by Beth Wiseman
“I hope it’s enough,” he said right before starting in on his hot dog.
Evelyn picked at her popcorn, despite the temptation to fill her mouth with handfuls of the buttery snack. The soda was good too. Her mother rarely bought soft drinks. Iced tea was the drink of choice at her house.
“I’m in heaven.” Jayce took another bite of his hot dog. It was gone in a flash and he was on to the second one after asking her if she was going to eat it. Men his age ate a lot. Her mother often pointed out how much food she had to cook to accommodate her sons’ appetites.
Jayce finished the second hot dog, then wiped his mouth with a napkin and twisted to face her. “Are you excited?”
“Ya, I am.” Evelyn couldn’t wait for the screen to light up. She never would have believed her first movie would be an animated film with an English man, but she couldn’t have been happier. No worries about language, too much skin showing, or an inappropriate story line.
Then the lights started to dim and she jumped, dumping her popcorn partly in her lap and some on the floor. “Oh no.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty, and I can always go get more.” He reached toward her like he was going to help brush the popcorn from her lap, but he stopped and pulled back his hand, thankfully.
“Why is it so dark now?” She heard the tremble in her voice as she shook the popcorn from her lap and onto the floor.
“The movie is about to start. There will probably be some previews first.” Jayce continued eating, but his eyes were on the screen.
Evelyn couldn’t believe how big the screen was, nor how colorful and bright. She jumped again when Jayce’s arm brushed against hers. When she looked his way, she saw that he’d only accidentally elbowed her as he dug his hand into his bag of popcorn. Now he was staring at her.
“Evelyn,” he whispered as he leaned close to her ear.
“Ya?”
“Quit being so jumpy and just enjoy the movie. I promise I’m not going to make a move. I won’t even try to hold your hand.”
She forced a smile, glad he couldn’t see the flush she felt filling her cheeks. Instead of trying to deny the reason for her jumpiness, she nodded. An unexpected disappointment assaulted her from out of nowhere, and she didn’t think she would have minded his fingers intertwined with hers.
Once the movie started, following several previews, she became lost in the story. Jayce laughed out loud several times, as did Evelyn. It didn’t take her long to finally relax into the situation. And the movie was over much too soon.
“Danki—I mean, thank you—so much for taking me,” she said as they walked out to the buggy. The moon was high and bright, and she felt light on her feet.
Jayce gave her a stern look. “If you tell anyone we went to see a cartoon movie for kids . . .” He threw his head back, laughing, his long hair falling forward across his face when he finished. “Wasn’t it great though?”
“I loved it.” Evelyn slid into her seat, and Jayce closed the door and made his way around the buggy.
On the way back to Evelyn’s house, they kept talking about the movie and laughing—and occasionally holding their noses. She couldn’t imagine what Lizzie must have spilled in the buggy to leave such a strong aroma.
Evelyn didn’t start getting nervous until Jayce stopped the buggy in front of her house and turned to face her. He stared at her for a long time, those captivating eyes locked onto hers. If he tried to kiss her, she would let him.
He still held the reins in one hand as he twisted to face her more fully, his knee brushing against hers.
“I know you have a life, and you probably already have plans, but I’m going to risk it. Are you busy tomorrow?”
She noticed a brown leather bracelet around his wrist. It added an allure he didn’t need. Jayce already oozed with charm, and his over-the-top good looks and easy manner were like a magnet drawing her in.
“No problem if you’re busy.” He shook his head. “My dad surprised us and gave everyone the weekend off, which leaves me nothing to do but hang out with him and the crew, which will be terrible. I mean, Quinn is okay. Hal is okay. Veronica is cool too. She’s the biggest star in the movie, but she doesn’t act like it. Still . . . if you don’t have any plans and feel like showing me around, I’d happily buy you another meal tomorrow.”
Evelyn tried to think about any plans she might have for the weekend. Reading a new book she’d bought at a secondhand shop was at the top of the list. Mending her brothers’ socks and maybe trying a new recipe for roast. None of it was as important as getting to know Jayce better.
“Ya, sure. That sounds gut.”
“Fantastic.” He rushed to get out of the buggy, looped the reins loosely around the fence post, then escorted Evelyn all the way to the front door. She coughed, struggling to find her voice, but happy to be away from the strong vanilla scent.
After clearing her throat, she thanked him again, but she couldn’t seem to get her eyes to look away from his mouth. Stop staring. Stop staring.
Jayce cocked his head to the side and smiled. “What? Do I have something in my teeth?” Still grinning, he shrugged. “Because if I do, just tell me.”
Evelyn opened her mouth to speak, but somehow her mouth took on a life of its own as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, then hurriedly stepped back and momentarily froze.
Their eyes locked. Jayce’s looked like they might pop from their sockets.
“Um, ya, well . . . Thanks again.” She hurried to open the screen and nearly slammed the door behind her.
As she leaned her back against it, she lifted her shaking hands to her chest, her heart pounding like a jackhammer. She’d never done anything like that in her life.
She’d never be able to face him again.
Six
After Jayce put Poppy in the barn, he continued analyzing the evening as he walked back to the inn. With all the information he’d received from Lizzie, Esther, and Billy, Jayce hadn’t even planned to hug Evelyn. He’d wanted to kiss her all night, but more than that he didn’t want to do anything to offend her or make her uncomfortable. He reached up and touched his mouth, shaking his head as he neared the house. They didn’t even know each other.
Lights were on in the motor homes, and the generators were buzzing. Maybe the old guy, Gus, had gotten used to the noise. Or maybe he’d paid the sisters another visit and they managed to calm him down. He opened the front door and closed it quietly behind him, then tiptoed to the stairway, hoping he didn’t run into his father. When he reached the stairs, he felt eyes on him. Turning slowly, he was relieved to see Lizzie and Esther sitting at the kitchen table and went to join them.
“Apple and pecan.” Lizzie nodded to the pies as she spoke. She already had a plate and fork set out for him. “We want details.”
Esther glared at her sister. “Lizzie, must you always be so brazen?” She turned to Jayce. “We just wondered if you enjoyed the movie and where you went for supper.”
He was still focused on figuring out why Evelyn kissed him. But he wasn’t one to kiss and tell. He pulled out a chair and sat, then gave the women a brief rundown of the evening.
“That sounds like a nice time.” Esther sipped her coffee. Jayce would be up all night if he drank coffee this late.
“Yeah, she’s a nice girl.” He eyed the pies, trying to decide between the two. Finally, he sliced into the apple pie.
“You didn’t kiss her or do anything inappropriate, did you?” Lizzie drummed her fingers against the table. He looked up and paused. She looked different. It took him a few seconds to realize it was because she wasn’t wearing her dentures. They had also both replaced their white head coverings with scarves.
Smiling, he said, “No. I didn’t kiss her or do anything inappropriate.” But she sure laid one on me. He lifted the piece of pie onto his plate, pulled it toward him, and took a bite.
Lizzie yawned. “You seem like a nice young man, but I have a special talent for spotting a liar, so
I had to ask. You’re not lying.”
Esther scowled at her sister.
“No, I’m not lying.” Jayce recalled the feel of Evelyn’s lips on his. It had happened and ended before he even knew. He suspected it was a bold move for her. She’d immediately hightailed it inside without looking back.
“However . . .” Jayce kept them in suspense as he ate another bite of pie. “She’s going to show me around tomorrow.”
“Really?” Esther took another sip of coffee. “That’s nice.”
Something about her tone seemed to ask for a response, but he was busy with the pie and not sure how to respond anyway.
“She’s Amish, you know?” Esther ran a finger around the rim of her coffee cup while keeping an eye on him.
He raised both hands to cover his mouth and gasped. “You’re kidding.”
Esther grinned. “Silly thing to say, I suppose.”
Lizzie yawned again. “Did you have any trouble with Poppy?”
Jayce shook his head. “Nope. I picked up Evelyn and delivered her home safely without a hitch.”
“Well, we just wanted to make sure you were a gentleman. I’m sure things are a lot different here than where you come from.” Lizzie rubbed her eyes.
“You could say that.” Jayce laughed, again recalling the kiss. He stood after finishing his pie and thanked the women. Temptation flowed through his veins like a rushing river, prodding him to tell the sisters that Evelyn had kissed him. Instead, he thought he’d better mention the vanilla. “Lizzie, did you spill something in your buggy?”
“Nee. Why?” She slouched in her chair and chewed a fingernail.
Jayce waved in front of his nose. “The smell of vanilla was so strong I worried we might throw up. I don’t mean to sound disrespectful at all. I appreciate you letting me borrow the buggy, and it was fun driving it. But . . .” He shook his head. “I’ve never smelled that much vanilla in my life. Even with the windows open, it was pretty overbearing.”
Lizzie shrugged. “I’ve never noticed that.”
Jayce found that impossible to believe, but maybe Lizzie had a medical condition that prevented her from smelling. He decided to let it go, excused himself, and went to bed.
* * *
Esther waited until Jayce was out of earshot before she turned to Lizzie. Her sister looked like a rag doll slumped in her chair as she avoided looking at Esther, still nibbling on her fingernail. “Vanilla?” She raised an eyebrow.
“What about it?” Lizzie continued to avoid Esther’s inquiring eyes.
“Why would your buggy smell like vanilla?” Esther leaned forward. “And enough to make those young people feel sick.”
Lizzie moaned as she straightened in the chair, then sighed. “Vanilla is an apple-desiac. It draws people together and makes them feel romantic.”
Esther gasped as she brought a hand to her chest.
“Why do you look so shocked? It was just a little nudge to help them feel comfortable on their first date.” Lizzie stiffened as she placed her palms on the table. “I read that in one of my romance books.”
Esther held her forehead in her hands before she looked at her sister. “First of all, you need to stop reading those books. Secondly, the word you misspoke has a different meaning from what you think.” She shook her head. “How did you get enough of the scent to stay in the buggy and overwhelm the kinner?”
Lizzie pressed her lips together, then let out a dramatic sigh. “I left some vanilla candles out in the sunlight behind the barn until they melted a little. Then I smeared the wax on the back seat and floorboards.” She paused, raised her chin. “I couldn’t smell it all that much so I mixed some vanilla extract and water together, put it in a spray bottle, then sprayed everything in the buggy.”
Esther wasn’t sure when her mouth fell open, but she forced it closed and thought for a few seconds. “I thought we were in agreement that we should not encourage anything between Evelyn and Jayce.” She shook her head. “Vanilla?” she asked again.
“I like that boy.” Lizzie pushed her lip into a pout, exaggerated by the fact she didn’t have her dentures in.
“You don’t know that boy.” Esther stared at her.
“Ach, well, I like him anyway.” She lifted her chin. “He might not be lying, but he’s not telling us something.” Lizzie pressed her lips together, moving them from side to side, the way she often did when she didn’t have her dentures in.
Esther’s sister had smoothly changed the subject, but Esther had to agree with her. “I had the same feeling.” It hadn’t been anything Esther could put her finger on, but Jayce had seemed to be evading the entire truth. “Maybe he just needs a friend. We can’t assume that every time a young man meets a young woman, they will become romantically involved.”
Lizzie huffed. “We always assume that. It’s what we do.”
“Not in this case.” Esther picked up one of the pies, walked to the counter, and began covering it. Lizzie followed with the other pie. “It’s not just that one of them is Amish and the other isn’t.” She glanced at her sister. “Jayce grew up with lots of money, in a place where movie stars live, and he enjoys a life far more luxurious than even the average Englischer.”
“That lifestyle must have a downside.” Lizzie ran her hands under the water, then reached for a kitchen towel. “It’s obvious he doesn’t have a gut relationship with his daed.”
“Downside or not, this time we are staying out of any matchmaking possibilities.” Esther had noticed a twinkle in Jayce’s eyes when he talked about Evelyn. That wasn’t surprising. Evelyn was beautiful, inside and out. She was also smart enough not to let anything romantic evolve over the next month.
“Well, there are still a bunch of sheets and towels that need to be run through the wringer.” Lizzie stretched an arm behind her. “But mei back has given out.”
Esther tightened the strap on her white robe. “We’re going to end up in an early grave if we don’t find some help.”
“I’ll keep asking around.” Lizzie shrugged. “I just can’t find anyone.”
They headed toward their bedrooms on the main floor, both yawning. “Sweet dreams, Lizzie.”
“You too, Esther.”
* * *
Evelyn couldn’t remember the last time she’d been up this late. It was nearing midnight. Rolling on her side, she pounded her pillow and closed her eyes.
After a few minutes she rolled onto her back and threw an arm across her forehead. How could she possibly spend the day with Jayce tomorrow after what she’d done? She kissed a man she didn’t know on a first date. And it wasn’t even a good kiss. She just smashed her mouth into his and retreated without a word.
She’d never allowed any man to kiss her on a first date. Usually she waited several dates before she even considered the idea. So why did I do that?
No amount of analyzing would change the outcome.
Forcing her eyes closed, she tried to will herself to sleep. But she continued wondering what Jayce must think of her, how forward she was.
* * *
Saturday morning, Esther and Lizzie served breakfast in the dining room before retreating to the kitchen to enjoy some downtime. Mr. Clarkson, Quinn, and the other men were all downstairs by nine o’clock, the time they’d requested breakfast be served. Everyone was in attendance except Jayce.
Esther and Lizzie could hear the conversation in the other room.
“Where’s Jayce?” Quinn asked as forks clinked against plates.
“Who knows,” Mr. Clarkson replied in an aggravated voice. “He’ll probably sleep all day. That’s what he does at home. He’s lazy.”
“Maybe you confuse lazy with depressed.” Quinn spoke firmly. “He hasn’t been happy in a long time, Brandon.”
“He’s ungrateful and spoiled. Jayce has been given everything he ever wanted,” Mr. Clarkson said. “And since I’m grossly overpaying him to be a roadie, he’ll have enough money at the end of this month to get his own place.”
“Everything he’s ever wanted?” Quinn was on the edge of raising her voice. “I think all he’s ever wanted is love. Things weren’t easy for him during your divorce.”
“That was a long time ago. He’s an irresponsible adult now. And . . .”
Esther cringed when Mr. Clarkson rattled off a sentence filled with words that needn’t be spoken aloud. Lizzie had stopped eating and was also attuned to the conversation in the other room.
A chair scraped across the floor, followed by heels clicking against the wood. Quinn must have left the room. A few minutes later, Mr. Clarkson spoke up again.
“I don’t know why Quinn is always defending him. She doesn’t have kids. She doesn’t know what it’s like, especially related to Jayce. I spent almost twenty thousand dollars getting him out of jail and on legal fees. She overlooks things like that.”
Esther and Lizzie locked eyes.
“I wonder what he did,” Lizzie whispered.
One of the men cleared his throat. “Let’s just let it go. It’s our day off.”
Esther wasn’t sure which of the men had spoken up, but the room had gone silent.
“I thought someone named Veronica was Brandon Clarkson’s ex,” Lizzie said, her voice still low.
“Ya, but I think that woman is his ex-girlfriend. He must have had a wife he divorced when Jayce was younger.” Esther was still wondering what had landed Jayce in jail, especially since Evelyn would be spending the day with him. They really didn’t know him at all.
“It doesn’t sound like that woman, Quinn, cares for that Clarkson fellow too much either.” Lizzie took a sip of coffee, her head still turned toward the dining room.
“It isn’t our business,” Esther whispered.
“But Evelyn is our business. We’ve known her family since before she was born.” Lizzie shook her head. “Although I’m having a hard time picturing Jayce in jail. He seems like such a nice youngster.”