While he locked the door of his store behind them, Emily took off running toward the office. “I’m going to play games on the computer.”
“Okay, but only for an hour, then you can sweep the floor.” At the sound of shuffling feet and moving cartons, he turned and found Jenny stocking shelves. He scanned her handiwork. “Looks good.”
Jenny finished placing serrated knives on a display stand. “I’m still wondering if this was the right move. This town is so small. What did the baker say when you went to get Emily?”
“I didn’t tell her we owned the new store.”
“Noah, you coward. You should have been honest.”
He took a step back from the impact of her words. “She gave Emily and me a free cupcake and said for you to stop in for yours. I didn’t have the heart to tell her right then. You can tell her.”
“Thanks a lot.” She rolled her eyes.
“Since you’re going to attend nursing school in the fall, you won’t be here if there’s fussing.”
She tossed him a disgusted look.
He took a step closer to Jenny. “Why don’t you go over there and say hi? Her name is Mary. Since the Amish shunned our parents, we need to make friends in the Plain community before they find out who we are.”
Jenny huffed as she set a few baking timers on the shelf. “We don’t know that our parents were shunned. We know nothing about what happened after they left their Order. The only thing that’s clear is that they left during their rumspringa, had a civil wedding and never went back to the faith. They said they didn’t want to live by the Ordnung and the church rules. They wanted to live like the Englisch.”
Naoh shrugged. “But you know as well as I do that we didn’t live like the Englisch. Mom homeschooled us, and we weren’t allowed to play or associate with Englisch kids at the park. We couldn’t go to the movies or hang out with the neighbor kids our age. Our parents might not have wanted to be Amish, but our upbringing was strict and definitely not Englisch. And if our parents didn’t join the Amish church, they weren’t shunned.”
Jenny set the last timer on the shelf. “If the community did shun them, maybe we shouldn’t have opened a store here.” She took a step closer. “And what makes you think that our relatives want to meet us?” She raised a brow, turned and headed toward the office.
He heaved a long sigh. Sisters. Jenny would thank him later when she had a grandma to wrap her in a hug and attend her wedding someday... But Jenny was right. He needed to visit them and put the question of what had happened to rest.
Emily slipped out the office door and sprinted to Noah. “I want to help stock shelves.”
“Did Jenny chase you off the computer and tell you to help me?” He didn’t have time to show an eight-year-old a task and then clean up the mess she made.
Emily tugged at a box and tried to get it open. “Can you help me?”
“Right now we’re just unpacking a few things we brought from the other store. The trucks will be here tomorrow with our fresh vegetables. When I get it unpacked, you can help stock the shelves and bins.” Noah could see the disappointment in her eyes. He pulled a stack of flyers from behind the counter and handed them to Emily. “Why don’t you tape one of these on the shelf by the item they advertise? Then post some of the others around the store so the shoppers can see them.”
“I’ll do a great job.”
He watched Emily hang one on the wall by the entrance. She walked to the first aisle and posted another by the fruit table.
When Noah finished stocking shelves, he checked on Emily and every aisle that had a sale item had a flyer over the correct area. “Good job, Emily.”
He headed to the deli area as his mind wandered back to what Jenny said about the Amish. If this was such a strong, Amish-supporting town, it might not be the Amish Sweet Delights driven out of business, but his store.
He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out an entry form. The fall festival had scheduled a baking contest with a $10,000 prize. What better advertisement for his bakery than winning a baking contest? His cupcakes were every bit as good as Mary’s, if not better.
Mary would probably enter the competition. But if either one of them won, they could capture a lot of the town and tourist business. As a result, it could possibly drive the other out of business. And if that happened, he’d never see those cornflower-blue eyes or her silky blond hair again. He liked her, and he would truly hate never seeing her again.
Chapter Two
Grabbing potholders, Mary opened the oven door letting a steamy whiff of pecan-caramel rolls fill the kitchen. She pulled the pans out, set them on the cooling rack next to the cinnamon rolls and let their aromas mingle.
“Those smell gut.” Amanda glanced up from rolling dough.
“Danki. It has been a busy morning, glad it’s slowing down.” Mary scooted from the kitchen to the front of the bakery, pulled out the medium roast and decaf bags, and started fresh coffee. She puttered around cleaning the counter, wiping off tables and straightening chairs.
When the front door opened, the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee wafted around the bakery on a cool breeze. Mary noticed a tall, slender young woman enter who looked remarkably like Emily.
Mary eased her way around a table and met the visitor at the counter. “Hallo. Are you Jenny?”
“Yes, I’m Emily and Noah’s sister. I wanted to introduce myself.” Her gaze roamed around the bakeshop and over the display case full of chocolate cupcakes, sugar cookies, cherry tarts, and a vanilla bean cake with deep swirls of buttercream frosting.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Jenny. I’m Mary Brenneman. Pick out anything you like, and it’s on the house. My way of saying willkommen.”
“Thank you, and it’s nice to meet you, too.” Jenny took a step back and drew in a deep breath. “The strawberry pie smells divine, but I’ll take a chocolate chunk cookie to go, please. I’m a cookie freak and choc-o-holic. I like washing down a warm, gooey cookie with a cold glass of milk.”
“Gut choice. They’re my favorite cookie.”
“It sounds like there is a cookie break.” Amanda walked to the front holding two small ice cream cones. “We are experimenting with serving ice cream with our desserts. It’s old fashioned vanilla bean and on the haus.” Amanda held out a cone to Jenny and handed the other to Mary.
“Thank you.” Jenny licked a drip on the side of the cone. “Mmm, that’s very good.” She motioned toward the door. “Shall we step outside and eat these? It’s a lovely day.”
“Jah, a breath of fresh air might be nice.” Mary opened the door and held it for Jenny. “Are you coming, Amanda?”
“Nein. I’ll stay and box up the cookies and cupcakes for the fireman’s bake sale tomorrow.”
Mary leaned against a lamppost and took a lick of her cone. “Emily’s a sweet little girl. She told me about your move here from Iowa City. How are you adjusting to small-town life? It’s a lot different than the city, jah?”
Jenny laughed. “Yes, it’s different. Noah wanted to expand the business to Kalona because of the large amount of Amish tourism. The leather-and-wood craft shops, the sewing shops and consignment stores are a big draw for the tourists.”
The jingling of harness rings and the clomping of horses’ hooves pulled Mary’s attention up the street. She straightened her back and gasped. “Is that Noah standing in front of the Farm-fresh Grocery and Deli?”
Jenny followed Mary’s gaze. “Yes, but I don’t know who the other man is helping him move in that shelving. He’s cute.”
“That’s Ethan Lapp. The new grocery and deli belongs to Noah?” The words exploded from Mary’s mouth like a geyser.
“Yes. I’m sorry he forgot to mention it earlier that we own the store. I’m helping Noah set up the computer and bookkeeping system, but I’m only here until I start nursing school next month. He hired
a manager to run the store in Iowa City while he dedicated his time here.”
“Your bruder never mentioned that.” Mary gritted her teeth and the words tumbled out a little stiffer than she’d intended. He visited her bakery and never said a word about owning the new store.
Noah and Ethan crossed the street toward Amish Sweet Delights. Noah took his hat off and wiped his brow. “Ethan, this is my sister Jenny.” He stood silent a minute as those two seemed to take to each other right away. Noah took a step closer to Mary. “I owe you an apology for not telling you that I owned the new store.”
She fumed as agitation streaked through her veins. “Did you visit my bakery to snoop and see how long it would take you to put me out of business?”
“No, of course not. I hope there is plenty of business for both of us.”
“You do know it’s a small town of less than five thousand, right? I don’t understand how you could think there wouldn’t be a problem here.” Mary raised her chin, turned abruptly as a strand of hair bounced around her face and headed back into the bakery.
Now she had to win the contest and show Noah that she wasn’t going to let him steal her business. Tonight, she’d pull out the recipe book Sarah had given her and look for the perfect apple recipe.
A twinge settled in her stomach. She liked Noah, but this was business. This time she was fighting for what she loved.
* * *
The next morning, Mary hitched her buggy and coaxed King into a gentle trot down Fifth Street toward the fire station. She slowed the buggy as it passed Carson’s flower shop to gawk at the pots of gorgeous yellow and gold chrysanthemums sitting in the display window. She parked the buggy by the curb between Knit ‘n’ Sew and the fire station, stepped down and carefully lifted out the box of cookies and cupcakes to donate to the firefighters’ annual bake sale. The proceeds would go to help needy families who had lost everything after a fire or natural disaster.
Mary set the box down, pulled out her individual containers of baked goods and neatly arranged them on the sale table. She glanced around at the other donations until her scan stopped at some delicious-looking pastries with Noah’s store logo on the boxes: Miller’s Farm-fresh Grocery, Delicatessen and Bakery.
Bakery, too! Heat rose from her neck and burned on her cheeks. Her pulse accelerated. So that’s why he hadn’t wanted to introduce himself. His store was also a bakery...and situated right across the street from Sweet Delights. How had she not noticed that?
Out of the corner of her eye, a firefighter dressed in yellow Nomex gear and clomping boots headed her way. Noah Miller. She turned and watched him hand out deli sandwiches to the other firefighters as he approached.
“Thanks for the donations, Mary.” His overly friendly voice rang in her ear.
Mary stepped back and motioned to his gear. “So, there is no end to your talents?”
“I volunteered in Iowa City before we moved here.”
“And your grocery and deli is also a bakery?”
He nodded toward his donations on the table and smiled. “Yeah. I’m a good baker, learned the trade from my dad.”
The more she saw Noah, the more he annoyed her. “The community is fortunate to have you.” She turned, walked back to her buggy, climbed in, snapped the reins and braced herself. King jerked the buggy into motion and skedaddled down the street toward the corral and her bakery.
A few minutes later, Mary slammed Sweet Delights’ back door. Amanda jerked away from the sink and nearly lost her balance.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“What’s going on? You look upset.” This time Amanda braced her back on the sink.
“Go take a look out the front window at the uncovered sign on top of Miller’s store.”
Amanda hurried to the front and returned. “A bakery, too.”
“Jah. He donated baked goods to the firefighters’ bake sale. When I looked around, he was handing out a stack of sandwiches, apparently samples from his deli for the firefighters. Oh, and he’s a volunteer firefighter.”
Mary huffed to the sink, washed her hands and whirled around. “Put thick frosting on all the cupcakes today and decorate them extra special. Tomorrow is Noah’s grand opening. We are fighting fire with fire! No, make that cupcake with cupcake!”
* * *
At 8:00 Friday morning, Mary stomped to the chalkboard and drew a delicious-looking cupcake, piled high with frosting swirls and topped with a fresh strawberry. She added another line with the special for the day—Free cupcake with the purchase of a coffee—then turned the board so the writing was visible from the sidewalk.
She dusted the chalk off her hands then poured a cup of medium roast. Usually, she was so busy in the morning that she didn’t get a coffee break until ten o’clock.
“You’re generous today,” Amanda said, glancing up from sliding the cupcake tray into the display case and nodding toward the chalkboard.
“I’m trying to entice a few people to stop in.” Mary walked over to the window and gazed up the street at the long line of customers waiting to get into Miller’s Farm-fresh Grocery, Delicatessen and Bakery.
“Mary, you knew business would be slow with Noah’s grand opening today.”
“Yes, I did expect slow. I just wasn’t prepared for no one, and tomorrow all our baked goods will be on sale as day-old.”
Amanda picked up the empty tray and started for the kitchen, then stopped. “Why don’t you go over to Noah’s shop and put in a friendly appearance for his open house?”
“What? I couldn’t do that.” Mary took a step toward the counter. Her palms turned cold and clammy.
“Yes, you can. Go. He came to your bakery.”
“He was spying.”
“Nein. Go. Right now.”
Mary sighed. Why did her friend have to be right?
She drew in a ragged breath, crossed the street and opened the door to the Millers’ store and stepped inside, letting her long, navy dress swirl around her legs as she turned abruptly to head down an aisle. The mixed aromas of cinnamon rolls, brewed hazelnut coffee and caramel cappuccino hung in the air. Everyone was busy looking around and no one seemed to notice her.
She strolled through the bakery and glanced at his chocolate eclairs, cakes and cookies that smelled of rich European chocolate. The cherry turnovers and pies oozed with ripe-red juice and looked mouthwatering. She rounded the corner to the hot deli bar and the steamy aroma of minestrone soup was luscious. A cheese pizza warmed under a heater next to hot dogs and brats, and a cheeseburger sizzled on the grill. The cold deli bar had fresh melons and green, crisp lettuce and spinach.
Lastly, she walked between two rows of vibrantly colored carrots, cucumbers, beans, potatoes, cilantro and parsley that looked moist and fresh. It all looked wunderbaar and inviting. She caught a glimpse of Noah carrying a bowl of cut melon to the deli bar and ducked around the corner as she headed back to the door.
Now what was she going to do? The bad thing about his store was even she wanted to shop here. But she had better leave before Noah caught sight of her and the last thing she wanted was to talk to him about his wunderbaar store.
Mary hurried back across the street. Since Sweet Delights’ business was slow, she sent Amanda home early, but she waited and locked up at three o’clock. Dread tugged at her feet as she forced one foot in front of the other all the way to the corral. She hitched King and set him at a leisurely pace as tears stung her eyes. With one hand on the reins, she pulled a hanky from her quilted bag, blotted her eyes and blew her nose.
She watched field after field and yard after yard pass by. The rain yesterday had brightened the countryside to a dark green. The sweet peas and petunias in the Wallins’ yard were brilliant pink, purple and white. Her predicament with the bakery eased back into her mind. Noah’s store would no doubt be a favorite in town.
Twe
nty minutes later, while she fought the tears drenching her cheeks, King turned into their barnyard, headed up the driveway and back to the barn. Daed met her at the barn door with a warm smile.
“You’re home early today. I’ll unhitch King and rub him down.” He glanced at her face as she stepped down. “What happened, Mary?”
She swallowed a sob. “The new store had a very successful grand opening today. On the other hand, Sweet Delights didn’t have any customers.”
Daed sauntered forward and bent his six-foot-frame over her, a swatch of his graying hair poked out from beneath his hat. He wrapped his strong arms around her and hugged as his straggly beard brushed her chin. She could smell his sweat and feel the moisture clinging to his shirt.
“I’m sorry, Mary, but it’s only one day. I’m sure your customers will be back tomorrow. You work too much and needed a rest.” His words comforted her, but when she took a step back, she caught the lines creasing his forehead that signaled he was worried too. They couldn’t afford to lose the business.
Mary nodded then turned toward the haus. Each foot hit the path as if it had a weight tied to it. She opened the kitchen screen door and set her bag on a chair.
Her stiefmutter, Sarah, turned her tall frame from the sink, a strand of cinnamon-brown hair bobbing by her temple. “You’re home early.”
“The Millers’ new store had their grand-opening today. Everyone was there.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Mamm opened the gas-powered refrigerator door, poured a glass of lemonade and handed it to Mary. “Sit and rest.” She resumed peeling apples at the sink.
Mary took the glass and sipped. “I’m worried the bakery won’t survive.”
Mamm glanced over her shoulder. “Why?”
“I strolled through Noah Miller’s store. His baked goods looked wunderbaar and the deli had hotdogs, soups, salad bar and pizzas. Everyone will go there for their morning coffee and lunch.”
The Amish Baker's Rival Page 2