Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio

by Annalisa Daughety

  “Once a cheater, always a cheater,” Michelle said whenever the topic of Nick would come up. Maybe she was right. Would Kelly be foolish to give it one more try?

  “Need some help?” Andy knelt down beside her. “I’m finished over in my area.” He flashed her a smile. “And you looked like you weren’t accomplishing much. Not many weeds get pulled when you’re staring into space.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’d love the help, though.”

  He got to work, careful not to disturb any of the new blooms. “Were you mad when Nick showed up this morning?”

  “It’s hard to stay mad at Nick. But I wasn’t exactly the best welcome wagon when he banged on my door and woke me up.” She sat back on her heels. “Look, Andy. You know him better than anyone. Is he for real when he says he’s ready to settle down?”

  He let out a low whistle. “As his best friend, I should say yes, hands down. As someone who has seen you go through a lot of pain with him, I will say that I’m not sure.” He took his hat off and swiped his brow with his arm. “I think he wants to be that guy. Really, I do.” He shrugged. “But we all know Nick’s track record. So who can say? Who knows for sure?”

  “That’s what I was afraid you’d say.”

  “The wrecks have taken a toll on him, though.”

  She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off.

  “No, really. I know he didn’t show it the way he should have. But he was torn up about you being in the hospital. And then, this last one. Whew.”

  “Was it bad?”

  “You should’ve seen the Corvette. I don’t know how he walked away. Barely a scratch.” He shook his head. “I think those experiences together have gone a long way in showing him what’s important.”

  She sighed. “Maybe.”

  “Just think about it. You know as well as I do that when Nick’s good, he’s very good.”

  “But when he’s bad…well, that’s when I get trampled on.” She grinned. “It’s a gamble.”

  “Indeed.” He pulled the last weed. “Now why don’t you go in and call your cute Amish friend? I need someone to talk to during dinner.”

  She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at him. “Be nice to her.”

  He held his hands out and widened his eyes. “I’m always nice. Now go call.”

  Kelly rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll go call.”

  Kelly pulled the SUV in front of the quilt shop and waited on Emma. She had to admit, she’d been a little surprised when her Amish friend agreed to dinner at the inn. But Emma was new in town, and she didn’t really seem to know many people.

  Emma stepped out of the shop and climbed inside the X-Terra. “Thanks for picking me up.”

  “No problem.” Kelly glanced over at Emma. “I don’t know how you do it.”

  “Do what?”

  “You always look so fresh. Your dress is always neat. Your hair is always tucked in your cap.” She shrugged. “By the end of the day, I look like I’ve been running a marathon.”

  Emma chuckled. “Now I don’t know about that.” She grew somber. “But I look exactly the same every day. My hair in a bun, a kapp on my head. And my dresses are all the same, just in a variety of boring colors.” She shook her head. “And of course, I don’t wear any makeup, so it isn’t like that needs touching up at the end of the day.”

  “You don’t need to wear makeup. Your skin is perfect. And look at it this way, you don’t spend a lot of money on clothes that you’ll never wear.” Kelly grinned. “I end up wearing the same things over and over, yet I have a closet full of expensive clothes.”

  “But at least you have variety.”

  Kelly glanced at Emma’s furrowed brow. She had meant to compliment her friend, not cause her pain. A swift change of subject was in order. “So, I think Andy thought you were really something.”

  “He seems like a nice guy. I haven’t really known many Englishers, though.”

  Kelly was puzzled for a moment, but then remembered Aunt Irene telling her the Amish referred to non-Amish as “Englishers,” which was really confusing when you thought about it. It made Kelly feel like she was saying she was from England. “Oh?”

  “I mean, we get lots of tourists in my hometown and all, but usually I just speak to them in passing. You, Nick, and Andy are the first ones I’ve spent any real time with.”

  “Well, don’t judge all Englishers by the three of us. I’m not sure we’re a great representation.”

  “I think you are. My thoughts on the two of them remain to be seen.” Emma adjusted her seat belt. “So does this visit mean that you have forgiven Nick?”

  “You mean forgiven Nick again, don’t you?” Kelly shook her head. “I’m not sure. I don’t want to get roped in again. But we do have a history together, and I guess that is the part that’s hard to leave behind.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’m actually thinking of telling him we can start talking again. At least open the line of communication. If he behaves badly this summer, it will get back to me. So maybe not officially back together, but more like giving it some serious thought.” She pulled the X-Terra into the space beside Nick’s Jeep. “Here we are. I hope you’re hungry.”

  “Starving.” Emma climbed out of the SUV and followed Kelly onto the big porch.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Emma

  Emma stepped into the front room of the One Charming Inn and looked around. “This is beautiful,” she exclaimed. The hardwood floors gleamed and the walls were dark green with white trim. Emma ran her hands along the back of the ornate gold and green couch.

  Kelly stood in front of the fireplace. “Can’t you just imagine it in winter? I think this is my favorite room. I’ll give you the tour later.”

  “That would be wonderful. Is your room in the main house, or in one of the cabins outside?”

  “See that staircase?” Kelly pointed. “If you go up those stairs and to the right, my room is there.” She motioned for Emma to follow her through to the next room. “I hated to take up a whole room, knowing that would mean Aunt Irene would lose out on money, but she promised that if I weren’t here, she’d have to hire someone to handle the things I’m doing.”

  “What all is that, exactly?” Emma asked.

  “Roping unsuspecting visitors into weeding the garden,” Nick said as he sauntered in. He grinned at them.

  Kelly rolled her eyes. “I seem to recall you spending a lot more time on lemonade breaks than you did weeding.”

  “That’s right.” Andy stepped from behind Nick. “He was afraid he’d get a big, bad blister.” He laughed and clapped Nick on the back. He spotted Emma, and his mouth grew into a wide smile. “Hello again. I’m glad you could make it.” His hair was still wet from the shower, and Emma detected the faint scent of aftershave when he passed by.

  “Is everyone hungry?” Kelly asked. “Rather than eat in the main dining room, we’ll just eat in the breakfast nook.” She led them to the table. “It’s smaller.”

  “Is Aunt Irene not joining us?” Nick asked.

  Kelly shook her head. “She’s turning in early. We’re going to have a full house for the next several days, so she needs her rest. Besides, I told her we could handle serving and cleaning up.”

  “Does this mean we’re going to get kitchen duty?” Nick grumbled. “We are paying guests, after all.”

  Kelly swatted at him. “Paying, but at a major discount. I think you can handle doing some dishes.”

  Emma hung back. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt more out of place. She thought of Lydia Ann, eating at home with the twins, and wished she’d just stayed there. Her thoughts wandered over to Noah and the afternoon of fishing they had planned for Saturday. She smiled at the thought.

  “Okay, guys, we’re having lasagna. This is going to be a help-yourself kind of deal.” Kelly took a rectangular dish from the oven. The cheese bubbled on top and the room was immediately filled with a delicious aroma. Kelly
carefully placed the lasagna onto the stovetop. “Plates are there.” She pointed to the counter. “Bread is on the table.”

  “No veggies?” Nick playfully whined.

  “Listen here, you should just consider yourself lucky that Aunt Irene made the lasagna. If I’d been in charge we would’ve had cereal and milk.” She stuck a serving spoon into the lasagna. “Or we’d have been at the Homestead again.”

  The guys laughed. Andy leaned against the counter and met Emma’s questioning gaze. “Let’s just say that Kelly has tried to cook many a meal for us.” He grinned. “Nick and I had an off-campus apartment last year. There is still grease on the ceiling from where she tried to make some kind of stovetop homemade rolls.”

  Nick joined in his laughter. “They exploded. All over everything.” He reached out and pulled on Kelly’s red ponytail. “Remember? You even had it all over you.”

  Kelly giggled. “See, Emma? I told you I couldn’t cook very well. Unfortunately, I have these two to serve as witnesses to many of my cooking catastrophes.”

  “I think that even has me beat.” Emma could see, for the first time, why Kelly was so torn about completely ending her relationship with Nick—what with the history portion of the issue and the fact that they seemed to have a solid friendship. But how could that be? A friend wouldn’t treat another friend the way Nick had treated Kelly, right? It was all so complicated and confusing. Emma wondered what Kelly would think if she were in a room with Emma, Jacob, and Abby. Would she see the same camaraderie? Or would it be something else entirely? For the past several days, Emma had tried to push thoughts of Abby out of her head. She knew her sister wouldn’t approve of the time she was spending with Englishers. And there was the chance she wouldn’t approve of her talking to Noah, either.

  Emma filled her plate and followed Kelly to the table. For a moment, she was unsure. Would they pray for the food? She decided that they likely would not, so she bowed her head and said a quick prayer of thanks. When she raised her head, she caught Kelly’s eye.

  Kelly flashed her a smile. “Would you like some bread?”

  “Jah. Please.” Emma took the bowl of bread from Kelly and plucked out a slice.

  Andy sat down beside her, a steaming plate of lasagna on his plate. “This looks delicious.” He accepted the bowl of bread Emma extended. “This is my kind of meal.”

  Nick sank into the remaining empty seat. “So, what’s to do around here?” he asked Emma. “You know. Like for fun.”

  Emma froze. She was pretty sure her definition of fun wasn’t the same as Nick’s. In fact, they might not even be in the same dictionary. “I’m not actually from here. I’ve only been in town for a few weeks. But I do know there’s a festival in October.” Lydia Ann had just been telling her about the fall festival earlier today.

  “A festival?” Kelly asked, interested.

  “It’s called Charm Days. They have all kinds of stuff to do. There are activities for the kids, music, food.” Emma shrugged. “I guess normal festival-like things.”

  “Music?” Andy asked. “So like a real band?”

  “I think it’s more local music. Maybe fiddlers.” She tried to remember what all Lydia Ann had told her. “All the proceeds from the auction go to the share-and-care fund.”

  “What’s that?” Andy took a big bite of lasagna.

  “It’s a local charity fund that helps those in need of assistance.”

  “Wow,” said Kelly. “That’s pretty cool.” She turned to Nick. “One thing I’ve noticed is that people around here are genuinely concerned about one another. Not like back home.” She tore her bread in half and raked some of the sauce onto it. “There’s a real sense of community, more than anywhere I’ve ever seen.”

  “Is it that way in your hometown, Emma?” Andy turned his gaze on her.

  She looked into his deep blue eyes and felt her pulse quicken. “Jah. For the most part. We know our neighbors and look out for one another.”

  “I’ll bet you miss it,” Kelly said as she began clearing the table.

  Emma sat back against the wooden chair. Did she miss it? She thought again of Abby and her family. “I do miss it.” She smiled at her dinner companions. “But I’m glad to be here.”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Abby

  Abby carried the stack of empty dinner plates into the kitchen. Her little sister Sarah’s birthday dinner was going very well. And since serving as hostess was one of Abby’s favorite roles, she was especially enjoying herself. She put the dishes beside the sink and peered at the German chocolate cake she had made earlier. It had turned out nicely, and she couldn’t wait for Sarah to see it. She’d practically had to tie her up to keep her from peeking in the kitchen to see what was on the menu. Abby carefully picked up the cake. Just as she turned to take it into the dining room, Jacob entered the kitchen.

  “Oh! You startled me, Jacob.” Surprise made her loosen her grip on the cake, which slid dangerously to the side.

  “Sorry.” Jacob reached out and steadied her hand on the cake plate. “I just came in to see if you needed any help.” He grinned at her. “And to make sure you didn’t drop the cake on the floor.”

  “If I had dropped it, it would have been your fault. Anyway, I’ve got the cake, but since you’re here you can bring in the smaller plates and the forks.” She nodded her head toward the dishes and utensils on the butcher-block counter. “I appreciate your help.”

  “Well, I wasn’t only being helpful. I also wanted to see what we were having for dessert.” He leaned toward the plate and sniffed. “German chocolate. My favorite. Especially when you make it.”

  Abby ignored the blush creeping up her face. “It happens to be one of Sarah’s favorite cakes.” She reached for the door. “That’s why I made it.”

  Abby entered the dining room, Jacob at her heels. “Here we go,” she said as she set the cake onto the thick wooden table.

  Sarah’s eyes lit up. “Danki, Abby. It looks delicious.”

  Mamm helped Abby serve cake all around the table.

  “This is the best cake I’ve ever eaten,” Jacob said. “I may have to have seconds.”

  Abby beamed. “It’s not nearly as good as Mamm’s, but I’m learning.” She looked over at Jacob’s mamm. “It’s not as good as yours either, Lottie.”

  “If I may weigh my opinion,” Dat piped up, “I believe this must rank in the top three German chocolate cakes I’ve ever been privileged to eat.” He looked at his own mother. “I mean, four. Top four German chocolate cakes.”

  Laughter rang out around the table.

  “Sarah, you have one more card,” Mamm said. She placed a pink envelope in front of her youngest daughter.

  “I’ll bet I know who that is from,” Abby said to Jacob. “Just look at the color.”

  He looked at her blankly. “Who?”

  “It’s from Emma!” Sarah exclaimed. “She says to tell everyone hello and that she’s having a good time and will see us at the end of the summer. She misses us, too.”

  The younger kids went out to play kickball, and the adults began to drift into the living room to let the meal digest and to enjoy conversation. “I’ll do the dishes, Mamm,” Abby said, hopping up from the table.

  Her mother nodded. “Danki, Abby. It’s a blessing to have such a helpful daughter.”

  Abby smiled and headed toward the kitchen.

  “I’ll help you, Abby,” Jacob said as he followed her in to the kitchen. “So how’d you know that last card was from Emma?”

  She looked at him incredulously. “Pink has been her favorite color since we were kids. I figured you knew that.”

  “Oh. I guess I forgot.”

  She stared at him for a moment. If he’d paid such little attention to Emma that he didn’t even know what color she liked, what other details had he missed?

  “I’ll wash, you rinse.” Abby filled the sink with hot soapy water and began washing the dishes, all too aware of the way Jacob’s shoulder brushed ag
ainst her whenever he grabbed a dish to rinse. She concentrated on each plate and tried to ignore her racing pulse. She reminded herself that Jacob and Emma were perfect for each other. Wasn’t she the one who had first noticed that?

  “You’re awfully quiet tonight.” Jacob carefully set the rinsed plate on to the drainer. “Is something bothering you?”

  “Not really.” If you didn’t count wobbly legs and accelerated heartbeats. “I haven’t heard from Emma lately, have you?”

  “Emma?” It almost sounded as if he were trying to figure out who that was. “No. I haven’t heard from her since she left. Just the same as I told you the other day when we got ice cream.”

  Peripheral vision told her he was staring at her, but she refused to acknowledge it. “Well, when she gets back, things will get back to normal around here, I’m sure.” Abby pulled the stopper out of the sink and watched the water swirl down the drain. Just the way her life seemed to be going right now. Swirling out of control.

  “I guess.” He looked at her curiously. “Although things seem pretty normal right now. Maybe a little quieter.” He grinned. “But normal.” Jacob dried his hands and handed her the towel. “Want to go sit on the porch? Or… Wait a minute. I know how you love to play kickball. Want to do that instead?” he teased.

  “Hah. No telling what would happen if I tried to play kickball.” Abby hung the towel on the rack. “I’d probably end up in the hospital. Let’s sit on the porch.”

  They sat in the porch swing. Was the swing getting smaller? Abby didn’t remember having to sit this close when she and Emma sat out here. They sat for a few moments in companionable silence. Every now and then, a scream of laughter from the backyard kickball game made its way to her ears.

  “So how was the quilt business today? I noticed lots of tourists when I came home for lunch.”

  “Hmmm?” Abby could practically feel Jacob’s breath on her shoulder, and she couldn’t concentrate on what he was saying.

  “Abby? What is wrong with you? You’re really acting weird.” Abby didn’t think it was possible for Jacob to lean closer but he did. He looked into her eyes. “Are you okay?”