The Promise of Palm Grove (18 page)

O
nce word got around that the Kaufmanns were having some friends over, and that three girls from Walnut Creek—one of whom Zack had shown a particular interest in—were going to be there, everyone and their brother decided to join them. Zack had tried to take this news in stride. Having a lot of people over wasn't anything new. His family was social. Both of his parents had a wide circle of friends whom they liked to get together with often.

In addition, they'd made friends with other folks who visited Sarasota: snowbirds—the folks who regularly came south to spend the whole winter in the Florida sun—vacationers, relatives, neighbors, and chance acquaintances. Everyone and anyone eventually became known to one of the six Kaufmanns. Zach had always regarded that as a good thing; it meant their house was often filled with laughter and guests.

But this particular party? It was rapidly becoming more than a little out of hand. The number of people in their yard and house and patio had to be over fifty or sixty. It was truly something to behold, even for a family used to hosting events.

Zack hadn't known whether to hug his two sisters or give them a lecture when they'd come home four hours earlier, all smiles.

He'd been sitting on the back porch with his mother. She'd been writing letters and he'd been counting playing cards when Effie and Violet had burst in, full of news.

The first and most important piece had been that they'd seen Leona's former fiancé get on the Pioneer Trails bus and that Leona had most definitely not seen him off. The second piece of news was that Effie had introduced Violet to Leona and her girlfriends. Zack had been surprised about that, but not displeased.

But when he'd learned that Vi and Effie had extended invitations to their house—without asking him—and had coaxed Leona and her girlfriends into accepting . . . that had been more than a bit high-handed.

“Really, Violet?” he'd asked, giving his older sister a meaningful look.

“This is nothing to fuss about, Zachary.”

“I think it is.”

“Are you upset that Leona wants to come over and spend time with you and our family and friends? If you are, I would have to say that I am pretty surprised. I thought you liked her.”

“I like her.”

“Then you should stop acting so bothered,
bruder,
” she replied with her trademark candor.

But the way she avoided his eyes told him everything he needed to know. She knew she'd been a bit overzealous, and that she would have had a fit if he had ever done such a thing.

Now that he knew they were both on the same page, at the very least, he kept his mouth shut. Effie was simply Effie.
She was guileless when it came to navigating how close or how far to push people. But Violet—and himself, for that matter—bordered on being experts.

“I must say that I'm surprised you aren't happier about this,” his
mamm
said once she'd heard enough of their conversation.

“Do you not like Leona anymore?” Effie asked.

“Oh, I like her.” He wasn't going to lie about that. When he'd shared those strawberries with Leona, he'd hardly been able to do much besides remind himself of the dozen reasons why kissing her was a bad idea, starting with the fact that she had just broken an engagement and ending with the fact that she was boarding a bus to Ohio in a couple of days.

“She seemed happy for the invitation,” Effie added.

“That's
gut
.
Danke
.”

His mother stared at him. “So, if you do like Leona, what's the problem?”

“I don't have a problem with Leona.” His irritation stemmed from having to discuss his feelings with not one but three women, one of whom was twelve and another of whom was his mother.

“But you are glaring at Violet.”

“I don't mean to glare.”

Violet took a seat next to him and gave him a little jab with her shoulder. “Sure you do. Something's bothering you. What is it?”

Of course she would say something like that. Violet loved being blunt, she always had. “I simply don't appreciate my sister setting up dates for me.”

Violet waved off his concern. “Oh, stop. This isn't a date. It's just a bunch of people over playing cards. Plus, her girlfriends looked happy about the idea, too.”

“They did?” Maybe things were going smoother for Leona with Mattie and Sara.

“Oh,
jah
. There's only so much you can do on your own here in Pinecraft, you know. The best part is socializing with everyone.”

“I suppose you're right.”

“I know I am.”

His mother's lips twitched as she shared a smile with Zack. Obviously, Violet's headstrong, bossy nature was still alive and well.

Effie turned to Zack. “Are you mad at us?”

“Never,” he said quickly. “I'm glad to have the opportunity to see the girls again. And having everyone over is sure to be fun.”

And though he'd said all that in order to diffuse the situation, Zack had realized that everything he'd told Effie had been true. He
was
looking forward to seeing Leona again, and he did think his family threw some of the best parties in Pinecraft.

Effie relaxed and they all started chatting some more. But within an hour, their mother started getting that look about her. The one that signaled she was about to clean the house, prepare more food, organize guests, and start weeding her garden. And since she'd never been one to work while her
kinner
lazed about, Zack knew that they were about to be run ragged with her feverish plans.

And sure enough, within the half hour, all of them had been given rooms to clean. She'd even gotten on the phone with their father and asked him to bring home plastic cups, napkins, and some apple cider after work. Then she commandeered Violet and started baking up a storm.

After Zack had straightened up the living room, he'd walked down to Danny's house to tell his family about the impromptu party and to borrow some card tables and chairs.

That, of course, set more people in motion. Danny's siblings told other people and his parents decided they'd stop by, too, which meant that Danny's mother also decided to bake a pie. And Danny thought they should go tell a couple of their friends he'd just seen at the park.

An hour after that, it felt like half of Pinecraft was planning to come to the Kaufmann house around seven that night.

By a quarter after six, Zack was hopping into the shower, and by a quarter to seven, he was setting up tables. Then Karl showed up, saying he'd told the manager he had a family function to attend that he couldn't get out of.

Zack was so pleased at the opportunity to hang out with his brother, he almost didn't care about the reason. “It's been forever since you've been home for a neighborhood get-together.”

“
Nee,
it's been
never
that I've been home to see a girl that you are courting.” He smirked.

“I'm definitely not courting Leona.”

“Are you sure about that? Because that's not what everyone's saying.”

“People like to gossip too much.”

Karl waved a hand in dismissal. “People are interested. That's all.”

“I don't want everyone staring at her or asking her too many questions.”

“Oh, they will. You can be sure of that.” Seeing their
daed
approach, Karl gave Zack a light slap on the back before walking over to join him. Almost immediately, they started talking shop.

And then the front door opened. Danny and his family came inside, bringing with them two of their neighbors, two pies, and a basket of plastic forks.

On their heels were more family friends, and on
their
heels were the two girls Effie had introduced him to at Yoder's.

As Zack watched Effie shyly greet them, then walk them over to the kitchen to have sodas, he relaxed. Seeing Effie with friends made everything they were going through worth it.

Then, when he saw Leona, Mattie, and Sara enter the house and Leona waved to him from across the room, he knew for sure that he'd been absolutely wrong about doubting the get-together.

This party was, indeed, a fantastic idea. Maybe the best idea his sisters had ever had in their lives. Because of them, he was going to get to spend the next couple of hours with Leona.

He didn't even try to hold back a wide smile when he walked over to greet them.

L
eona's pulse started beating double time the moment Zack turned around, spied her, and smiled broadly. Though she was a little aware that his attention on her had caught the attention of several other people, she didn't care in the slightest.

No one, not even Edmund when he'd proposed to her, had ever looked at her the way Zack was looking.

As if no one in the world mattered to him as much as she did.

Beside her, Mattie sighed rather dreamily. “Leona, he really likes you,” she whispered.

Leona felt that way, too, but she hated to jinx herself. “Maybe. I mean, I hope he does.”

Mattie shook her head. “I'm not just making conversation. I think this Zachary Kaufmann
really
likes you. I realized that at the beach. Whenever he wasn't by your side, he eyed you as if you were on the other end of his fishing pole.”

“Fishing pole?”

“
Jah
. Like he couldn't wait to reel you closer to him.”

Leona giggled at the image. “
Danke
. I think.”

Then Sara clutched her arm. “I have to admit that I didn't understand any of what you've been doing, Le. But now that I've observed how both Edmund and Zack treat you, and was able to compare them on the same day, I've got to admit that you've made the right choice.”

Sara's words meant the world. Thinking that she'd disappointed her friends had really bothered her. But Sara's words also reminded Leona of how the Lord had actually been the one to orchestrate what had been happening between herself and Zack.

“I don't know if I actually made a choice,” she pointed out. All she'd done was come to the conclusion that Edmund was not right for her. And she'd done that far too late. Then she hadn't been able to resist Zack's smiles. And that, without a doubt, had been rather foolish. “All I did was follow my heart, and I'm not even sure if my heart knows what it is doing.”

“I think it might,” Sara said.

“Really?”

But before Sara could explain herself—though she really didn't need to—Zack was right there.

“You came,” he said, his gaze warm.

She smiled right back, not even caring that she probably looked decidedly dreamy. “I did. I mean, we did.”

“I'm glad.” He smiled at her and then nodded his greetings to both Mattie and Sara. “Girls, come on in and I'll introduce you to everyone.”

Everyone? There had to be at least a hundred people milling around. “There's no need for that,” Leona said quickly. “We'll just hang out with you and your friends.”

Looking a little sheepish, he said, “I don't think that's possible.
Everyone is really looking forward to meeting all three of you.”

Leona liked how Zack automatically included her girlfriends in his statement. So far, she'd noticed him doing things like that a lot. It seemed he never wanted anyone to ever feel left out.

As they walked farther inside, and she realized that there had to be almost thirty people in the living room alone, she looked at him curiously. “When Violet said that your family was having a couple of people over for cards, I thought maybe you'd have six or eight. At the most.”

He looked a little pained. “It started out that way.”

“Started?”

“Things got a little out of hand fairly quickly.”

“Only a little?” Leona teased.

He shrugged. “When word spread that you, Sara, and Mattie might be here, a lot of people decided that they would like to stop by.” He smiled over at Mattie and Sara. “I hope you girls are hungry. There are more pies, cakes, cookies, and other snacks here than you can imagine. It seems every lady who walked through the door decided to bring dessert.”

“Except the three of us.” Leona frowned. “I didn't even think to bring anything.”

“You shouldn't have brought anything but yourselves. You're the guests.”

“But so is everyone else who is here.”

“I meant, you're the only ones who are living in a B and B.”

“Ah.” Because she couldn't argue with that point, she let the subject drop. Just then, Danny and Jeremy joined them along with some of the people Mattie and Leona had met on Siesta Key. Mattie and Sara began chatting with everyone.

Leona was relieved that both of her girlfriends looked happy to be talking to Danny's and Jeremy's friends. Almost right away, Mattie was laughing at something and Sara was smiling at one of the girls.

Next thing she knew, Leona found herself smiling, too.

Zack noticed. “What brought on that smile?”

Meeting his gaze, she realized that he was staring at her. Like her sudden smile meant something to him. “I was a little worried that they might feel left out if you and I spent much time together. But now I think they're going to be all right. I'm relieved.”

Looking in their direction, Zack nodded. “I promise, Sara and Mattie will have fun. We've got a real nice group of friends and neighbors.”

“Thank you again for inviting us.”

His gaze warmed before he shrugged off her thanks. “No reason to thank me. Like I said, I'm glad you could come over.” After a moment's pause, he rested his palm on the small of her back.

That gentle touch both calmed her nerves and heightened her awareness of him—as if she needed any reminding! Realizing he was waiting for a response, she said, “I'm glad, too.”

He smiled. “Let me introduce you to some people.”

Before she could answer, he guided her into the kitchen, where Violet and a couple of other ladies were setting out fruit kabobs. “Everyone, this here is Leona.”

Most of the women smiled gamely in her direction or said hello, but one of them stopped what she was doing as they approached. One look into her eyes told Leona that she had to be Mrs. Kaufmann. She had the family's blue eyes and likeable, easygoing manner.

Zack winked at Leona as the lady walked around the kitchen counter to greet her. “Get ready,” he warned in a tender tone. “My family is a bit enthusiastic.”

Leona flashed a grin his way before holding out her hand to the lady who approached.

“Hello, dear. I've been looking forward to meeting you.”

Leona smiled as they clasped hands. “By the looks of your eyes, I'd guess you are Mrs. Kaufmann. I've never met another group of people who have such striking eyes.”

“Thank you for the compliment. It's nice to meet you, Leona. Now, please, call me Ginny.”

“
Danke,
Ginny.”

Ginny looked around the crowded area. “Did your girlfriends make it here, okay?”

“Oh, yes. They're with some of Zack's friends.” She smiled at the other women who were listening shamelessly. “I can't believe you're hosting such a big party.”

Looking vaguely like she was hiding a secret, Ginny shrugged. “It doesn't usually work out like this, but word of our get-together spread like wildfire tonight. I hope you and your friends will enjoy yourselves. We're happy you came.”

“
Danke
. I'm sure we will.”

Ginny's eyes lit up. “Now, dear, how about I introduce you to some of our—”

“I'm going to take her to the backyard first, Mamm,” Zack interrupted.

“Oh, all right.”

After giving his mother a meaningful look, Zack took Leona's elbow and guided her through the people and out the back door.

Once they were outside, Leona exhaled. There were far fewer people on the deck and patio than there were out front or
in the house. Someone had lit little torches and a fire pit, too, so there was a soothing glow against the twilight sky.

It was pretty and also fairly quiet. She looked at Zack in surprise. “Why did you bring me out here?”

“For a couple of reasons.”

“Oh?”

“Well, I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

She smiled a little self-consciously. “I've been to parties before, Zack. I think I can handle myself just fine.”

“I wasn't concerned about that.”

“What were you concerned about?”

“I was thinking that a lot has happened to you lately.”

“You could say that,” she hedged, hoping he wasn't going to make her relive Edmund's surprise visit all over again.

But instead of turning judgmental, his expression softened. “Don't look at me like that. I'm not being critical.”

“Oh?” She knew she sounded tongue-tied, but she felt that way. There was that same pull between them again. That pull she'd never felt before and wasn't sure she wanted to fight.

While she simply stared, he stepped closer, then reached out and took her hand. Ran his thumb lightly along her knuckles. “I'm sure it had to be difficult. Are you all right?”

“I'm all right.” And she was. Especially since Zack was holding her hand and looking at her like everything she thought mattered to him a great deal.

His expression, his touch, the way he honestly cared about her, it all combined and made her shiver. He was being wonderful, and it was so different from how Edmund had treated her, it was almost overwhelming.

Seeing her response, his blue eyes narrowed. “You don't have to tell me a thing, but I want you to know that I care.”

Feeling even more emotional, she dropped his hand and leaned against the back wall of the house. She needed a bit of space between them. Otherwise, she was going to be completely drawn into everything he was saying.

If she did that, she would be even more heartbroken when she left Pinecraft.

“Leona? I didn't mean to make you upset.” After a beat, his voice hardened. “Or does thinking about Edmund make you upset?”

“
Nee
. He was . . . he was fine.”

“Then what is wrong?” Reaching out, he took her hand again. This time folding it between both of his own. “You look like you are about to cry.”

It was his concern, ironically, that was making her feel choked up. He was treating her the way she'd always hoped Edmund would treat her but never had.

“I'm sorry,” she murmured. “It's just that for the last few days, everything has been really stressful.”

“I can only imagine. I've never been engaged, but—”

She cut him off. “It isn't because of what happened with Edmund. It's because of you.”

“Me?”

“I don't mean to embarrass you, but I guess you can tell that I really am glad we met. I've liked spending time with you.”

“You know I've felt the same way.” He looked at his feet. “Gosh, I've been half worried that you thought I was being too forward, being at the same restaurant you were, inviting you to the beach”—he winced—“showing up at your B and B with a bag of fruit. I'm not usually so pushy or awkward.”

“I haven't thought you were awkward at all. I've liked everything you've done.”

“So what is wrong?”

“Edmund and I are officially through. He's on the bus back to Ohio now, and I have a feeling he's probably already told all thirty people on that bus how horrible his former fiancée is.”

“Surely not.”

“No, I'm afraid so.” Closing her eyes, she added, “Then, unfortunately, he'll tell more stories when he gets home. I'm going to have a hard time showing my face anywhere in Walnut Creek when we get back.”

“No one would ever believe bad stories about you.”

She opened her eyes and gazed up into his again. “You sound so certain.”

“That's because I am.” He exhaled. “Leona, I don't want to scare you, but I'm really enjoying your company. A lot. I wish you didn't have to leave Sarasota in just a couple of days.”

The right thing to do was nod and say something appropriate. Or say nothing! Saying nothing would be a very good idea.

But instead, Leona blurted out what was spinning in her head. It was completely inappropriate. And completely too bold.

“I've been wishing for that, too, Zack,” she admitted. “Actually, I've started to wish for a whole lot of things where you are concerned.”

When his body tensed, Leona feared she'd just said the absolute
wrong
thing.