A Joyful Break (Dreams of Plain Daughters) (10 page)

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” Violet said. “Do you live in one of the private houses here?”

Leave it to her cousin to be blunt to a stranger.

He shook his head. “I’m visiting my aunt, Donna Overton. Your friend Marlene told my aunt that some people would be staying in her cottage. She didn’t want my aunt to become concerned with seeing strangers occupying the place. Marlene asked her to keep an eye on the place when they aren’t here.”

“It looks like you’re enjoying taking pictures of this beautiful beach.” Violet stared at the water before glancing at his camera. “We’ve never been here before, but I can see why Marlene and her family enjoy coming here.”

A sheepish expression crossed his face. “I did happen to get Rachel in the background of a few.” He gave her an apologetic look. “I’m a photographer and I couldn’t resist when I saw you collecting seashells. You made the shore scene even more captivating.”

Great, he’s a photographer.
Well, she could understand him taking pictures of the beautiful ocean. She smiled at Mr. Sullivan. “It’s okay. The Amish faith does prohibit posing for photographs. If you’d asked for my permission to take my picture, I’d have said no, as this could be construed as a willingness to pose. But I wasn’t even aware you took my pictures.”

“Thank you for your kindness,” Mr. Sullivan replied.

“Hey, it’s been nice chatting with you,” Violet said to Mr. Sullivan, “but I need to leave soon.” She touched Rachel’s arm. “I came out here to see if you want to go with me to get the pizza. I decided to pick it up because delivery was going to take too long.”

Rachel nodded. “Sure.”

* * *

“How was the long road trip?” Samuel asked.

From the balcony, Rachel watched the waves. With the cordless phone held next to her ear, she appreciated Samuel’s phone call being right on time. “It was fine.” She laughed. “I can’t imagine driving a buggy to Florida. You’d definitely have to travel in a car. We made pit stops to use the restroom and to stretch our legs. We did drive for a few hours before we stopped for breakfast at McDonald’s. Marlene…
Aenti
Carrie’s neighbor, told us a good place to stop at to eat our picnic lunch.”

“I bet they loved your cookies.” He asked, “Did you go swimming yet?”

“Violet and I swam in the pool. The water felt great.” It’d been a long time since she had swimming lessons, so was relieved she hadn’t forgotten anything.

“That’s good. I guess you got a suit then.”

“No, it’s a private pool so we went skinny dipping.” She couldn’t resist teasing Samuel a little.

He didn’t respond.
I shouldn’t have mentioned being naked in the pool. How embarrassing I said something like that.
“I shouldn’t have said that.”

Samuel chuckled. “I know you’re making that up. If you’re not, then you’ve changed in a matter of hours.”

“I’d never go swimming without a suit. I wore
Aenti’s
one-piece suit. We haven’t gone shopping. We definitely didn’t feel like driving too much tonight. Violet’s going to take me to the stores tomorrow to buy a few things.” She took a deep breath, loving the salty smell of the beach and ocean. “I’m sitting outside right now and loving the view. Cocoa Beach definitely is beautiful. God’s made a scenic creation for us.”

“That’s
gut
. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. You deserve to get away and to have a
wunderbaar
time.”

“I might make this a yearly tradition.”

“I would like to visit the ocean once a year with you. We could take the bus.”

“That might be possible.” She paused for a moment, gazing at the seagulls swooping down on the sand. “I needed this time away from my family too. Not just you, Samuel,” she said gently. “Even though, it’s been a year since my
mamm
died, I didn’t have time to grieve. I instantly took over all the things she did. I had to be a mother to Judith, but especially to Noah and Matthew. The boys were so young to lose their mother.”

“You’ve done a great job taking care of everyone. God’s good making it possible for you to spend time with your English relatives.”

“
Danki
for understanding. I’ll pray for God’s direction in my life while I’m spending quiet time on the beach.” She knew Samuel talked from the business phone that was for his store. His family had a phone in their barn, but Samuel mentioned he decided to work after store hours to call her. She couldn’t let go of the fact her
daed
hadn’t installed a phone shanty outside their home or in the barn like other Amish families. If he had, her
mamm
might be alive. “Did you get the dining room table finished you were working on?”

“I did which turned into another sale. A husband and wife came into the store today and ordered a dining room table, chairs and a headboard for their new bed. They saw the table I did for the other English couple and were impressed with my work. I’m thankful I can make money from doing something I love.”

“Your furniture is
wunderbaar
.”

“If you decide to marry me, I’ll get busy making furniture for us.”

She sipped from her glass of iced tea. Why did Samuel have to mention their possible future together? She didn’t want to talk about making plans for their marriage.

“I’m anxious to start building our house.”

She heard the hopeful tone in his voice and wished with her whole heart, she could say what he wanted to hear. She couldn’t. She wasn’t ready to commit to making wedding plans. “Samuel, I’m sorry I can’t give you an answer yet.”

“My
daed
said there’s no rush. My
mamm
was twenty-one when they married. I need to take his advice. You’re worth waiting for, Rachel. I love you.”

“Thanks, Samuel. Your patience takes pressure off me. I love you too.” She saw Kevin Sullivan walking along the beach. He was occupied with his camera again. He seemed to take a lot of pictures of the ocean. “A man took a picture of me while I was walking on the beach today. Well, not just of me. He was snapping photos of the ocean.”

“He probably couldn’t resist. You’re so beautiful.”

She laughed. “I think it was the Amish thing. I was dressed in my Plain clothes, of course. His name’s Kevin Sullivan. He’s staying in the next cottage with his aunt.”

“Is he our age?”

“No, he’s older. Maybe in his late thirties.”

“Is he married?”

“Hey, don’t worry. I’m not into older men.” Now that she thought about it Mr. Sullivan never mentioned any wife or children. “I guess he’s single. We didn’t talk that long.”

She heard a loud banging on the other end of the phone.

“I better go. Someone’s knocking on the door. I guess they can’t see the closed sign.”

After saying their sweet good-byes, she thought more about her
daed
. She couldn’t let go of his failings as a husband and her resentment of him. Deep in her soul, Rachel knew if she couldn’t forgive her father, she would never be able to move on with her life.

* * *

Kevin Sullivan saw Rachel talking on the phone. He’d heard that Amish sometimes used phones. He couldn’t believe his luck. When his Aunt Donna mentioned that Senator Scott Robinson’s family was staying in the cottage next to hers, he asked if he could visit his favorite aunt. Getting pictures of the popular senator would help his dwindling bank account. Although his aunt wasn’t sure if Senator Robinson planned on hitting the beach, he still decided to chance it. But getting pictures of Robinson’s photogenic Amish niece was a bonus.

When Rachel neglected giving Violet’s last name, he knew she wanted to keep her cousin’s identity a secret. Violet seemed a bit mistrustful of him, but being the senator’s daughter probably had made her cautious when meeting new people. Maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned being a photographer; that might have been a mistake. Violet would mention it to her mother, and they’d be more on guard around him.

He glanced to see if Rachel remained on the deck. She’d left. Tomorrow he’d try to get a few more shots of Rachel and her interesting relatives. He wouldn’t be surprised if the charismatic and good-looking senator ran for president in the future. His aunt warned him not to take any unflattering shots of the famous family. She insisted he tell them upfront he was a photographer.

Even though, his aunt said it was only going to be the kids and Carrie Robinson in the cottage, he bet Senator Robinson would join his family.
Why wouldn’t he show up at the beach? Senate was out of session. When he arrives, I’ll be ready to get some great shots. Then the fun begins.

Chapter Nine

Fields Corner, Ohio

After speaking to Rachel, Samuel opened the door to see who’d been banging on it. He smiled when he saw Rachel’s brother, Peter. “Did Ella kick you out of the house? I wouldn’t blame her.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Kick me out. Never. That woman couldn’t live without me.” He stepped inside the store. “I dropped Ella off at the fabric store. She’s meeting with the owner about the quilting workshop she’s planning on doing there.” Peter patted him on the back. “So I thought I’d stop and see you since I’m not a quilter.”

“Do you want something to drink? I have bottled water and Pepsi.”

“No,
danki
. I can only stay a few minutes. Ella and I don’t want to get home late. We don’t like to drive at night.” Peter arched his eyebrow at him. “I’m surprised you’re still working.”

“I stayed here to call your sister. I’m going to clean up here and go home soon too. It’s been a long day but a
gut
one. Rachel sounded happy that I called.”

“How’s my traveling sis? Is she in Florida now?”

“
Ya
. She arrived safely. She loves the beach.”

“Well, let’s hope a different environment helps her to forgive our
daed
. I think that’s the main problem. She loves you but she never took the time to mourn completely. It’s
gut
she left to have time away from all the demands she puts on herself.”

“She’s worked hard. No doubt about that. Sometimes I wonder if your mother had lived if we’d be getting married in a few months. But if we don’t get married this fall, I hope we will next year.” He grabbed a broom and started sweeping wood shavings in the dustpan. He liked to leave the store clean at night.

“
Daed’s
going to start building a shanty for the phone. I think one reason he didn’t put a phone in before is because they always used Maddox’s phone when it was necessary. It’s a shame Ella and I hadn’t gotten our phone installed earlier. After we married, we couldn’t decide whether to put it in the barn or a shanty.” He exhaled a deep breath. “But you know, having a phone might not have made any difference.
Mamm
might have died even if an ambulance had gotten there quicker.”

He stopped sweeping to look at Peter. “It just tears Rachel apart because it was so unexpected. And your
mamm
was only in her forties.”

Peter ran his fingers over the headboard. “I like this. I should have you make one for us. We don’t have a headboard.”

“Sure, I can do that.” The last few days he hadn’t been able to shake how Rachel wasn’t sure about marrying him. Even though, talking with her made him feel better; it was still a worry with her living in another world. Hopefully, her visit would be for a short time. It was
gut
she hadn’t ruled marriage out, but life didn’t seem right to him any longer. Rachel wasn’t the only unsure person about marriage. Tim seemed to have lost interest in marrying his sister.

“I’ll ask Ella but don’t know why she wouldn’t like this style. It’s what most Amish have for headboards.” Peter look up from the simple headboard. “How’s business anyhow?”

“Quite a few English stopped in today to ask me questions about my furniture and prices. I might have to hire someone to wait on customers if my orders keep increasing. Some days I have to stop working on my furniture to answer questions.”

“
Ya
. You should hire some help. You want to get your orders filled in a reasonable amount of time.”

After opening the closet door, Samuel put the broom and dustpan away. He turned back to Peter . “You know how in Hebrews, it says that you are supposed to run the race God has set for you and not the race you set for yourself? Maybe it’s not God’s plan that Rachel become my wife. What if God doesn’t think I’m good enough for Rachel?”

Peter removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re a good Christian. It’s more about timing and God’s timetable. I think God brought you two together. Rachel’s never been interested in anyone else. She only had eyes for you from the beginning. Don’t lose hope and just concentrate on all the good things. You mentioned how Rachel was happy to talk with you, and she just left.”

“Thanks. You’re a
gut
friend.” Although he knew Rachel loved him, he wondered if she could overcome her Aunt Carrie’s influence. Then there was also her cousin Violet. Rachel was very close to both English women. “I enjoyed talking with your Aunt Carrie. She stopped in to see me after she bought food from my
mamm’s
store. She’s an interesting woman.”

“She’s a
wunderbaar
person. I think Aunt Carrie will be a big help to Rachel seeing how she needs to forgive
Daed
so she can move on with her life.
Aenti
might not be Amish any longer, but she’s a parent and knows how important it is to have a loving relationship between children and parents.” Peter put his hat back on his head. “I better get back to the store and get Ella. She doesn’t want to go home in the dark. Even though, we have flashing lights, she worries an English driver won’t see us and hit our buggy.”

“You better go and be safe. I’m glad you stopped in to see me.”

“Write a letter to Rachel that she’ll want to read again and again. When I left Fields Corner to help Grandpa and Grandma Hershberger, I wrote letters to Ella. She told me how much my letters meant to her and how she loved getting them. She said my sensitive letters reinforced her feelings for me and helped in her decision to marry me.”