CHAPTER 14
“I t’s been a while since the two of us have gone out together,” Kelsey said.
Glancing to his right, Jonny smiled. His sister had stopped by their grandparents’ house the night before to ask if he’d like to get together soon. He’d jumped at the chance and invited her for an afternoon walk on the bike trail. They’d quickly made meeting plans and agreed to end their walk at the Trailside Café so they could get a cup of coffee when they finished.
Now that they were on their way in the waning afternoon sunshine, he couldn’t resist teasing his sister a bit. After all, she was looking so prim and proper in her pink dress and matching apron. A pristine white kapp covered her blond curls, and not a smidge of makeup decorated her face. She looked every bit the perfect preacher’s wife. No one would ever know she’d been a college coed just a few years ago.
“It’s not my fault that you only have eyes for your husband,” he said, teasing her.
“Come now. You know that’s not true.”
“Kelsey, you hardly go anywhere without him.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Sometimes we’re apart. He still has his construction job, you know.”
“I’ve heard through the grapevine that you often join Richard on his calls to people’s homes.”
“He is a preacher and I am his wife. It’s expected. And I don’t go on every call with him. Just some.”
“Oh, I know.” When his sister looked ready to explain herself yet again, Jonny knew it was time to give her a break. “Kelsey, you know I’m just teasing ya. I’m glad you and your man enjoy being together.”
“We are still newlyweds.”
“That you are.” He bit his lip to keep from bursting into laughter, but he was only halfway successful.
Kelsey looked about to protest, then chuckled when she got a good look at his eyes. “Ack. You’re getting me riled up on purpose, aren’t you?”
“Maybe a little bit. You are my sister, after all.”
“Always.” She smiled at him.
Unable to help himself, he flung an arm over her shoulders. Jonny liked that thought. Liked that no matter if they both were Amish or not, they’d always be brother and sister. There was a special bond between them—between all four of them—that was stronger than their chosen lifestyles.
They continued to walk the last few yards to the Trailside Café. Kelsey had refused to borrow one of the shop’s bicycles, claiming that she wanted to talk to him, not go for a bike ride. Jonny figured she had a point. As much fun as bike riding was, it didn’t allow for easy conversations. Especially not private ones.
“Is there anything in particular that you wanted to chat about?”
“Uh, Dad?”
“Oh.”
Kelsey’s voice—and expression—hardened. “Why do you look so surprised? Don’t you think that it’s odd that he’s here?”
“Yes.” But also maybe not. When he’d sat at his grandparents’ table the other night, their father had looked happier than Jonny had seen him in years. At first, he’d figured it was because he was around his parents, but after he’d talked about Ribbon and mucking out stalls, Jonny realized that he’d enjoyed himself. He was finding peace in his childhood roots.
Was he suddenly starting to miss living Amish? The thought struck Jonny as odd . . . but maybe it wasn’t.
“What do you think he wants?” Kelsey asked. “And don’t you start acting like his living in an inn in Walden is normal. He never stayed more than an hour when he used to drop the four of us off in the summers.”
“You’re right. His actions are surprising. I’m not sure what’s going on.” He chose his words with care. “Maybe he wants to reconnect with his family.”
“Here?”
Jonny was starting to get annoyed about how judgmental she was sounding. “I know you’re finding it hard to believe, but you should’ve seen him the other night, Kels. Dad was all smiles. He really loved being in the barn all day. He’s happy.”
“Have you ever seen him act so happy to be around all of us?”
Stopping in the middle of the bike trail, he frowned at her. “Whoa. I didn’t know you resented him so much.”
“I didn’t know you didn’t. And, speaking of that, why don’t you? He was never around.”
“He shared custody with Mom, remember?”
“Yes, but he was still always working.” She waved a hand. “Plus, you know how Martin and Beth feel.”
“I do. But . . .”
“But what?”
He shrugged. “I guess I feel a little bit differently about Mom and Dad living apart. I know you wish they hadn’t gotten divorced, but I don’t remember them being all that happy together.”
“Come on. Don’t you think they should’ve tried harder to stay together?”
“Fine. You tell me a story about when they were happily married.”
“Don’t you remember how Martin said they used to—”
“No, Kels. Don’t tell me something that Martin or Beth told us. Tell me something that you remember.”
She blinked. With a little sigh, she slumped. “You might have a good point.”
“Look, I don’t want to give Dad a break for all the times he wasn’t around, but I’m not going to hold onto a bunch of hurts that may or may not have come from my own experiences. Not when I realize now that he was doing the best he could.”
“I don’t think he was doing the best. I think he could’ve tried harder with all of us. He could’ve been better.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to figure out a way to talk to him about that.”
“I couldn’t ask Dad that!”
Now that they were almost to the café’s entrance, he pulled her to one side. “Kelsey, do you hear yourself? I might not know a lot of Pennsylvania Dutch words yet, but I sure know about how important forgiveness is. Maybe you need to think about that.”
“Are you saying I’m not acting Amish enough?”
“Of course not. But I am saying that forgiving our parents for being imperfect might make you feel better—and might make having a good relationship in the future with them a lot easier.”
Her eyes widened. “Jonny, when did you get so wise?”
He lifted his chin as they stopped just short of the coffee shop. “Your problem, Kelsey Miller, is that you continually underestimate me. I’ll have you know that a lot of people seem to think I’ve got my act together.”
“Is that right?”
“I wouldn’t lie about that.”
“Well, in that case, I guess they’d be right.” After giving him a hug, she said, “Are you still going to buy me a cup of coffee?”
“I am. And, because I’m feeling generous, I might even buy you a cookie or something, too,” he said as he opened the door.
She was smiling at him as they walked inside. But right away his sister’s happy expression faded.
Confused, Jonny glanced toward the front of the shop . . . and then saw what had caught his sister’s attention. Treva was glaring at the man standing in front of her on the other side of the counter. The guy seemed to be whispering something that definitely wasn’t settling easy with her.
Before he could stop himself, he was striding forward. “Hey, Treva. You got any of those apricot bars left?”
Okay, it was a pretty dumb thing to call out, but it served his purpose. The guy stopped talking and turned to him . . . and Treva’s expression could only be described as relieved.
It was a fact—she had not liked whatever he’d been saying to her.
Taking another look at the guy, Jonny decided that he didn’t like a thing about him. He was dressed English, but nothing about his clothes said that he was comfortable. Instead, it was like he was trying on a costume. Or at least pretending to be someone he wasn’t.
Jonny walked closer. “Treva, did you hear me?”
“ Jah . Um . . .”
“Excuse me,” the guy said. “You were being rude. Wait your turn.”
“My turn?” He looked pointedly at the counter. “It doesn’t look like you’re ordering. Or are you?”
“What I’m doing is none of your business.”
“Sorry, but I disagree.” Returning his attention to Treva, he decided to stop playing games and lay it all out there. “What do you want me to do?”
She bit her lip.
Kelsey put her hand on his arm. “Careful, Jon.”
“I know,” he murmured, still not taking his attention from Treva.
The guy tapped his foot. “Treva, are you going to say something to this couple or should I?”
Kelsey shot him a dark look. “We’re not a couple. He’s my brother.”
“Then tell your brother to mind his own business.”
“We do have apricot bars,” Treva said suddenly. “Would you like one, Jonny?”
“I would.”
She darted a look at the man but seemed to collect herself a little bit more. “How many?”
“Six?”
“Six?” Kelsey said.
“Richard’s going to love them. So will you.”
“Um, I don’t know . . .”
“Put one on a plate, would you, Trev? And we’ll take two lattes.”
“Flavoring?”
Kelsey stepped forward so that she was now closest to Treva. “What do you have?” she asked with a smile.
“Well, um, chocolate, hazelnut, vanilla, caramel . . .”
“I’ll have vanilla. Decaf, please.” Then his sister had the gall to give the guy an annoyed look. “Oh, did you still have to pay for your order?”
“No. I . . . I decided not to buy anything right now.”
Kelsey smiled at him again, but it was a mean girl smile. The same attitude his sister adopted when she was in middle school and had used on him and his friends whenever they bugged her and her friends too much.
And just like it had done to him all those years ago, it seemed to neatly put Treva’s intruder in his place. He stared hard at Kelsey, glanced back at Treva, then turned and walked out the door.
The wood seemed to clank as it shut.
But the air felt fresher.
Or maybe it just felt that way to Jonny.
Noticing that Treva still had her back to them, he said, “Hey, are you okay? Are you mad at us for getting into your business?”
At last she turned around, each of her hands holding a paper cup. “I’m not mad. Honestly, I’m not even sure what to think.”
“Who was that?” Kelsey asked. “I mean, if you don’t mind my asking.”
“That was my ex-boyfriend. A couple of years ago, just when I thought he was about to propose, he jumped the fence for an English girl.”
“Why was he here?”
“I have no idea, but I think he came to see what I was like after all these years. I agreed to meet with him and catch up, but when it became apparent that he expected me to change, I came inside. He didn’t care for that.”
“I’m so sorry,” Kelsey said.
“I am, too. I think he thought I was still going to be the same, but obviously I’ve changed.”
Kelsey chuckled. “For better or worse?”
“I think I’m better. And I could be wrong, but I have a feeling Reuben has decided that I’m much worse.”
Jonny looked out the door, half expecting Reuben to be lurking around the sidewalk in front of the shop, but he didn’t see a thing. “Do you think he’ll be back?”
“I couldn’t tell you. But I really couldn’t care less.” After placing one on a plate for Kelsey, she asked, “Do you really want six apricot squares?”
“Yep. Throw in six cookies, too.”
“You’ve decided to eat treats after all?”
“No.” Lowering his voice, he said, “I’m trying to lower my cholesterol, but I’ll be happy to send my sister home with lots of treats for her husband.”
As she did as he asked, she smiled at him. “Your sale has emptied my bakery counter. I’m mighty pleased about that.”
“If that’s the case, then I’m pleased, too.” Realizing how good making her happy made him feel, he said, “Obviously, I need to help you out more often.”