Plain Return (The Plain Fame Series Book 4) (20 page)

Perhaps because she had heard her name, Isadora looked up, first at Amanda and then across the table at Lizzie and Anna. Her blue eyes seemed to absorb the warmth of the kitchen. When she smiled at Anna, Amanda felt as if her heart would burst. Amanda could tell that Isadora felt more comfortable at the farm, even without being able to communicate it through words. The change in the environment was exactly what they both needed.

“You were in Miami, then?” Lizzie asked.

Amanda nodded. “
Sí
 . . . I mean
ja
!” She laughed at the slip of her tongue. “We arrived last Sunday.”

Lizzie raised an eyebrow. “On a Sunday? You flew?”

“The plane left Saturday afternoon, Mamm. It’s a nine-hour flight.”

“Ah.”

Amanda continued with her story. “Alecia came over that afternoon. Alone.” She smiled at the memory. “This woman never travels alone. But she took one look at Isadora and I didn’t think she would ever leave!”

“Oh help!” Anna covered her mouth as she tittered; she knew about Alecia from Amanda’s letters.

“
Ja vell
, she has no other grandchildren,” Lizzie said, shaking her head. “That she knows of, I reckon.”

Amanda’s mouth opened, and she pulled Isadora closer as if sheltering her from words that the child couldn’t understand. “That’s unkind, Mamm.”

Lizzie pressed her lips together and turned her back to the table, redirecting her attention to another task and removing herself from the conversation.

The truth, however, was that Amanda was guilty of wondering that same thing. While she had never questioned Alejandro’s past, she knew that the one-night stand he had shared with Isadora’s mother was not the only one he’d had. Certainly his past was tainted by other women, and not just the ones that had been occasionally hinted at in the tabloids. Whenever Amanda met new women, there would always be a lingering question in the back of her mind as to how well her husband had known them in the past.

Hadn’t it been at the awards dinner in Los Angeles when she felt the angry glare of women watching her? Another young woman, Celinda Ruiz, girlfriend of Justin Bell, had told Amanda to ignore the talk and to accept that if she was going to be with Alejandro, gossip and glares would be part of the deal. Of course, Celinda had also informed Amanda that her relationship with Justin was rock solid, despite the tabloids stating otherwise. Only two weeks ago, however, Amanda learned that the power couple had broken up. The rumor about their relationship, the very one that Celinda claimed had been planted by the paparazzi and gossip reporters, turned out to have had more than a grain of truth to it.

“Tell us all about South America, Amanda,” Anna said, diverting her attention from the unpleasant to something more upbeat and cheerful.

“Vell,”
Amanda started, eager for the change in conversation. “I’m not quite sure where to begin . . .”

On Saturday morning, Amanda awoke extra early and wrapped her arm around Isadora, who was snuggled beside her in the bed. Outside the window, the sun began to warm the sky. Amanda watched as the darkness of dawn faded away, as if God were painting a canvas, dragging a brush with lighter paint over the horizon in a long, slow, sweeping motion. The birds began to chatter, their morning songs chipper. Winter had been long and hard, full of snowfall and twenty-degree temperatures, and spring was eager to arrive. The mornings started earlier now, and the chill was less apparent.

Amanda pulled the little girl tight against her chest and kissed the top of her head, smiling when the child sighed in her sleep. It was a sound of contentment. Amanda knew that Isadora was beginning to relax. She suspected that Izzie had never had so much attention paid to her before. It didn’t sound like her mother’s lifestyle would have allowed for a baby to be given much more than the basics for survival. And by the time Isadora had found her way to her grandparents’ care, her grandmother had most likely already been ill while her grandfather tended to her needs.

Praise, laughter, and lots of attention quickly won over Isadora’s trust. Even now, as she slept in the bed beside Amanda, Isadora appeared to sleep peacefully, as if she knew that when she awoke, Amanda would be there to take care of her. Something as simple as stability was all that the child needed in order to blossom, and Amanda suspected that a week in Lancaster would bring balance back not just to Isadora’s life but also to hers.

It had taken her a while to admit that. She had wanted to be there for Alejandro, to support him like a wife should. But after what she had experienced in South America, Amanda knew that his life on the road was not the place for a wife. She had felt lost and unstable, unsure of herself in the arena and insecure with herself when dealing with his fans. She had lost her equilibrium and couldn’t think of a place better than Lancaster to go to, to focus on regaining balance in her life. The peace and quiet of the farm would heal Isadora’s old wounds while giving Amanda a chance to recover from the weariness of life on the road.

And she needed to recover.

She heard her cell phone vibrate, the side of the device hitting the edge of the oil lantern on her nightstand. As quietly as she could, she reached over to grab it, both to silence it so that Isadora would not awaken and also because she knew that only one person would be texting her, especially at this hour: Alejandro.

Why are you in Lancaster?

V.

Amanda frowned. After almost a week,
that
was his first communication with her?

Pulling her other arm out from beneath Isadora, Amanda repositioned herself so that she could sit with her back against the headboard. She stared at the cell phone, wondering how to respond. A quick glance at the time display on the phone made her frown. It was not quite six thirty in the morning. If she recalled correctly, he had performed in Chile on Friday, which meant that he had then caught a late-night flight to Montevideo, Uruguay. Chances were likely that, upon landing in Uruguay, he had not gone directly to the hotel. There was an hour time difference between Lancaster and Montevideo, and she doubted Alejandro had just awoken out of a sound, restful sleep. Besides, he had no reason to get up at seven thirty in the morning.

She could picture him standing in his hotel room, probably looking out the window at the lights of the city. He would be wearing his usual outfit: black slacks and a black shirt. Surely, he had gone out after the concert and spent the early-morning hours dancing and laughing and drinking. The adrenaline rush he felt after performing was not something that he could just push down and ignore. Without her there to tame him, Alejandro was not about to sit in his hotel room, a remote control in one hand and a mug of decaf coffee in the other. She hadn’t expected him to, but she was struck by the reality that she was just beginning her day while his was just ending.

At least he had texted, she told herself. Finally.

When are you coming home? We miss you.

<3

Not even a minute passed before the phone vibrated again, this time with his name flashing across her screen. Amanda scrambled out of the bed and hurried to the bedroom door so that she could answer his call without fear of disturbing Isadora.

In the quiet of the small kitchen, she answered the phone.

“Alejandro!” She smiled as she leaned against the counter, the phone pressed against her ear.

“Amanda, what is this I hear?” His voice sounded far away, but no amount of distance could hide his irritation. “Why are you not in Miami?”

“I . . . I was lonely and thought to come home.”

“Miami is your home,” he said curtly. After a brief pause, he added, “Our home.”

She cringed at her mistake. “Of course, I know that, but . . .”

“And I learn this news from Geoffrey?”

From the tone of his voice, Amanda felt his hurt. She took a deep breath, wondering why it would bother him that she had taken Isadora to Lancaster. He still had a week of touring and partying ahead of him, if that was what he wanted to do when they were apart. The memory of Argentina awakened, and she quickly counted to five while biting her tongue. Instead of responding to his anger with irritation of her own, she directed the conversation elsewhere.

“Alejandro, I’ve missed hearing your voice.”

He remained silent, just for a few drawn-out seconds. She waited, hoping that he might calm down. After the way they had parted in Argentina, the last thing she wanted was to stoke his ire any further.

“The tabloids are claiming that you left me.” His words sounded flat, void of any emotion. “Do you know what that is like? To read that in the paper?”

“Oh, Alejandro!” She could hear the pain in his voice. Learning that the tabloids had pounced on her departure did not shock her. His reaction, however, did. He knew the truth, so she wasn’t quite certain why it had bothered him to read the exaggerated rumors printed in the tabloids. After all, he was the one who always reminded her about brand image and giving the public the story. When she had been upset by the leaked photos and lie-filled stories, his level of empathy hadn’t extended beyond a mere shrug.

“Meet me in Mexico,” he said.

She felt as if her heart had stopped. “I can’t just do that, Alejandro.”

“I need you with me.”

She shut her eyes and bit her lower lip.
Please, please don’t do this to me,
she prayed. “We’ve only just arrived here, Alejandro. And once you get to Mexico, you’ll be busy with interviews. I can’t uproot Isadora again.”

There was a slight pause on the other end of the phone. She guessed that he was pacing the floor, his free hand in his front trouser pocket. “How is she, anyway?”

“Oh, she’s just blossoming, Alejandro!” Amanda couldn’t help but gush over the way that Isadora’s spirits had improved in the one week since they’d left South America. “And she loves the farm. She was ever so curious about watching Jonas and Harvey milking the cows last night.” She laughed. “Of course she’s still sleeping now, not offering to help with the morning chores so early.”

He didn’t respond and, for the briefest of moments, she wondered if the line had disconnected. When she heard the noise of running water, she knew that he was still there.

“Isadora is a beautiful little girl,” Amanda said, hoping that he might respond with something positive to say about his daughter. “You will love her very much, Alejandro, when you are finished touring and can see for yourself what she is like.”

He didn’t respond right away, and she gave him a few seconds to collect his thoughts and find his words.
“Sí,
Amanda
,”
he said. His voice was soft and missing the edge it had in it when she first answered the phone. “With you loving her, she is sure to blossom. That is your gift, no? Making others blossom.” Another pause. “Think about Mexico, Princesa.”

Long after they had hung up, Amanda stared at the phone in her hand. He was pressuring her to make a choice, a choice she didn’t feel prepared to make. She couldn’t uproot Isadora and take her to Mexico City. And to make matters worse, Amanda didn’t want to go. She needed time to heal and time to bond.

There was no other choice to make. She simply could not leave Lancaster.

Chapter Eighteen

Outside the window, a small flock of sparrows clustered at the hanging bird feeder. The birds fluttered back and forth, coming and going, appearing to work in sync with one another. After one snatched a few seeds, it flew away, leaving room for another bird to come and feed. The sun shone against the backdrop of the blue sky, a few scattered clouds lingering far above the fields. In the distance, Jonas stood on the manure spreader, driving the mules across the field as the machine fertilized the ground.

“Red bird!” Isadora shouted.

A male cardinal landed on the feeder and plucked at the seeds with his orange beak. His vibrant red feathers contrasted sharply with the plain brown of the sparrows and gave Isadora something to cheer over.

“Cardinal,” Amanda said. “That’s a cardinal. Can you say ‘cardinal’?”

Obediently, Isadora repeated the word, and Amanda hugged her when she said it correctly on the first try. The entire family had quickly learned that praise and hugs worked magic on Isadora. The more they gave her, the harder she tried.

The sound of the door opening interrupted their excitement, and Isadora, still wrapped in Amanda’s arms, turned toward Lizzie and Anna as they walked into the small kitchen of the
grossdaadihaus
. Isadora squiggled free from Amanda’s embrace and, smiling, ran to them, her arms spread wide as she grabbed Anna’s legs.

“Oh help!” Anna laughed, stumbling backward. “What a greeting!”

Standing up, Amanda pointed to the bird feeder. “What is that, Izzie? Can you tell Mammi Lizzie and Anna? What is the name of the bird?”

“Cardinal.”

The past week had seemed to fly by. Each day, Amanda saw the world in a fresh way, through the eyes of Isadora. The child’s energy was as endless as her willingness to learn. She loved to laugh and run, always looking over her shoulder to make certain that Amanda was nearby. In the afternoons, Isadora insisted on helping in the dairy barn. Both Jonas and Harvey found small jobs for her to do, such as sweeping up stray straw or dumping grain into the horses, and mules’ buckets.

Harvey had taken a special interest in Isadora. Amanda often caught him carrying Isadora in his arms, walking her down the aisle of the barn so that she could rub a small hand across the back of every single cow. And with everyone’s support, Isadora’s English improved. While she was not yet able to string words together into sentences, she could certainly get her point across.

“Harvey’s fixing to go to the store, Amanda.” Lizzie had set down a large bucket of milk on the counter. She had announced earlier in the morning that she wanted to make cheese before the planting season began. Once the fields and gardens began to grow, there wouldn’t be as much free time to devote to cheese making, and her inventory was depleted.

“Oh
ja
?” Amanda brightened at the news. “Do you think he’d take me along, then?” She wanted to stop at the fabric store to purchase some material to make more dresses for Isadora.

Lizzie nodded. “He already said that was fine.”

Anna excused herself to lie down for half an hour, and Amanda hurried to fetch her wallet. Since her return to Lancaster, she hadn’t left the farm. After three weeks of the constant hustle and bustle of travel that went with touring, a week of calm had been more than welcome. But after days of worrying, Amanda was grateful for the opportunity to take a small trip.

During the past week, she hadn’t heard from Alejandro again. She blamed his silence on his schedule and on inadequate cell phone signals in South America. Each night when she prayed, she made certain to ask God to bless her husband and help him see his way home. She pretended not to fret during the day and merely smiled when Anna inquired after him. But she did worry, especially since, after curiosity got the best of her and she checked her smartphone to see what the social media was saying, she learned that Enrique Lopez was still traveling with him. In the past, Enrique and Alejandro had been a bad mix. Now that Amanda wasn’t by Alejandro’s side, she couldn’t help overthinking what the two men were doing after the shows.

“You ready then, Amanda?” Harvey greeted her at the car and opened the back door for Isadora. He reached inside and buckled her into a child’s car seat.

“You bought a car seat for Izzie?” Amanda asked. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Harvey’s affection for the little girl was more than apparent. Still, his thoughtfulness about Isadora’s safety touched Amanda.

“State law,” he said. “Can’t drive little ones around without them.”

Isadora stared down at Harvey’s big hands as he checked the car seat straps. When they proved sound, he smiled at her. She rewarded him with a big grin and reached out to pull at one of his suspenders.

“Well, I reckon that’s fair,” he said to her. “I checked your strap; you check mine.”

Amanda laughed and reached over the back of the front seat to wiggle her fingers at Isadora. “I just can’t believe how well she is adapting.”

“These little ones are stronger than we give them credit for, that’s for sure and certain.” Harvey shut the car door and walked around to the driver’s side.

The roads were empty, except for the occasional horse and buggy that passed them going in the opposite direction. Isadora squealed with delight each time she saw one. Amanda would ask her the horse’s color, and Isadora would shout out the answer. When they passed a herd of ponies standing by a fence along the road, Isadora cried out and started speaking rapidly in Portuguese.

“English, Izzie,” Amanda said softly. Sometimes she needed to remind Isadora, and Isadora—frustrated that she couldn’t speak the language or make herself understood—would cry. This time, however, Isadora found her words.

“Pony! White pony!”

Astonished, Amanda looked at Harvey. “Did you hear that?”

“I sure did.”

Turning around, Amanda applauded Isadora’s effort. “Well done, Izzie. That was a white pony!”

“Mayhaps we can stop there on the ride back,” Harvey offered as he put on his blinker and pulled into the parking lot of the fabric store.

Isadora needed no translation for that. She began to squiggle in the car seat, trying to look out the window in the direction of the pony. “Now? Now?” she insisted in a loud, animated voice.

“Shopping first, Izzie. Always work before play,
ja
?” Amanda said gently, trying to calm down the overexcited five-year-old.

Harvey carried Isadora to the store, ignoring Amanda’s offer to do so. She hadn’t insisted, as she knew full well that Harvey doted on the child. As she walked beside Harvey, Amanda pointed out pretty purple pansies planted along the walkway and the yellow daffodils blooming in ceramic planters by the door. She said different words and waited for Isadora to repeat them, cheering whenever she did so properly.

A long time had passed since Amanda had been in a fabric store, and she lingered longer than she’d expected to. The possibilities were as endless as the fabrics. When she was growing up, she’d worn only three dresses: two for work and play, one for Sunday. As she grew older and taller, she rarely had anything new added to her limited wardrobe, since most of her dresses were replaced with hand-me-downs from Anna. But the year she had turned sixteen, Mamm had let her pick out a fabric for a brand-new dress. The possibilities weren’t as varied for her at that time, five years ago. She was allowed to pick from only certain colors. But Amanda hadn’t cared. She knew what she wanted, and that was blue: her favorite color, one that most young Amish girls did not wear since it was the color of the dress they would wear on their wedding day.

Now, for Isadora’s dress, Amanda could choose any fabric. She was no longer limited to just the colors and the plain style favored by the Amish. She could make floral dresses or use striped fabrics. She finally settled on the more subtle prints, knowing that once Alejandro returned to the United States and sent for them, the handmade dresses would most likely be left behind, replaced by fancy dresses gifted to her by designers who hoped that the papers would print photos of Isadora wearing their fashion designs. Dali had warned her about that after their return to Miami.

The thought of Dali gave Amanda a moment of pause.

Despite her stoic nature and her determination never to cross the line between the professional and the personal, Dali had turned out to be a pillar of strength for Amanda. Her advice was always given with the best of intentions and, as Amanda had learned too late, was usually spot-on. During the nine-hour flight back to Miami, while Isadora slept on Amanda’s lap, Dali had given one more piece of advice to her.

“Your strength is given to you from God, Amanda,” she had said. “He will not lead you anywhere that you should not be.”

Dali had kept silent for the remainder of the trip, but her words had stuck with Amanda as she’d stared out the dark window and prayed to God for help. Now, almost two weeks after she had left Alejandro in South America, she didn’t know what to think. Like clockwork, Amanda texted him each morning and each evening. She knew that he was now in Central America and would return to Miami by midweek. The only problem was, she didn’t know when he would come to fetch her.

“You ready, Amanda?” Harvey asked as she walked out the front door of the fabric store.

“
Ja
, I think I am.”

As they walked down the wooden steps, Amanda held on to the handrail. Harvey waited on the sidewalk at the bottom of the stairs, turning around just as the heel of her shoe caught on a rusty nail that stuck out of a board. She stumbled and missed the next step. Harvey shifted Isadora in his arms and reached out to steady Amanda.

“Oh help,” she muttered.

“Careful there, Amanda.” Harvey helped her to stand up and then glanced over her shoulder, eyeing the nail suspiciously. “It’s a wonder that didn’t get fixed before now.”

“Must’ve been from all the snow, you think?”

He nodded. “Take her, and I’ll fix it.”

Amanda took Isadora from his arms and watched Harvey, feeling a mild curiosity about what he would do. With his big, heavy work boots, he stomped on the nail until it lay flat against the board. “Well, that was easy!” he said.

“You’re a good man, Harvey Alderfer,” Amanda said. And she meant it. How many other people had passed by that nail, not one of them thinking to fix it before someone, possibly an elderly woman leaving the fabric store, lost her footing and fell? All it had taken was a good heart and a strong boot to fix the problem.

As they walked back to the car, it dawned on Amanda that the same could be said about Alejandro. Although he didn’t like her leaving, her heart was in the right place, and she took comfort in the fact that he knew that. His requests for her to join him in Mexico were hard for her to turn down. But like Harvey, she needed to use a firm boot when putting down her foot. And as Dali had said, God would not lead her to a place where he did not want her to be. And as much as Amanda struggled with being apart from Alejandro, she knew that being together on the European tour would be even harder. The schedule was grueling, even worse there than in South America, with concerts every Tuesday and Thursday night as well as on weekend evenings. There were even dates that overlapped, meaning that Viper and his crew would travel to multiple countries in one day, doing an afternoon performance in one country and an evening performance in another.

No, she told herself. The impossible logistics of touring with a family would have to be faced when he returned from South America. Isadora could not go on the European tour, and without her stepdaughter, Amanda would not go either. The rusty nail needed to be flattened, she felt, in order to preserve Isadora’s progress—as well as her own sanity. It was a decision she had made on her own. The hard part would be helping Alejandro to see the wisdom of it.