Chapter 23 #2
“They don’t have the money.” He frowned. “But speaking of, I should go call them and let them know I’m here. I’ll invite them for supper.”
He sauntered off as if he owned Mammi Lu’s farm. And the house. And the barn. And the phone in the barn.
And apparently Mammi Lu’s savings too.
They were all sitting around the kitchen table—her paternal grandparents, Mammi Lu, Dat, and Joanna—when a knock fell on the back door.
Dat hadn’t finished the prayer yet, and Joanna was doing her best to keep her eyes closed, breathing in the scent of the lavender hanging from the kitchen ceiling, willing it to keep her calm.
Another knock fell. She guessed it was Adam. If something was wrong with Ike or Becky, she hoped he’d rush inside. A third knock fell.
Dat finally ended the prayer.
Joanna stood and said, “Who could that be?”
“I invited—” Dat hesitated. “Insisted—”
Joanna turned toward the door to find Jacob standing on the other side of the screen.
He gave her a weak wave and said, “Hallo.”
“—that Jacob come over.” Dat exploded in his big boisterous laugh as he stood. “Jacob! Come on in!”
Mammi Rhoda beamed as Joanna followed Jacob to the table. “It’s so good to see you,” Mammi Rhoda said to Jacob. She caught Joanna’s eye and smiled again.
Joanna hurried to collect another place setting.
“I already ate,” Jacob said.
“Eat again!” Dat boomed.
After Joanna set the plate, knife, fork, napkin, and glass in front of Jacob, she slipped onto her chair and busied herself dishing up a small amount of mashed potatoes and passing the bowl to Dawdi Hiram.
Mammi Rhoda passed the roasted chicken to Jacob, who took a little.
“So.” Dat leaned back in his chair. “Tell us what’s going on, young man.”
Young man? Did her father intend to bully Jacob into courting her again? Joanna glanced at Mammi Lu, who looked as if she might be ill.
“About?” Jacob asked.
“You and Joanna.”
“There’s not much to tell.” He gave Joanna a furtive glance.
Mammi Lu cleared her throat and said, “Nehemiah, perhaps you could have this conversation later. Away from the table.”
Dat seemed irritated by her comment for a moment, but then chuckled and said, “Good idea, Luanna. Jacob and I’ll take our coffee on the porch after dinner.” He glanced toward his father. “Will you join us?”
Dawdi Hiram muttered something. Mammi Rhoda nudged him. He didn’t respond.
Dat dominated the conversation, telling stories about how cold the Maine winters were and how thick the mosquitoes were in the summer. “But we like it,” Dat said. “We don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Joanna felt the same way about Mammi Lu’s farm.
Dat glanced at Jacob and then Joanna. “I wish you would join us in Maine.” He directed his attention to his parents and to Mammi Lu. “All of you. Then we could look after you.”
Joanna squirmed in her chair, eager for her father to say the closing prayer. Clearly he was in charge.
Mammi Lu said, “I’m happy to hear Maine is treating you well.”
Joanna said, “Is everyone ready for coffee? I made Mammi Lu’s peach cobbler to go with it. I picked the peaches this morning.”
Another flash of irritation passed over Dat’s face, but then he said, “Let’s pray.” They all bowed their heads—but Joanna had a hard time formulating a prayer—until Dat finally said, “Amen.”
Joanna shot up out of her seat and busied herself starting the coffee and then clearing the plates and food. Mammi Lu helped while the others kept talking. Once Joanna poured the coffee and served the cobbler, Dat said, “Men, let’s go on out to the porch.”
Dawdi Hiram cleared his throat and said, “You and Jacob go ahead. I’ll stay in here with the ladies.” Mammi Rhoda nudged him again, but he stood his ground. “I don’t see how my input is needed.”
Dat stood. “All right.” He picked up his cobbler and coffee. “Come on, Jacob.”
After they left, Dawdi Hiram put his hand flat on the table. “Joanna, do you want me to join them?”
She shook her head but couldn’t manage to speak.
“Your Dat will have this sorted out in no time,” Mammi Rhoda said. “It’s a blessing he came when you needed him. It was the right thing to let him know what was going on.”
Confused, Joanna spoke slowly. “You let him know?”
Rhoda smiled a little. “I sent a letter as soon as I knew Jacob had broken up with you. He’s your Dat. He needs to know these sorts of things.”
Joanna asked, “But is that why he came?”
“I assume so.”
Joanna wasn’t so sure. She guessed he already planned to come. She doubted he would have come because of her love life. Or lack of one.
She picked at her cobbler. It wasn’t quite as delicious as when Mammi Lu made it, but it was still good. Mammi’s secret ingredient was vanilla. When the others were done, Joanna quickly cleared the table.
“We should get going,” Dawdi Hiram said. “We have church in the morning.”
Mammi Rhoda yawned and pushed her chair back. “We can tell Nehemiah and Jacob goodbye as we leave.”
Joanna busied herself with the dishes as Mammi Lu cleared the dessert plates. Then Dat opened the back door and said, “Joanna, go on out and have a word with Jacob.”
Her face grew even warmer than it had already been as she dried her hands on her apron.
Nehemiah’s Joanna. Would she be under his thumb until she married?
As she started for the door, Dat had his plate in his hand and was heading to the cobbler dish on the butcher block.
No doubt he’d help himself to another piece.
Jacob stood as Joanna stepped out onto the porch. “Why did you ask your father to speak to me?”
“I didn’t,” Joanna said. “He acted on his own.”
“He tried to talk me into us getting back together.”
“I’m sorry about that.” She wrapped her arms around her middle. “It wasn’t my idea.”
“I understand he’s upset with me.”
Joanna wasn’t sure her father was upset. It seemed more as if he thought he could bully Jacob. “I don’t want to get back together,” Joanna said. “And I know you don’t want that either, but I would like to know what happened and what’s going on now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw you with Veronica at the creamery yesterday.”
His face reddened. “She was my neighbor until recently. She’s had a crush on me, and I needed to explain to her that . . .” His voice trailed off.
“That what?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s none of your business.” Jacob had an annoyed expression on his face.
Joanna exhaled slowly. Why had Dat asked him over? It only made things more awkward.
He put his hat on. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He descended the steps and glanced back at her. “Or more likely Monday at work.”
Joanna turned toward the kitchen door. Dat sat at the table, but Mammi Lu was on the other side of the screen, waiting for her.