Sewn with Joy (18 page)

“No.” The word shot from her lips. “No, there's no store for that. At least not anywhere close to here.”

His gaze narrowed, and he eyed her with disbelief. “There's no place we can shop for Amish clothes?”

“No, there isn't. All of our clothes are handmade. Each woman sews clothes for her family. Young women start sewing their own dresses while they are still in their teens.”

“So there's no Walmart for Amish smocks?”

“
Ne.
I'm sorry. I wish I could help, but…”

“But you sew, right?” He pointed to the sewing machine. “Did you sew your dress?”

“Yes, of cour—”

“And could you sew some dresses for us?”

“Well, I have other things I'm working on—aprons I need to make and sell.”

Rowan pulled out his wallet. “How about I order twenty aprons at double the going price? No, make that triple. And I'll triple whatever price you would have charged someone to make some dresses too.”

Her eyes widened, and she sucked in a breath. Was this a real offer? He would do that—pay that?

“I don't know. There's no way I could sew that fast. I mean, if you already want to start filming—”

“Listen. I really need your help. You don't even have to sew all the dresses. If you find some friends to sew them—maybe even your sisters or cousins—I will pay you.”

In her mind's eye she pictured that. She imagined herself going to the next sewing frolic and asking the women to sew dresses that would be worn by
Englisch
actresses. She remembered their reactions against the show. They would have no part of this. And why would they? This show—this man—was going to portray the Amish as he saw fit. Yes, he had gotten the set right, but if the wardrobe was any indication of what was to come, a lot of money was going to be spent and still the Amish would be a laughingstock to the
Englisch
world.

Joy opened her mouth to tell him she wasn't interested when a second memory came to mind. It was Faith's tearstained face as she clutched Joy's hand the night before. After showing Joy the cost of
Dat
's treatments, Faith had put the estimate aside and grabbed Joy's hands. “We need to pray now, Joy,” she had said. “Pray that God will do a miracle and provide this money. Pray that even tomorrow there will be an unexpected blessing that will start us off strong.”

An unexpected blessing.
Joy eyed the man before her. He looked at her with a pleading gaze. Could he be the answer to Faith's eager request? She placed a hand over her heart and then returned to her seat. She had nodded, telling Faith she would pray, but truth be told she had worried instead. She'd lain awake considering how she could revise her apron pattern so she could make more aprons, faster. Yet here was a man standing before her offering more money for less work. Or more money for no work, if that was what she chose—just as long as she made sure he got what he needed.

“You don't mind if I don't sew them myself?”

“No, of course not. I also noticed how uncomfortable you were at the set. So if you'd rather have the actresses come here for fittings…”

Surprise arched her eyebrows. “Really?”

He leaned a bit closer. “I know not everyone in town is happy about us filming our show here. I don't want to cause any problems.”

Tears sprung to her eyes unexpectedly, and the darkness that had been hovering over her faded. The understanding look in this
Englischer
's face—the soft smile on his lips—unnerved her. She'd believed in God for as long as she could remember. She'd first heard about Jesus and His ways on her mother's knee, but He had been a distant Lord who loved her. It didn't seem as though He was really involved in her life. But with this man walking in the door and offering what he did less than a day after Faith had prayed for help, it was…well, it was a miracle. Could God really use
Englischers
to bless her family?

Joy released the breath she'd been holding.

“If you need some time to think about it…”

She held up a finger. “Uh, just give me a minute.”

She never could have guessed this was how God would help them, but now the truth was as plain as day. Or as Elizabeth had said to her more than once, “You may not be able to see God with your physical eyes, but sometimes He does something big to show off.”

Joy swallowed down her emotion. As she looked at the man's eyes she could almost picture God smiling at her, showing her He cared about
Dat
and about her too. “Yes, I think I…we…can do that. But the shop here might be too public a place.” She nibbled on her lower lip, considering inviting them to her home. Should she ask her parents about it first? She tried to imagine their response.
Dat
was always kind and welcoming to
Englischers
. He wouldn't have a problem with it, she knew.
Mem
was unsure about the television show, but there had been a look of relief in her face when Faith and Joy had promised to help. Some
of the other ladies might not understand why they would invite the television actresses into their home, but deep down Joy knew
Mem
would be accepting, thankful even, for this blessing of extra money that could go toward
Dat
's treatments.

“Do you think the actresses could come by my parents' house later today? I'm off at three o'clock.”

He nodded. “Yes. We can make it work. I have five main actresses. If we could get enough dresses to start, just one or two for each one…”

“I'll see what we can do.” She took one of Elizabeth's business cards, wrote down her home address, and handed it to him. He took it, pulled out his phone and snapped a photo, and then handed it back. “I don't need this. I'd just lose it. I'm horrible about keeping track of papers. But I'll make sure my actresses are at your house later today.”

“Yes. It sounds good.
Danke.
I mean, thank you.” She considered inviting the actresses to stay and enjoy the Busy Day Casserole she'd seen her
mem
preparing this morning, but she changed her mind. That might be asking too much from her parents too soon.

She watched him go and considered taking her lunch break early so she could run down the street to Yoder's, where Faith worked, to tell her the news. Wouldn't her sister be surprised? Wouldn't she be excited to hear how fast God had answered their prayers?

Then, as she watched the man climb into his car, a new thought struck her, and Joy sucked in a breath. What would Matthew think? The excited beat of her heart from the provision of funds for
Dat
's treatment slowed, and the dark clouds from earlier returned. Would Matthew understand? She still hadn't told him about
Dat
's condition, and she knew how he felt about getting involved with the
Englischers
.

Will this hurt things between us?
Joy folded her hands across her
chest and then pulled in her arms. It was a risk she had to take, she supposed. Hopefully Matthew would understand. It didn't seem like a coincidence to her that this director would show up at the store the day after Faith's prayer.

Lord, show me how to navigate these waters. I want to do what's right. I want to help. And…
she didn't want to admit it, but she wanted Matthew's love too. He was her future.

Matthew seemed like everything she'd ever wanted in a husband. God surely wouldn't ask her to choose between her father and the man she loved, would He? Joy released a sigh. She supposed by this afternoon she'd find out.

 

Busy Day Casserole

1½ cups cubed ham or ground beef

1 cup diced potatoes

1 cup diced carrots

½ cup cooked peas

½ cup cooked green beans

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using ground beef, brown the meat in a skillet and then drain. Add the potatoes, carrots, and enough water to cover. Cook until crisp but still tender. Stir in peas and beans. Again add enough boiling water to cover. Into this stir 1 tablespoon flour mixed with water to make a paste. Place this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Top with favorite biscuit dough, dropped by spoonfuls onto ham or ground beef mixture. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Biscuits should be golden brown.

Seventeen

Instead of putting others in their place, put yourself in their place.

A
MISH PROVERB

A
licia strode down the street with four other women by her side. She knew one of the other actresses, a young woman named Kristen, because they'd worked together on a television commercial when they were both cutting their teeth in Hollywood. The other three were older women. Julie would play her mother, Olivia the owner of a local restaurant, and Laura a meddling neighbor who always seemed to get her nose in everyone's business. Of course, the latter character would provide just the right bit of information to bring everyone together and resolve each episode's conflict at the end.

Alicia couldn't help but contrast Julie with her own mother. Despite the changes in the shooting, costumes, and schedule, Julie wasn't ruffled. Opposite of that, Alicia's mother reacted to everything. Things were either wonderful or horrible. There was rarely any middle ground.

Alicia supposed that's why she'd been drawn to Rowan in the first place. He'd been the stable one, the one who knew how to settle her emotions and roll with her punches. He'd been the solid
foundation she'd always longed for as a young girl and still cried for when she drifted off to sleep alone.

“I don't know why we had to walk, and why they couldn't come to us,” Olivia said.

“It's not too bad. Florida is beautiful,” Alicia commented.

Olivia grunted. “This is what you call beautiful? It's hot as Hades today.”

“Shh, you can't say those things around here.” Julie patted Olivia's arm. “Look around. The streets are filled with Amish. You wouldn't want them to overhear you.”

Laura sighed and fanned her face. “They're no holier than us, just because they look like they grew up on
Little House on the Prairie
.” She pressed her fist into her hip. “Besides, all I wanted was a car to drive.”

Olivia brushed a strand of golden, processed hair back from her forehead. “Honey, a car would stick out like a daisy on a rosebush. Sometimes part of the job is remembering that whatever we are asked to do, it's part of the job.”

Alicia nodded, and up ahead she noticed a woman standing near an open gate. Along the road other Amish walked and rode bikes, but she would recognize Joy anywhere. Joy was tall and thin with golden brown hair that should be packaged into a dye bottle. She always stood erect and watched the world as if she was taking it all in.

In the two times Alicia had interacted with the young woman, she'd had no clear sense that Joy wanted to befriend her just to satisfy her own needs or wants. Something Alicia wasn't used to. Everyone in Hollywood strove to be seen and be known, and many times people tried to do that by attempting to foster a friendship with her. With Joy, what you saw was what you got.