Made with Love (29 page)

Twenty-Two

The dearest things of life are most near at hand.

A
MISH
P
ROVERB

L
ovina looked at her warehouse, amazed at the pipes and wires running through the walls. They'd hired a professional plumber and electrician, and the warehouse had been a hive of activity. It had been a couple of weeks since Noah had talked about their relationship growing beyond their friendship, but not much had changed. With the goal of opening the pie shop before the November buses rolled in, remodeling work consumed their lives. They had short moments to chat and share pie-related dreams of their future, but they hadn't found a good time to talk more about his past. Would there ever be a good time? It must be something truly horrible if he put off telling her. But what? She knew if she asked Mem she could find out. But she didn't want to hear it that way. She wanted to hear it from him—whatever “it” was.

Noah's booted footsteps echoed from the back office where he and the guys had just installed the new window air conditioning unit. She turned and watched him approach. He had an intense look on his face. Frustration? Resolution? Excitement? Maybe
a bit of all three. “Lovina, they were supposed deliver the rest of the kitchen equipment today. But they called and it won't be here until tomorrow.”

Her eyes widened. “But does that put us behind? Do you think we can still open in time?” The muscles in her neck tightened, and she rubbed at them with fingers that were already sore from ripping open boxes and sorting through the boxes of restaurant supplies. Plates, mugs, glasses, linens, pie plates—who knew they'd need so much stuff! She didn't want to get tense, but they'd been working so hard. One missed deadline could hinder the rest of their plans.

Her stomach knotted too as she looked at Noah, wondering if there were other things he was hiding from her. More personal things. Perhaps the tension wasn't only because of the pie shop, but it was easier to blame it on that.

Noah reached a hand and stroked her face. “You look worried.”

She wiped at the place he was touching her. “Do I have dirt there? Or paint?”

“No.” The word was just a whisper. “You look beautiful, that's all.”

She turned her head toward him, taking in the warm look on his face, his smile. All her tension seemed to melt under his gaze.

She'd never been told she was beautiful before, and she almost didn't believe him. But something in her heart told to believe the tender look that she saw in his gaze.

She lifted her hand to point out the area above the window. “If we put a shelf up there—”

“You didn't hear me, did you?”

“What?” Her cheeks warmed, and she looked to her feet. “Ja, of course I did.”

His thumb gently stroked her wrist. “What did I say?”

“I'm…I'm…” She tried to repeat the word, but it wouldn't come out.

“You. Are. Beautiful.” He spoke each word with conviction, and the words soaked into her soul. Tears rimmed her eyes, and she hoped she didn't look like a fool.

She dropped her eyes to their joined hands. “Thank you. I like hearing that.”

“I hope so.” His voice became solemn. “You'd better get used to me saying it. Because I intend to say it…often.”

He turned her hand over and kissed her palm. His lips were warm and soft and a chill traveled up her arm and then raced down her spine. She thought back to that first time she'd seen him. It was the same day she saw this place. God had so much in store for her. So much planned for her. More than she could have imagined. She didn't know what to say…but she didn't need to say anything. A slow smile broke across her face.

Noah grinned. “You have been working very hard. And I have an idea. Why don't we skip work for the rest of the day and go to the beach?”

“To the beach?”

He chuckled. “By the way that you say that you'd think I was asking you to go to the moon.”

“Sometimes it seems like going to the moon. My mind has just been so focused on this place. On getting everything just right.”

“Well.” He winked. “Maybe we should change that.”

“Yes, Noah, I'd like that very much.”

Twenty minutes later, they were riding their bikes down Bahia Vista Street to Tuttle Avenue. They parked their bikes there and took the #16 bus to the beach. There were a few other ladies in kapps on the bus—women Lovina didn't recognize. She'd noticed more and more tourists showing up every day. Most came down
with hired drivers. A few Mennonite families flew on commercial flights. The colder it got up north the quicker they came. They still had three weeks before the first Pioneer Trails bus would arrive. Three weeks to finish getting everything ready.

Lovina sucked in a breath as all the things that needed to get done in the next three weeks filled her mind.

Noah turned from where he was looking out the window to face her. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes! Noah, I need to start working on the pies. Grace and I made a list a while ago, but there is so much to do. We need to start baking the shells. Those will freeze, but we need to start buying all the rest of the ingredients. And I need to figure out the food budget too.”

Noah leaned close until his nose nearly touched hers. “Lovina, this is our afternoon off, remember? Can you just try to relax and enjoy it?”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “How can I? How will I be able to relax when there is so much to do?”

He took her hand in his and squeezed. “Well, I have a bit of wisdom to share that might help. My mem used to always say, ‘The dearest things of life are most near at hand.' ” He winked. “And today, Lovina, that is me.”

She smiled at the gentle way he was leading her back to the present. Back to him. “Ja, well, my mem used to say, ‘Half done is far from done.' ”

He laughed. “That's a good one too, but why don't we focus on my mem's advice for today?”

She leaned against his shoulder, peering out the window and watching the cars pass. He smelled of wood shavings, sunshine, and bacon, most likely from breakfast. It was a homey, familiar smell. “I think I can do that. I'll try.”

They arrived at the beach twenty minutes later. She took off her flip-flops as she walked on the sand. It was warm under her feet. Her hand easily slid into Noah's and she couldn't help but think back to the last time she was here. She had been with Thomas. Back then, she'd wanted nothing more than to leave, and now…well, she was looking forward to a beautiful day with Noah by her side.

Seagulls swooped and danced overhead. The ocean breeze was intoxicating. She'd always thought that her favorite aroma was pie cooking. It still was, but the ocean breeze was coming in a close second. Why hadn't she noticed it before? Why did today seem perfect—everything about it?

They walked hand in hand, strolling by those wearing bathing suits, shorts, and T-shirts. A woman strode by in a dark blue summer dress with a beach towel tucked under her arm. A man jogged up to her and wrapped his arm around her, and she was happy to see him. Then, without warning, he snatched the towel from her and she chased after him. They laughed as she chased him into the water. He tossed the towel to the dry sand and they splashed each other. Soon they were both soaking wet.

Lovina laughed, and then looked to Noah. He was watching her instead of them.

“What? What are you looking at?”

“Oh.” He sighed. “I just like to see you smile. That's all.”

He spread out a blanket, and they sat side by side. She wished he would say something. Wished he'd use this time to tell her the truth—whatever he'd worked so hard to keep hidden from her. She didn't want to ruin the moment, but all the things she'd imagined over the last few weeks were coming to a boiling point in her mind.

What was it about his past that bothered him so? Bothered Mem?

Instead, he talked about his parents coming down for Christmas. “I told my mem all about you, Lovina. She said she can't wait to meet the woman who's captured my heart.” He ran his fingers through the sand and then focused on her. “My mem even asked about the future…our future. She wanted to know—”

“Noah.” His name spouted from her lips. “I can guess…well, um.” She lifted her face to the breeze, trying to gather her thoughts. “Why don't we talk about that…our relationship…after—”

“After the pie shop is done,” he interrupted. He nodded with determination on his face, as if trying to agree that was the right thing to do.

That wasn't what she'd intended to say, but she couldn't correct him. Worry filled his eyes, and she didn't like it. She wanted to see the laughter and smiles of just moments ago. She forced a smile.

“Yes, after the pie shop is done,” she agreed, telling herself there would be plenty of time to talk about other things. The pie shop would be opened in a few weeks if everything played out right.

Still the questions nagged her. Why wouldn't he just tell her? What was he hiding?

Noah pulled out their picnic lunch and took out two sandwiches from the bag. “My mem will be disappointed when I tell her we're not going to be published anytime soon.”

Heat rose on her cheeks. So she wasn't the only one who thought about that. To be published was to tell the world that a wedding was coming, but again that wasn't something they needed to think about now. It was too soon. They had so much to learn about each other, more than their interest in the pie shop.

“There's only one way Mem's ever going to forgive me for telling her that we're taking things more slowly than she'd like.”

“Oh, yes? What's that?” Lovina asked, pulling some homemade cookies from the bag.

“If you share your recipe for shoofly pie. She's been in search of the perfect recipe since I can remember. And Mem thinks you might have
the one
.”

“I do make a good shoofly. Maybe I should make it for you some time.”

“I'd like that, Lovina.” He lifted her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. “I love everything about you…and the pie is just a bonus. Remind me to write down the recipe when we get back, or I'll never hear the end of it.”

 

Shoofly Pie

1 cup flour

⅔
cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup hot water

1 cup cane molasses

1 egg

1 unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix flour, brown sugar, and butter with a fork until crumbly. Measure out half the crumbs and set aside. Dissolve soda in water. Add molasses and egg, then stir into half of the crumbs. Pour into crust and sprinkle remaining crumbs on top. Bake 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325° and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Twenty-Three

A family that works together grows together.

A
MISH
P
ROVERB