Chapter 4
4
Moses drove around the back of the Amish market he owned in Byler’s Corner, Delaware, located at a crossroads with a couple of shops a few miles from the nearest town. But enough local and tourist traffic stopped to make it worth opening the market on Fridays and Saturdays. It consisted of a building with booths and an outdoor concrete space for carts and picnic tables during the warmer weather. Like today.
Amish from the Dover area, to the south, brought their wares to the market to sell, as did Amish from Pennsylvania. Several Mennonite families also had booths at the market, along with local farmers and craftspeople.
A text popped up on the dashboard screen.
I need you at the café. Having a few unforeseen troubles this morning.
He sighed. He’d been looking forward to spending the day at the market, but it wouldn’t do any good to ignore Sara. He pulled into his parking space and dictated a reply.
I’ll head your way as soon as I can.
He climbed out of his vehicle, entered the building, and then walked through the rows of stalls. First he checked in with Joey Williams, who managed the market. His wife operated a coffee and pastries booth.
“Hallo, Boss!” Joey called out. “Things are looking good today. Yesterday too.”
“Great,” Moses replied. “I’ll only be here for a little bit. I need to head back soon. Text me if anything comes up.”
Moses had inherited the market when his father died. When or how his father acquired it wasn’t clear, because Moses hadn’t known about the market until after his father’s death. Joey had seen to its operation, while Dat collected payments from the vendors and paid the bills. When Moses asked Joey when Dat bought the market, Joey shrugged and said, “I’m actually not sure how it all came about.” Joey never clarified his answer, even though Moses rephrased the question a few times.
He continued on toward Casey Smucker’s wooden toy stall. After saying hello, he asked if Casey wanted to ride to Paradise with him. “I need to check on the café and see to some other stuff.”
Casey glanced at his younger brother, Walter, and back at Moses. “Then you’re coming back here?”
“For sure. I’ll be back by midafternoon, before closing.”
Walter said, “Go ahead. I can handle things.” The market was busy but not swamped.
Casey grabbed his cane and limped out of the stall and then turned to his brother. “Denki.”
Walter gave him a wave.
As they walked, Moses slowed his pace to try to match Casey’s. Moses slowed even more. Casey stumbled over the uneven ground.
Moses hesitated, but once Casey began to fall he reached out and steadied him, saying, “I’m sorry,” as he did.
Casey planted his cane and straightened. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”
Moses hated when Casey said that. Casey’s bad leg was Moses’s fault.
A few minutes later, Moses backed out of his parking place and pulled onto the highway, heading north. He’d told Casey a few years ago about the Amish market and suggested he hire a driver and sell his products. But he asked him not to tell others in Lancaster County Moses owned the market. Perhaps he felt compelled to keep his ownership private because his father had. But he also felt uncomfortable with people knowing all the businesses he owned. He knew people criticized him behind his back. He didn’t want to give them another reason to do so.
“What’s going on at the café?” Casey asked.
“Sara’s managing it now. We stopped by for supper last night, and things were a mess. The manager quit on the spot. Sara’s there this morning trying to sort things out and needs me to stop by.”
“Does she know how to manage a restaurant?”
“Jah,” Moses answered. “From working at her Mennonite uncle’s restaurant.”
“That’s right.”
“She lived with his family and worked for him for a couple of years, after the accident.”
When Casey didn’t respond, Moses shot him a glance. His friend stared straight ahead. Maybe Moses shouldn’t have mentioned the accident. It was something the two of them didn’t talk about. Moses pressed the brake to slow for the tractor hugging the right side of the lane.
“You don’t think Sara is the right choice to manage the café?” Moses asked.
Casey’s voice was a little raw. “I didn’t say that.”
“But?”
“It takes a lot to manage a restaurant. Dealing with deliveries and supplies. Managing people. Being flexible when deliveries are late and people don’t show up for work. You know how it goes.”
Moses did. He had the same problem at his grocery store, the first business he’d bought after his father passed away.
Casey asked, “Do you regret buying the café?”
“No. It’s just taking a while to work out the kinks. I expected a few problems.”
“Are you and Sara courting?” Casey asked.
Moses hesitated. Why was it difficult for him to answer Casey’s question? “Jah, we are.” He needed to marry sometime soon, within the next year or two. He’d waited long enough.
Casey didn’t reply. Instead, he pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket. “Walter gave me this, but I don’t have time for it.”
Moses paused a moment and then said, “I have no idea what’s in the envelope, but do you think I have more time than you do?”
Casey didn’t respond again, which made Moses feel uncomfortable. He’d just valued his own time over his best friend’s.
“It’s a birding circle letter,” Casey finally said. “Walter knows I’ve gone birding with you a few times—but you’re the one with the passion for it. A woman named Teresa Schrock is starting it. It’s for Mennonite and Amish people.”
“Sounds like it could be a lot of older people,” Moses said.
“I don’t know about that.” Casey pressed the envelope between his palms. “But even if it is, you need to do something besides work.”
“I’ve got Mamm—” He visited her several times a week, although he hadn’t visited her yet this week.
“Jah, you’re a good son.”
Moses winced. There were plenty of people who thought otherwise, including himself. He’d put her in the Green Hills Care Center instead of caring for her himself. If he’d been a good son, he would have married someone by now and moved Mamm into his home. As it was, all he had was the studio apartment in the back of his grocery store warehouse.
“You need more of a normal life.” Casey tucked the envelope into the console. “Read it and see what you think. Maybe there will be younger members in the circle letter. Young women. You might meet someone new.”
“You don’t like Sara, do you?”
“No. I do. I just think if she was right for you, you’d know by now.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been a little busy.” He’d done it again, commenting about his time. He sighed. “I’m going to slow down in a month or two when it comes to work. I need to launch one more project. It will be my last.”
Casey placed his palms on his thighs. “Care to share?”
Moses grinned. “I’ll show you before we head back to the market.”
When they reached the café, the parking lot was full. “Are you hungry?” Moses pulled around the side of the building.
“Starving.” Casey opened the passenger door and climbed down.
“Let’s go through the back.” Moses led the way into the storage room, followed by Casey.
Moses heard the voices before he saw anything as his eyes adjusted to the dim light.
“Put your apron on and get out there.”
“Sorry. My babysitter was late,” a woman said. “She had to take her mother—”
“Go!”
Sara was yelling at an employee. Moses waited for his eyes to adjust. Casey closed the door. Sara turned toward them. She was wearing a yellow print cape dress, brown shoes with a bit of a heel, and her rounded Kapp. Like most days, she wore makeup—but not much. Her blond hair showed at the front and under the sheer Kapp. She was attractive, even when she was angry.
“Moses.” She squinted. “And Casey. What a surprise.”
Moses asked, “Do you need help?”
“I do.” A strand of hair had escaped her Kapp, and she tucked it behind her ear. “We’re swamped.”
“What do you need us to do?” Moses asked. “I can wait tables.”
Casey stepped forward. “I can do dishes.”
“All right.” Sara reached for aprons on the hook in the hallway. “Take these and wash up. An hour of help should get us through brunch. You can hang your jackets here.” She pointed to the row of pegs behind them, by the door. The ones Moses had installed.
Moses and Casey each took an apron.
Sara pointed toward the dining room. “I’m hosting today. Moses, would you show Casey the dishwasher?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Moses hoped he had a hint of playfulness in his voice.
Sara didn’t respond but kept walking toward the doorway to the dining room. She walked with her head held high and her shoulders squared. Moses had always liked that about her.
Turning toward Casey, Moses pointed through the door to the kitchen. Casey grinned as he limped forward. “Hello, dishwasher, my old friend.” Moses and Casey both had worked as dishwashers at a restaurant in Gordonville as teenagers.
“Have fun.” Moses turned toward the restroom to wash his hands. After he finished, he stepped into the makeshift office and grabbed a notepad and pen. Then he strode out to the floor. The woman who had just arrived, who Moses hadn’t met, worked the far-right side of the dining room.
Sara led a couple to the middle area, where a family of six sat at a nearby table. She nodded to both tables and mouthed to Moses, “This is your section.”
Sara had always been brave and ambitious. Perhaps her beauty, height, or both had given her a confidence unlike most of the Amish girls he knew. She’d always been a little abrupt, even harsh at times, but since the accident she’d been even more so. He thought perhaps, with time, she would completely heal from her injury. But she continued to seem more irritable and more easily triggered than before the accident, which he still felt guilty about.
An hour and a half later, at one, Moses told Sara he and Casey needed to grab some food and leave.
“Already?”
He nodded.
She exhaled. “We didn’t have enough staff this morning, but they slowly trickled in.”
“What do you mean? Were more people late than the waitress who came in right before us?”
“I thought the others were late but then checked the schedule.”
“Oh.” Moses had made the schedule. He’d staggered the starting times because they were never busy at seven in the morning, not even on a Saturday. “Well,” he said, “I need to see to a few things and get Casey back to the market. We’ll take sandwiches to go. I already put the order in.”
Her mouth turned down. “Will I see you this evening?”
“I’m going to stop by Mamm’s,” he said. “See you at church tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.” She turned back toward the dining room.
A few minutes later, Moses grabbed the to-go order and coaxed Casey out of the kitchen.
As they reached the back door, Moses turned toward the hallway. Sara stepped into the kitchen, carrying a sandwich on a plate. She raised her voice again. This time to the cook. “The order was without mayo. Read it again.”
Moses winced. He expected Casey to say something, but he didn’t. Sara had a lot of positive qualities, and Moses needed to remember that. He’d certainly used the wrong tone and said the wrong things to employees on occasion over the last four years. She’d learn.
Casey pulled a sandwich from the bag and handed it to Moses. “What are you going to show me?”
Moses took the sandwich and slowed his SUV. Scotty’s car was in the parking lot. “Paradise Found.”
“I tried to sell birdhouses there. Lois said no.”
“You knew Lois worked here?” Moses took a bite of the sandwich as he parked next to Scotty’s Buick. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Casey muttered something incoherent.
“Why didn’t Lois carry your birdhouses?”
“She said they were too rustic.” Casey took another bite and added, “She was right.”
“Well, I’ll change that. Rustic or not.”
“You’ll change what?”
Moses pointed toward the shop. “This is my next acquisition.”
“Really?”
Moses nodded and took the last bite of his sandwich.
Casey sounded surprised as he said, “How many more businesses do you plan to buy?”
“This will be it.” Moses crumpled up the sandwich paper. “Grocery store, Amish market, café, and a tourist shop. Plus, I’m going to add a market here too.”
“That’s good news,” Casey said. “Walter and I won’t have to hire a driver to take us to Delaware.”
“Or one of you could run a booth there and the other one here.”
“True,” Casey said. “Although we’d need to up our production.”
“Hire someone to help.” Casey should learn to think ahead. Moses opened the door. “I need to talk to Scotty Harris for a few minutes about the sale.” He’d thought of a few more questions to ask. “Want to come in?”
“To say hello to Lois?” Casey grinned and wrapped his remaining sandwich back in the paper. “Sure.”
Casey and Lois had always been close, even when they were kids. But Casey had assured Moses five years ago he wasn’t interested in Lois romantically—nor was Lois interested in him. He’d said he and Lois were friends and he planned to keep it that way. But Moses didn’t entirely believe him. When they entered the shop, Lois stepped out from the counter with a smile on her face. It disappeared when she saw Moses.
Then she grinned at the sight of Casey. “Hallo! How are you, Casey?”
Joy filled Casey’s voice. “I’m doing well. How are you?”
“ Gut !”
Moses cleared his throat. “Is Scotty in?”
Lois tilted her head to the side. “Jah. He’s in his office. Go on back.”
Moses took a few steps forward. “How’s your leg?”
Lois’s smile faded. “Just fine.”
Moses kept going as Casey asked, “What happened to your leg?”
He couldn’t hear Lois’s response, but he felt like a jerk for asking about it. Obviously, she was fine.
He knocked on Scotty’s door, saying, “It’s Moses.”
“Come on in!”
As Moses pushed the door open, Scotty stood and walked around his desk, his hand extended. The two shook hands and Moses said, “I was hoping I could look at your books before I speak with my lawyer Monday afternoon.”
“Definitely,” Scotty said. “I’m getting everything in order. Mine will draw up the papers by Tuesday.”
“Nice! So we have an understanding?”
Scotty nodded.
“Could I go through your books this evening?”
“That won’t work.” Scotty glanced toward the computer. “But I’ll text you tomorrow and let you know when you can. Perhaps Monday morning.”
“All right.” Moses had hoped to look at them sooner.
Scotty put down the pen he’d been holding. “This has all gone faster than I expected. I’ll have them ready soon.” He stood. “Do you have any other concerns?”
“Just one.”
“Oh?”
“Lois Yoder.”
“Lois.” Scotty laughed. “What about Lois concerns you?”
“She doesn’t have the best customer service.”
“What are you talking about? We have customers who come in solely because of her, and I’m not just talking locals. We have tourists who come back to the shop year after year asking for Lois. Heck, I think some of them come to Lancaster County specifically because of Lois.”
Moses’s face grew warm. “That’s reassuring.” It seemed Lois was only rude to him. He stepped backward. “See you soon.”
As he stepped back into the shop, Lois spoke with a customer. “We have hand-painted cards of Lancaster County scenes—farms, covered bridges, horses and buggies, and farms, as well as paintings of both birds and flowers.” She pointed toward the far wall. “Along with the photographs there and—” she pointed to behind the counter—“the collages here.”
“Thank you.” The customer, a woman in her fifties, had her arms full of kitchen towels and aprons.
Lois extended her hands. “Let me take those while you continue to browse.”
The woman slipped her load into Lois’s open arms.
Moses stepped to Casey’s side.
“This is cool.” Casey stared up into the birch tree. “It has more birdhouses on it than the last time I was here.”
Moses whispered, “It’s a liability.”
“It seems sturdy....” Casey reached in and grasped the trunk.
“I think I have everything I need,” the customer said.
“ Wunderbar .” Lois sounded genuinely warm. “I’ll ring you up.” As she worked, she asked the woman where she was from—Virginia. And if she’d been to Lancaster County before—this was her second trip. And where she was staying—the bed and breakfast on the edge of Paradise.
“Moses?”
He turned toward Casey, who stepped closer and spoke quietly. “We should leave after Lois finishes. I need to help Walter pack up the booth, but I want to tell her goodbye first.”
Lois said to the customer, “That’ll be two hundred forty-eight dollars and fifty cents.”
“Yeah,” Moses said to Casey. “We need to go.” He’d hoped to have time to stop by and see his mother, but he couldn’t be late getting Casey back. Besides, Moses needed to check in with Joey again. He wouldn’t go back to Delaware until next Saturday.
As Casey told Lois goodbye, Moses tried to ignore a pang of envy.
A half hour later, while Moses sped back along Highway 41 toward Delaware, Casey leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes. Casey had been happy to see Lois—but not so happy to see Sara.
Moses glanced down at the envelope with the information about the circle letter. His life had been all about business lately. He did like to go birding—but he didn’t do it.
Maybe he would write Teresa Schrock and ask about joining the circle letter. It might not help, but it couldn’t hurt either.