CHAPTER 17
“T hese new bicycles from Harley-Davidson are beauties,” Jonny’s new friend Ben said as he ran a hand along the aluminum frame. “And you said the throttle is easy to work?”
“Easy as pie.”
“Hmm.” Wearing old-looking faded overalls, he squatted down to look at the motor. “How does it compare to those Stromer bikes from Switzerland?”
“I think they’re comparable. Other people have told me they felt the Swiss brand was better.”
After standing up, Ben glanced at the price. Then whistled low. “Man, but that’s a pretty penny.”
Glancing at the three-thousand-dollar price tag, Jonny nodded. “It is. They all are, though.” He smiled. “I could tell you all about the bells, whistles, and engineering, but it might be simpler just to concentrate on what your grandfather says.”
“It’s all less than feeding a horse,” Ben said with a laugh. “I canna believe that my old grandpa was the first one in my family to take up electric bike riding. He used to tell me that old ways were the best. Now he’s zipping along the farm roads like he’s on a racetrack.”
“It is a surprise, but I’m glad your Grandpa Bill did. If Bill wasn’t such a fan of these bikes, I don’t think half the community would be trying them out.” Thinking of the number of people who’d come into the store spouting off some bit of information Bill had told them, Jonny added, “Alan should be giving your grandpa a bonus for every bike sold.”
Ben grinned. “It’s gut you didn’t, then. Mei dawdi wouldn’t make you offer twice. In no time, he’d take you up on the offer and never look back.”
“I wouldn’t blame him a bit.”
Folding his arms across his chest, Ben grinned. “Bill is quite the leader. Always has been.”
“So, do you want to take one of them out for a spin?”
After examining the bikes one more time, he nodded. “I do.”
“Which one?”
Ben grinned. “This one. I like that the Serial 1 is made by Harley-Davidson. Even though we’re talking bicycles and not motorcycles, there’s something about owning a Harley that makes me grin.”
Jonny grinned, too. “I think you’ll be pleased. And if you’re not, you can try some of our other models.”
“And the payment plan is still in effect?”
“Yep. Half down, then the rest divided into six payments. Or we even offer zero percent financing.”
“That helps.”
“Sure it does.”
“At first I thought that not making everyone pay the full price was a strange way of doing things, but it seems to be working for you.”
“It is. Alan says that these bikes are an investment, and I agree with him. But it doesn’t just work well for our store. It’s helping out a lot of our customers, too. That’s what’s important.” He paused. “Go take a test ride. See what you think. If you aren’t sure and want to test some other bikes, that’s no problem.”
Fifteen minutes later, Jonny was standing in the parking lot and watching Ben pedal down the bike path. Pleased that he seemed to be handling the bicycle well, Jonny watched until his friend pedaled out of sight. Ben didn’t look as if he was going to have any trouble getting used to having a motorized bicycle.
When he went back inside, Jonny glanced at the clock. Three more hours to go.
Grabbing his water bottle, Jonny took a long pull and hopped on a stool. He really did need to start thinking about his schedule more. The afternoons lagged too long, especially because he seemed to be opening up the shop earlier and earlier every week.
He was also starting to feel torn, and for the first time was beginning to doubt his ability to change his life. He loved a lot of things about living Plain. He liked not worrying about too many possessions and feeling less of a need to be constantly running around and busy.
But he also missed his friends. And, if he was honest, he missed his phone. He’d done everything on it. E-mails, texts, read the news, played games, scanned social media. Now that he barely used it, he felt as if he was missing out and was out of the loop.
Maybe Beth had been right when she’d said that she wasn’t sure if living Plain was the right path for her to follow.
Before he’d moved in with his grandparents, he’d simply assumed that Martin hadn’t given their experiment a good try. After all, if Kelsey could adapt so easily, why couldn’t the rest of them?
But maybe he wasn’t as committed to being Amish as he thought he was.
When the shop’s door opened again, he glanced toward it with relief.
And then shock.
Because there were Martin and Patti. And Treva?
“Is this how you greet all your customers, little brother?” Martin asked.
“Stop. I didn’t know you were coming in town.” Smiling at the women, he added, “All three of you are a sight for sore eyes, though.”
“Ignore Martin,” Patti said. “He’s just giving you a hard time. We know we caught you off guard.”
“You did catch me by surprise, but in the best way possible. Believe it or not, I was just thinking about Martin. That’s why I was gaping at you all.” Remembering his manners, he reached for Patti’s hand. “It’s been too long since our paths crossed. I’m glad to see ya, Patti.”
To his surprise, she rose up and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad to see you, too. I must say that this shop is impressive.”
“Alan did a fine job setting it all up.”
“I heard differently,” Martin said. “I heard that your work managing it has made a world of difference.”
“I don’t know about that. I do know that it’s good to see you.”
“I feel the same way.” He clapped him on the back. When they parted, Martin smiled at Treva. “I have to be honest. Patti and I were going to surprise you at supper, but then we got to talking to Treva here and discovered that you two know each other.”
“I just happened to mention you in passing,” Treva said, her cheeks turning pink.
“Of course we know each other,” he said with a laugh. “I’m in your shop bright and early every morning.”
“Just like the sun.”
As they shared a smile, he realized that his exchange with Treva had definitely taken both Patti’s and Martin’s notice. They were exchanging looks. Martin had the gall to actually look a little smug.
About what, Jonny had no idea.
“When do you get off work?” Martin asked. “Patti and I thought the four of us could go sit down somewhere and visit.”
“ Jah . There’s a cute restaurant nearby that has really good half-and-halfs.”
He knew she was referring to the half-lemonade half-iced tea drink. He’d always called it an Arnold Palmer. Whatever the name, it was his favorite. “That sounds great, but I can’t leave just yet. I’ve got a guy out on the trail test riding a bike.”
And then, just as if he’d planned it, the door flew open and Ben strode in, rolling the bicycle by his side. He was grinning broadly and his eyes were bright.
“Jonny, by golly, but you were right! Riding that bicycle there was fantastic.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Do you have any questions? Or would you like to try out another?” Sure, he’d like nothing better than to go spend time with his brother, Patti, and Treva, but work came first—especially when it involved the possibility of a new sale.
Ben shook his head. “No way. I’ve made up my mind. I’ve got to get me a Harley.”
Martin’s laughter lit up the room. When Ben looked at Martin in confusion, his brother attempted to settle down. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to be rude, but there’s just something about an Amish man saying he wanted a Harley that struck me as funny.”
“No offense taken,” Ben said. “I daresay you have a point.” Turning to Jonny, he said, “I’m going to need the paperwork in order to get that zero percent financing.”
“No problem.” Handing him a packet, he said, “I can scan all your information, send it off, and get an answer for you in about fifteen minutes.”
“Would you mind if I took it home? I want to talk to mei daed .” He lifted a shoulder. “He might be willing to give me the loan. That’s worth a try, right?”
“Whatever way you want to pay works for me.”
“Are you working tomorrow?”
“I am.”
“I’ll be back before ten.”
“I’ll be here by eight.”
Jonny held out his hand, and Ben shook it. “ Danke , Jonny.”
After Ben walked out the door, Martin, Patti, and even Treva clapped.
“What’s the applause for?”
“We all peeked at the price on that fancy bicycle,” Treva said. “Selling one is something to celebrate.”
He chuckled. “It’s not sold yet, but Ben has been in here a couple of times. He sounds sure.”
“Do you still want to get out of here?”
“Yep, give me ten minutes to straighten up and give Alan a call.”
“We’ll straighten up. You call,” Martin said.
Fifteen minutes later, the four of them were sitting in Andre’s Taco Shack sipping Arnold Palmers and munching on warm tortilla chips. They’d also ordered a flight of appetizer-sized tacos to share.
Because Martin and Patti were sitting on one side of the booth, he was sharing his side with Treva. She smelled faintly like pumpkin and cinnamon. It was obvious that she’d been baking earlier that day.
When Martin leaned down to whisper something in Patti’s ear, he said, “You smell good, Treva. Like pumpkin pie.”
She laughed. “I bet I do. I made five dozen pumpkin pie muffins this morning.”
“Five dozen? You’ll sell five dozen at the shop?”
“Oh, nee . I’ll sell about two dozen. The other three are a special order for the Methodist church downtown.”
“I didn’t know you baked special orders. That’s great.”
She smiled back at him, obviously pleased by his compliment. “ Danke .”
“We’ve been learning all kinds of things about Treva’s business,” Patti said. “I’m mighty impressed.”
“You shouldn’t be, but I am pleased. When I first dreamed of opening the Trailside Café, I asked God to help me believe in myself. I never expected to have so many customers.”
“I think you might have to start dreaming bigger, Treva,” Martin said.
“Perhaps I should,” she murmured, as she stole a glance his way.
Jonny caught it, though. He realized then that it was time to step things up. Not just for the two of them to spend time together but also for him to share some of his feelings more openly. “Treva, maybe I could come over one evening and we could visit for a spell.”
Her eyes widened. “You want to come over in the evening?”
“Uh, yeah.” Wasn’t that what he’d just said? Why was she looking so surprised?
“All right. Um, I think that would be agreeable to my parents.”
“Great.” Still feeling like he was missing something, he nodded. “Is tonight okay? Say, about seven?”
“Seven will be fine. I’ll let my parents know.”
“ Danke , Treva.”
Her cheeks pinkened just as the server brought their taco flight.
They each grabbed a taco and said a quiet prayer. Then dug in. As the girls started eating, Patti started talking to Treva about a mutual friend.
Pleased that their impromptu get-together was going so well, Jonny added some fresh lettuce to his grilled chicken taco and took a bite.
Only then did he notice that Martin was looking at him in a bemused way. “What?” he asked.
After glancing at the women, Martin leaned forward. “You do know that you just asked Treva if you could come calling, right?”
“No, I didn’t. All I asked was . . .” His voice drifted off. “Wow, you’re right.” A knot formed in the pit of his stomach before his brain kicked in and reminded him of one thing—he liked Treva. He liked her a lot.
If he didn’t start calling on her, either that putz Reuben would or some other guy whom she met at her café would probably start getting ideas. He didn’t want either to happen.
Looking a little concerned, Martin added, “Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m good with it.”
“Good with what?” Treva asked.
“Just having one taco,” he improvised quickly. “I had thought I might want more, but it’s plenty.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good.”
He smiled at her. “It sure is.”