Chapter 21
Junior liked to call her “Elizabeth.” No one had called Beth that in years. Well, no one did without her correcting them. So, she should’ve already reminded him that she went by Beth.
She hadn’t. For some strange reason, she kind of liked how her full name sounded out of his lips. It made her feel special. Or, maybe as if Junior thought she was?
Though she would never admit it, Beth really liked that idea. Ever since she’d gotten pregnant, rearranged her life, and then still felt unsettled and unhappy, she’d been struggling.
Struggling hard.
For as long as she could remember, she was the person who always did everything right. She made good grades. She didn’t cause trouble. She looked after Kelsey and Jonny. She’d gotten an academic scholarship, gotten her degree, and was successful in her chosen field.
But she didn’t feel like that girl anymore.
While everyone in her former life seemed intent on questioning her about everything, Junior simply accepted her as she was.
He had low expectations of her. Junior didn’t seem to mind that she came in late.
It was as if she was his charity case. His effort to help someone in need and because of that, he didn’t act all that worried about how good of a job she could do.
He wasn’t impressed with how successful she’d been in her former life.
Or maybe he had no idea.
Which would be something else that was new for her. Before this pregnancy, she’d begun to view her identity only by her success in real estate. Her reputation had gained her clients, and the money she’d made had won her awards in the company.
The fact that it didn’t matter now was difficult to get used to. Almost as much as the person she seemed to be becoming—whether she wanted it to happen or not.
All her life, Beth had been the steady one. The dependable one. No, that was her version. Her brothers and sister would say that she’d always been a stickler for rules and unafraid to point it out when she got caught doing something good and one of them had messed up.
She’d actually been kind of insufferable.
Was she just noticing that—which was why she kept fumbling around in her current state? Running late. Doing jobs that she could have handled ten years ago.
Mooning over her new almost-boss?
“Elizabeth, is something wrong?”
Junior had caught her staring at him. “No.”
“Are you sure? You were frowning.”
“I sure didn’t mean to be.” Thinking quickly, she said, “Oh, I think you caught me staring off into space. Sorry. I’ll get back to work.”
He chuckled. “If I caught you doing nothing, I guess it means that you caught me doing the same thing.” His hazel eyes warmed. “Don’t rush back to work on my account.”
“For what it’s worth, I do have a good reason. I’m pregnant and was nauseous all morning and it’s seemed to have made me off-kilter. What’s your excuse?”
“Umm . . . maybe that I almost hired a woman to clean up my backlog of paperwork.”
“Almost hired, hmm?”
“I’m not sure what to call you. Saying you’re working for free don’t sound quite right.”
“I don’t mind the phrase. I’ve been thinking of you as my almost-boss,” she admitted with a smile.
“I reckon our new titles fit.”
Clyde, who was now stretched out in the middle of the room, thumped his tail in agreement.
“I like that you take your dogs to work.”
“I like when they’re here, too. I don’t take them all the time, but on some days, I just can’t refuse when they walk to the door with me and wag their tails.”
“I couldn’t do that, either.”
Standing up, he crouched next to Honor and ran his hand along her spine. “When I started this company, I was kind of at loose ends. Clyde and Honor were still rambunctious— just a couple of years old. They’d get in terrible trouble if left to their own devices.”
Her eyes lit up. “Uh oh. What did they do? Get into the trash?”
He waved a hand. “The trash, the closet. Any food that was on the counter.” Remembering a certain pair of Red Wings, he added, “My shoes.”
“Uh oh. They were handfuls.”
“They sure were. My Aunt Rhoda said it was because they were bored. They were like little kids, needing constant companionship.”
“I could be wrong, but I’m guessing that you weren’t too keen about leaving them home alone all day, either.”
“You caught me. I reckon I was just as needy as they were. They needed me and I needed them.”
Studying his face, Beth wondered what had made him want to get two dogs. Then, practically on the heels of that, start a new company. She had no idea what it could have been, but she was pretty sure that the story wasn’t a short one.
“I guess I better get back to work.”
“Is it going all right?”
“Matching invoices to the ledger and making file folders?”
“Jah.”
“Yes, it’s going fine.” Her former self would have told him that she could do something so easy in her sleep.
“Sometimes my handwriting could be improved. If you canna read something, let me know.”
“I can read the numbers very well. And your handwriting is fine.” She felt like rolling her eyes. Could she not think of anything more interesting to say?
The phone’s ringing came as a welcome relief.
Getting to his feet, he strode to his desk. “Walden Wax Works.”
Half listening to him talk about sizes and prices, Beth drifted back to the job at hand.
Over the next hour, Junior received two more calls about orders. He answered each person’s questions easily and somehow made it sound as if their questions made his day.
She wondered if he did that on purpose or if he treated everyone around him like they mattered.
When the phone rang yet again, he groaned.
“Walden Wax Works, how may I—Oh.” His voice turned pensive.
“Hiya, Sam. How are you? . . . Today?” He paused, glanced in her direction.
“Well, now . . . I wouldn’t say I’m too busy but—” He stopped in midsentence.
“Yes, I understand. Well, come on over, then. Jah. Yes. I will see you then. Uh huh. Bye.” He set the earpiece down with a thunk.
It was obvious that he was upset. Beth looked his way, but he didn’t meet her eyes. Instead, Junior stood up again and ran a hand through his hair. Then he sighed.
“Is everything all right?” she finally asked. She hadn’t seen him act that flustered the entire time she’d been there.
“Yes. It’s just . . . well, that was my brother. Sam. He’s coming over.”
“Soon?”
“Jah. Now.”
She was surprised. She’d been sure he was an only child, though she wondered why. It wasn’t like he’d spent much time telling her about his family. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“I do. He’s younger.” Still looking agitated, he rearranged some papers on his desk. “He’s also not very reliable. We’re not close.”
“I’m sorry.”
Junior shrugged. “Me, too. But he hasn’t wanted to change.” Lowering his voice, he added, “Or maybe it’s me that is always hoping he will.”
Since she had two brothers and a sister, she could relate. Well, she could to an extent. But even when they argued she still loved them fiercely. It was rare that she didn’t call each of them once a week. “Where does Sam live?”
“Currently in Millersburg with a couple of other guys who are former Amish.”
“That’s close.”
“Jah. Sam shares an apartment with them.”
Junior was frowning. Beth wondered what the reason was. “Are you upset that he didn’t want to be baptized?”
“Not particularly. He was never one to follow rules. Even the simplest ones seemed to disagree with him.”
“Then what’s wrong with him?” Realizing how nosey she was sounding, she added quickly, “Sorry, it’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s fine. And Sam is fine, too. I mean, there’s nothing wrong,” he added. “I mean, nothing beyond what he is.”
“Which is?”
“Confused.”
“I see.”
“No, you don’t.” Stopping in front of her desk, he said, “I guess you could say that he’s kind of the opposite of you.”
“Because I’m trying to be Amish, while he left for the English world?”
“Yes. Also that you have a clue in life and he doesn’t. To say we don’t usually see eye to eye is an understatement.”
And . . . he’d said too much.
She stood up. “You know what? It just occurred to me that I could take some of these ledgers home and work on them there. Then you could have your privacy. I know it will probably not do any favors for my reputation around here, but you and I will know the truth.”
“Please don’t.”
She studied his tense expression. Noticed how stiff his posture was. He was really on edge. “Are you sure you don’t want to be alone? I promise,I could be out of here in just a few moments.”
“Would you mind if I asked you not to do that?”
She put back down the ledger that she was holding in her arms. “Of course not. I mean, it’s your company and your ledgers.”
“Elizabeth. Beth. Please, don’t take this the wrong way. It’s not that I don’t trust you. But . . . I could use a buffer right now between me and my brother.”
“Oh.” She was starting to get a little worried. What did Junior think was going to happen? Were they likely to come to blows?
“See, I think if you’re here, then I might be able to hold it together. Or Sam might not be quite as demanding.”
She sat back down. “All right.”
“Thanks.” He walked to his desk and started organizing things into piles.
Watching him from the corner of her eye, Beth had a pretty good idea how his paperwork and invoices got so mixed up. He was truly just piling them in a big stack.
Two raps on the door brought both of their attention to the door.
“Come in,” he said.
Cherry opened the door with a bit of a flourish. “Junior, look who came for a visit! Samuel!”
Beth barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Honestly, Cherry acted like she was announcing the Queen of England.
All thoughts froze when she spied Sam, however. He looked a lot like Junior, but the movie-star version of him. He was slick-looking. Movie-star handsome.
And had obviously been flirting with Cherry, which was just wrong.
Then, just before he focused on his brother, he glanced her way.
And then he somehow managed to look even more sleazy. His smile widened.
Junior had not been right about his brother. It wasn’t that he didn’t fit in, it was that he didn’t seem nice.
He didn’t seem nice at all.
But that was only a first impression.