A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn (19 page)

“I don't know.”

“Do you think He wants you to be alone? I thought all of us being together made you happy.”

She blinked. “It did. I mean, it does.”

“Then why isn't that enough? Why can't we simply be happy for now . . . and let the future take care of itself?”

“Do you think that is possible?”

He nodded. “Isn't that what happens anyway? I was happy with Evelyn and you were happy with Sanford. But they both got sick. How would you feel if you had spent all your time with Sanford doubting yourself or wondering if you deserved your time with him?”

“I would regret it.”

“I'm going to regret it if you give up on us,” he admitted. “Please don't give up on us yet.”

She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. Then, at last, she nodded. “All right, Jay. You win. I won't give up on us.”

Only then did he release the lungful of air he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

T
he next afternoon, Emma was sitting outside in the backyard with the kids when Jay came over again. The
kinner
reacted to his arrival much like they had the day before. Lena and William looked pleased to see him but tried hard to act far too old to get excited. Annie and Mandy, on the other hand, rushed to him with outstretched arms. Jay got down on one knee and gently hugged each of them. And then gave Frankie a pat, too. Only after the girls went back to the tent they were making out of an old sheet did he walk to Emma's side.

“Hi.”

“Hi, Jay. It's nice to see you two days in a row.”

He grinned. “Ben and Mark have been teasing me, saying I'm smitten.”

“Are you?”

He winked. “Maybe.”

And just like that, her heart started beating a little bit quicker.

He took a seat next to her at the picnic table. “Do you have plans for supper?”

“Nothing too special. The girls and I were going to have soup and sandwiches.”

“Then, would you consider going out for pizza?”

“All of us?” a small voice said.

“Of course.” When he turned and saw that Annie had just walked up to them and had heard, he tapped her nose with his finger. “I couldn't get a pepperoni pizza without Annie, could I?”

“I like pizza,” she said. “My frog does, too.”

“Everyone likes pizza. Well, except for frogs. I doubt they care for it.”

Annie frowned. “You don't think?”

“I think he'd rather have a fly or something, dear.” While Annie stewed on that, he raised his gaze, meeting Emma's eyes again. “So, what do you say? Will you and your girls join William and me?”

“Say yes, Mamm,” Annie coaxed.

Smiling at her daughter, she nodded. “I would like that.
Danke
.”

After Annie went to go tell the others, she asked, “Do you want to go right now?”

Jay and Emma looked around the yard. William was playing with Lena, Mandy was tossing a tennis ball with a happy beagle, and little Annie was now sitting at the picnic table with her frog. It was a nothing-special kind of day.

It was exactly the kind of day she'd used to take for granted.

“Do you mind if we wait a little bit?” he asked. I would like to simply sit right here.”

She pointed to the bucket with Annie's frog in it. “You don't mind sitting here, keeping company with a frog?”

“I would be content to sit with you all afternoon. And four
kinner
, and a beagle, and a frog.” He shifted, waving a hand in the air. “The
kinner
aren't arguing, the sky is clear, the day is warm. I can't think of any place I'd rather be.”

“I agree with you, Jay. Days like this are special. Too special to take for granted.”

Ten minutes later, Annie asked, “Jay, what should we name my frog?”

“How about instead of naming him, we let him go?”

She frowned. “But I don't want to.”

“That's your decision, but he looks kind of lonely, don'tcha think? He would probably rather be with his frog friends.”

Annie stared hard at the frog, then at the grass, then at last at Jay. Then, with a sigh, she held out her hand. “Will you help me put him back?”

“Yep.” Over her head, he caught Emma's smile. “Don't move, Em. I'll be right back.”

As she watched Jay walk with Annie's hand nestled in his, Emma thought that this was not simply a good day.

It was the best day she'd had in a very long while.

A
FEW HOURS LATER,
Emma was sure her girls had never been so spoiled. Jay's pockets seemed to be filled to the brim. There was no other explanation for the bounty of food he'd ordered for the six of them.

He'd ordered not one but three pizzas. Three! Then he'd ordered Em some Stixs—Village Pizza's famous breadsticks. And soda!

“The
kinner
are not going to be able to eat all of this,” she exclaimed, staring at the plain cheese pizza, the Pinecrafter, and the Veggie Delight all sitting in front of them. “I hate to see you waste your money on so much food.”

He laughed. “It's not a waste if they enjoy it. Plus, you forget I've got Ben and Mark. They'll think they've died and gone to heaven when they forage in the refrigerator later tonight.”

“I suspect boys are always hungry.”

“Always!” William chirped.

“See?” Jay asked. “Now, let us pray and then eat.”

Automatically, they bent their heads in silent prayer. Emma gave thanks for the bounty of food, the hands that made it, and her new relationship with Jay and his sons. After everyone raised their heads, Emma and Jay handed out paper plates and plastic utensils. And napkins! Lots and lots of napkins.

Finally, Emma took a slice of veggie pizza for herself, neatly cutting a piece with her fork and knife and savoring her first bite. “It is wonderful.”

“It is,” he said, amused.

“What are you smiling about?” She grabbed a napkin and pressed it to her lips. “Do I have pizza sauce on me?”

“
Nee
. I was simply thinking how cute it is that you eat a pizza with a fork and knife.”

“It's neater that way.”

“I'm sure it is,” he agreed, just as he folded his pizza in half and took a generous bite.

She laughed. “It would serve you right if pizza sauce spilled on your shirt.”

“Since I do the laundry at my
haus
, I guess I'll have to deal with my mistake.”

She laughed, enjoying the silly conversation about nothing important. Then froze.

Because right there, walking toward them from the post office, were Sanford's parents, Rachel and Samuel. And they were staring at her with pained expressions.

Immediately, her hands began sweating.

Jay noticed her discomfort. “What's wrong, Emma?”

She shook her head, not trusting herself to try to explain. Instead, she did what she knew was the right thing and stood up. “Hello, Rachel. Good evening, Samuel.”

A little bit of the worry eased from Rachel's expression, though it was evident that she was uncomfortable. “Hello, Emma.”

“Grandmommi! Dawdi! Hi!” Lena said as she hopped up and ran over to them. Mandy and Annie followed.

As William watched them curiously, Jay got to his feet as well. “I'm guessing these are Sanford's parents?” he asked Emma quietly.

“Jah.”
She swallowed. “They are nice folk.”

“I'm sure they are.” He gave her a smile before introducing himself. “Hi, I'm Jay Hilty.”

Sanford's parents had always been gracious. Right away Samuel shook hands with him and introduced Rachel. Then Jay found a way to usher the girls back to their places at the table, introduce Sanford's parents to William, and then, to Emma's bemusement, invite Rachel and Samuel to join them!

In the midst of all that, he'd somehow made it obvious that he was important to Emma . . . and that he would not appreciate them being distant or rude to her, especially not in front of her girls.

Though they politely declined his offer to join them for supper, Rachel and Samuel did linger. After eyeing the children all together, Rachel said awkwardly, “Emma's mother told us that she and the girls had been spending time with another family. I'm, uh, glad to know you . . .”

“I'm pleased to know you, too.” Jay smiled. “Since we each have three
kinner
, we sometimes tease each other that we have
too much in common not to be friends, though of course, our losses are not something we wish others would share.”

Samuel exchanged a glance with Rachel who then smiled awkwardly. “I imagine not.”

Emma noticed that Samuel was obviously waiting to help Rachel if the conversation became too much. Then, to her surprise, she realized that Jay was doing much the same thing for her. He, too, was being protective. Unable to help herself, she lifted her chin and shared a smile with him.

He squeezed her shoulder as he said, “I know this is hard, but I really would like us all to be friends. Emma has told me how much you both mean to her and the girls.”

Rachel's lips parted slightly. “You still want to know us, Emma?”

Emma felt her throat tighten as she suddenly understood her mother-in-law's concerns. “Of course I do, Rachel! I love you and Samuel, and the girls do, too.” When she saw that Rachel, too, was trying to hold back her tears, she added softly, “Lena, Mandy, and Annie will always be your grandchildren. They'll also always be Sanford's daughters. I want them to know you both. I want them to grow up hearing stories about their father. Only you two can help me do that.” Aware that a tear was now slipping down her cheek, she reached for Rachel's hand. “I promise, you will always have a special place in our hearts. That hasn't changed.”

“Our feelings haven't changed, either,” Samuel said. “I think we can make this work.”

“I think so, too,” Rachel said as she clutched Emma's hand. Then, with a sigh, she smiled. “I promise, I am happy for you both.”

Emma had never expected such words to come out of her mother-in-law's mouth. “Thank you for saying that.”

“It's the truth,” Samuel said. “I miss Sanford. I miss him every day. But no amount of prayer or tears is going to bring him back.”

“As hard as it is to admit it, we need to move forward,” Rachel murmured.

Samuel nodded. “Rachel and I have been talking.” Looking at his wife fondly, he said, “She and I have been married for forty years. I can't imagine what life would have been like if one of us had lost the other. I do know that I would never have wanted my wife to spend the majority of her life alone if I had passed on to heaven thirty years ago.”

“Plus, those
kinner
need two parents,” Rachel said. “They are a handful.”

“Would you like to join us?” Emma asked, repeating Jay's earlier offer.

Rachel looked at the empty seats, her eyes cloudy with what Emma recognized as a mixture of hope and hesitation. Emma had felt the same thing when she'd first brought over that meal to Jay's farm but wound up staying several hours.

“You really wouldn't mind?” Rachel asked.

“I would be sad if you didn't want to join us.”

“Well, since you have so much pizza laid out, I think sharing it would be the least we could do,” Samuel said. “Someone's eyes were a little too big, I think.”

“Come sit by William and me, Dawdi,” Lena said. “William has kittens. He can tell you all about them.”

Samuel winked at Emma. “I was just thinking that I needed to hear about some kittens. Move over, Lena, and hand me one of those paper plates, too.”

As Rachel took the chair next to Annie and reached for a slice of cheese pizza, Emma met Jay's gaze. His eyes were filled with
patience and understanding, making her realize that she wasn't simply feeling hope; it was something far stronger.

She had just fallen in love for the second time in her life. That was surprising enough in and of itself.

What was even more miraculous was that she didn't feel a single drop of guilt about it.

T
oday was the day.

A large white tent stood erect in the back of the Orange Blossom Inn. Inside the voluminous structure lay at least twenty tables and four times that many chairs. The tables, chairs, and even the plywood floor were painted white.

And now, some of Beverly's friends were in the lodging business, too. Winnie and Sadie had graciously taken in some of Tricia's and Ben's relatives. Even the Kaufmann family had opened their spacious home. In fact, it now served as a home base for Edward and Beverly's other siblings and their parents. Other guests from Charm and Walnut Creek were staying at local hotels and inns. It seemed an October wedding in Sarasota, Florida, was an excellent excuse for a weekend getaway.

Or maybe it was the chance to see two young people who had overcome their share of hardships celebrate a most glorious day.

Standing in her kitchen at five in the morning, Beverly wondered how it was possible to feel so tired. And then she recalled just how frenetic the last week had been. She had been entertaining relatives, soothing Tricia's nerves, cooking every spare minute in between . . . and making the most glorious cake.

She'd been working on it for three days now. It was five layers, filled with an orange ganache, and iced with thick buttercream frosting. She'd also made delicate white-chocolate leaves and arranged them on the top around a small bouquet of real, pale orange roses. It was the prettiest cake she'd ever made and it was her gift to Tricia, her way of letting her niece know that she loved her and was genuinely happy for her, too.

But all the cooking and wedding preparations weren't the only cause of her jangling nerves. No, the cause of that had much to do with the man who had arrived yesterday afternoon and been given the best room in the inn.

Eric Wagler—her boss, her friend, her pen pal, her support system—had returned.

She'd known he was coming to the wedding, of course. He'd promised he would, even if his house still hadn't sold. And she'd been slowly learning that Eric kept his promises. No matter what.

Her hands shook as she poured herself another cup of coffee and attempted to tell herself that the trembling had everything to do with too much caffeine consumption. It didn't take but a moment to realize that excuse was a fantasy, for sure.

They'd all been sitting in the living room last night—Tricia and Ben, Jay Hilty, Edward and Kathleen. Frank and Ginny Kaufmann had been there, too, along with Leona and Zack Kaufmann. They'd been laughing at a story Kathleen had told about Tricia when she was a little girl. It seemed sweet, impetu
ous, energetic Tricia had been fond of mice and was constantly trying to save them.

Since mice and barns were not necessarily a good combination, their barn cats were kept very busy. But one of the barn cats had the unfortunate habit of always, always bringing her catch directly to Tricia. No matter where she was or how the other family members might have praised the cat. And every time, Tricia would squeal and run and cry and insist on a mouse funeral.

“Every. Single. Time,” her older sister Kate had said as they'd all laughed.

“Tricia, what are we going to do with our kitten?” Ben asked.

“Hope it's lazy,” Kate had said.

Which, of course, had made all of them erupt into even more gales of laughter. Beverly had started crying, she was laughing so hard.

And that was the scene Eric had walked into.

“Eric!” Tricia had said before running over and giving him a welcome hug. “You're just in time to save me.”

He'd tossed his green canvas duffel on the ground, cast a concerned glance Beverly's way, then wrapped his arms around Tricia. “Save you? My favorite bride-to-be? What's going on?”

Pulling away, she smiled at Ben and then at her parents. “I'm getting teased about my, um, childish love for mice.”

Eric had thrown back his head and laughed like it was the best thing he'd heard in a year. “This is why I couldn't wait to return,” he declared. “I missed this place.”

Beverly stepped closer to him. “Everyone, this is Eric. Eric Wagler. He's my . . . uh, he's my boss.”

Almost immediately, Eric's relaxed smile and look of happiness had vanished, replaced by a shadowed look of concern and then disappointment.

Beverly had known right then and there that it had been a mistake to refer to him as only her boss. He was so much more to her than that. He'd become her friend and confidant, her voice of reason and best encourager.

But in her haste to classify him easily, she'd hurt his feelings.

Now, the next morning, Beverly was wondering how she was ever going to make things right. How did a woman fix a clumsy mistake like that? Holding her cup of coffee, she stared hard at the cake and tried to form the right apology to Eric.

“Hey.” His deep voice carried across the room and, just like it did over the phone, gave her a little shiver.

She'd been so consumed with her regrets that she hadn't heard him enter the room. Of course. Because it seemed she was destined to be perpetually awkward around him.

She quickly set her mug down on the counter. “
Gut matin
, Eric,” she said, trying not to notice how handsome he looked. His dark hair still seemed to be damp from his shower, and he had put on aftershave. It smelled fresh and tangy and so very appealing.

Too appealing.

“Would, um, would you like some
kaffi
?” Mentally, she berated herself again. Could she be any more apprehensive? Her use of Deutsch was telling, for sure. She used it with him whenever she was nervous or on edge. In today's case, she was both.

His brown eyes remained steady on her. “Yeah. Coffee is good.”

She turned to get a cup from the cupboard but he reached it first. “I'm good, Bev,” he said quietly. “You know you don't have to wait on me.”

“I'm not waiting. I was simply, um . . . trying to make you feel welcome.” Of course, the moment she said that, she wished she could take it back. Could she sound any more distant?

His eyes narrowed. “Because I'm your boss?”

His words sounded bitter though his tone was mild. She needed to fix this.

“Eric, I'm sorry,” she said in a rush. “Of course, you're much more than simply my boss. We're friends. Of course we are.”

“It didn't sound like that last night. I walked into a roomful of laughter and a hug from Tricia but you made me feel like I was about as welcome as a case of the flu.”

“I didn't mean to make you feel that way.” She hated that whenever he was around she became a person she was definitely not proud of. “I don't know why I told everyone you were my boss.”

He set down his cup and turned to her. “I never want to be treated like your boss, Bev,” he said quietly as he approached her. “I thought we'd gotten through all that.”

“We have.” She swallowed as he drew to a stop barely a foot away.

“Are you sure? Or is there something you're confused about?”

“I'm not confused. I mean, we talk to each other all the time.”

“Then why are you keeping me at a distance? Why didn't you tell everyone I was your friend? Your very good friend?”

Because she didn't trust their relationship. Because she wasn't completely positive that he wouldn't still change his mind about her and hurt her badly. Because she was thirty-four years old and unable to get over a hurt that it seemed anyone else could have moved on from.

Because he smelled really good and at the moment seemed to be staring at her lips.

But instead of saying any of that, she lied. “I don't know.”

He blinked. Then, to both her relief and disappointment, he took a step back. “Oh, okay. Thanks for explaining that to me. I feel a lot better now.”

“Eric, I'm sorry.” She lifted a hand. Then, as she realized that she'd been just about to press it to his chest, she dropped it back down by her side. And felt her cheeks heat.

He inhaled and a new glint appeared in his eyes. “You know what? It's okay.” A hint of a smile appeared on his lips. “Don't worry about it. So, tell me about the day's schedule.”

She was so relieved to be talking about something else, she practically chirped. “I can do that. Let's see . . . the wedding starts at nine this morning.”

“And when will it be over?”

“Around noon or so.”

“So we'll be sitting together for three hours?”

Her pulse started racing again. “
Jah
. It's the way of an old order Amish wedding. It's customary for three preachers to speak.”

“All in Pennsylvania Dutch. It's going to be a long morning.” He smiled again. “Don't be surprised if I start passing you notes.”

She was as taken aback by his teasing as she was by how charmed she realized she'd be if he actually did something like that. “It is a long service, but don't worry, you won't be expected to be there for the whole thing.”

“Of course I'm going to be by your side for the whole thing. What would Tricia think?”

She was starting to think that they were talking about more than just Tricia's wedding. “If you'd like, I could simply bring you in for the important parts. It's customary for folks who put on the wedding to come and go. A wedding is a
part
of our lives, you know. It isn't meant to take over everything.” Of course, as she said the words she couldn't help but smile. Her little speech was in direct contrast to what had been happening; the wedding had taken over her life for weeks.

“Let's play it by ear, okay?”

Again came the little tingle of awareness she felt every time he gazed at her directly. Suddenly tongue-tied, she simply nodded her head.

Looking satisfied, he glanced at the clock. “It's now five thirty. What do you want to do first?”

“I'll make you some breakfast. Then, how about we start putting out the tablecloths and setting the tables? After that we can start gathering all the food.”

“What do you mean, ‘start gathering all the food'?”

“Oh, Eric. You have no idea. I've got plates and dishes stashed all over this town. It's going to be a wonder if I can find it all.”

He chuckled. “I'll help you gather all you want, Bev. Just tell me where to go and I'll do it.”

The tension between them had dissipated and she was so, so relieved. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” After taking another sip of coffee, he asked, “You got any cereal?”

“I do. I have a brand-new box of Cheerios just for you.”

“I'll have a quick bowl of cereal, then start on those tables.”

“Thank you for helping.”

“No worries. I may be your boss, but today you are in charge, Bev.”

His warm expression conveyed everything they'd been hinting around for the last few minutes. There was more to them than a simple working relationship. A whole lot more. It made her giddy and a little flustered. Therefore, she said the only thing she could say. “All righty, then. Eat your cereal, then roll up your sleeves. The next four hours are going to be the fastest of your life.”

He winked. “Yes, ma'am.”

Oh, that wink. “I'm just going to, ah, go get something from my room that I forgot. I'll be right back.”

“Take your time, Beverly. I'll still be here when you get back.”

And that, of course, was what she was afraid of.

Now that they were together again instead of miles away from each other, Beverly knew it was going to be even harder to ignore her feelings for him. Yes, he was her friend. And yes, he was also her boss. But he was also becoming something else to her—almost her secret crush.