Promises of Tomorrow

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  Just as Marie was about to agree, E.A. entered the kitchen.

  “This is what?” E.A. asked.

  “Nothing,” Marie said quickly. E.A. was one of her dearest friends, but she also was extremely organized and smart. She was the kind of woman who would call every single reference on the Airbnb site before booking.

  Unfortunately, Marie was not.

  Kendra looked at her sympathetically then turned to E.A. “We were just talking about the state of this place.”

  “Oh. Well, it’s dirty, worn, and freezing,” E.A. said as she peered into the fireplace. “I sure hope this works. If it doesn’t, we’re going to be miserable.”

  “The men went outside to gather wood,” Kendra said.

  “There’s plenty of that around. Stacks and stacks of it against the walls.” E.A. wrinkled her nose. “I hope they don’t bring in any mice.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that. I bet there are quite a few nestled in those stacks outside,” Kendra murmured. Eyeing the brick chimney that went all the way to the top of the cabin, she said, “I guess we should hope and pray that no birds are nesting inside.”

  Just thinking about birds squawking and flying into the cabin made Marie feel sick. Everything was going from bad to worse, and she hadn’t even thought that was possible.

  “I don’t know what to do,” she murmured. “I wanted us to all get together but not like this. All everyone is going to do is complain.” Of course, what she was really worried about was everyone getting mad at her and making an already disappointing weekend even worse. But Marie wasn’t brave enough to mention that.

  “We might not all complain,” Kendra said.

  “But there’s a pretty good chance that most of us will,” E.A. joked. Turning to Marie, her expression softened. “Oh, Marie, don’t take it so hard. I’m pointing out the obvious, but I’m not blaming you. Everyone speaking their minds can’t be helped, you know. It’s the nature of us.” Her eyes lit with amusement. “We know each other too well.”

  Marie couldn’t argue with that. Maybe E.A. did have a point. They all felt so comfortable with one another that they could say anything they wanted to without fear of it being passed on to other people. Who else in her life valued such trust and honesty?

  She never dared to be completely candid with her parents. Her mother would be crushed if Marie ever admitted half the things she thought from time to time. “Um, I guess that is true. I kind of like that we have that sort of relationship.”

  Kendra smiled encouragingly. “Me too.”

  The door opened, bringing in John and Nate. Both looked a little shell-shocked, and neither was carrying any wood.

  “I thought you were going to bring in firewood,” E.A. said as she walked toward them. “Oh, no! Was none of it usable?”

  John and Nate exchanged glances. “It was plenty usable,” John said.

  “Well then, what happened?” Marie asked as she hopped down from her stool. “Uh-oh. Were there lots of mice nesting inside the logs? I hate when that happens. They scurry around and scare me half to death.”

  “No, it wasn’t that,” Nate said. He looked like he was about to say more but instead looked at John.

  “Nate, what did happen?” Kendra asked. She’d hopped off her stool but was still standing near the kitchen.

  Nate walked to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “We did see a few rodents, but it wasn’t anything odd. The mice seemed well, like mice. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

  When Marie noticed Nate kiss Kendra’s brow, she began to fear the worst, though she had no idea what that could possibly be. “I’m sorry, but I still don’t understand. I thought you guys were going to bring in some wood.”

  E.A. nodded. “And why are you two in here but not Will? Where’s my husband?”

  “He’s still outside,” John replied. “You see, we found someone.”

  “You found a person? Like a stranger?” E.A. frowned.

  “Jah. A woman,” John said. “Will’s speaking with her now.” He peeked out the window. “And probably Katie, Harley, Logan, and Tricia as well, by the looks of things.” Turning back to Marie, he explained. “The driver was dropping them off when Nate and I decided to come inside to tell you ladies about this new development.”

  It was becoming obvious that there was quite a bit more to this story. “John, you are kind of making this woman sound like she’s a lost puppy.”

  He glanced out the window. “Um, jah… though it ain’t quite the same, is it?”

  “No. No, it is not.” E.A. cleared her throat. “If you found this woman, was she lost? Or did she just happen to be walking by?”

  “Oh, she’s lost, all right,” Nate answered. “I’m thinking she might be lost in more ways than one, you know?”

  Kendra shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m not following you.”

  “Will is hoping to convince her to come inside and join us for the night,” Nate shared. “It’s getting on three o’clock. It will be dark before you know it.”

  Marie sighed. Nate was right. December in central Ohio meant that the skies started to darken around four o’clock. It wasn’t safe for anyone to be out in the woods alone.

  E.A. strode toward the window and peeked out. “Logan and Harley are in my way. I can’t see what she looks like.” As if she realized how she sounded, she cleared her throat. “Not that it matters.”

  “She needs a friend right now,” Nate said.

  “Yes, of course,” Marie murmured.

  Kendra went to stand by E.A., and John and Nate strode to the kitchen. But Marie stayed put. She knew she would do whatever the poor woman needed, but she was human enough to allow herself to be disappointed for a moment or two.

  It was all so very unexpected and confusing. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help the poor girl, but she also didn’t want to get involved with some random woman. There had to be a reason she was all by herself. Maybe she was in trouble? Maybe she had a drug problem? The news was filled with stories of men and women who had gotten embroiled in the opioid epidemic and were now mere shadows of their former selves.

  John had such a good heart and had led a fairly sheltered life. He might not see the signs that she would.

  If that was the case, she was going to drive the woman straight to the police station. Officers there could help her find a shelter or whatever she was looking for.

  “Marie?” John said quietly. “Are you with me?”

  “I am, as long as this woman doesn’t look like trouble.”

  “I don’t think so. Um, she kind of just looks lost, and maybe a little sad too.”

  “Is she English or Amish?” E.A. said.

  “She’s English.” Marie’s husband smiled at her softly. “As English as my Marie.”

  Normally, such words would make her melt. But at the moment, all Marie cared about was having one thing about their vacation go right, and that meant getting rid of their interloper. “If she’s that lost, I’ll drive her to wherever she needs to go. If we left now, I bet I could get back before it gets too late.”

  “Nee, Marie,” John said. “I don’t want you out tonight.”

  “John, I’ll be fine.”

  “The snow is coming down harder. I don’t think that’s a gut idea either, Marie,” Kendra murmured.

  E.A. nodded. “Jah. This woman is simply going to have to stay here with us tonight. And, if the weather gets as bad as the forecasters hinted, it might be for more than just one night.”

  So, they were going to have a lost English girl with them for at least the next twenty-four hours. A girl they didn’t know anything about, including where she came from or how she ended up in the woods all by herself. All Marie’s planning and good intentions had been for nothing. Everything she’d hoped would happen—reconnecting with one another, relaxing before the craziness of Christmas, even taking time to remember Andy and reflect on all that had happened in the last two years—well, if this stranger was in their m
idst, it wouldn’t stand a chance.

  She didn’t want to be heartless, but she knew that some people, whether they were Amish or English, were trouble.

  What if that was what this woman was like? She could cause all sorts of problems for them. Worse, they’d be alone with her in a dark cabin in the middle of a snowstorm.

  There would be nowhere else for them to go.

  “It wasn’t that we didn’t like Stephanie; it was that Stephanie didn’t understand Andy’s friendship with all of us,” Marie continued.

  “Marie, sorry, but that isn’t exactly the truth…” Katie called out.

  “All right, fine.” Looking at the audience, Marie said, “The truth is that none of us liked her much, but we were trying. Because, you see, Andy liked her a lot.”

  This was, without a doubt, the stupidest thing she’d ever done, Elizabeth Trainor decided.

  Or at least, it was in the top five. It was definitely right up there with trying to ride her Amish neighbor’s goat when she was five. That goat had kicked her hard enough to land her in the hospital with a broken leg.

  But what she’d just done during the last forty-eight hours? Lying to her family and friends about where she was going? Renting a cabin that was little more than a shack with spiders, getting lost in a snowstorm… and now actually thinking about spending the night in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with a group of strangers?

  She felt a tremor climb her spine.

  Yes, this was easily ten times worse. She was going to be lucky if the worst thing that happened was a broken bone. After all, she’d seen plenty of crime shows. They could only be pretending to be nice Amish people. This group could be planning to kill her and then bury her in a pit out back.

  “Elizabeth?” The somber-looking man with kind eyes spoke, jarring her out of her downward spiral. “It’s mighty cold out, jah? Let’s get you inside.”

  Beth blinked. “Oh. Yeah. Sure.”

  He gestured for her to precede him.

  Each step felt like she was wading through concrete, she was so nervous. Fearing that he could tell she was kind of afraid of going inside, she turned back toward him. “I’m glad you speak English.”

  His lips twitched. “Me too. My name is Harley.” He gestured to a girl around her age in a dark green dress. “This here is Tricia.”

  “Hi. My name is Elizabeth, but I go by Beth,” she said as they walked inside the cabin. The room was huge, with two seating areas and a fireplace situated in between them. Just beyond the living space was a big table and a rather small-looking kitchen nook.

  “I only just became Amish,” Tricia said.

  “So you speak English too?”

  “Everyone here speaks English. Most Amish do,” Tricia explained.

  Feeling like everyone was listening, Beth apologized. “Sorry, I didn’t know that.”

  Actually, she didn’t know of any Amish who hung out with people who were English, or vice versa. It was hard to wrap her head around this group, which seemed so at ease with such diversity.

  “Of course you wouldn’t,” Tricia murmured. “I mean, not unless you actually knew Amish people.”

  “I do know a couple of Amish people. I didn’t talk to them too much, so I wasn’t sure if they knew a lot of English words.” She inwardly winced. She probably just managed to offend everyone in the room.

  Leaning close, Tricia lowered her voice. “Try to relax, Beth. I promise, everyone isn’t as different as you might think.”

  Not knowing what to say about that, Beth smiled tightly as she pulled a lock of hair back behind her ear.

  Harley frowned at her. “Your hand is all bloody.”

  It was? Holding it out in front of her, Beth gazed at it like it belonged to someone else. She had a pretty good cut, that was for sure. Without stitches, it was going to scar. Realizing that Harley was still frowning at her, she dropped her hand and scanned the worn wood. “Oh, no. Am I dripping on your floor?”

  “If you were, it wouldn’t hurt anything,” one of the men said, reminding Beth that she was now standing in the midst of a bunch of strangers. Even though she was trying hard to be brave, she tensed up again.

  Tricia chuckled softly. “Don’t mind my husband. Logan is always joking around. Come on. Let’s get it washed off,” she said as she led Beth through the group of people. “What happened?”

  “I slipped on some ice and cut my hand on the edge of a rock. It’s nothing.” At least the cold air had helped her injury.

  Another woman joined them and turned on the sink. Without saying a word, she directed Beth’s hand under the stream of water. “Boy, you’ve had a bad day, huh?”

  “Yes.” And calling it a bad day wasn’t even the half of it. She’d had a bad three months. They’d been terrible. The worst of her life.

  “I’m Kendra,” a friendly-looking girl with wide brown eyes said. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you too. I’m sorry I ruined your party.”

  She shrugged like it didn’t matter. “No worries. We get together a lot. I’m just glad you found us. You could have gotten hurt, or worse, out there by yourself.”

  “The snow really was coming down. Hopefully I’ll be able to leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Kendra shrugged again, as if it didn’t matter to her one way or the other.

  The woman was being so nice. Everyone was. Beth knew she needed to be less guarded, less quiet, but she just didn’t know if she had that in her at the moment. All she felt like she could do was not freak out. In her experience, people often said things they didn’t mean or led her to believe they were supportive or kind when all they did was act against her when her back was turned.

  Beth didn’t know if these people were like that or not, but in her mind, it didn’t even matter. She was stuck in a cabin full of strangers. They were probably going to ask her all kinds of questions, then make sure she knew how dumb she’d been to take a walk by herself in the woods during a snowstorm. She was going to have to sit there and take it too. She had no choice, since it was both snowing and frigid outside.

  No doubt, they weren’t going to waste any time judging her. She probably deserved it too. She was nineteen years old and had made one terrible decision after another over the last two days.

  After lying to her parents and telling them she was still in her college dorm room, she’d used the last of her money to rent the worst place on the face of the earth for a weekend. Then, she put the directions in her phone and drove. Then drove some more in the snow.

  When she’d finally arrived, after almost sliding into a clump of trees while making a right-hand turn, she’d discovered just how bad her rental cabin was.

  Her “cozy, rustic cabin” was really more like an old, run-down shack. It had been filled with old blankets, rugs, and furniture that decades of hunters and who knew who else had used and probably never washed.

  But the dirt and the, well, ick factor wasn’t the worst.

  No, the worst was the spiders. There had been lots and lots of spiders. So many, she’d been afraid they were going to jump on her if she sat still long enough.

  She’d cried all night in the cold, wrapped up in Joel’s hoodie and sweats. But this morning, things hadn’t looked any better, so she’d decided to go on a walk. By herself in the woods. Without food, water, or a cell phone. After she’d fallen and hurt her hand, things had only gotten worse.

  A lot worse, since she was now in a cabin filled with strangers who said they were Amish. Yet, there didn’t seem to be a single horse and buggy in sight. Even she knew that didn’t add up.

  This had gone from stupid to bad. Really, really bad.

  She should have planned much better. Or at least, thought things through instead of only dwelling on her pain. If Joel were still alive, he’d have been yelling at her right now, and she would be welcoming it.

  And, just like he’d summoned the tears, she started crying. Again.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” Kendra said
. Calling over her shoulder, she said, “Anybody have some Band-Aids?”

  “I think I’ve got some, Kendra,” a man said. “Let me go see.”

  Kendra ushered her to the table and plopped her onto a chair. “We need some tissues too, Nate.”

  A man with light hair and hazel eyes walked to Kendra’s side. “She bleeding again?”

  “Crying.”

  “I’m okay,” Beth said as the guy sat down and slid a wad of toilet paper across the table. She pulled off a couple of squares and blew her nose.

  “Sorry,” he said. “We didn’t think of Kleenex.”

  Wiping at her face, she kind of half laughed. “This works. Thanks.”

  “I know you’re scared, but Kendra and me can sleep in here. You can have our room,” Nate said. “That way you can have some privacy.”

  “It’s not that. It’s um, it’s been a pretty bad couple of days.”

  “How long were you lost?” Nate asked.

  “Just a couple of hours. But I wasn’t talking about that. I, well, I’ve made a series of bad decisions lately. Now I’m paying the price. So are you too, I guess.”

  “Don’t you worry about us anymore,” Kendra said. “We’re fine.”

  After another ten minutes, which had felt like an eternity, Kendra and Nate encouraged her to join the rest of the group gathered around the fire.

  She still felt awkward, but their kindness and the warmth of the fire helped her relax. Maybe she was going to be all right, after all. She could sit with these people for a while, then after an hour or so excuse herself and go collapse in the bedroom they were giving her. If there weren’t creepy spiders everywhere, she was going to be able to fall asleep immediately.

  She couldn’t wait.

  Then Marie, the English woman with the beautiful golden hair, spoke. “So, Elizabeth, perhaps you could tell us how you happened to end up here today.”

  She didn’t want to talk about Joel. Didn’t want to share any of her pain. She knew that once she did, she wasn’t going to be able to stop talking or sharing. She had so many emotions tied up deep inside her, and she wasn’t sure how she was ever going to get them all out without turning into a blubbering idiot.