in the buggy. “It’s clear that Daniel and Annie are not fond of me.”
“Nee, nee. That’s not it.” Hannah clicked her tongue, instructing the horse to back up. “They’re just upset about Jacob, like we are.”
“I don’t know. Eve was very nice, but the tension with Annie was thick. And Daniel would barely look at me. I think they remember Mary Troyer and all the lies I told.”
“Charlotte, you’ve been forgiven. By God and by us. You must forgive yourself now.”
Charlotte forced down the growing knot in her throat. Maybe she’d read Annie and Daniel wrong. Hannah was right about Charlotte needing to forgive herself. “I know,” she said softly.
They rode in silence the rest of the trip. They’d already discussed where they were going next. And it wouldn’t be an easy trip down memory lane for either of them.
Seven
Charlotte’s eyes welled with tears when they pulled up to Ethan’s house, and she avoided looking in the direction of the tree where Ethan had hanged himself. This had to be hard for Hannah, too, since she’d been engaged to Charlotte’s brother before he died. But Hannah was very much in love with Isaac these days and couldn’t wait to marry him in the fall. Still, the memories caused both women to sit quietly for a while.
“Isaac’s done a great job fixing things up.” Charlotte finally stepped out of the buggy, noticing the fresh coat of blue paint on the small house, along with a For Sale sign in the yard. “I still don’t think Isaac charged me enough for the work he did.”
“He didn’t want to take any money at all from you,” Hannah said as they walked up the porch steps, also repaired. “He finished everything about a month ago, and I don’t think he’s been back since.”
Charlotte pulled the key from her purse and unlocked the door. The window in the living room had been repaired, and she could smell fresh paint. The interior walls were painted white, as Charlotte had requested, thinking it would help to make the small house look bigger.
She took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly as her eyes drifted around the room. Getting rid of the place felt so final. Charlotte thought about Jacob and wondered how he was doing. She suspected he would be heading home tomorrow, but as far as she knew, he hadn’t committed to staying or leaving.
“Everything looks so different.” Charlotte walked into the kitchen, also freshly painted. No furniture, no boxes. Just empty.
“The bed is still in the bedroom. Isaac knows a family who said they could use it, but they haven’t picked it up yet.”
Charlotte moved toward the bedroom, Hannah following her. They walked to the bed and eyed a brown spot on the mattress, as big as a football.
“Was this here before?” Charlotte cringed, thinking the house wouldn’t show well with a dingy mattress inside. “It looks like someone spilled a soda or something.”
“Nee, I never noticed a stain before. I removed the sheets when we were packing everything up. I would have remembered a spot like that.”
“The door was locked. But we don’t want kids coming in here to party. Let’s make sure the back door is locked and check the windows.” Charlotte walked to the only other exterior door in the house. “Locked.” She and Hannah started checking the windows. Two were unlocked and big enough for someone to crawl through, so they secured them, then double-checked everything again.
Hannah eyed the bed. “I will let Isaac know about this. He has the key you gave him before you left. His friend might not want this bed anymore, but I’ll ask Isaac to move it out of here either way.”
Part of Charlotte wanted to keep the house since it was all that was left of Ethan. She’d even considered using it as a vacation getaway, but she couldn’t stay in the house where Ethan had killed himself nearby, right out in the yard. Maybe she could have decorated the house in a way that wouldn’t have constantly reminded her of her brother, but she’d still have to see the tree where he took his life, and that big oak would always haunt her. Plus, she needed the money from the house to help get her out of the financial mess she’d gotten herself into.
“Everything is locked up tight now. It was probably some kids hanging out.” Charlotte locked the front door, and as they walked to Hannah’s buggy, her eyes veered to the oak. “I hate that tree,” she said to Hannah, noticing her friend was looking in the same direction.
“Me too,” Hannah said softly.
Jacob woke up Thursday morning after a sleepless night. Lat
er that morning, Charlotte’s friends arrived to haul off the couch. When Jacob explained to the woman, Pam, what happened, she said Charlotte would probably just flip the cushion. Why didn’t I think of that?
He packed his toiletries into his suitcase and took a final look around. He had to go home or find a hotel. Neither choice felt like the right one. But the thought that Annie might not take him back tugged him in the direction of home. And without a job, his money would be gone quickly if he stayed in a hotel. He picked up his cell phone and called Annie. She answered on the first ring.
“I know you said not to call, but I miss you.” Jacob bit his bottom lip. Guys don’t cry. Annie didn’t say anything, but Jacob heard her breathing. “Did you hear me? I really miss you.”
“Ya, I heard you.”
Jacob sighed. “I love you, and I’m so sorry for the way I’ve been acting. I still want to be in the Englisch world, but one thing I’ve come to realize is, I’m never going to be happy without you in my life.” He sat down on his suitcase and hung his head. “But I could never ask you to leave there. I know it’s not what you want. So I’m having a conundrum.”
“A what?”
“A problem.” He’d learned that word in a book and liked the way it sounded rolling off his tongue, even if he’d rather not be having a conundrum. “But I know I love you, Annie.”
She was quiet.
“You still there?” Or did you hang up on me again?
“I’m here.”
“Do you still love me?” Jacob squeezed his eyes shut as his bottom lip trembled.
“I never stopped loving you, Jacob.”
Annie closed her eyes tightly and pressed her lips together so she wouldn’t blurt out what was heaviest on her heart, that she was carrying Jacob’s child. No matter how sweet Jacob was trying to be, Annie worried that he would never be happy in Lancaster County. And she still wasn’t sure that Jacob wouldn’t be settling for something he didn’t really want if he chose to come home. But her baby needed a father.