A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn (11 page)

“You should simply write the words from your heart then.”

“I wish it was that easy.” Grimacing, he said, “For some reason, a white sheet of paper isn't giving me the same kind of feedback.”

Jay laughed. “I'm no writer, but I can only suggest that you keep trying.”

“You think it's that easy?”

“Jah,”
Jay said, realizing that he was speaking to himself as much as to Michael. “After all, the only other option is to go backward, and you don't want that.”

“You're right. I really don't want that.”

Jay couldn't bear to slide back to that vacant place where his emotions were on hold and he didn't dare to feel too much. Living day to day, hoping to simply get through it while spending half the night unable to sleep was no way to live. Even worse, his boys had known he was living like that and they'd been worried about him.

Michael clasped Jay on the shoulder. “
Danke
. I knew asking you for help was a
gut
idea.” He smiled at William who was returning from speaking with his friend, then went on his way.

“Daed, you ready?”

“I am, indeed,” Jay murmured. He was suddenly ready for anything to happen. More than ready.

E
mma started setting up a buffet in the kitchen practically the moment she walked in her front door. Though she usually asked the girls to help her, she knew they were excited about having company over and restless after having to sit quietly during the service at church. Therefore, she'd simply asked them to play outside with Frankie.

As Frankie, whose favorite game was playing tag with the girls, barked and howled while Annie laughed and squealed, Emma finally relaxed. Her youngest could make even the cloudiest days seem brighter. She had certainly lifted Emma's mood after that upsetting conversation with her mother. Feeling back on track once again, Emma got to work with a new sense of peace.

Out from the refrigerator came the salads and two Mason jars filled with pickles that she'd jarred a few months back. Next came a tall pitcher of lemonade. She was just reaching into her
small pantry for the bags of potato chips when Mandy wandered into the kitchen, leaned against one of the counters, and sighed.

“Mandy, why aren't you outside playing with Frankie?”

“'Cause I've got something to ask you.”

Impatience warred with curiosity. Then, seeing as how Mandy had that look on her face that said she was settling in for a good long while, Emma stopped and faced her daughter across the counter. “What is it, dear?”

“Mommy, I don't see why the boys have to come over,” Mandy said, pouting.

Emma was surprised—and curious as to what had brought this on. But she couldn't resist teasing her middle girl a little bit before she got her answers. “That wasn't a question . . .”

“I know.” Mandy plopped both elbows on the counter and rested her head in her hands, as if she were an old lady.

“What is wrong with the boys?”

“Boys are gross.”

Well, this was certainly a new opinion for her six-year-old.

“Boys are not gross, and you like William, Mark, and Ben,” Emma said. “Plus they have all been mighty nice to you. You shouldn't speak about them that way.”

“I'm only telling you the truth.”

“No, you're being mean,” Emma retorted, deciding to nip her six-year-old's sudden, contrary mood in the bud. “I don't know what brought this on, but you have picked a bad time to start being unneighborly.” Before Mandy could begin another outburst, Emma pointed to the stack of paper goods on the kitchen table. “Now help me put all the paper plates, napkins, and cups out.”

“Mamm, you said we didn't have to help.”

“I also said I wanted you to go out and play with your sisters
and Frankie and Mark, who just arrived. You chose not to do that. Therefore, you can do this.”

“I'm gonna go right now.” Then, before Emma could chastise Mandy for ignoring her directions, Mandy darted out the door, just as Tricia, Ben, and Beverly came in the same way.

“Whoops!” said Beverly with a grin. “Someone is in a hurry.”

That “someone” also knew how to behave far better than she was. If she'd been alone, Emma would have marched outside and told Mandy what she thought about her behavior. But if she'd been alone, Mandy would have likely not been causing so much trouble. Which, of course, was part of the problem, Emma realized. This situation was just as new and nerve-wracking for Mandy as it was for her mother. She should have thought about that and prepared the girls better.

Suddenly Emma felt exhausted by the weight of all of her responsibilities. Sometimes she was just so tired of trying to do everything. It was impossible. That knowledge, of course, brought back all of her worries and doubts. She was pretty good at pretending she was fine, though. And that was definitely what she needed to do now.

She smiled brightly. “Hello!
Wilcom!
”

“Hiya, Emma,” Ben said as he led the way to the kitchen. “We saw the girls in your yard so we came on in. My
daed
and William are out there now, too.”

“I'm glad you all could come over.” Then, noticing that all three of them had full hands, she said, “What did you bring?”

“Berries,” Ben said. “Blackberries and strawberries, too. My brothers and I picked them just this morning.”

The fruit was in a medium-sized white stoneware bowl. As soon as he pulled the white dishcloth off the top of it, the delectable scent of fresh fruit floated across the kitchen.

She closed her eyes and sniffed deeply in appreciation. “They look
wunderbaar
.
Danke
.”

“It was nothing. We already washed them, too.”

“Perfect! Would you mind setting the bowl over there with the other food?”

While Ben went to do that, Beverly stepped to her side. “That is quite a spread, Emma. Were you cooking all night?”

“
Nee
. Just a little bit.”

Tricia chuckled. “That's not what Lena said. At church she whispered that you were cooking most of yesterday and this morning, too.”

“Lena does like to talk. Let me see what you ladies brought.”

“I baked banana bread. I think it turned out well, but Beverly's cake is what I can't wait to try,” Tricia said.

Because truly, Beverly's cake was a thing of beauty. Three layers, covered with a thick, homemade chocolate frosting . . . it looked delicious. “Oh, Beverly. You honor us.”

Beverly shrugged off the comment, acting as if she baked three-layer cakes from scratch all the time. Which, of course, she probably did. “It was nothing. You know how I like to bake.”

“Tell me how the inn is going,” Emma said as she waved Tricia and Ben back outside.

“It's going,” Beverly said as she turned to watch Tricia and Ben go back out through the sliding glass door. “We're busy, which is a blessing.”

“Sadie's shared that she often visits your inn for teatime.”

“She does come over for tea almost every day.” Smiling softly, she added, “She's so friendly and welcoming to my guests, I'm grateful that she joins us.”

“I think she also enjoys your baking.”

“I always bake too much, so I'm glad she does.”

“I'm jealous. I'm going to stop by one day, too,” she teased.

“I hope you will. My guests love to visit with locals.”

Emma noticed that she said the last while gazing out into the backyard but Beverly was frowning, too. “Is everything all right?”

Beverly nodded. “Oh, sure. Fine. I'm just a little worried about Tricia and Ben.”

That took Emma by surprise. “Why is that? I think they seem mighty happy together.”

“Oh, they're happy. But I'm a little worried that they might be forgetting to be cautious.”

“What do they need to be cautious about?”

“Everything.”

Emma smiled before she realized that Beverly was being completely serious.

As if she sensed Emma's confusion, Beverly said, “Because Tricia is my niece and not my daughter, I worry about meddling. I want to help her, but I don't want to overstep my place, either.” She sighed. “That said, I have some experience having my heart broken. Tricia needs to tread carefully and not let her emotions get the best of her.”

“How would that happen?”

“Well, I'm worried she has already fallen in love with Ben.”

“Would that be a bad thing?” Emma couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. If she'd learned anything after Sanford's death, it was that love was a wonderful thing and shouldn't be taken for granted.

“I think so.”

Though Ben wasn't her child, Emma felt protective of him. “He's a fine young man. She could do far worse.”

“I agree that he does seem nice. But it takes time to really know a person. Don't you agree?”

If that was the case, then Emma
really
didn't know what to think about the feelings she'd been experiencing around Jay. “I'm not sure,” she said at last.

“It's different for us. We're older. They're so young, Emma.”

“Luckily, their relationship is out of our hands.”

“That's what I'm worried about.”

Emma felt sorry for Beverly's worries but she agreed that Ben and Tricia's relationship
was
out of their hands. If Beverly didn't realize that the couple was old enough to know how they felt—and that the Lord was already watching over them—Beverly wasn't going to want Emma adding her opinions, too.

Therefore, it was time to switch topics. “You know what, I think everything is ready. Let's go tell everyone.”

“Good idea.”

As they walked outside, Emma's attention was immediately drawn to Annie, who was sitting on the ground crying. Jay was kneeling next to her, obviously trying to comfort her. “What happened?” She brushed a strand of Annie's baby-soft hair away from her forehead. “Annie, are you hurt?”

Annie nodded, and Jay answered. “I think she's all right. She simply had a little scare. She tripped when she was playing.” Jay's expression was tender as he looked down at her youngest. To Emma's surprise, she noticed that Annie was staring back at Jay with trust in her eyes.

“You better, Annie?” Emma asked gently. After Annie nodded again, Emma helped her to her feet. “All right, everyone, lunch is ready!” she called out. “Go on inside, fill your plates, and come back out here to eat.”

Right away, the small crowd followed her directions. Lena raced to the house by William's side, Mark following on their heels. Ben and Tricia walked more sedately, looking oblivious
to everyone around them. Beverly followed, holding Mandy's hand.

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. It looked as though Mandy had gotten over whatever she'd been upset about earlier and Beverly had decided to put aside her worries for the time being.

Just as she was about to follow and make sure everyone had what they needed, Jay clasped her elbow. “Wait a minute, Emma. They'll be fine. You, on the other hand, look like you could use a moment's rest.”

Emma knew he was right. She did need a moment's peace. Besides, the only person there who would need help was now perched on Jay's lap. She pulled over one of her metal folding chairs and sat down next to him and Annie. “Thanks,” she said, feeling a little sheepish. “I guess I am looking a little frazzled.”

“You don't look frazzled at all. I simply hate the idea of you running yourself ragged for all of us.”

“I'm not ragged.” When his eyebrows rose, she giggled. “Okay, maybe I am a little ragged, but it's not your fault.”

“What happened? Life?”

She nodded. “I like how you said that. I think God was simply reminding me this afternoon that even best-laid plans can come tumbling down.”

“In spite of our best intentions.”

She nodded. “I should have known that, too.” Shaking off her mood, she said, “By the way, those berries look delicious.
Danke
for bringing them.”

He grinned as William and Mark popped back outside, their hands filled with heaping plates. “It's the least we can do. My boys don't get lunches like this too often. Obviously, they're happy about it. Thank you for inviting us.”

“I'm glad you could come.”

Tilting his head down to peer at Annie, he spoke gently. “What do you think, Miss Annie? Are you ready to get some lunch?”

“Uh-huh.”

Jay stood up and set her on the ground. “We'd better get our plates before everything's gone.”

Annie nodded, then to Emma's surprise, slipped her hand into Jay's. He gave her a little smile before leading the way inside.

Watching them, Emma silently gave praise. Here she'd been so nervous and worried about the number of people, the amount of food, and how everything would look. But God had shown her time and again that it was the special people in her life who she needed to concentrate on the most. And today was no different.

Everything else would be just fine.

S
oon after Emma had placed another pitcher of lemonade on the counter, helped Annie get her plate of food, and bent her head to silently say grace, everything that could possibly have gone wrong, did.

And it all started with Frankie.

As everyone sat down to eat, their usually lazy beagle became increasingly energetic. He barked. He whined for food. He propped his front paws up on the picnic table bench and the children's knees. He patrolled under the table for scraps. Continually. Like a shark.

He didn't listen to any of Emma's warnings, either.

She couldn't put him inside her bedroom because she didn't trust him not to scratch the door or suddenly start shredding her quilt. He had never done such things but she was worried that with all the company he was in an anything-goes mood.

Everyone, even the
kinner
, was becoming rather annoyed, and with good reason.

Then, just moments after Emma had chastised him yet again, she saw Frankie nudge William's knee with his nose and gaze soulfully up at him with his big brown eyes. For that award-worthy performance, William gave him a pickle.

Mandy, who was sitting beside William, did not like this happening one bit. “William,
nee
!” she snapped. “Frankie can't have pickles. You're gonna make him sick.”

“Oh, come on. It was just one.” He held up the other half of his pickle spear. “See,” he said with a know-it-all grin, “only half of one.”

“You shouldn't have done it!” Mandy's voice turned shrill and trembly. It was obvious to Emma that she was on the verge of tears.

Lena rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop, Mandy. It ain't like you've never given Frankie food before.”

“Not pickles. Never pickles.”

Lena shared a look with William. Even from where Emma was sitting, she recognized it as a superior smirk. The kind of smirk that said little sisters are nuisances. And while that might be true, Emma knew this was neither the time nor the place for it.

“Lena, be nice!” Emma called out, hoping to keep the little tiff from getting out of control. But she was too late.

Lena rolled her eyes.

Mandy pointed at her from across the table. “You canna do that, Lena. Mamm is gonna get mad.”

Lena lifted up her chin. “Mamm's only gonna get mad if you mess up our lunch. Which you are doing, Mandy.”

“Am not.”

“Are to!”

“You're being mean.”

“She's not being mean,” William interjected.

Just as Emma was about to get involved, Mark leaned over to his brother. “Stay out of it, Will,” Mark warned. “Mandy's problems ain't yours.”

“But I didn't do nothing anyway,” William snapped. “All I was doing was being nice to their stupid
hund
.”

“Frankie ain't stupid,” Lena retorted. “He's hungry.”

“Then he's stupid
and
hungry.” He paused, then added, “And fat.”

“William, enough,” Jay said, his tone brooking no argument. Looking a bit wary, Jay glanced at Emma.

She could tell he was worried that she might think he was being too harsh. But she happened to agree with his handling of the situation completely. If they didn't nip things in the bud the children would continue to needle each other until someone started crying.

Wanting to do her part, she said, “Lena, let's not worry about Frankie. He's fine.”

“But he's not stupid! And he ain't fat, neither.”

“Mind your manners, Lena,” Emma said, unconsciously mimicking Jay's tone.

But her warning came too late. Things spiraled out of control, seemingly at breakneck speed. Mandy burst into tears. Lena seethed. William glared. Mark gloated.

And Frankie? Well, Frankie continued to annoy everyone, especially Beverly when he pulled a chip from her plate.
“Hund!”
she said.

Which made Mandy cry harder. Tricia tried to calm her
down, but when she put her arms around Mandy, Mandy's glass of pink lemonade fell onto the front of Tricia's dress. “Oh!” She jumped up from the table. “Oh, that's cold!”

Her jump made Frankie bark. And jump up for her plate. Which he caught.

“Stop, Frankie,” Ben said as he, too, got up from the table and moved to Tricia's side.

“Oh, my dress,” Tricia said. “What a mess.” Frowning, she said, “I just washed it yesterday, too! I hope pink lemonade comes out of light yellow dresses.”

“I'm sure it will, dear,” Emma soothed. “We can even go soak it. You may borrow one of mine.”

“Danke.”
Still frowning at the fabric, she added, “I hope the stain comes out. I really liked this dress.”

“You had better get used to things like that happening,” Beverly said. “If you really do intend to have a houseful of
kinner
like you told me you did, things like this will surely be a daily occurrence.”

Turning bright red, Tricia said, “Aunt Bev, I can't believe you said that!”

“What did I say? Surely you and Ben have talked about having children.” Her eyes widened. “Or are the two of you not near as serious as you made it sound?”

Tricia froze.

Ben looked flummoxed. “Did you say
kinner
, Beverly?”

“Are you and my
bruder
gonna have a baby, Tricia?” William asked.

As Jay groaned into his napkin, Tricia turned an even brighter shade of pink. Then to everyone's shock, she burst into tears, too.

“It's okay,” Ben murmured. When she merely cried harder,
he enfolded her in his arms. Over Tricia's head, which was now tucked into his neck, Ben glared at his father. “Daed. Do. Something.”

By this time, Jay was on his feet, too. “William, no one is going to have a
boppli
anytime soon. Now, everyone needs to sit down.”

His arms still securely wrapped around Tricia, Ben glared at him . . . and at Beverly. “Sitting down ain't going to fix this, Daed.”

Emma couldn't help but agree with Ben as things continued to disintegrate. Tricia cried, Mandy cried. Beverly fumed. Boys argued. Food fell on the ground. Frankie foraged and ate too many pickles.

“Everyone, please calm down,” Emma called out. Of course, it was a rather weak attempt to restore order. So weak, in fact, that not a single person listened. Except for Jay, but then even his efforts were foiled when he stepped backward . . . into dog poop!

“Frankie!” he yelled.

Frankie had struck again!

Emma felt like burying her head in her arms and crying, too, but someone had to remain calm. She walked to each of her girls, pointed to the house, and said, “Girls, please go to your rooms. Right now.”

Her girls knew what her tone meant. Instead of arguing, Lena stood up and walked inside, with Mandy and Annie following behind.

“I hate to do this to you, but I think it might be best if I got mine out of your hair as well,” Jay said.

Looking around helplessly, seeing Tricia and Beverly glaring at each other, Mark and Ben looking as if they would rather be
anywhere else than here, and William almost as sad as her girls, Emma knew it would probably be for the best. Sometimes one had to cut one's losses and move forward. This definitely seemed like one of those times.

“Jah,”
she said wearily. “I, um, think that might be best, too.”

He picked one of the plates up off the ground and set it on the table. “I'll help you clean up first. I mean, my boys and I will.”

She knew his offer was sincere. She also knew if their situations were reversed, she would offer to do the very same thing. But at the moment she wanted nothing more than to be alone. “I appreciate your offer. However, if you don't mind, I'd rather clean up on my own.”

“I can't let you do that.” Looking around, he frowned. “I mean, it looks like a picnic exploded in the middle of your yard.”

It kind of had, but Emma kept quiet about that. “I will be fine.”

“I'll help her,” Tricia offered.

When Emma noticed Ben's frown, she shook her head. “That's sweet of you, but no. Why don't you go change your dress? Go on now.”

“I'll stay. Don't worry,” Beverly said. “Emma and I will clean things up in no time. I promise, this is one instance when more hands will not make the chore easier.”

With a sigh, Jay nodded. “I think you are right about that. I'll see you later. Thank you for the lunch.”

Just then she remembered the banana bread and the cake. “Oh, hold on. No one has had dessert. How about I prepare a plate for you all? You can take it home.”

All three of the boys shook their heads. “Maybe another time,” Jay said.

Feeling the giant lump in her throat grow with each second,
she watched Jay and his sons walk back out the gate, Tricia by Ben's side. And then it was just her and Beverly. Emma walked into the kitchen, got a black plastic garbage bag, and started tossing dirty plates and cups into it.

“I am so sorry,” Beverly said as she did the same. “I shouldn't have said a word to Tricia.”

“Your words weren't the problem.”

“I think they were. I shouldn't have mentioned anything about babies or children. She is a pretty sensitive girl.”

“All girls her age cry from time to time. They can't help it,” Emma said.

“I suppose. But I have to tell you, I simply don't know what happened,” she continued as she gathered silverware and piled them into the bowl Emma had used to hold chips. “One minute, everything was fine, the next . . .”

“Chaos.” Unable to help herself, Emma chuckled. It had been a crazy few minutes, but they'd survived.

After bending down to check on Frankie, who was lying on his side, looking rather like he was stuffed to the gills but otherwise fine, she walked into the kitchen.

“Don't worry about it. I'm sure you've seen things like this happen at your inn.”

“Things have gone wrong,” she agreed with a smile. “Though never with so many tears.”

Emma stood at the sink and started washing dishes while Beverly put salads in plastic containers, handed serving bowls to her, and competently wiped down the counters and tables. After the first couple of minutes Emma felt herself relaxing. She rarely ever had help in the kitchen and she was finding Beverly Overholt's quiet industriousness to be a calming influence.

“Emma?” Beverly asked when they were almost finished. “If
you don't mind my saying so, I happened to notice that you don't seem all that shocked or worried about how fast things are progressing with Ben and Tricia. Why?”

“I guess because I was married at eighteen but I fell in love with Sanford years before that.”

“That sounds so young.”

“Because it was. It was young. But that doesn't mean it was wrong.” She shrugged. “I just happen to believe that each of us has a match and when it happens it happens.”

“So you think I should leave Tricia alone?”

“No. I mean, I know you love her and she loves you, right?”

“Of course.”

“Well, if I am right and God has brought Ben and Tricia to each other and they are happy and in love . . . who are you to say that they are wrong?”

“I've been so used to guarding my heart because of some things that happened in my past . . . maybe I'm letting all that influence me.”

“I suppose it's a possibility,” Emma allowed. “I don't know.”

“I think I need to pray on this.”

Emma smiled. “I hope your prayers give you the answers that you need.” Walking toward Beverly's beautiful cake, she said, “At least you'll have some cake while you're thinking.”

“Oh, no. You keep it.”

“It's too much.”

“I'm sure you can find some folks to share it with.” Smiling softly, she said, “Who knows? Maybe even Jay will get a chance to have a piece.”

“I don't know. I think he was pretty upset when he left.”

“He did offer to stay and help. I think he simply wanted to help you settle everything down.”

“He did that.” She really hoped their friendship hadn't been compromised. She was starting to realize that she really liked him. She liked him a lot. In fact, she wouldn't be opposed to sometimes seeing him alone. To spending a couple of hours when it was just the two of them. Instead of refereeing arguments, serving food, and washing dishes, they could talk.

They could simply enjoy each other's company.

Why, that would be wonderful, indeed.