An Unlikely Match

by Beth Wiseman

  Esther covered her mouth with her hand as Gus turned and strutted toward the cottage. What a smart man, that Brandon Clarkson. He stepped right onto Gus’s playing field—and it appeared to be a win for both men. Esther only hoped they could tolerate Gus now that he saw himself as a movie star. Then again, any change in his behavior had to be an improvement. I hope.

  Five

  Jayce pushed his sunglasses up on his head. Poppy seemed to trust him with the reins, and she hadn’t given him any trouble so far. It wasn’t as hot inside the buggy as he’d thought it might be. There was good cross-ventilation, and the sun had been hidden behind the clouds most of the afternoon. He had noticed a strong scent inside the buggy, even with the fresh air blowing in the windows. Vanilla. It was a little overwhelming. He hoped it didn’t bother Evelyn too much. Maybe Lizzie had spilled a milkshake or something recently.

  He found the address Evelyn had given him without any problems.

  At Lizzie’s insistence he’d worn a long-sleeved shirt so as not to reveal his tattoo. He was proud of the great job the artist had done, and he was proud of the message the tattoo represented, but Lizzie said it would be best. She’d even come at him with a pair of scissors, but that was where Jayce drew the line. He wasn’t going to let an Amish woman cut his hair. Apparently, there was only one style for men here, and Jayce wasn’t returning to L.A. looking like he’d had a bowl put on his head for a haircut.

  Lizzie was a funny old lady. She’d sat him down and lectured him as if this were his first date. He was twenty-two. He’d been dating since he was fifteen. Although, that first year after his parents split up, he wouldn’t call what he did dating. He’d partied. But it eventually got old. Things changed for him all around when he entered into a relationship with God. Now he was picking up an Amish woman for dinner. He’d certainly traveled the distance from one end of the spectrum to the other.

  At the end of the driveway, he tethered the horse to the fence post, the way Lizzie showed him, then he strolled across the yard and up the porch steps. He was usually pretty good with parents, but Lizzie said Evelyn’s parents would be a hard sell, especially her father. He tapped lightly on the screen door, and a few seconds later, Evelyn answered, pushing the screen open so Jayce could enter.

  “You came in a horse and buggy?” Her eyes widened in surprise as she peered past him at Poppy and their ride for the evening.

  He chuckled. “Yeah, surprise. Lizzie taught me, and I thought you might be more comfortable riding in that instead of one of the limos.” Although he was 100 percent sure she would have loved the limo. “Actually, Lizzie thought your parents might prefer this mode of transportation.”

  She nodded. “Danki . . . I mean, thank you.”

  “Sure.”

  As he entered Evelyn’s living room, he instantly thought of his grandparents. After they’d passed, within a year of each other, Jayce’s father had sold the place right away. This farmhouse brought up memories of visits with his grandparents. It smelled like something was baking, for starters, and the wonderful aroma filled his senses when he took a long, lingering breath. Atop the fireplace was a mahogany clock that could have been an exact replica of his grandmother’s. He wondered if this one chimed on the hour and half hour in the same way.

  With the windows open, a cool breeze floated in through the screens. Even the tan, slightly worn couch looked familiar. There was nothing ornate in the room. No pictures, and the walls were white. But somehow there wasn’t anything sterile about the environment either, which was how he often described his father’s current home.

  After his mother left them, his father sold the house Jayce had grown up in and purchased the most expensive thing on the market at the time that didn’t require yard work. Granted, his mother’s decorating hadn’t exactly exuded warmth, but his father’s luxury condo reminded Jayce of some futuristic palace—and not in a good way. Evelyn’s home offered a warmth that was missing from any home Jayce had ever known. Only the time he’d spent with his grandparents had given him a similar cozy feeling.

  He was still taking in his surroundings when two men about his age came walking barefoot into the living room, eyeing him up and down. Evelyn introduced them as her brothers—Lucas and David. Neither extended a hand, so Jayce didn’t either. He wasn’t sure what proper protocol was with these people.

  When Evelyn’s parents stepped into the room, the brothers went upstairs.

  Evelyn’s father, whom she introduced as Jonas, looked older than Jayce would have expected. He had a full head of gray hair, a long beard the same color, and eyebrows that almost met in the middle of his forehead. His eyes were hooded like a hawk’s, and he was frowning as Evelyn introduced him.

  Her mother, Mae, was the opposite and appeared too young to have children in their twenties. Even though her hair was salt-and-pepper colored—visible only in a small area outside those things they wore on their heads—she had high cheekbones, bright-green eyes, and a face void of wrinkles. She was pretty in a natural sort of way. Like Evelyn, she wasn’t wearing any makeup, and as she smiled, Jayce’s stomach settled a little.

  “Evelyn’s curfew is ten o’clock.” Jonas spoke sternly as he raised his eyebrows, seeming to wait for Jayce to counter.

  “Yes, sir.” Jayce forced a smile. He’d never dated a girl with a curfew. How would they eat, get to a movie in the buggy, and return by ten?

  “What are your plans?” Mae folded her hands in front of her, still smiling.

  “Uh . . . we’re going to supper,” Evelyn said before Jayce had a chance to respond. “I’ll be home by ten.”

  Jayce followed her lead when she moved toward the door, stopping to pull a black cape from the rack nearby. He offered a quick, “Nice to meet you,” then rushed to keep up with Evelyn.

  “Do you want me to drive the buggy?” she asked as they walked across the yard.

  Jayce considered the idea since she was surely better at it than he was. He didn’t want to do anything to put her in danger, but he hadn’t had a single problem with Poppy, and his manhood seemed at stake. He didn’t want a girl driving him around.

  “I’d like to drive, if that’s okay with you.” He opened the passenger door.

  “Ya, fine with me.”

  Before she stepped into the buggy, Jayce said, “Wait, I better warn you. There’s a really strong scent of vanilla in here. Really strong.” He didn’t remember smelling the vanilla when Lizzie was teaching him how to drive and handle the horse.

  “It’s okay. I love vanilla.” She stepped into the buggy, and Jayce waited until her cape was all the way inside before he closed the door.

  He untethered the horse, climbed into the seat beside his date, then backed up Poppy as if he’d been doing it his entire life. Within a minute, he had them turned in the right direction and the horse settled into a steady trot.

  When he finally looked at Evelyn, she was holding her nose.

  “See? It’s bad, isn’t it? I’m really sorry. I didn’t notice it until I got on the road.”

  She released her nose, blinked a few times, and said, “It is a bit strong.” Then she laughed. “I wonder why it smells like that?”

  “I don’t know.” Jayce shook his head, holding his breath for a few seconds, until he laughed too.

  “I can handle it,” she said with a taut nod of her head.

  “Then I can too.” He wanted to tell her again that she looked beautiful. He also wanted to ask her if all those clothes were really necessary. Not that he wanted to see her figure, which he kind of did, but it seemed like overkill.

  “I’m wondering how we’re going to have time to go eat, get to the movie, and get you back home in time.” He grinned as he turned to her. “And I’m guessing I’ll be in big trouble if we’re not on time.”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. You won’t be in any trouble. Just me. I’ll be the one in trouble.”

  Jayce grimaced. “Yikes. I don’t want that to happen.” He gave Poppy a gentle fli
ck of the reins until the horse picked up a little speed.

  “Don’t they have food at the movie theater?” she asked.

  “Uh . . . yeah. But they’ll only have hot dogs, pickles, popcorn, candy, stuff like that.”

  “I love hot dogs, if that food is okay for you.” Evelyn smiled and Jayce rejoiced on the inside. He loved theater food. His dates had never been interested in that type of dining, but Jayce still got popcorn every time.

  “Yep, hot dogs are fine with me.” He looked her way again. “Are you sure?”

  “Ya, ya. I’m excited to be going to the movies.” She folded her hands over the small black purse in her lap. Jayce wondered what was in it. She didn’t need money. He would be paying for their food and tickets. She wouldn’t have any makeup in the bag. Or a brush. Every Amish woman he’d seen had her hair tucked beneath one of those head coverings. He wanted to ask her but refrained.

  “I like the way you talk. You have kind of an accent.” Jayce smiled at her. “It’s cool. Different. It sounds a lot like German.”

  She blushed. Soon it would be dark and he wouldn’t be able to catch her reactions with as much clarity. “Pennsylvania Deitsch is our first language. We don’t start learning Englisch until we are five. I think that’s why we sound a little different to outsiders.”

  Jayce nodded. He was at a loss for further conversation. It seemed to him that the Amish were the outsiders, disconnected from the rest of the world. There were a lot of things he wanted to ask about her way of life. Why no electricity? Why no cars? Why the clothes? It must all tie in with their religious way of life, but it seemed so foreign to him. And unnecessary. He stayed quiet.

  “How did it go in the cave today?” She cringed as she asked. Jayce grimaced as well.

  “My dad gave me an out, told me I didn’t have to go on the boat ride inside the cave.” He winced as he recalled the smug look on his father’s face. “I wanted to go, to prove to him I could, but at the last minute, I just couldn’t get in the boat.” He looked at her and felt his own face turning red. “It’s embarrassing. Especially for a guy.”

  “I don’t think you should be embarrassed. Everyone has something they’re afraid of.” He wanted to ask what she was afraid of, but he supposed that was up to her to reveal. He had voluntarily told her about his claustrophobia. He hated being dubbed anything with phobia on the end of the word.

  As the sun began its final descent, it came from behind the clouds and was full force in front of them. Jayce dropped his sunglasses down on his nose. Evelyn opened her purse, and he got to see one thing she carried in the bag. She reached inside and pulled out her own shades. He smiled.

  Then blurted, “So what are you afraid of?”

  “Birds.” She spoke barely above a whisper. “Actually, anything that flies. Birds, butterflies, bees, hornets, and even our chickens. Collecting eggs is usually a daughter’s job, but when I was little, I used to beg mei bruders to get the eggs. They wouldn’t at first, but I’d come back to the haus crying every morning, so eventually Lucas took over the task.”

  Jayce thought for a few seconds. “I understand about bees or insects that bite, but butterflies?” He rubbed his chin.

  “Ya. I know. It’s silly.” She shook her head, but then lowered her sunglasses on her nose and looked above the rims. “But animals with wings stalk me. Seriously.” She dramatically pushed the shades back up on her nose. It was cute.

  He laughed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh, but butterflies are so dainty.” He lifted a shoulder and dropped it slowly. “Just processing it.”

  “They say you should face your fears.” Evelyn sighed loudly. “Mei daed took me to the zoo in Bloomington when I was young, specifically to see the birds. He said if I faced mei fear, I could conquer it.” She giggled, a delightful sound. Kind of childlike and sweet. “I shot out of the bird place screaming and crying, and I got lost. Mei daed was frantic. By the time he found me, we were both too shaken up for him to push the issue. He’s never brought up my fear of birds again.”

  “Wow. You’re lucky he let it go like that. My old man never lets up about me being afraid of confined spaces. I mean, it’s already a blow to a man’s ego, but my dad likes to drive the point home every chance he gets, especially in front of people.”

  He shook his head as he recalled the elevator incident. He considered telling her since she shared her story, but then thought better of it. He’d already made his father out to be a monster, but there had been some good times between them. He just couldn’t remember those as clearly as the bad times. Anyway, he didn’t need to spill his entire life story to this woman he might never see again.

  He slowed the horse when they neared the movie theater. “Wow. I feel like I just jumped back in time. What a cool theater.” He studied the marquee, which resembled half a hexagon. “I’ve only seen theaters like this on TV.”

  “I think it was built in the late twenties. It was restored not too long ago.”

  He maneuvered Poppy farther down the street where he saw a single hitching post. “No one will try to steal the horse and buggy?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve never heard of that happening.”

  “You probably don’t even lock your doors at night.” He turned quickly to face her. “Not that I’m planning to sneak into your house or anything.”

  She giggled again. “You wouldn’t get far. The entry board creaks, and I’m pretty sure Lucas sleeps with one eye open. If you wanted to sneak in, just throw a rock at mei window, and I’ll lower a ladder I keep under mei bed.” She laughed. He was really enjoying that sound.

  “The three doors that enter my dad’s place all have three locks each.”

  “Is it because you’re worried about burglars?” Her eyebrows narrowed into a frown.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” He paused. “Or some woman my dad recently made mad. They’ve been known to come calling after a breakup, and it’s not always a pretty scene.”

  Jayce hopped out and walked around to her side of the buggy and opened the door. “Wow. I’m glad to be out of that buggy. That vanilla was brutal.” He took a deep breath of fresh air. “Any idea what movie you want to see?” He hadn’t even checked online to see what was playing. After she’d stepped out of the buggy, Jayce pulled his phone from his pocket and looked up the theater they were at.

  “Uh-oh. There are only two movies playing. But here are the times and the movies.” He held the phone out so she could see. “There are trailers that show a clip of the movie, and there’s a description.” He handed the phone to her. She scanned the two listings and gave the phone back. He could read the distress on her face, the way she was chewing her bottom lip and blinking nervously.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I-I don’t want to see anything that, um”—she gnawed on her lip even more—“has bad things in it.”

  Jayce wasn’t sure what to say. “Okay. What do you consider bad things? One movie is rated PG-13, and the other one is a cartoon.”

  “What does that mean, PG-13?” Her eyes widened.

  “Uh, well, let’s see.” Jayce scratched his head. “I guess it means not to bring a kid under thirteen years old. Maybe it has some language or something else inappropriate. Nothing bad or anything, at least not for an adult.”

  She lowered her head, holding her little black purse with both hands in front of her.

  “I’m going to leave the decision up to you.” He lowered his arm, wishing he’d looked online at other theaters. But going to a movie farther away would have presented its own set of problems. He would have had to pick her up in one of the limos.

  She lifted her head and her eyes met his. “Do you like cartoons?”

  “Are you kidding?” He laughed. “I love cartoons, but I’d never suggest that to anyone. They’d think I was nuts for choosing a kid movie over an action-packed thriller.” He held up a hand. “Don’t get me wrong. I like a lot of different kinds of movies, but I do have a confession to make.”

>   Her jaw dropped slightly. “What?”

  “I watched Frozen. And the cartoon playing is Frozen II.” He scratched his chin. “Wow. Between my claustrophobia and fascination with cartoons, I can feel my manliness taking a nosedive.”

  She bounced up on her toes. “Do you want to see that one?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

  She squeezed her eyes closed. “Sorry.”

  Laughing, he motioned for her to walk beside him. “Sorry? Are you kidding me? Don’t be sorry. I’m heading into a theater to watch a cartoon and eat hot dogs, pickles, and popcorn. I couldn’t be happier.”

  “Are you just saying that?” Her voice held a challenge, but she grinned.

  “Nope.” He caught her eye and winked. “I’m wondering where you’ve been all my life.”

  * * *

  Evelyn couldn’t look at Jayce as she clutched her purse on her lap. She was excited to see a movie finally but worried she wouldn’t be able to focus on it.

  “I’m wondering where you’ve been all my life.” What did that mean? Surely it was just a playful comment.

  When she’d opened her purse to get money for her ticket, Jayce quickly shook his head and said he had it. He also insisted on paying for the food and drinks. Any doubt in Evelyn’s mind about this being a date was gone.

  It took both of them to carry everything Jayce had ordered. Two hot dogs, two nacho trays, two bags of popcorn, two candy bars, and two sodas. As they entered the theater, Evelyn’s stomach swirled with excitement. It wasn’t as dark as she’d feared. She wouldn’t have to worry about making sure Jayce kept his hands to himself.

  “Here’s your soda,” he said after he placed the drinks in the cup holders on either side of him.

  Evelyn lifted the cardboard box in her lap. There were candy bars, nachos, hot dogs, and popcorn. She’d only asked for popcorn, but Jayce ordered her a hot dog anyway. “This is a lot of food,” she whispered. The theater was about half full. Jayce had chosen seats right in the middle after asking if she had a preference.