The Restoration (16 page)

“Not all day, Mom. You took a nap in the afternoon.”

“True, but… Never mind. I’ll stop at the convenience store on my way to work and pick up something for lunch.” She put the turkey back in the refrigerator. “I’ll go by the grocery store on my way home and get some lunch meat, cheese, and a loaf of bread. You can eat what’s left of the turkey for your lunch today.”

“Sure, Mom, whatever you say.”

Cora wished she didn’t have to go to work and leave Jared home by himself, but he wasn’t a little kid anymore and could manage on his own.

Elaine stood at the kitchen sink, staring out the window at the dismal day. The gray sky and dark clouds were in stark contrast to the beautiful weather they’d had over the weekend.

She thought about Christmas Day, when she’d seen Jonah walking along the side of the road. Her heart ached, thinking about the sadness she’d seen on his face. What really concerned her was the bitterness he obviously felt over losing Sara. To say he would never marry again meant Jonah must have loved Sara very much.

Elaine gripped the edge of the sink.
More than he loved me, no doubt. What a fool I was to send Jonah away and let him believe I didn’t love him. If I had married him, Sara may have found someone else, and she might still be alive.

Elaine needed to stop thinking like this and concentrate on something else, but first she needed to pray for Jonah.

Taking a seat at the table, she bowed her head.
Heavenly Father, please be with Jonah. Let him feel Your presence, and send someone to help him work through his grief. Please be with Jonah’s precious children, and give him the courage and wisdom to raise them in a godly manner. Amen.

Elaine finished her prayer just as a knock sounded on the back door. When she opened it, Priscilla stood on the porch, holding a cardboard box.

“Guder mariye.” Priscilla smiled. “I came ready to work, and I even brought lunch.”

“Good morning.” Elaine opened the door wider. “What’d you bring?”

“I made Friendship Salad, and Mom gave me a loaf of homemade wheat bread.”

“Both sound delicious.” Elaine led the way to the kitchen. “You can put the box on the table. I’ll take the salad and bread out while you remove your shawl and outer bonnet.”

“Are you as anxious as I am to start working on that cookbook we talked about putting together?” Priscilla asked after she’d removed her wraps.

“Sure am.” Elaine put the salad in the refrigerator and placed the bread on the counter. “I have so many tasty recipes Grandma used to make. She served many of them to her dinner guests. It’ll be nice to get them compiled and put into a cookbook I can offer to those who come for future dinners.”

“Speaking of dinners, when is your next one scheduled?” Priscilla took a seat at the table.

“This Friday evening.”

Priscilla’s eyebrows rose. “On New Year’s Eve?”

Elaine nodded. “That won’t be a problem for you, will it?”

“I guess not, although Elam mentioned the two of us getting together.”

“The dinner shouldn’t last too long—probably not much past eight o’clock. Could you get together with Elam after that?”

“I suppose, but by the time I help you clean up, it could be nine or after, and I’ll be tired, so…”

“That’s okay. If you and Elam make plans for later, I’ll take care of the cleanup myself.”

Priscilla shook her head vigorously. “I won’t even consider that. I’ll see if Elam would be willing to wait till New Year’s Day to get together.”

Elaine could see by the determined set of her friend’s jaw she’d made up her mind. “Okay. Now since that’s all settled, should we start looking through some of Grandma’s recipes?”

Priscilla nodded. “After we work on it awhile, we can enjoy the Friendship Salad.”

“How are things going up here?” Adam joined Ben behind the front counter.

“Good. We’ve had enough customers to keep me busy but not so many I needed to call on you for help.” Ben smiled. “You were busy in your office, and I didn’t want to ask unless it was necessary.”

“I did get a lot done, so thanks for taking care of the customers.” Adam glanced at the clock near the front door. “Has Scott showed up yet?”

Ben shook his head. “No, he hasn’t. I figured since he was on break from school this week he’d come in this morning. But here it is past noon, and he hasn’t come in.”

Adam’s forehead wrinkled. “That’s strange. I thought when Scott and his friend Jared, were working here last week Scott said he’d be in early today.”

“Maybe he got sick over the weekend.”

“If that were the case, his mother would have called to tell me he wouldn’t be coming in.” Adam pulled out his handkerchief, hoping to ward off a sneeze he felt coming. He’d just put the hanky away when the front door opened and Cora walked in. Adam froze.
I wonder what she’s doing here.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Adam.” She stepped up to the counter. “I’m on my lunch break. Could I speak to you alone?”

Adam was on the verge of telling her no, but feeling Ben’s eyes on him, he mumbled, “Sure. Let’s go to my office.”

Leading the way to the back of the store, Adam remained quiet until he and Cora were in the room. “I’m kind of busy right now, so I hope this isn’t going to take long.”

She shook her head.

Adam gestured to the chair on the other side of his desk. “You can sit there, if you like.”

“No, that’s all right. I’ll stand.” With her gaze fixed on him, Cora drew in a quick breath. “I understand you hired my son to work for you before Christmas.”

Adam scratched the side of his head. “Huh?”

“Jared. You hired Jared to work for you.”

Adam’s eyes widened. “You’re Jared’s mother?”

She nodded slowly. “He’s your brother, Adam. Well, half brother, anyway.”

Adam tried to digest what she’d said. Then as Cora’s words sank in, he sank into his chair. “How long were you planning to keep me in the dark about this?”

“I—I wanted to tell you a few months ago, but you didn’t want to hear anything I had to say.”

“Why are you telling me now?” The words stuck in Adam’s throat as he fought for control.
No wonder Jared reminded me of someone. It was probably myself.

“When Jared admitted he’d been working at your store, without my permission, I was afraid you might have said something about me to him.”

Adam shook his head. “I didn’t know he was your son, so why would I say anything about you?”

“I don’t know. I just thought… And by the way, that note he gave you was written by one of his friends, not me.” Cora reached into her purse for a tissue to blot the tears dribbling onto her cheeks. “Has Leah ever said anything to you about Jared?”

Adam stiffened. “Are you saying my wife knows I have a half brother?”

“Well, she’s aware I have a son by the man I married after I divorced your father. But she’s never met Jared.”

Adam put his arms on his desk, clenching his fingers. “I can’t believe Leah didn’t tell me.”

“I asked her not to.”

“Is that so? What gives you the right to expect my wife to keep secrets from me?” Adam’s face heated to such a degree, he felt as if he’d acquired a sunburn.

“I’m sorry, Adam. I should have told you about Jared sooner.”

What you should have done was remained Amish and raised your son and daughter, like any good mother would do.
Adam swallowed against the bile rising in his throat. Just when he’d thought he’d gotten past the bitterness he felt toward his mother, she hit him with this.

“Does Jared know about me?” Adam asked.

“Not yet. I’d planned to tell him, but I didn’t want to until I’d told you.”

“Tell me what, Mom?”

Cora whirled around, and Adam leaped out of his chair. Jared stood inside the door of his office beside Scott.
Okay, Cora
, Adam thought.
Let’s see how you’re going to deal with this.

C
ora’s heart pounded as she stood face-to-face with Jared. “We should go, son. We can talk about this when we get home.”

“Talk about what, Mom? What were you and Adam talking about when I walked in?”

“What are you doing here anyway?” Cora quickly changed the subject.

“Came to see Scott. Wanted to ask him something.” He turned and motioned to his friend, standing inside the doorway.

“You’re late for work, Scott, but since you’re here now, I think you’d better get busy,” Adam spoke up.

Scott glanced at Jared questioningly then left the room.

“Let’s all have seats, and we can talk about this.” Adam pulled two more chairs up to his desk, then closed the door.

Feeling like a mouse caught in a trap, Cora sat. Glancing toward the office door, she rubbed her brow, wanting nothing more than to bolt. This was not the way she’d planned to tell her son that Adam was his older brother.

Cora waited until Adam and Jared took seats, then she drew in a quick breath and began. “In all these years, Jared, I’ve never talked to you about my childhood.” She closed her eyes to say a quick prayer.
Give me strength and the right words.
“The truth is, I grew up in an Amish home.”

“Say what?” Jared blinked a couple of times, and his eyes widened.

“I used to be Amish before I met your dad. I was married to an Amish man. His name was Andrew Beachy. We lived in Pennsylvania.” As the words poured out, Cora paused to collect her thoughts. “Andrew and I had two children—Adam and Mary.”

“So are you sayin’ that Adam and me are brothers?” Jared leaned forward.

“We’re half brothers,” Adam interjected.

Jared glared at him. “You knew about this but never said a word? Is that why ya let me work for you, ’cause we’re related?”

Adam shook his head vigorously. “I only found out Cora’s your mother a few minutes before you got here. I was as surprised by this as you are.”

Jared looked back at Cora. “Well, keep talkin’, Mom. I wanna hear all the details.”

Cora gripped her hands as she continued to tell Jared how she’d left the Amish faith to pursue a career in nursing.

“Did your Amish husband leave, too?” Jared questioned.

Cora shook her head.

“So you took your kids and left him?”

Cora swallowed hard. Her throat felt so tight she could barely speak. “No, I—I left our children with Andrew.”

Jared’s face reddened as he leaped out of his chair. “You walked out on your husband and just left your kids?” He pointed a trembling finger at her. “And you think Dad was terrible for cheatin’ on you and runnin’ out on your marriage!”

“I—I didn’t cheat on Andrew.” Cora’s voice trembled. “I was young and had dreams of becoming a nurse. Please understand, Jared. I begged Andrew to go with me, but he refused.” She halted for a breath, to compose herself. She wanted to remain silent, to let all this sink in, not only for Jared, but for Adam as well. But the need to tell her side of things made Cora continue. “I wanted to take the children, but he said if I tried, he would move and I’d never find them.”

“Apparently you did.” Jared motioned to Adam.

“It was a surprise to me when I found out Adam lived here in Arthur. I’d tried to find him and his sister before, but never could because my first husband took them and left Pennsylvania to begin a new life somewhere else.” Cora sighed. No one there would tell me where they’d moved. Because I’d left my husband and filed for divorce, I was shunned.”

“So I have a half sister, too?” Jared blinked rapidly.

“Yes, her name is Mary. She and her husband were killed in an accident. Adam and his wife are raising Mary’s three girls.” Cora would have said more about how Mary died, after what she’d learned from Leah, but thought Adam should do that, perhaps another time, when he and Jared could talk more and get to know each other better.

“Cousins.” Jared sank to his chair again, shaking his head in disbelief.

“No, Amy, Linda, and Carrie are my nieces,” Adam corrected. “It makes them your half nieces.”

Jared groaned. “Wow, this story keeps getting better and better.” He glared at Cora. “Besides the fact that you were a lousy mother for runnin’ out on your kids, you had no right to keep all this from me.”

“I know, Jared, and I was planning to tell you. I couldn’t seem to work up the nerve. I didn’t think you would understand.” Cora pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to squelch the tears dribbling onto her cheeks.