Then there was the plain fact that seeing Everett every day would remind her of the heartbreak that had scarred her so deeply. Could she manage that and still do the job to the best of her ability? She wasn’t sure she could.
“Jemima, did you hear me?” Mamm said. “Can you darn yer daed’s socks tonight?”
Every fiber of her being urged her to say no. But that would lead to more questions, and she was already confused. Or mixed up, as Everett had called her. “Ya,” she said, weary. “I can.”
“And the dishes tonight. I’m working on a quilt for Mark and Juanita’s new boppli. I’d like to finish it before next week.”
“Ya.” Jemima’s fingers relaxed around the pocket of her apron. If she couldn’t take the waitressing position, she would have to look for another job. But if her parents found out she was looking for one, they would discourage her until she gave up the search. Everything Julia had urged her to do—be more independent, find a job, live her own life—was growing further out of reach.
Daed got up from the table. “Gut supper, Jemima. I really missed yer cooking. Can’t wait to taste what you come up with tomorrow night.” Then he left the room, Mamm following him.
She stared at the table in front of her and thought about the dishes that needed to be done, the leftovers that had to be put away, the sewing she would work on until late tonight because she didn’t want to disappoint anyone. Her parents were right. She didn’t need a job, at least not just to stay busy. They and the rest of her family made sure of that.
Chapter 6
Everett unlocked the diner’s back door and entered the kitchen. He’d decided to get here early this morning, partly because he wanted to make sure everything was ready for opening but also because he couldn’t sleep. What had he been thinking, offering to quit this job for Jemima? That would have set him way back in making amends with his father. Daed would never believe that Everett was leaving a job he disliked for Jemima’s benefit. He’d always think it was an excuse for Everett to get out of the work, even though it wasn’t.
Fortunately, she hadn’t agreed to his suggestion, which he would have followed through on. Over the years, he’d learned to be a man of his word, something he hadn’t been in the past, his relationship with Jemima a prime example. He’d made a commitment to her, and when he didn’t get his way, he bailed. He deserved her derision, that was for sure. Even so—even knowing that the idea of seeing her every day would cause problems for both of them—he had hoped she would agree to take the job. He shouldn’t have been surprised when she nixed it.
He turned his focus on work, and his parents arrived a half hour later. His father didn’t say a word about Everett arriving early, although his mother questioned him about it.
“I wanted to get a jump start on the day,” he said. “I used to get to work early at the RV place too.”
“Oh.” His mother nodded. “All right. That’s very responsible of you.” She smiled and went to work baking the biscuits that were so highly requested for breakfast.
The day went smoothly, and he and his father continued to ignore each other except when it was necessary to interact. A half hour before closing time, when Everett was washing the last of the dishes, his mother approached him. “I thought you’d left already,” he said, up to his elbows in suds.
“I was on mei way out. But you won’t believe what happened.”
Noticing the confusion in her eyes, he turned off the water and pulled his hands out of the sink. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t think so.” Now she looked downright perplexed. “Jemima came in. She asked to interview for the waitress job.”
Everett’s heart performed a little leap. “She did?” He couldn’t help but grin.
“Ya.” His mother frowned. “I’m surprised you’re so happy about it.”
He schooled his features and turned the water back on. “If it’s something she wants, then I’m happy for her.”
“Hmm.” Mamm didn’t say anything for a moment, and Everett kept his eyes on his task. Finally, she said, “I’ll see you at home.”
Everett rinsed off his hands and forearms as the water swirled down the drain. So, Jemima had changed her mind after all. He wondered why, but he would keep his curiosity to himself. Whatever it was wasn’t any of his business. But she must have really wanted the job if she was willing to work in the same building as him. Fortunately, they could keep somewhat of a distance from each other since Sarah would train her. This morning he’d learned she was the one who had put in her notice, but she’d also agreed to stay long enough to show the new waitress the ropes.
He finished cleaning the kitchen and even straightened up the pantry. That wasn’t part of his job, but the mess had been driving him crazy all day. Although their cook and junior cooks were excellent, they weren’t the neatest people. Once he finished that job, he removed his apron and started to head out the back door.
“Everett.”
He turned at his father’s voice. “Ya?” he said, expecting to be given another job, like cleaning the outside of the building with a toothbrush.
“I hired Jemima Kurtz as the new waitress.”
“I see.” There was that heart flip again. He’d thought he wouldn’t have any reaction to her after a decade of being apart. You thought wrong.
“She doesn’t have any job history, which I thought was odd. But we hired her anyway.” His father’s gaze bored into him. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“Nee.”
“Gut, because you’ll be training her.”
“Me?” He stepped away from the door. “Why me? Sarah needs to train her.”
“You said you’d do any job I gave you.”
“But this one?” His stomach sank. “There’s nee reason for me to train her.”
“Ya, there is.” Daed turned on his heel and left without further explanation.
Everett ran his hand through his hair. His father was driving him ab im kopp. Or maybe this was some sort of punishment. Oddly enough, Everett hadn’t thought twice about his father hiring Jemima since he knew her, and he’d liked her when they were together. But knowing how Everett had left her, why would his father put Jemima through training with him?
Then again, this wasn’t about Jemima, and he knew that. He suspected the reason his father had made this decision was so Everett could prove that he was serious about reconciliation. He didn’t appreciate his father dragging his ex-fiancée into their private matter, though. Or maybe he was trying to get Everett to quit—an idea that wasn’t too far from his mind at this point.
Everett shook his head. He wasn’t going to let his father off the hook that easily. He’d train Jemma well and with minimal discomfort on her part. His father wasn’t going to push him away. You’re not the only stubborn one in this familye, Daed.
* * *
Jemima showed up at the restaurant ten minutes before six, her starting time for today. Everett’s father, Steven, had said that after her three-day training period, she would have to be here at five, which wasn’t a problem. She’d always been an early riser. As she knocked on the back door, where Steven had told her to enter, butterflies flitted in her stomach. Not only was she nervous about being in Everett’s proximity but she was worried about not being up to the job. Last night, over supper, her parents hadn’t instilled much confidence in her when she informed them she had a waitress position.
“We said you didn’t need a job.” Daed grimaced, his fork poised over a plate full of chicken and rice.
“I know.” Jemima looked at her mother, whose eyes were also filled with disappointment.
“Who’s going to help me out here?” Mamm exclaimed. “And what about yer siblings?”
“You all managed while I was in Maine,” she said, baffled that her mother sounded so helpless. Jemima had known they wouldn’t be happy with the news, but her mother’s reaction seemed a little over the top.
“But that was temporary. Is this a part-time job?”
She shook her head. “Full time. From five a.m. to two thirty.”
“Oh.” She let out a relieved breath. “Then you’ll be free the rest of the afternoon. I guess that will be okay.”
“Where is this job?” Daed had said, his eyebrows knitting together. “It’s not very far away from home, is it? It better not be.”
She pressed her lips together. “Morningstar Diner.”
“But Everett’s there,” Mamm said, frowning again.
Jemima nodded.
“Why would you want to work with him?”
She went on to explain that she wouldn’t be, not directly. They questioned her further, but she had started clearing the table at that point, and this morning she’d left before they were up, which made her thankful for the early start time. She hadn’t wanted to listen to another round of why she was making the wrong decision.
Lucy opened the door. “Hi, Jemima,” she said, her smile bright as usual. “Come in. Everett’s in the dining area.”
“Everett?”
“Ya, he’s training you.” Lucy’s smile stayed in place, but there was a tiny bit of doubt in her eyes. “I can take yer purse and put it in the office. And don’t worry about bringing yer lunch anymore. You can eat whatever you want on us.”
“O-okay,” she mumbled, still trying to take in that Everett was training her. Steven hadn’t said anything about that after he hired her yesterday. If he had, she might have had second thoughts—or more like third or fourth. She’d been filled with some level of doubt ever since Everett had shown up.
She stepped into the dining area, where Everett was setting up chairs. The room had tables that sat either two or four people, and booths lined one side of the wall. A small counter was on the opposite side, with all the tables in the middle. After setting down one of the chairs, Everett looked up. His gaze met hers, and she could see the uncertainty in his eyes. That gave her pause. He seemed as doubtful about this as she was, which was unusual for him. He’d always been so sure of himself—the exact opposite of her most of the time. Often, she’d wished she had his surety about life.
Finally, he moved toward her. “Gute morgen,” he said. “Sorry about how the training is set up, but Daed insisted.” He met her gaze, and the confidence she recognized returned. “We’ll get through it.”
Despite everything, she believed him, although she still didn’t trust him. “What do you want me to do first?”
He moved behind the counter and pulled out a name tag and a neatly folded white apron. “Put these on.” After she complied, he said, “I’ll show you around the kitchen. When you’re not taking orders from customers or serving them or checking on their needs, you’ll be in the kitchen helping get the plates ready.”
She followed him, and he introduced her to the cook, Bertha, her assistant, Martha, and Beulah and Sarah, the waitresses. Unlike the rest of the staff, she learned, Beulah didn’t live in their district, but she did live in a community nearby. “You’ll be taking Sarah’s place,” she said. “She’s getting married soon.”
Sarah’s cheeks turned rosy. “I’m glad to work with you for a little while, Jemima.”
“Me too.” She hid the fact that she already knew about Sarah’s impending marriage. Steven had told her.
Then Lucy came over. “If you have some time later, I can show you how I make mei special pies.” She grinned. “They’re top secret. Everett just loves the cherry one, remember?”
“Maybe another time, Mamm,” Everett said, guiding Jemima away from her. “Today will be busy.”
As Everett continued to show her around, Jemima was impressed by his demeanor. It was as if he was already in charge of the restaurant and hadn’t been gone for ten years. That must be because of his experience managing the RV plant where he’d worked in Shipshe. Even though she’d done her best to avoid Lucy telling her about Everett all these years, at church one day she’d managed to eagerly tell her how well he was doing there.
“Jemima?” Everett said, pointing to a closet door. “Did you hear me?”
She snapped to attention. “Uh, sorry.”
“This is where we keep the cleaning supplies. Yer main job is waitressing, but you’ll have to do some cleaning as well, especially when we’re busy.”
She had plenty of experience with that, and they both knew it. Everett didn’t point that out, though, and she appreciated it.
“Customers are starting to come in. I’ll let you shadow Sarah in a little while. But I want you to get familiar with the menu first. It doesn’t change too often, but we do have different breakfast and lunch specials every day—except for Sunday when we’re closed, of course.”
She followed him out of the kitchen and behind the counter again. Several English customers walked in and sat down, greeting Sarah and Beulah as if they were regulars. Everett handed her the menu, and she started to study it, suddenly caught up in the realization that this was her job. Her first job outside of helping her parents and family. She couldn’t help but smile a little. Even though her parents tried to convince her otherwise and Everett training her wasn’t ideal, she was starting to believe she’d made the right decision.
* * *
Everett thought his coaching Jemima had run smoothly, considering this was her first day at her first job. Maybe her being a bit older than most of their waitresses had been why, but he barely had to train her before letting her shadow Sarah. And by the end of the day, Jemima was already taking orders on her own. Then again, he shouldn’t have been surprised. She took everything she did seriously, and when it came to hospitality and caring for others, she was top-notch. Her gifts in that area partly explained why her family had hung on to her so tightly.
When his father turned the Closed sign around, Sarah and Beulah stayed to help Mamm in the kitchen. She’d fallen behind on the pies, and a few still needed to bake. The cooks were cleaning the stove and grill, and it was time to mop the dining room floor. He retrieved the mop and bucket from a supply closet and handed them to Jemima. “Cleanup time.”
She nodded, then started mopping near the kitchen while Everett wiped down the four-and two-top tables and put the chairs on top to clear the floor. Then he wiped down the booth tables, Jemima now working behind him. When he turned around, he slipped on the wet floor, landing on his backside.
“Everett!” The mop handle clattered onto the floor as Jemima ran to him and knelt. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“I should have used less soap.” Her pretty brow knitted together with worry. “And I’m sure I didn’t wring out the mop enough.”
Everett wanted to reassure her. “I’m really okay.”
“But—”
Unable to help himself, he touched her soft cheek. “Jemima, this isn’t the first time I’ve slipped, and it won’t be the last.” Then he jerked his hand away and got up. When Jemima didn’t rise, he held out his hand.
Chapter 7
Jemima stared at Everett’s hand as if it were a foreign object. She knew he was just helping her up from the floor, but she couldn’t stop thinking of his gentle touch a moment ago. When he touched her cheek, she’d been transported into the past, to when they’d been happy together and in love. When she thought he would never hurt her and that their life would be perfect.
Now she was gaping at his hand and trying to collect herself. It was her fault he slipped. She knew better than to put that much soap in the bucket, but she was so tired she hadn’t paid attention. She was glad he was okay.
“All right.” He pulled his hand away, and she met his gaze. Was that disappointment flickering in his eyes? Then he started to turn away, and she was sure she’d imagined it.
As she started to get up off the wet, slippery floor, her foot slid out from under her. Suddenly Everett’s arm circled her waist and steadied her on her feet.
“That was close,” he said. “You almost repeated mei trick.”
She looked up at him, and her breath caught. He had crow�
�s feet at the corners of his eyes and a few lifelines across his forehead. She noticed a scar at the corner of his mouth. “What happened there?” she said, pointing to it with her finger, forgetting that she was supposed to be mad at him and that he had hurt her beyond measure. This close to him, she couldn’t think clearly at all.
He touched the scar. “Fishing accident. The hook got caught there. It happened shortly after I got to Shipshewana.” He shuddered. “Not a pleasant experience.” His arm tightened around her waist.
The years melted away as she met his gaze. He still had tiny flecks of brown in his green eyes. And one eyebrow was slightly higher than the other one, but that was noticeable only up close.
“Jemima,” he said, his voice husky.
“Everett,” his father’s voice called from the back of the restaurant.
The two of them jumped apart as Steven walked in. Jemima picked up the mop and slapped it against the floor.
“Be careful,” Everett said. “It’s slippery over here.”
Jemima glanced up and saw Everett looking at her. He winked, then turned his attention to his father.
Her heart fluttered as she gripped the mop handle. She squeezed out the excess water—she wasn’t used to such a big and heavy mop—and quickly finished cleaning the floor. Her face was hot, and her pulse ran rampant. But more importantly, the attraction she’d had in the past for Everett had just rammed into her full force. Standing so close to him, his arm tight around her waist, gazing into his eyes—it was like he had never left.
But he had left her. And reminding herself of that made the attraction disappear. Almost. She shoved the mop into the bucket and pushed it back to the supply room. She had just shut the door when she remembered she had to clean out the bucket and mop the way Everett had instructed. She flung open the door to complete the job.
Outside, behind the restaurant, she set the mop against the fence rail to dry, and then she halted, staring at the closed back door, unable to move. She still needed to clock out and get her purse, but she was having a hard time going back inside. She’d been a fool to think she and Everett could work together but not for the reason she’d thought. They hadn’t fought or shot any cutting remarks at each other. Instead, they’d worked seamlessly together. Before he’d left Middlefield, their relationship had been easy. The outside influences had made things hard. Today was a reminder of how good it had been between them—and she couldn’t handle that.
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