The Protective One

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  Will frowned. “Oh, E.A.”

  “I know. I have no proof, but I do have a bad feeling about her home life.”

  “I’m glad you’re there for this Marta,” said Will. “She could probably use a friend.”

  “Me, too.” E.A.’s eyes glistened. “You know what? She acts like I am the one helping her, but I think that she’s helping me just as much.”

  “That’s how friends are. Ain’t so? They’re there for each other.”

  “Jah. That is true.” She smiled up at him, and she looked so sweet, Will leaned down to kiss her cheek.

  Except she moved her cheek, and his lips ended up touching hers.

  And then, it was like his body didn’t belong to his brain anymore. Next thing he knew, he was kissing E.A. again. Long, sweet, drugging kisses. Right there on her front porch. Muddling his mind and his good intentions until all he could scarcely think about was that he didn’t want to stop. Not for hours maybe. Or, at the least, not anytime soon.

  Which reinforced what he’d known all along. He wasn’t pretending anything with Elizabeth Anne.

  Not one single thing.

  ELEVEN

  E.A. couldn’t help it. She smirked at the crowd of two hundred. “I bet all of you know what I’m about to say. As much as we all intended to get home really fast with no one being any the wiser, things didn’t really turn out like that.”

  Another Tuesday, another day at work. Practically the moment E.A. arrived Lark had handed her a lengthy to-do list. Then, before she could hardly do more than clutch the sheet of paper in her hand, Lark announced that she had plans with her sister for brunch and that E.A. was left to do everything on her own.

  Ten minutes later, she was gone.

  Since the shop was empty, E.A. sat down in Lark’s usual seat and read over her list of tasks. They were stupid, really.

  • Put all the bolts of fabric back in their proper places.

  • Unpack and display the box of patterns.

  • Dust the figurines displays on the back shelves.

  The list continued, naming off another six chores that were as obvious as they were unnecessary to give an employee of four years.

  E.A. knew what needed to be done. She didn’t mind doing all of the tasks, though she did find it irritating that her boss hadn’t started a single one of them. Why hadn’t Lark even attempted to clean up the fabric area? This was her shop, after all.

  Just as she stood up to get to work, the front door jangled and two sets of customers wandered in. And so it began. E.A. knew that there was no way she was going to be able to get more than one or two of the tasks finished if more people came in.

  And they did. But instead of getting frazzled, E.A. felt energized. She liked not only being busy but also feeling like she was in charge and capable of doing a good job.

  And to her surprise, her mood lifted as she wandered down the aisles, helped customers, and returned a dozen bolts of fabric back to their correct places.

  By noon, at least a dozen ladies had entered the shop. Almost every one of them had bought something. Though it would have been easier with two people working, she couldn’t say she minded not having Lark’s know-it-all attitude for company.

  E.A. hadn’t even complained when Lark came back from brunch and sat down behind the counter, interacting with the customers only when it was time to ring them up.

  Because of that, E.A. had positioned herself in the back of the store. There she could cut fabric for customers and talk about patterns and fabric options.

  Actually, she’d been just congratulating herself on not looking at the clock for almost an hour when an all-too-familiar voice spoke in a low tone directly behind her.

  “I can’t believe you were kissing him again last night.”

  She jumped. After making sure the two ladies nearby hadn’t heard him, she turned to face David. “I’m working. You need to leave.”

  He shook his head. “Elizabeth Anne, we need to speak. You’ve given me no choice, you know. I’ve been trying to talk to you for days and you are avoiding me like the plague.”

  That was because he was her own personal plague. “Come over tonight and we’ll talk.”

  “I’m not heading back to your house if I can help it. Besides, there’s no need for me to go over there later. We can talk now.”

  “This isn’t the place.” Not that she wanted to see him anywhere. David had his hands crossed over his chest and was glaring at her like she’d run over his cat. “You need to leave. You don’t belong in here.”

  “Lark didn’t seem to mind,” he countered.

  He knew Lark? “What is that supposed to mean?”

  He lowered his voice. “My family is very upset with you, Elizabeth Anne.”

  David was an only child. His parents were older than hers. They were kind and never had a cross word to say about anyone. Especially not about their son. She used to think it was sweet.

  Not any longer. “If that’s true, then I’m very sorry to hear that.”

  “Of course it’s true. What do your parents have to say about our breakup?”

  His eyes were bright. She realized then that he wanted her parents to be upset with her. “They didn’t say a word about it, David.”

  He stepped closer. Crowding her in the back corner of the shop. “Not one word?” He looked incredulous. “Who’s telling lies now?”

  She’d never thought of him as a particularly forceful person. But now, since she could practically feel the heat roll off his body, she was beginning to grow uncomfortable. “I’m not lying to you. Now, you need to leave. We don’t have another thing to say to each other.”

  “I’ll leave if you come over to see me tonight.”

  Now he was bribing her. Or was it blackmail? “I’m not going over to your house.” She couldn’t think of anything worse.

  “We need to speak together. Privately. I have things I want to tell you.”

  There was no way she was going to go anywhere alone with him. What she wanted was to put whatever had been between them to rest and never think about it again.

  Considering hashing it out right then and there, she looked around. Hoping to see no one.

  But two ladies were standing mere feet away. By the way they were watching her and David with alarmed expressions, it was obvious that they had been listening to every word exchanged.

  And Lark?

  Lark was staring hard at E.A. She didn’t look pleased. In fact, she looked like she thought E.A. had invited David into the shop.

  E.A. lowered her voice. “You are causing a scene. Leave right now.”

  David didn’t move an inch. “If you want me to leave, then tell me when we can talk.”

  “David, honestly.” When he simply stood there, panic set in. She had to do something to get him to leave.

  Gritting her teeth, she made herself say the words. “Come over tonight. We’ll sit on the front porch and you can say whatever it is you want to say.”

  “You think I’m going to go anywhere near your porch?” he hissed. “After you and Will Kurtz were practically making love on that swing?”

  “Oh. My. Word. You know nothing was going on that was even close to that. Will kissed me. I kissed him back. End of story.”

  “I saw where he put his hands on you when he kissed you the second time.”

  He’d been watching. David had been watching her and Will kiss on her front porch.

  “You were spying on me?”

  “I was watching you. There’s a difference.”

  The eavesdropping women nearby gasped.

  And she was sure she was turning beet red. “Get out now.”

  “Elizabeth Anne, please come up front,” Lark called out. Oh, she sounded mad.

  “David, stay if you want, but I have to get to work.”

  She turned abruptly and rushed through the aisle, hating that she was going to have to apologize to Lark for something that wasn’t her fault.

  “Lark, listen, I’
m sorry about that.”

  Lark’s expression was frigid. “Get him out of here or you will be forced to leave with him.”

  “I’ve been trying. He’s being difficult.”

  Lark sighed. “You,” she called out loud enough for the whole store to hear. “You, you young man in the back. If you are here to shop, then let me know if you need help. However, if you are only here to give my employee a hard time, I suggest you do that elsewhere.”

  At any other time, E.A. would have resented being called Lark’s “employee,” but she was certainly grateful at that minute. Feeling like she wasn’t fighting with David alone anymore, she stood still, anxious to see what he would do next.

  David opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it abruptly and walked out the door.

  Everyone in the shop watched as he walked down the sidewalk. Elizabeth Anne breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Oh, my,” one of the customers said. “He was surely in a mood.” Looking at E.A., she asked, “What happened?”

  This was getting worse and worse. “We broke up.”

  “I don’t think he’s happy about that, dear,” an elderly lady said.

  That was an understatement. “I don’t think so, either.”

  Lark cleared her throat. “E.A., may I speak with you, please?”

  “Yes, of course.” After giving the kind lady an apologetic look, she crossed the shop. By now, she knew Lark well enough to not expect any expressions of sympathy. All she was hoping for was not to get fired.

  The minute she approached the counter, she started talking fast. Maybe if the Lord helped her a bit she could calm Lark down enough so she wouldn’t embarrass her in front of the whole store.

  That would be a blessing.

  “Lark, I’m so sorry,” she blurted in a rush. “I promise, I didn’t know David was coming over here.”

  “I should hope not.” Lark sniffed. “He was really unpleasant, E.A.”

  “I agree.” She paused, unsure of what to say next. Was Lark expecting her to apologize for him? That would feel kind of strange. “I don’t know what he was thinking,” she said. It wasn’t a very good response, but it was the best she had.

  Lark, all sleek blond hair braided neatly into a crown on the back of her head, perfect skin and cool disposition, frowned. “I don’t think you’ll ever need to know,” she replied. “Are you going to get back together with him?”

  “Nee.”

  “Gut. You deserve better.”

  “I’m surprised to hear you say that.”

  “Well, it’s not a surprise to me. I don’t like men like that. He needs to respect you. And to respect my shop. He can’t just go barging in here and disturbing my employees.”

  “Thank you for speaking up for me.”

  Lark clasped her hand in her usual brisk way … though E.A. was starting to realize that her usual brusque manner was simply her way. “No thanks are needed. What he was doing wasn’t right.”

  “No, of course not.” Okay, so it wasn’t like Lark had just become her best friend or anything, but things had changed between them.

  Or maybe it was Elizabeth Anne’s attitude about Lark that had changed. Instead of seeing Lark as a rather self-centered woman, she realized that Lark was a woman who worked hard to create a successful business and didn’t appreciate anyone messing with it.

  Still feeling unsettled by everything that had just happened, E.A. gestured vaguely to the pair of women who’d been standing nearby. “I’m going to see if those ladies need any help.”

  “Danke,” Lark said in her crisp manner before turning away.

  E.A. fought a smile as she walked back across the shop’s floor. No, despite the moment they’d shared, Lark hadn’t suddenly turned into a sweet and warm woman.

  But, surprisingly, E.A. was okay with that. She was glad that something at the moment was exactly like she’d always known it to be.

  TWELVE

  “So that is more or less how seven out of the eight of us ended up wandering around the empty halls of the high school when we weren’t supposed to.”

  “Will, where are you?” Jake, Will’s younger brother, called out from the downstairs landing.

  Will was in his bedroom. When his brother called his name again, Will put down the book he was pretending to read. “I’m in my room,” he yelled.

  “Come on down and talk to me!”

  “Nee.” Knowing Jake, he wanted something, but right at that moment, Will felt like he had nothing more to give.

  “Come on! I know you ain’t doing nothing but sitting and stewing.”

  “Boys, stop yelling at each other across the haus.”

  “Sorry, Mamm,” Jake yelled, then pounded up the stairs.

  Hearing his brother’s footsteps in the hall, Will put down his book and went to stand by the pile of laundry on his bed. At the very least, he could pretend he’d been busy putting away his undershirts.

  Jake opened his door without knocking. “Here you are.”

  “I’ve been here this whole time, which you knew. What’s going on? What do you need?”

  “Need?” Jake ran a hand through his hair. “Oh … nothing much. I was just wondering where you were at.”

  “Uh-huh.” Will walked over to his dresser and started putting the shirts in the top drawer. While he and their sister, Nan, had always done their best to not make waves, Jake lived for those moments. He was as restless as a puppy who’d been stuck in a kennel all day, constantly ready to run out and do something exciting.

  Jake had also been blessed with chestnut-colored hair, hazel eyes, and was built like a linebacker on a football team. It had been a running joke among their friends and family that Jake had been found on the doorstep. Actually, Will and Nan used to tease him that they remembered his arrival in a wicker basket until their parents put a stop to it.

  But no matter how different he might have looked on the outside, he was the same as the rest of them. He liked home and stability and was fiercely loyal to their family. But that said, he wasn’t the type of man to go running in search of Will for no reason.

  “Want to tell me now what’s on your mind?”

  “All right. Fine.” Jake plopped down on Will’s bed, upsetting the pile of laundry. “I need to find a way to tell Mamm and Daed that I want to go to Pinecraft next month.”

  “Good luck with that.” Pinecraft was in Sarasota, Florida. He’d read once in a newspaper that Englischers called it the Amish Las Vegas, as in whatever happened there, stayed there. Will never cared much for that description. Though he’d never gone, a lot of his friends had, and the stories they’d told about their visit hadn’t sounded very risqué or secretive. All they’d ever talked about was playing volleyball on the beach.

  But all that aside, he now completely understood his younger brother’s worry. His parents weren’t fans of Pinecraft, or of their children going anywhere they didn’t approve.

  Which meant Jake wanting to go there wasn’t going to be considered a good idea. Not at all.

  After shifting a pile of socks, Will sat down beside Jake on the bed.

  “You know how that idea will go over,” Will said.

  “Like a lead balloon.” Jake slumped.

  “Yep. So, what are you going to do when they say no?”

  “I’m going to remind them that I’m eighteen.” Jake’s voice sounded confident. But the rest of him? Well, Jake looked just like the overgrown kid he was.

  “Hmm.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Not much to say.”

  His brother practically rolled his eyes. “Did you swallow your tongue? Because you always have something to say.”

  Will was trying real hard to listen, which meant he wasn’t exactly thrilled that his efforts to do that were being made fun of. “You know what’s going to happen, Jake. The moment you say the word ‘Pinecraft’ Mamm and Daed are going to start listing all the reasons why being there is as dangerous as heading to the Amazon jungle.�
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  “When they do that, I’m going to say that they’re being old-fashioned and close-minded.”

  Ouch. If Jake said such things he’d better find a new address. Will changed tactics. “Who’s going, anyway?”

  For the first time since entering the room, Jake looked tentative. “Aaron, Evan, J.P., Lilly, and a couple of other people.” His chin lifted. “There are a lot of us going.”

  “Lilly, huh?” Lilly was his brother’s longtime girlfriend. Though Jake claimed they weren’t at the stage where things were “official”—meaning that he wasn’t courting on Lilly’s front porch or anything—everyone in the family knew that it was just a matter of time before that was the case. “Her parents are letting her go with you?”

  “Jah.”

  “Really? I thought they kept a close eye on her.”

  “They do. But they trust her.” When Will raised his eyebrows, Jake sighed. “All right, fine. She hasn’t told them that I’m going.”

  “You are going to be in so much trouble if they find out you encouraged Lilly to lie.”

  “She’s eighteen, too.”

  “And your point is?”

  “Fine. You’re right, but I still want to go. And it isn’t like we’re going to share a room or anything. I’m pretty sure Lilly’s sister Rachel is going.”

  “If you want this to work out, you’re going to have to be up front with everyone: Mamm and Daed and Lilly’s parents.”

  “If they know the truth, they aren’t going to let us go.”

  “If they all find out you hid the truth, no one is going to let you two keep seeing each other.”

  Jake stared at him for a long minute, then fell back on Will’s bed.

  “Hey, you’re wrinkling my pants.”

  “They’re fine.” He closed his eyes. “See, that’s why I needed to talk to you. If I tell Mamm and Daed the truth they’re going to accuse me of wanting to do all kinds of crazy and dangerous things with her.”

  Will smiled. Jake certainly had a way with words. “Trust me, broodah. They’re not going to be worrying about you doing crazy or dangerous things.”