Home Sweet Home

by Amy Clipston

  Chace nodded. “I think you’re right.”

  As they sat down across from each other to eat, Mia smiled. Mom was wrong. Chace, Kaitlyn, and I are going to be fine.

  Chace cast Isaac a sideways glance as he steered his pickup onto the main road. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for my family and me.”

  “You’re welcome.” Isaac nodded with his usual pleasant but not overly emotional expression. “Are you comfortable in the cabin?”

  “Yes, we are.” Chace refocused on the road ahead. “It’s a little cold, but I think we’ll get used to the coal stove. I added more coal before I left this morning.”

  “I can take a look at it later if you’d like. It does take a little getting used to.” After a moment he said, “We want to lend you more of my sister’s baby supplies from our attic. No one in the family needs them right now.”

  “We appreciate it. We don’t have much.” Chace stole another glance at Isaac, who was now peering out the passenger side window. He had the overwhelming urge to explain why he and Mia were in such dire straits. “I was working for a construction firm when I asked Mia to marry me. I was making a fairly good salary, and I had health insurance. But I was laid off shortly before Katie was born, and when she came she wound up in the neonatal intensive care unit for five days before we could bring her home. Katie is fine, but we found ourselves drowning in debt. We sold everything we could, but it still didn’t get us caught up.”

  Chace slowed the truck to a stop at a red light, and when Isaac didn’t say anything, he continued. “Like I told you yesterday, I never imagined I’d wind up homeless, and I’m embarrassed to admit how bad things became for Mia and me. I’m just so grateful you offered us a place to live. You’ve been so generous to me. You’re the reason my family and I haven’t wound up in a homeless shelter. You gave me a job when I had hardly any experience with cabinetry.”

  The light turned green, and Chace accelerated through the intersection as a horse and buggy moved along in the shoulder beside the truck.

  “I didn’t do much,” Isaac said. “You’re a fast learner, and you told me you’d learned woodworking in high school. It only made sense for me to offer you the cabin when it’s sat empty since mei dat passed away.”

  In the three months Chace had worked for Isaac he’d noticed how humble and self-deprecating the man was. It was just like Isaac to not acknowledge how generous he was. He smacked the blinker as the sign for Allgyer’s Custom Cabinets came into view and then steered into the lot. He parked his truck in his usual spot at the far end of the parking lot, leaving the closer spaces for the customers.

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Isaac wrenched open the passenger side door. “Vera and I struggled when we were young. Every couple endures tough times, and you and Mia will come through this stronger. Vera and I will do all we can to help you.” With a quick nod, he hopped out of the truck and started toward the front door of the store.

  Chace pulled his keys from the ignition and then leaned back in the seat as Isaac crossed the parking lot. He was so thankful he’d taken a chance and walked into Isaac’s store the day he’d seen the Help Wanted sign. Mia was right—Isaac and Vera Allgyer were their guardian angels. Maybe, just maybe, with their help he and Mia would be okay.

  Mia gritted her teeth as she paced back and forth from the small family room to the kitchen, bouncing Kaitlyn as she wailed. Kaitlyn had been screaming for nearly twenty minutes and none of Mia’s usual soothing techniques had been successful. Mia had tried changing her diaper, singing to her, feeding her, and rocking her as they walked, but Kaitlyn continued her tirade.

  Mia looked from the kitchen to the family room, where the sea of boxes, suitcases, and bags waited patiently to be unpacked. She had so much to do, but she couldn’t accomplish any of it if Kaitlyn continued to fuss.

  Mia thought she heard a knock on the door, but she ignored it, certain she had misheard the noise because of Kaitlyn’s sobs. When the knock sounded again, Mia opened the door to find Rhoda and Susannah.

  “Hi,” Mia said, speaking loudly over Kaitlyn’s moans. “How are you?”

  “Our mamm sent us over to help you,” Rhoda explained as they stepped into the cabin. She removed her coat and hung it on a peg by the door before holding out her arms to Kaitlyn. “May I hold her?”

  “She’s really fussy today, but you can try.” Mia handed the baby over to her.

  Rhoda whispered something to Kaitlyn and then held her close. When Kaitlyn continued to cry, Rhoda looked up at Mia. “Would it be all right if I took her for a walk?”

  Mia grimaced. “I don’t know. It’s so cold out.”

  “My youngest brother loved to go for walks when he was little,” Rhoda explained, moving her body back and forth to rock the unhappy baby. “Walks seemed to be the only thing that would calm him, even when it was cold out.”

  “I remember that.” Susannah cupped her hand to the back of Kaitlyn’s head and murmured something in her ear.

  Mia hugged her arms to her chest and glanced around the cabin. She was too embarrassed to admit she didn’t have a stroller either. That was something else that had been swiped from the truck while they were packing up their apartment. She just hadn’t mentioned every item stolen to Vera the night before. Who leaves belongings unattended like that? But they’d been so upset and in such a rush to get out of there.

  “We have a stroller,” Susannah offered as if reading Mia’s thoughts. “We have a snowsuit about Kaitlyn’s size too. I can go get them.” She still had her coat on.

  Mia sighed. “You are too generous.”

  “It’s no problem. Do you need anything else?” Susannah stepped toward the door.

  Mia rubbed her arms, recalling how cold she’d been all night. Had Chace added enough coal to the stove? “It’s so cold in here. Do you have any spare blankets? I’ll return them when the cabin warms up.”

  Susannah nodded. “I’m sure we have extra quilts. I’ll be right back.”

  “Thank you.” Mia turned toward Rhoda, who spoke softly to Kaitlyn while continuing to move her body back and forth. Kaitlyn stopped crying. “You certainly are an expert. You look so comfortable with her.”

  “I just have a lot of experience taking care of my siblings and my cousins.” Rhoda shrugged as she lowered herself into the wing chair. “Does she take a bottle? Do you want me to feed her?”

  Mia grimaced and pointed toward the cookstove. “I’m breastfeeding, and I’m getting her used to formula in a bottle too. But I can’t figure out how to turn on the burner so I can warm up a bottle.”

  “I can show you how to do it.”

  While holding Kaitlyn close to her chest, Rhoda followed Mia to the kitchen area and explained how to use the stove. Mia warmed a bottle and then gave it to Rhoda to feed Kaitlyn, giving Mia the chance to unpack kitchen supplies.

  Mia had the kitchen organized and was starting on the boxes in the family room when Vera and Susannah knocked, then entered the cabin. Vera held an armload of quilts and Susannah steered a stroller filled with a snowsuit, quilts, and toys.

  “Thank you so much.” A lump clogged Mia’s throat as she took the quilts from Vera. “This is too much.” She walked to the bedroom and set the quilts on the bed.

  “No, it’s not.” Vera stood behind her. “By the way, the changing table we have is nothing fancy, but it has room for storage.” She pointed to a corner of the room. “It would fit there, and you can put the crib next to it.”

  “Changing table? Crib?” Mia asked.

  “Ya, I thought I told you we have a crib you can use too. I’ll have Adam and Joel bring everything over later when they get home from school.” Vera placed her hands on her hips. “I think it would all fit over there nicely.”

  Mia blinked against threatening tears. She had the urge to laugh and cry at the same time. Why was she so emotional today? “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Vera touched her shoulder. “Susannah and I are here to help
you unpack if you’d like the help. We’re caught up with our morning chores.”

  “Thank you,” Mia repeated. This woman had met Mia for the first time last night but was offering to help her unpack.

  Vera chuckled. “You don’t have to keep thanking me. Let’s get to work.”

  Mia, Vera, and Susannah spent the next couple of hours unpacking all of Mia and Chace’s belongings and organizing the cabin. By the time they finished, the bedroom closet and bureau were full of clothes, and some of Mia’s books and photos were displayed on the small bookcase near the front door.

  Rhoda put Kaitlyn down for a nap in the portable crib and soon returned to the family area. “She’s already fast asleep.” She eased the bedroom door shut.

  “Thank you.” Mia placed her favorite photo on top of the bookcase. It featured Mia, Kaitlyn, and Chace posing together in their former apartment the day Kaitlyn came home from the hospital. It was their first family photo. Mia held Kaitlyn in her arms and Chace had his arms wrapped around Mia, sporting his happy grin. They were so happy that day, so certain everything would be okay.

  She scanned the small cabin and sighed. This was their home now, but why didn’t it feel like a home? It just felt like a temporary place—a temporary and cold place—like a cheap hotel room someone would stay in overnight while on a journey to a more permanent and important location.

  Vera surveyed their work. “The cabin looks gut.”

  “Ya.” Susannah sat down on the wing chair. “It reminds me of when Mammi and Daadi lived here.”

  “I agree.” Vera set a pile of empty boxes near the door. “It’s gut to have someone in this haus again.”

  “How long did they live here?” Mia asked, still standing by the bookcase.

  Vera was silent for a moment. “I think they were here for almost twenty years. Isaac’s mamm passed away five years ago, and then his dat passed away two years ago.”

  “I miss them.” Rhoda walked over to her mother.

  “I do too,” Susannah said. “I loved coming out here to visit them.”

  “I know you did,” Vera responded. “I miss them too.”

  A pang of envy took Mia by surprise, and she frowned. Why didn’t her parents want to be a part of their granddaughter’s life like Isaac’s parents had been? She dismissed the thought.

  “Do you have anything to eat for supper?” Vera asked. “If not, I can bring something over for you.”

  Mia gnawed her lower lip while debating her response. She didn’t want to lie about the meager choices she had, but they were better than nothing. “We have peanut butter, some bread, macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, a little fruit, and a few cans of vegetables and soup. I can throw something together. We’ll be fine.” She was too humiliated to admit she had to save the peanut butter and bread for Chace to take to work for lunch.

  Vera gave her a knowing expression. “I’ll have Susannah and Rhoda bring over some food. We have plenty.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but you don’t have to do that,” Mia insisted. “I plan to go grocery shopping on Friday when Chace gets paid.”

  “We’re happy to share our meal with you.” Vera pulled on her coat. “I need to get home to finish a sewing project I started yesterday, but we will be back. Let us know if you need anything else.”

  Susannah and Rhoda followed suit, buttoning their coats.

  “Thank you.” Mia suddenly remembered a question she had. “Would you show me how to use the wringer washer sometime?”

  “Oh, ya,” Rhoda said as she stepped out to the small porch. “I can show you later when I bring over supper.”

  Mia waved as her new friends descended the steps and walked down the rock path leading to their large farmhouse. Then she closed the door and leaned against it. Would this tiny, dreary house ever feel like a home?

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHACE FELT AS IF HE’D BEEN RUN OVER BY HIS OWN TRUCK. His arms, legs, and back were sore as he climbed the front steps later that evening. He’d spent all day helping Isaac build cabinets for a kitchen remodel at a huge home not far from their small cabin. Would he be able to build a similar home for Mia someday?

  As he pulled open the front door, the aroma of baked chicken wafted over him and his stomach gurgled with delight. He turned toward the kitchen where Mia carried plates and utensils to the table. Her dark hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail with loose tendrils framing her face. She wore one of his old gray sweatshirts, which hung to the thighs of her jeans. Although she rarely wore makeup, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met.

  “Hello.” He hung his coat on a peg by the door. “How are my two favorite girls?”

  Mia mumbled something inaudible as she placed a large bowl of noodles in the center of the small table.

  He scanned the cabin. The suitcases, boxes, and trash bags were gone from the family room floor and the room was tidy. Turning to his right, he saw the small bookcase cluttered with Mia’s favorite framed photos and a few books. He smiled. Mia had made the cabin a home.

  “How are you?” Chace crossed to the kitchen and opened his arms in the hopes she would step into his hug. Instead, she slipped past him, her face twisted into a scowl. His stomach tightened. Something was wrong. “Where’s Katie?”

  “She’s sleeping.” Mia filled a glass with water from a pitcher. “Have a seat.”

  “I need to wash my hands first.” Chace scrubbed his hands at the kitchen sink and then sat down across from her. A bowl of chicken and noodles and a bowl of green beans sat in the middle of the table, and his stomach growled again. He looked up to where Mia studied her plate while frowning.

  “Everything looks delicious.” He gave her a hesitant smile. “Thank you.”

  She speared him with an accusing look. “I didn’t make it. Vera did.”

  “Oh.” He paused, uncertain of how to respond to her biting tone. “Okay.”

  They were silent as they filled their plates and began to eat. She took small bites while studying her glass of water as if it were an intricate book she was studying for a college exam.

  The reticence between them weighed heavily on Chace’s shoulders. He longed to ask her about her day and share the details of his. Instead, he kept quiet, hoping Mia’s fury would subside. He’d been on the receiving end of her simmering anger more than once during their two-year relationship, and he dreaded the explosion that threatened to come soon.

  “This is delicious,” he finally said, treading carefully. “It was nice of Vera to share their supper with us.” He lifted his glass of water to take a sip.

  “She insisted. She felt sorry for us when I admitted we won’t have much food until you get paid on Friday.”

  He held the glass frozen in midair and watched his wife, trying to understand what was bothering her. “What’s wrong?”

  She set her fork down next to her plate and studied him. “I have never in my life been on the receiving end of handouts.” She pointed toward the bowl of green beans. “This meal isn’t the only thing she’s given us.” She began counting items off on her fingers. “She also gave us a crib, a changing table, a snowsuit, a stroller, and baby toys.” Then she pointed toward the coal stove. “And she gave us quilts so we don’t freeze to death. I wasn’t this cold when I was living in the dorm and the windows wouldn’t close all the way.”

  Mia lanced him with another murderous expression. “Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was to admit to her that we didn’t have any food for supper other than some boxed mac and cheese and canned soup?”

  Chace placed the glass on the table as his hands began to shake. He took slow, deep breaths in an attempt to calm down before he said something he’d regret.

  “How can you expect us to live here? It’s so cold that I’m surprised Katie isn’t already sick. There’s no electricity so I can’t even plug in a small heater to try to warm our bedroom up for her naps. There’s no phone, and I’m completely cut off from the world since we couldn’t afford to keep our cell
phones. What am I supposed to do if there’s an emergency? Am I expected to run to the nearest hospital since I sold my car in an effort to pay some of the bills?”

  “There is a phone,” Chace muttered as angry heat crept up his neck.

  “There is?” She fixed him with an incredulous stare. “Where?”

  “By the barn. The Amish have phones. They just aren’t in their houses.”

  “Well, you’ve fixed one of my four-dozen problems. How do we fix the rest of them?”

  “I’m doing the best I can.” He kneaded the tense muscles in his neck with his fingers. “I don’t know what else I can do.”

  Just then Kaitlyn started to wail. With a sigh, Mia pushed back her chair and left the kitchen.

  Chace stared down at his empty plate, the food souring in his stomach. Guilt and dread clawed up his sore back as Mia’s hateful words echoed through his mind. He felt as if he were sixteen years old again and standing in front of Buck Richards, the most callous and critical foster father Chace had endured since his mother died and he was hurled into the foster care system when he was four.

  “You’ll never amount to anything, Chace, because you have no ambition. You’ll just look for the easy way out. I’d bet you’ll rob convenience stores, shoot the clerks, and then wind up in jail for life, just like your worthless father.”

  Chace had promised himself he’d prove Buck wrong, but it seemed an impossible feat. Pressing his fingers to his eyes, Chace swallowed against the emotion lodging in his throat.

  The sound of Kaitlyn’s gurgle brought him back to the present as Mia returned to the kitchen with her balanced on one hip.

  “Hi, baby girl.” He forced a smile as Kaitlyn gnawed on her thumb and blew happy spit bubbles. “How was your day, Katie-Bug?”

  “Feel her leg.” She angled the baby toward him. “Feel how cold she is.”

  Chace pressed his lips together as he touched the leg of Kaitlyn’s sleeper. It was cold.