Sewn with Joy (21 page)

“My mother helped. She has five daughters, after all. She's gotten pretty good about sewing dresses.” Joy bit her lip. “I, uh, do have a question though.” She smiled. “What are the Golden Globes?”

Alicia chuckled and then broke into a full belly laugh. “Oh, Joy, you're so refreshing to be around. Do you know about the Oscars?”

“Well, I have a cousin named Oscar.”

Alicia laughed again, wiping tears from her eyes. “That's good enough then.”

“I brought something else too.” Joy moved to a table, where she picked up a box. It was an old ice cream tub that she'd washed out and decorated with contact paper. Many of her friends made similar boxes to store their
kapp
s. “I have a new
kapp
for you too. The one you have is from Lancaster.”

“A new
kapp
.” Alicia pressed her palms together and smiled. “I'm sure I'll turn all the eyes of the Amish bachelors in this one.” She placed it on her head. “Speaking of which, I'm certain your
boyfriend is the man I saw you with at the bus stop. Are you… serious?” She grinned.

Joy knew she'd been able to change the subject the first time but not again.

“We're starting to be.” She cut her eyes in Alicia's direction. Heat rose to her cheeks again, and she quickly looked away. “We are courting, and there has been talk of marriage.”

“Talk of marriage is always good.”

“Have you ever thought of marriage, Alicia?” Joy turned to her new friend.

Alicia's eyes darted away, but not before Joy noted a mix of pain and shame in her gaze. “I've been married.”

“Really? Oh, I'm so sorry I asked. I didn't know.”

Alicia turned back and offered a sad smile. “You might be the only one in the United States who doesn't know. Well, you and your Amish friends.” She looked at herself in the mirror, tilting her head as if meeting a stranger. Or perhaps seeing herself in a different way. “The man I married…he's a great man. I highly recommend marriage.” She shook her head and shrugged. “But that doesn't really matter now, does it?”

Joy wasn't sure how to respond. “I…I'm glad you like your dress.”

Alicia nodded and then looked at the clock. “Oh, I need to get to the set. We're doing a run-through. I hope to see you tomorrow.”

She pushed aside the curtain and took a shortcut. As she did, Joy looked beyond the curtain area to the doorway. Rowan stood there. He wore a puzzled expression, and she knew he'd overheard the conversation.
Does he know about her marriage?
Joy assumed so. Alicia said everyone did. It must be hard to have everyone know all your failings. To have it in the papers. She assumed that's what Olivia had been alluding to yesterday when they'd come to the fittings.

Joy made up her mind then and there not to ask any more about Alicia's marriage. It wasn't her place to know. She'd simply work to be the
Englisch
woman's friend.

“The first dress is done,” she called out to Rowan. “I thought I'd see how it fits.”

He inhaled a deep breath and approached. A forced smile filled his face. “Joy, I can't thank you enough. Your help with this… it means so much.” He chuckled, but she also noticed a distant sadness in his eyes. “It seems as if you're always coming to my rescue. If it wasn't for your help finding our destination that first night, who knows where we would have ended up?” He paused and crossed his arms over his chest. “If you'd like I can write you a check for the dresses—”

She held up her hand, pausing his words. “No. Please wait until the other dresses are done. I wouldn't feel right getting paid for work I haven't done.”

“Very well then, but there is something I
will
insist on. We're doing a run-through of the first episode, and I need you to stay and watch.”

“Really?” She pursed her lips and thought about all the work that waited at home. But curiosity caused her to want to stay. More than that, her sister Grace would arrive back in Pinecraft tomorrow, and Joy would never hear the end of it if she missed out on this run-through. Grace wrote for the
Budget
, and even if many people didn't agree with the filming, all of them would want to know the details.

Joy followed Rowan to the living room set. Alicia was sitting on the sofa, chatting with Julie, who, Joy now knew, played her
mem
. Rowan sat down in a high director's chair and offered the chair next to him to Joy.

Joy sat down, still not believing she was really here. Not
believing that the first steps to a real television show were happening.

“Go ahead with the run-through, picking up where we left off earlier,” Rowan called to them.

Julie cleared her throat. She sat and wrapped her arm around Alicia's shoulders, pulling her close. “Sadie, I'm so sorry you have to face this terrible loss, but know that I truly believe God has brought you to Pinecraft for it to heal. I hope the train ride wasn't too long.”

Alicia sighed. “No. I enjoyed the quiet. Time to think. And if I never have to look at another Amish bachelor, it'll be fine with me.”

A knock sounded. Julie pulled back her arm and then moved to the door. “Never look at a bachelor? I suppose, but maybe…” She sighed. “Did I tell you we have a new neighbor next door?”

The door opened, and a tall, handsome man walked in. He wore Amish clothes and had a brown beard. Joy lifted her eyebrows, hoping this man wasn't supposed to be the bachelor the mother was talking about. Heat climbed her neck. It was worse than she thought. All of it. She jabbed her thumbnail between her front teeth, telling herself to keep her mouth shut. This was of no concern to her.

Alicia, as Sadie, looked up from the couch and eyed him. “A new neighbor…”

The man stepped forward and extended his hand to her. “I'm Samuel.” Alicia allowed him to shake her hand and didn't release it right away.

Joy couldn't stand it any longer. She stood and turned to Rowan. “Um, there's a problem. Well, more than one…”

“Cut!” he called.

Like puppets whose strings had been released, the actors released their poses and relaxed.

“A problem?” He turned to her. Annoyance was clear on his face. She told herself again just to forget it, just to let them do their show, but she couldn't let this slide.

“Yes, a problem. And yes, more than one.” She sucked in a deep breath and released it. “I just don't know where to start.”

“Start with the biggest problem first.”

“The biggest problem? Well, Amish bachelors don't wear beards. Men wear beards only after they're married. Unless you meant for him to be a widower. Then he would wear a beard. My sister Hope will soon be married to a widower. When they first met she thought he was married. It was confusing to say the least—”

Rowan held up his hand, halting her words. “And what else?”

“Well, there isn't really a train that comes from Ohio. Most folks ride the Pioneer Trails bus. Although one of my cousins is taking a cruise ship, but that is very rare.”

“And?” He looked to Alicia, motioning her to approach.

“And the
mem
…well, she was just too affectionate. Mothers snuggle their little children, but you don't really see that type of outward affection between adults in the Amish community.”

“You don't?” Alicia's eyebrows peaked. “That's surprising.”

“And I don't want to point out every problem, but that bachelor wouldn't just walk in the door like that. And he wouldn't offer his hand. More than that, well, the women would be doing something. They'd be darning socks or snapping beans. No Amish women would just sit there on the sofa in the middle of the day carrying on a conversation.”

“What about sewing clothes?” Rowan asked. “They could sit there sewing.”

“But the show starts in spring, right? Many of the Amish try to complete their sewing for the year by the time they plant a garden.
It's hard to sit inside to sew when it's getting warm outside. Of course, since we're in Florida, I'm not sure if that matters.” She shrugged. “I suppose you could have them sewing. Or cutting out boys' pants. Boys are always harder to sew for because there are pants and shirts. That is, if your character has a young brother. How many siblings does she have?”

“Only one sister—an older sister.”

Laughter spilled out, and Joy eyed him. “You know you're writing about an Amish family, right? I'd allude to many more siblings, even if they live up north. A couple with only two children isn't very common. Not unheard of, but not common.” The words had poured out of Joy's mouth, and when she was through she released a heavy breath. She knew in the grand scheme of things most of the little details didn't matter, but with all of them together—and the beard—it was impossible for her not to speak up.

Alicia appeared slightly annoyed, but she tried not to let it show. She turned to Rowan. “Do you mind if I ask Georgia to fix my hair while you're working out these details? There's a bobby pin poking me right behind my ear.”

“I don't mind at all.” Rowan lifted his hand. “Everyone, take five. This will be just a few minutes.”

The actors and camera people moved toward a table of snacks. They all looked over the fresh fruit and nuts, but none of them seemed impressed.
Set out some whoopie pies, and that'll be a different story
, Joy wanted to say.

Without the others listening in, Rowan turned to her. “The more I do this, the more I realize I'm in over my head.” He stroked his jaw and looked up at the lighting, deep in thought. Then his eyes moved back to her. “I assumed since the Amish speak English, it would be easy to figure out. I didn't really think of it as a different culture, but I was wrong.”

Joy bit her lip. She glanced up at him. “I, uh, don't know if I should mention this, but back in Ohio we spoke to each other mostly in Pennsylvania Dutch. We still slip into that language when we don't want
Englischers
to know what we're talking about.”

He scratched his head, and he wore a lost, faraway look in his eyes. Joy almost felt sorry for him. “Pennsylvania Dutch…of course.”

He stared at the set a brief moment before his eyes brightened and he looked to her.

“I'd like to hire you. As a consultant. It's a paid position, of course, and I don't want it to take too much time away from the fabric shop. It's just that we need someone on set in the mornings to check everything over. Sort of like we did today.”

Nothing about the idea appealed to Joy. She thought of the disappointed looks she received yesterday when she'd pointed out the problems with the wardrobe. And then today when she mentioned the long list of things that needed to be changed. Joy also thought about how awkward she felt with all these cameras around. And then there was Matthew to consider and how his
dat
felt about the television show. She had opened her mouth to decline the offer when something stopped her.

One thing about his offer sounded appealing after all.
Mem
and
Dat
needed the money. They would never ask for it, of course, but she knew they wouldn't turn it away. The money from the dresses would help, but that was just a start.

“You said it's a paid position? Just to point out things like I did right then?”

He perked up. “Yes, I'll pay you well. Maybe three hours every morning.”

“Every morning?”

“We try to keep the number of shooting days down as much as
we can.” A smile grew on his face. “And I understand some days just aren't possible. Like Sundays.”

“I'm still not sure…”

She tried to imagine what her
mem
and
dat
would say. They had both been fine with her sewing dresses. And
Mem
seemed to have a weight off her shoulders knowing that two of her daughters were doing what they could to help with therapy costs.

But what about Matthew? Would he understand if she explained? He was a caring and compassionate person. Surely he'd understand if she explained
Dat
's needs.

“Of course, we'll work around your schedule.”

She moved back to her chair and sat down, trying to wrap her mind around what he was really asking her. “So let me understand this. You are going to pay me to come here and tell you what you are doing wrong?”

He offered a small smile and nodded. “Yes. That's what I'm saying.”

“My parents raised a wise girl. I don't think I could say no to that. I'll have to check with my boss, Elizabeth, though. To see if she can cover for me. I think next week I was scheduled to work one morning shift.”

“Sure. No problem.” He slid his fingers into his pocket and pulled out a small card, handing it to her. “My cell phone number is on here. Go ahead and give me a…”

“Caught yourself, didn't you?”

“I suppose you don't have a cell phone, do you?”