Chapter 26
— chapter twenty-six
Her kitchen was infused with the scent of vanilla, cinnamon, and contentment. Gazing at the two loaves of cinnamon bread that were cooling on the kitchen counter, Leanna realized that she finally felt at peace.
It was a moment to savor.
Sure, she still had a lot of things to come to grips with. Life with a new puppy. Finding a rhythm in the widows club that suited her needs. Wrapping her mind around both Evan’s departure and Edmund’s interest.
But for the first time in a while, she felt capable of handling all of that.
After surviving her first year of widowhood, she’d been coming into her own.
She felt both proud of herself and a little amused too.
Never would she have called herself an independent woman, but she had become one.
It hadn’t been her choice, but with God’s help she’d transformed herself into someone capable.
Jah, she’d surely come a long way.
Taking another sip of her lukewarm coffee, she sat down and debated how to spend the rest of her day. She had the day off from Brenneman’s and the sun was shining. Did she want to garden? Read in the sun? Attempt to teach Bumble how to sit and stay?
When she spied an old notepad with the first page full of scribbled reminders, Leanna knew what she needed to do.
It was time to pay a call on Jenna Graber.
Sweet, young Jenna was a new widow. Her husband, Jimmy, had died in an accident at the lumber mill eight months ago.
Leanna’s heart had gone out to Jenna when she attended the funeral.
She’d never forget the sight of the twenty-four-year-old’s grief-stricken face.
Jenna had looked completely lost as she held her daughter Katie’s hand during the service.
Every person in attendance had left the service with tears in their eyes.
Time and necessity had no doubt helped Jenna’s grief. It might not feel as sharp, but Leanna figured that the emptiness she was feeling was as strong as ever.
She remembered how the days felt endless when the casseroles stopped coming and everyone returned to their lives. Jenna was probably just now getting a sense of what her new, unplanned life was going to be like.
Although Leanna’s widowhood had probably felt much different due to the fact that she didn’t have a child and had been almost twenty years older, she was sure Jenna could use a friend.
She could certainly be that.
Making her decision, she wrapped up one of the warm loaves in a freshly washed kitchen towel, hooked a leash on Bumble’s collar, and headed off to Jenna’s house. Hopefully Bumble would bring a smile to Katie’s face and give her mother a few precious moments of free time.
To her surprise, Jenna’s front yard looked neat and clean. Either Jenna had been spending all her spare time working in the flower beds or someone had been giving her a hand. Leanna hoped it was the latter.
When Jenna opened the door, Leanna knew that she’d come on the right day. Jenna looked exhausted.
“Hi, Leanna,” she said in greeting. “This is a surprise.”
When Leanna spied little Katie peeking around her mother’s apron at Bumble, she smiled.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I was hoping you and Katie would be so kind as to take this loaf of bread off my hands.
” She shrugged a little sheepishly. “My favorite cinnamon bread recipe makes two loaves, you see.”
“Danke. This is mighty kind of you.” Jenna took the loaf but still looked uncertain. “I’m sorry, but now isn’t the best time for me to entertain a caller. My kitchen is a bit of a mess right now.”
“I didn’t come over to inspect your kitchen, dear. If you don’t mind, how about I help you do a bit of cleaning while Katie here plays with Bumble?”
“Bumble?”
“It’s her hund,” Katie said as she moved a few inches closer to the puppy.
Looking down near Leanna’s feet, Jenna seemed to finally notice the puppy. “Oh! He’s so cute. Or is it a she?”
“It’s a he, and he’s very fun. He loves to play. Would you mind if Katie played with him for a spell? It would help me out so much.”
“Of course not.” Jenna looked frazzled but at last stepped back far enough for them all to go inside.
The house was rather dark. Several of the window blinds hadn’t been lifted. The air felt stale too.
“Is there someplace where Bumble and Katie could play?”
“In here, I suppose,” Jenna whispered, looking around the living room. “I’ll, ah, open the blinds.”
“While you do that, I’ll take the bread to the kitchen,” Leanna said. Before Jenna could protest, she took the loaf and headed toward the back of the house, which was much brighter and more welcoming than the living area.
When Leanna spied the dishes in the sink and the vase of dead flowers, she closed her eyes and said a little prayer of thanks. She was so glad the Lord had guided her to Jenna’s today.
She rolled up her sleeves, turned on the kitchen faucet, located the dishwashing soap, and got to work. She’d washed two dinner plates and a casserole dish when Jenna walked in.
“I’m so sorry. Katie was a little too excited to be near your puppy. I was afraid she might be too rough with him.”
“There’s nothing to apologize about.” Smiling at her, she added, “As you can see, I made myself at home.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’m grateful for your help but so embarrassed.”
Shutting off the faucet, Leanna turned to her. “Jenna, I came over because I was in your same position about a year ago. I know what you’re going through.”
“Yes. I guess you do.”
“I didn’t come over for any other reason than hopefully to give you a hand with something.” She winked. “I was sure it would be laundry. That’s what I used to have so much trouble getting done.”
“I don’t mind laundry. For me, it’s cooking.” Her lip trembled. “I’m so used to cooking for Jimmy.”
“I understand. But you still have Katie, right?”
“Right.”
“Jenna, dear, I’m going to wash these dishes, wipe down the countertops, and wash the floor. Then I’m going to gather my puppy and get on my way. If you’d like, you could sit and visit with me . . . or perhaps you’d like to go take a shower? Or even lay down for a moment? I’ll watch Katie.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Very much so. As I said, I know what you’re going through.”
Jenna’s eyes darted around the mess then filled with a look of longing as she heard Katie giggle and Bumble bark. “Would you mind terribly if I joined Katie in the living room? It’s been so long since I heard her laugh and giggle.”
“I wouldn’t mind at all.” She made a shooing motion with her hands. “Go on and enjoy those giggles.”
Jenna still hesitated. “Leanna, your unexpected visit . . . well, it’s been an answer to prayer. I don’t know how to thank you for everything you’re doing. We’re practically strangers.”
A lump formed in Leanna’s throat. “Jenna, believe me when I tell you that I needed this visit as much as you did. Go on, now. Katie is waiting on you, and I have things to do in here.”
Jenna smiled again before hurrying into her living room. Almost immediately, Leanna heard Bumble bark and Katie squeal in delight again.
Facing the sink again, she decided that she needed to do things like this more often. Every woman in the community needed to be reminded that they weren’t alone.