An Unlikely Match

by Beth Wiseman

  “Gus, there are ways to get your point across without calling people idiots and telling them they have messed-up minds.” He shook his head. Living like the Amish would be a challenge. He would enjoy living on a farm, riding around in a buggy, and ditching the demands in his life for something more peaceful. But he wasn’t worthy—or ready—to commit to the type of lifestyle the Amish lived. He felt ready to commit to Evelyn, at least to see where things were headed. “You could be a little nicer is all I’m saying.”

  Gus was quiet, then finally said, “You sound like Esther, always schooling me on how to act.”

  “Maybe you should listen to her. Esther seems like a very nice person.”

  “Esther is the nicest person I know.”

  Jayce turned to him and smiled after noticing the endearing way he said her name. “Wow. You’ve got a thing for Esther.”

  Gus rattled off more curse words. “Shut up, kid.”

  Jayce frowned. “I doubt Esther likes you using those words.”

  He shook his head. “You just don’t know when to be quiet.”

  But Jayce caught the hint of a smile on the old man’s face, and he was pretty sure he’d hit the nail on the head.

  Twenty

  Evelyn glanced around the small community center that usually hosted quilting parties, baby showers, or English book club gatherings. The room had been transformed into a mini movie theater with a huge screen in the front of the room and dozens of chairs with fancy white covers and dark-green bows tied around them—like she’d seen before at a wedding.

  Off to the side two men in tuxedos were serving drinks from behind a table, and in the back of the room four more uniformed servers stood behind what smelled like a lavish buffet. Even more surreal was the fact that she, Lizzie, and Esther were in attendance. Rose must have opted out, and she was probably smart in doing so. The bishop would never approve. Evelyn had ignored the rule, justifying her presence because she was still in her rumschpringe and hadn’t been baptized. She was a little surprised the sisters had come because Esther wasn’t the rule-breaker Lizzie was, and it was no secret that Lizzie didn’t care for Gus.

  Evelyn was taking any opportunity she could to be around Jayce, especially since she hadn’t seen him all week. In addition to her work schedule, her mother had taken ill, which left Evelyn to handle all the household chores on her own.

  “There you are.” Jayce breezed up to her, so close she was glad there weren’t any other Amish folks around besides Esther and Lizzie.

  “Gus certainly cleaned up well. He must be excited to be included in the movie.” She tried to keep from blushing as she thought about the last time she saw Jayce—and the kissing.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered. “I’ve missed you. And yeah, I helped ol’ Gus get spruced up. I think his desire to look presentable is because his daughter is supposed to be here.” He looked at the wood floors, then raised his eyes to hers. “My dad isn’t always the most honest person, and I have serious doubts Gus will even have a two-second spot in the film. I don’t want to see him get hurt. He’s an old grump, but he doesn’t deserve that.”

  Evelyn wanted to tell Jayce she’d missed him, too, but he’d jumped to a different subject without a pause. “Gus would be embarrassed, and I don’t want to see that happen either.”

  Jayce stared at her. “Can you spend the day with me tomorrow?” He lowered his gaze again, then locked eyes with her. “We’re leaving Tuesday.”

  Evelyn’s heart contracted like something was squeezing the life out of her. “I-I thought you were staying a month. That’s not even three weeks.” She heard the desperation in her voice, and while she’d known there would be a void when Jayce left, she hadn’t realized how large it would be until now, when his departure was only four days away. She tried to focus on the times he’d said, “Maybe I’ll stay.” They were just words, but she’d held on to them tightly and let her heart get involved. She’d known better.

  He ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I know. But the project is done, and Dad said it’s time to go. It’s a long drive.” He seemed to be picking up on her response as he kept his eyes on her. “Can you hang around after this thing is over? Or maybe we can sneak out early, after they show the clip. It’s pretty short, and then all the back patting will start and everyone will praise my dad for the great job he’s done on these last few scenes.” He nodded toward the back of the room. “Those two guys flew in last night. They’re the biggest investors in the movie.”

  Evelyn nodded as she looked at two older men standing next to Jayce’s father. They were all dressed nicely, and as she glanced around, she noticed everyone was wearing fancy clothes. Even Jayce had on crisp black slacks with a belt, a starched long-sleeve button-down shirt, and shiny black shoes. It was a far cry from his usual jeans and T-shirt.

  “You look nice,” she said barely above a whisper as she glanced down at her dark-blue dress covered by her black apron, then at her black ankle socks and black loafers. She’d never felt so out of place in her life. Would spending more time with Jayce tonight and tomorrow just make things worse?

  He smiled. “You always look nice.” His expression fell. “I take that back. You always look beautiful.”

  Her heart began to sing again, but it felt temporary. Eventually she’d regret ever meeting him.

  * * *

  Esther couldn’t get over how handsome Gus looked, even with his enlarged middle. He’d disguised it well with clothes that actually fit. He wore black pants with a black belt, a long-sleeve button-down shirt, a black-and-white tie, and black dress shoes, resembling half of the men in attendance. His gray hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he’d trimmed his beard.

  She recalled the time she had helped Gus get cleaned up for his meeting with his daughter. He must have paid attention and taken it upon himself to better his appearance for this event, although Esther was sure it was mostly because his daughter would be coming. She hadn’t seen the woman yet and wasn’t sure what to hope for—that she showed up or that she didn’t. There was a strong possibility Gus wouldn’t be in the film, and he would be humiliated. If she didn’t show up, he would be equally as hurt.

  “Good grief, Esther. Quit gawking.” Lizzie slapped her hands to her hips, and Esther felt her cheeks warming.

  “I’m not gawking, just surprised. Gus looks . . . very nice.” She grinned at her sister. “And you’re still alive, not cursed.”

  “Well, clothes don’t change a fella,” Lizzie muttered with a sour expression. “He’s still mean as a rabid hound dog, and I’m probably still cursed. He’s just going to drag out my demise.”

  “You’d best behave.” Esther nudged her sister’s shoulder. “This is an important evening for Gus and all of the people here.” She thought Lizzie had softened a little toward Gus since opening the box and finding an urn, but maybe she’d been wrong.

  “Ya, ya. I know.” Lizzie gasped and her eyes widened. “Look. That must be her, Gus’s daughter, Heather.”

  Esther’s stomach swirled in a nervous tornado of emotions as she nodded. The reunion between Gus and his fiftysomething-year-old daughter last year hadn’t gone well at all. She twisted and wrung her hands as the woman searched the room.

  “Should we go help her find Gus?” Esther eyed the woman’s black pantsuit. Her dark hair was styled in a short bob.

  “She found him,” Lizzie said when Heather began walking toward her father.

  Esther said a quick prayer that all would go well.

  “She’s hugging him.” Lizzie’s eyebrows knitted into a frown. “Don’t you think that’s kind of fake since you said they were at each other’s throats when she was here last time?”

  Esther was surprised at Lizzie’s attitude toward Gus. She was acting protective. But she tended to bounce back and forth—she’d just said clothes don’t change the man. Either way, Esther was glad that this reunion was starting off on a better note. And so far Lizzie had behaved.

  “Lo
ok over there.” Lizzie nodded toward Jayce and Evelyn. “They don’t appear to belong in the same room together, but see how they’re looking at each other.”

  “I know. I noticed it earlier.” Sighing, she said, “Hearts will be broken after Jayce leaves on Tuesday.”

  Lizzie shrugged. “We’ll see.”

  Esther clamped her jaw tight as she peered at her sister. “Do you know something I don’t?”

  “Of course not.” Lizzie lifted her chin. “Only Gott knows how things will turn out with those two.”

  “Were Naomi and Amos invited to this event?” Esther asked.

  “I don’t know. We probably should have opted out, too, the way Rose did.” Lizzie shook her head. “Esther, that girl is driving me ab im kopp.”

  “Well, you’re right. The bishop wouldn’t approve of us being here, so Rose probably made the right decision.” Esther sighed. “As for Rose, ya, the maedel talks a lot, but she’s a hard worker and very kind.”

  Lizzie pouted. “Thankfully she hasn’t broken out in any more of her midnight dance sessions.”

  Mr. Clarkson spoke above the crowd, saying it was time to begin. Esther and Lizzie found chairs in the back row, as did Jayce and Evelyn. Gus’s daughter sat next to him in the fourth row. Everyone else was clustered together up front.

  Gus looked over his shoulder and caught Esther’s eye, as he’d been doing all evening, like he was making sure she hadn’t snuck out. He turned back around quickly.

  After Mr. Clarkson welcomed their two special guests, he introduced Veronica and the rest of the cast and crew.

  “Obviously, we have a larger group of players,” he said. “But it wasn’t necessary for them to join us on this trip.” He motioned to his team. “And we certainly couldn’t have finished these challenging cavern scenes without this talented and creative group.”

  Everyone applauded, and Esther’s stomach churned like it was making butter. As she twisted her hands together, she prayed Gus wouldn’t be humiliated in front of his daughter.

  “We had some unexpected turns of event while filming, and . . .” Mr. Clarkson smiled. “Instead of giving you details, I think it will be more powerful to show you the clip.” He nodded toward the back, then took a seat.

  Gus glanced over his shoulder again, but this time he smiled.

  Esther’s chest grew tight as someone turned off the lights, and within seconds the big screen lit up. She tried to remember the last time she’d seen anything on a big screen, but all she could recall was walking through Walmart near the television section.

  “Why isn’t there any music?” Lizzie whispered when the inside of the cave became visible.

  “I don’t know. Maybe because it’s an unedited clip.” Esther had picked up on some of the movie lingo. It was hard not to when it was all they’d heard over the last two weeks.

  “Do you think there will be any bad language?” Lizzie cringed.

  “I don’t know.”

  “What if there are naked people?” Lizzie put her hands over her eyes but peeked between her fingers.

  “Lizzie, just be quiet and stop asking questions.”

  Esther held her breath. Please let there be at least one shot of Gus’s face in the movie.

  Then there he was. Gus. Larger than life and filling up the entire screen as he pushed people out of the way and dove into the water. A woman dressed in a wetsuit standing on a boat near a low-hanging stalactite screamed, “She’s drowning!” Another lady next to her got down on her hands and knees and peered into the water, crying, “Help her! Help her!”

  After a moment Gus’s head popped up from below the water, and he lifted Veronica up to others in the boat. They helped her on, and she began coughing up water and shivering. When she came to her senses, she turned to Gus, who was still in the water. With tears streaming down her face, she said, “You saved my life.” Then the screen went black, and the lights came on. Everyone clapped.

  Esther glanced at Lizzie, whose mouth hung open. She saw Gus looking over his shoulder at her, smiling, just as his daughter put her arms around him.

  “Obviously we have more to show you, about thirty minutes more, but I wanted to pause and celebrate the man in this clip.” Mr. Clarkson walked back up to the screen as someone switched on the lights. “Gus Owens, can you stand up, please?”

  Gus hesitated but then rose to his feet. Esther’s hand was covering her mouth, and Lizzie couldn’t seem to lift her jaw.

  Mostly speaking to the two gentlemen guests, Mr. Clarkson said, “Mr. Owens was originally slated to have a small part in the background.” Esther still wasn’t sure if that was true or not. “But in an unexpected moment, he turned out to be a hero and saved someone we all love very much. We found a way to work this shot into the movie since it appeared to be brilliant acting, even though no one was acting.” His eyes found Veronica’s, and the man’s expression was tender. “Veronica would also like to address the crowd.”

  Gus started to lower himself back to his seat.

  “Mr. Owens, can you please join Veronica at the front of the room?”

  Esther’s heart beat so fast she hoped she didn’t pass out. Gus didn’t like crowds, and he certainly didn’t like being the center of attention. He slowly made his way up front, dragging his feet as if he were being led to a pirate’s plank.

  Veronica waited for him to stand beside her. The woman looked stunning in a knee-length red dress, her long blonde hair cascading past her shoulders. Tearfully, she turned to Gus before looking back at the audience.

  “A few days ago, I asked Gus how he felt about having this scene included in the movie, because I had mixed feelings at first,” Veronica said. “But in the end, we both agreed to let Brandon include it. I’ve never seen such bravery up close and personal.” She hugged Gus, who barely put his arm on her back. His face was redder than Veronica’s dress. When she withdrew from the hug, she reached for something on the table beside her and handed it to him. It was a plaque, and even though Esther was too far away to see what it said, she saw the tears in Veronica’s eyes, and she knew in her heart the woman wasn’t acting.

  Gus couldn’t even face the audience or her. He just nodded, eyes downcast, and said, “Thank you.”

  Mr. Clarkson shook Gus’s hand. “Happy to have worked with you on this project.” Then he handed Gus an envelope.

  Esther glanced at Gus’s daughter. Heather had a broad smile across her face. Was it because she was proud of her father? Or because of what might be in that envelope?

  * * *

  Seeing his father do the right thing by giving Gus the praise he deserved—Jayce hoped there was money in that envelope—and the way his dad looked at Veronica . . . There was love inside the man. And now Jayce was confused.

  “Wow,” he whispered to Evelyn. “I’m not sure who I’m more surprised by—my dad for being a decent human being or Gus for behaving so modestly and being so respectful.” He shook his head. “The stars must all be in perfect alignment.”

  Evelyn nodded, but the look in her eyes told him something was wrong.

  “Are you hungry?” He nodded over his shoulder toward the buffet. “Or do you want to sneak out of here?”

  “I-I, um . . . whatever you want to do.” She smiled, but it wasn’t her real smile. She was definitely bothered about something. If her feelings were anything comparable to his, it was because he was leaving Tuesday.

  “Let’s grab something to eat real quick, then we’ll sneak out and go somewhere to talk.” He started walking but slowed when she didn’t follow. He went back to her.

  “I-I’m not feeling so well. Maybe I caught what mei mamm has. I think I’m just going to go home. Danki for inviting me to the screening, but I don’t think I can stay for the rest.” She stared into his eyes. “Bye, Jayce.”

  Then she rushed toward the door just as the lights went off again for the remaining scenes.

  Jayce wanted to run after her. But his feet were rooted to the floor. What was the point?
He’d be leaving in a few days. Maybe she’d realized that, too, and it was having the same effect on her.

  Jayce had toyed with the idea of staying in Montgomery and paying to stay at the inn until he found a farm he could buy, but geography wasn’t the only thing on his mind. He sat back down even though a chunk of his heart had just run out the door.

  * * *

  Evelyn cried all the way home, mad at herself for allowing her feelings to sneak up on her. After she got Millie settled in the barn, she did her best to dry her eyes. Light was coming from her parents’ bedroom, her brothers’ bedrooms upstairs, and the living room.

  When she walked inside, her mother was in her robe on the couch. Normally she would have been in bed by now. Maybe not asleep but reading and tucked in for the night. She stood up and held out her arms. Evelyn raced into them. How was it that mothers just knew certain things?

  “You’ll be all right, mei maedel,” she said as she stroked Evelyn’s hair. “Your bruder was in town earlier today, and he overheard one of the film people say they were leaving soon. I just had a feeling . . .”

  “How did I let this happen, Mamm?” Evelyn stayed in the comfort of her mother’s arms as her tears spilled. “I knew better.”

  “Our hearts don’t always listen to logic, and I feared this for you.” She eased Evelyn away. “You’re in lieb with him, aren’t you?”

  Evelyn swiped the tears from her eyes. “Is that even possible—to fall in lieb with someone so quickly?”

  Her mother walked her to the couch, and they both sat. She clutched Evelyn’s hand and squeezed. “Gott puts people in our lives for a reason. He always has a plan, but the outcome isn’t always what we hope for. You have to ask yourself what your purpose was in Jayce’s life, and what his purpose was in yours.”

  Evelyn thought about how they’d conquered their fears together, at least some of them anyway. Maybe that was the sole purpose of their meeting. Instead of confiding her thoughts to her mother, she said, “All I know is that when he leaves, I feel like he will be taking a part of me with him.”