Chapter 14
H ENRY
My head jerks up the moment there’s a knock on my door.
Who would be here this early in the morning? Mom should be gone for several days, if not weeks, and I don’t expect Ivy back for at least another day.
I can only hope it’s who I’ve been thinking about nonstop for the last few days. But would she be knocking on my door at this hour? Had she snuck away without anyone knowing?
My heartbeat quickens at the thought. Ellie and me. Here. At my house. All alone.
I can hardly contain myself as I swing the door open.
And my hope plummets to the floor like a lead weight.
But I recover quickly. “Eli? What are you?—”
“Can we talk?” His previous ire from the other night seems to have evaporated as he stares solemnly at the ground.
“Eli? Is everything okay?” Panic seizes my heart as I run through the possibilities of what could possibly be wrong with my friend. Or, is it Ellie? “Eli? What?—”
“Ellie’s fine. That’s not what this is about.”
“Okay, then what’s up?” I open the door wide. “ Kumm inside. It’s just the two of us.”
He follows me into the kitchen.
I hold up a coffee mug. “Want some coffee?”
“Sure.” He slouches into one of the dining chairs.
I add a couple of spoons of instant coffee grounds to each cup, then fetch water from the kettle on my stove, and pour it in.
I walk to the table and join Eli, then slide his coffee across the surface. “I’ve got a couple of extra whoopie pies from yesterday. Want one?”
A wry smile lifts the corner of his mouth.
“Don’t worry, I’m not worried about a marriage proposal.” I tease. I can’t help it. I will never be able to look at a whoopie pie the same way again.
Eli groans. “You will never let me live that down, will you?”
“Probably not.” I eye him. “Ready to talk about why you came over here?”
“It’s kind of complicated, but I guess I’ll just lay it out.” His eyes glaze over. “My folks are talking about selling the farm and moving.”
My pulse quickens. If Ellie and Eli move away…there’s no way I’m about to let that happen. “What? Why?”
“Debt.” Eli shrugs. “I guess they can’t get ahead. Even with Dat and me both working at the factory.”
“ Ach , I’m sorry to hear that. Where would you move?” I’m almost afraid to ask.
“They’re talking about buying Ivan Miller’s old place.”
Whew! It was still in the community. But the Millers’ old place?
Eli frowns, then adds. “It’s cheap.”
“It’s a dump.” I scratch my chin. “I’m sorry. But really? I don’t even know if that place would be worth fixing up.”
“Right?” He sighs and takes a sip of his coffee.
“But I’d be happy to pitch in wherever I can. If your father’s looking to tear down and remodel or whatnot.” I squeeze my eyes closed. “I have some money in savings?—”
“No.”
“Jude is well off. Ever since he signed with the Indy Ice. He’d probably jump at the chance to help your family. I think his team does a lot of charity work already.”
“Henry, I appreciate your concern. But I didn’t come over here for a solution. I just wanted to make you aware of the situation.”
I note the wariness in my friend’s eyes. “I see.”
“And I’d never ask you or Jude for money. And Dat would never accept it from someone outside the family. He wouldn’t even want me talking to you about it.”
“It doesn’t have to be from me. I could give it to you .”
He shakes his head. “Henry, I’m not taking your money. But I did want to point out the obvious.”
I lower my brow. It mustn’t be that obvious if I have no clue what he’s talking about.
“Ellie,” he says. Like I should understand his unsaid words. But I don’t.
“Ellie?”
“You should probably keep your distance.”
Oh, no. He wants me to stop seeing Ellie altogether? I respect my friend, but this is one thing I’m not sure I can comply with.
“My folks won’t be able to afford a proper wedding anytime soon, I guess that is what I’m getting at.”
Oh. Oh . “Does this mean?—?”
“ Jah , I think Ellie is finally coming around. But she won’t have much time for courting or anything else. She’s looking into taking a job in town.” Eli frowns and shakes his head. “I hate not being able to provide for the womenfolk.”
“It’s no one’s fault that you have siblings with medical needs, Eli. That would drain anyone’s family resources.”
His look is glum. “I still hate it.”
“So, Ellie has taken a shining to me, has she?” I raise my eyebrows twice.
“Must’ve been the whoopie pies.” Eli teases.
“Must have. If I would have known that, I would have made them a couple of years ago.”
“Did you ever apologize to her?”
Again, I’m at a loss at Eli’s meaning. “For…kissing her?”
“For stealing her lunch in fourth grade, dummkopp .”
“What?”
“That’s the reason she’s been peeved at you this whole time.” He swirls the remaining coffee around in his mug.
I frown. “You’re kidding.”
“It was a special lunch—a rare lunch.”
“Oh. I had no idea.” I shake my head. “Not that I should have been stealing lunches anyhow. There’s no excuse for that. I was such a dummkopp .”
“Well, there you have it. Mystery solved.”
“I need to make an apology, then. For sure and for certain.”
Eli nods. “I’d say that would be appropriate.”
I know he warned me away but, I can’t help but ask. “Do you think she’d join me for a picnic soon?” I grin. Because a picnic with Ellie sounds amazing.
Eli shakes his head, his lips curling up. “You’re not about to keep your distance, are you?”
“Can you blame me after how long I’ve waited?”
Eli sighs. “I suppose not. You can ask her tonight when we come over to skate on the pond. Just promise me you’ll keep things…above reproach.”
“I’d never take advantage of your schweschder . I can promise you that.” As far as kissing Ellie goes, well…can one keep a thirsty man from water?
Eli relinquishes a satisfactory nod.
And all of a sudden, I can’t wait until tonight.