The Restoration (33 page)

Priscilla was pleased David seemed to be trying so hard to become part of the Amish community. If things continued to go well after his classes, he would be baptized and join the church this fall. Sometime between now and then, David would need to move out of his grandparents’ house, get a horse and buggy, and find a job in the community. As eager as he seemed to become Amish, Priscilla was surprised he hadn’t done those things already. Of course, he’d been learning the woodworking trade from his grandfather, so that should help him find a good job.

“Why don’t we stop at the bulk food store and see if Elam’s working there today?” David suggested.

Priscilla cringed. If Elam saw her with David again, he might be upset. When she and Elam had eaten a meal out together, which turned out to be several days after the Valentine’s Day blizzard, he’d been perturbed when she’d even mentioned David’s name. Priscilla had made the mistake of telling Elam that David dropped by Elaine’s on the evening of Valentine’s Day and ended up spending the night, along with their dinner guests. This information hadn’t set well with Elam. Priscilla had been wise enough not to tell him about the card and gift David had given her. She didn’t like keeping things from Elam, but if he knew about the gift, it would have caused more tension.

David bumped Priscilla’s arm. “Did you hear what I said about stopping at the bulk food store?”

“Jah, I heard, but unless you need something there, I don’t see any point in stopping.”

“Really? I figured you’d want to see Elam.”

Priscilla sucked in her bottom lip. “I’ll be seeing him this Friday night. He invited me out for supper.”

David’s forehead creased. “Oh, I see.” She could see that he was clearly disappointed. “Well, I do need to pick up a few things Gram asked me to get.”

Priscilla gripped the edge of her seat.
I really hope Elam’s not working there today.

Elam was at the front counter waiting on a customer when he spotted David and Priscilla entering the store.
I can’t believe Priscilla’s with David again. I wish she hadn’t brought him here. Seeing them together is like rubbing salt in my wounds. Don’t understand why she wants to spend so much time with that fellow.

Elam tried to keep his focus on Margaret Kauffman, who was paying for her purchases, but it was hard not to watch David and Priscilla as they made their way down one of the aisles.
Maybe I should quit
worrying about money and propose to Priscilla. Then David would know she’s mine.

As soon as he had Margaret’s things put in paper sacks and placed her money in the cash register, Elam headed in the direction Priscilla and David had gone. No other customers were in the store at the moment, so it wouldn’t matter if he wasn’t behind the counter for a few minutes.

“What brings you to the store today?” he asked Priscilla.

She smiled. “We were out with my horse and buggy, so David could practice driving. He needed to stop here to get some things for his grandma.”

It now irked Elam that David had turned to Priscilla for driving lessons instead of asking him or one of the other men in their community. David spent more time with Elam’s girlfriend than Elam did these days.

“So what is it you need for your grandma?” He looked at David.

“Some Sure-Jell, for one thing.”

“It can be found in the next aisle.”

“I know what shelf it’s on. We were just heading there,” Priscilla interjected. Her cheeks colored when David smiled at her.

Is there something going on between them?
Elam asked himself.
Maybe David needs a reminder that Priscilla is my girlfriend.

“Don’t forget, Priscilla, I’ll be by around five to pick you up for supper on Friday evening.” Elam glanced at David then back at Priscilla.

She smiled. “Oh, I haven’t forgotten. I’ll be ready on time.”

“That’s great. See you then.” Elam walked away, feeling a bit better. At least David saw how things were. If he had any designs on Priscilla, knowing she was still being courted would discourage him.

Elaine had taken some towels off the line when Jonah’s horse and buggy pulled in. She waved and greeted him at the hitching rack.

“I came by like I promised to replace your broken window.” He stepped down from his buggy.

She smiled. “I appreciate you taking the time to do this for me, Jonah.”

“It’s not a problem.” He went around to secure his horse then took a new piece of glass from the back of his buggy. “This should work fine.”

Elaine stepped aside. “I’ll get back to taking clothes off the line now, and let you put the new window in place. When you’re done, if you have the time, I have some freshly made banana bread we can have with a cup of coffee. Just holler if you need any help.”

“Sounds good.” Jonah grabbed his tools and the piece of glass then headed off to take care of the task.

While Elaine finished taking the clothes off the line, she thought about the first day she had met Jonah, soon after he’d moved to Arthur from Pennsylvania. She’d been attracted to his good looks right away, but after getting to know him, she realized what a nice man he was. It hadn’t taken her long to fall in love with Jonah, either. As they began courting and their relationship grew, she looked forward to the day he would ask her to marry him.

If only I’d felt free to say yes when Jonah did finally ask.
Elaine’s gaze went to the window he was replacing.
Now I’m faced with another decision concerning Ben.

Elaine remembered her grandma saying once, “If you love someone, you ought to let them know if not in word, then by your actions.”

She clutched a favorite bath towel, heart hammering in her chest.
I still love Jonah and always have, but I can’t say anything—especially knowing he’s still grieving the loss of Sara. Besides, whatever feelings Jonah once had for me are surely dead.

Elaine bent down and picked up the basket of laundry. She’d only made it as far as the porch when another horse and buggy pulled in. It was Ben. Setting the laundry basket down, she walked out to meet him.

He stepped down from his buggy. “I came by to see if you wanted to have supper with me, but it looks like you have company.”

“Jonah Miller is here replacing a broken window for me.” Elaine gestured toward the house.

Ben frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me you needed it done? You never mentioned having a broken window.”

“It happened on Valentine’s evening during the awful blizzard we had,” she explained. “I kept putting it off because I’ve been so busy. Since a piece of plywood had been put over the broken window, I figured it could wait.”

Ben glanced toward the house then back at Elaine. “So you asked Jonah to fix it instead of me?”

Elaine shook her head. “I didn’t ask him. He offered to do it when he helped me get into the house after I lost my key.”

Ben frowned again, a little deeper this time. “You didn’t tell me about the key, either.”

She turned her hands palms up. “Ben, it wasn’t important. Jonah happened by when I was locked out of the house, he found a way in, and I went back to the health food store the next day and got the key I had left there.”

“I see.” He dropped his gaze to the ground. “Guess our relationship isn’t as strong as I thought it was, because to me, something like that is important. Everything that happens to you is important.”

Elaine had mixed feelings. On one hand, she felt bad Ben had been hurt by this. On the other hand, she thought he was overreacting. The only thing she wanted to make sure of was not letting him leave here with hard feelings.

“I’m sorry, Ben,” she apologized. “I probably should have told you about being locked out, as well as the broken window. It’s no excuse, but things have been so hectic around here, with several dinners scheduled, yard work, and keeping up with all the inside chores. I just didn’t think to tell you everything that’s gone on here.”

He stood several seconds without saying a word then finally nodded. “I accept your apology.”

She smiled up at him. “Now why did you stop by?”

“To ask if you’d like to have supper with me this evening.” Ben folded his arms. “I asked when I first got here, remember?”

A rush of heat traveled up Elaine’s neck and quickly spread to her face. “Oh, you’re right.”

“So how about it? Are you free to go?”

“Not tonight, Ben. I still have laundry to fold and put away, and I can’t go anywhere until Jonah’s done with the window, either.”

“What about Friday night? Would you be free then?”

She nodded. “I have a dinner to host on Saturday but nothing for Friday.”

Ben’s face seemed to relax. “Good. I’ll be by to pick you up around five. Will the time be okay for you?”

“Jah, five o’clock is fine.”

“Okay, see you then.” Ben glanced at the place Jonah was still working; then he leaned over and kissed Elaine. Had he done it on purpose, hoping Jonah would see?
No, that’s ridiculous
, Elaine told herself.
Nothing is going on between me and Jonah, so why would Ben want to make him jealous?

I
t was nice of you to invite us out for supper tonight.” Cora smiled at Adam from across the table, where he sat with Jared on one side of him and Linda on the other. Leah was seated on Cora’s right and Amy on the left, with Carrie in a booster chair at the end of the table.

Adam smiled. “We wanted to do something special to celebrate your birthday, as well as the purchase of your new home. Sharing a meal at Yoder’s Kitchen really benefits all of us, doesn’t it, girls?”

Linda and Carrie nodded, but Amy sat, staring at her plate.

“You haven’t eaten much. Don’t you like your chicken?” Cora asked, leaning closer to Amy.

The child merely shrugged in response.

Cora glanced at Leah, wishing she could ask if everything was all right. Since Leah made no comment about Amy’s behavior, Cora thought it best not to say anything, either.

“When do we get to see this new place of yours?” Adam asked. “From what you’ve told us, it sounds pretty nice.”

“Oh, it is,” Cora said excitedly. “Our closing date isn’t for thirty days, so we can’t move in until then. But if you want to see it sooner, I can ask the Realtor to give you a tour of the place.”

“No, that’s okay. We can wait till moving day. Just be sure to let us know the exact date so we can help you out.”

Cora nodded. “Thanks, Adam. I’ve made arrangements for a professional mover to get our furniture out of storage in Chicago and bring it here. But you could help with the boxes and smaller things.”

“It’s a really great place, Adam,” Jared interjected. “You’ll like it—especially the pond out back. It’s full of fish.”

“Fish for fishing or fish for watching?” Adam questioned.

“Mainly goldfish and some koi. They’re sure gonna be neat to watch.”

“We were surprised to discover the pond,” Cora said. “It’s a nice added feature to the outdoor space, and so tranquil.”

“I need to use the bathroom.” Abruptly, Amy pushed her chair away from the table.

“Would you like me to go with you?” Leah offered.

Amy shook her head. “I’m not a boppli, you know.”

“Of course you’re not. I just thought—”

Amy hurried away before Leah finished her sentence.

“Amy seems sullen this evening,” Cora commented. “Did she have a rough day at school?”

“Nothing happened at school.” Leah’s voice lowered as she touched her stomach. “But she’s been acting strangely ever since I started showing.”

“Isn’t she looking forward to the baby coming?” Cora whispered.

“I’m guessing she’s not.”

“Have you asked her about it?”

“I’ve tried, but she won’t talk about it.” Leah sighed. “Amy tends to keep her feelings bottled up inside.”

“Would you like me to talk to her?” Cora asked.

“I’d appreciate it. In fact, I was going to ask if you might try getting through to her.”

“I’ll go talk to her right now.” Cora left her seat and made her way to the women’s restroom. She found Amy at the sink, washing her hands.

“You’re kind of quiet tonight.” Cora approached the child. “Is everything all right?”