Chapter 2
The next day was an off Sunday for church.
In the afternoon Mandy stopped by, and she and Joanna sat on the porch drinking lemonade.
Mandy had a little bit of makeup on, lip gloss and mascara, which made her brown eyes pop.
Miriam often wore makeup, but this was the first time Joanna had seen Mandy with any on.
The identical twins had blond hair and dark brows.
Both were striking but Miriam, with her sparkling personality, stood out more.
After Joanna described the trip to Spartansburg and back, leaving out any mention of Adam, Mandy said, her voice a little wobbly, “Caleb—” Mandy gave Joanna an apologetic look—“asked to give me a ride home tonight after the ice cream social.”
Joanna smiled, happy for her friend. But that meant Joanna would need to find a ride home. “Ach, don’t worry about it.” Adam had been telling the truth about Caleb and Mandy after all. “I don’t need to go.”
“Nee, you definitely need to.” Mandy met Joanna’s gaze again. “Can’t you take your Dawdi’s buggy?”
“I don’t do very well with his horse.”
“How about your scooter?”
“Mammi doesn’t like me riding it after dark.” Honestly, Joanna didn’t either. Vehicles whizzed by on the highway, often without any thought to pedestrians or scooters.
“How about Adam Slaybaugh?” Mandy asked. “He lives practically next door. I can stop by and ask him to give both of us a ride there—and you a ride home.”
Joanna didn’t want Adam to think she was interested in him after what she’d said the night before. “Only if you tell him I only want a ride because you and I are friends—not for any other reason.”
“Why? He’s cute. And funny. Not to mention Becky and Ike’s grandson. You two would be a perfect match.” Her eyebrows arched. “Your grandmothers would be over the moon.”
Joanna was beginning to figure out the dynamics in Mammi Lu’s friend group.
She and Becky were best friends. Mandy’s grandmother Elaine was friends with both of them.
Weirdly, Joanna’s paternal grandmother, Mammi Rhoda, was part of the friend group too.
But she lived on the other side of the county, where Joanna used to live.
Also, it seemed Becky was the ringleader.
“Joanna?” Mandy was staring at her. “I asked why you wouldn’t be interested in Adam?”
“I’m not ready to court,” Joanna answered. “I’m only nineteen.” Mandy and Miriam were both twenty.
“Well, don’t wait too long.” Mandy smiled, a little patronizingly.
Maybe Joanna should think about courting someone sooner than she intended to—if she could get a job working for Becky and Ike and start courting, surely her Dat wouldn’t expect her to move to Maine. Maybe she should say yes to Adam’s ice cream date offer after all.
Mandy stood. “I’ll go ask Adam about a ride. I’m sure he’ll say yes. We’ll pick you up at five thirty.”
“What about Miriam? Does she need a ride?”
“Nee,” Mandy said. “She’s going to ride her scooter. She said she’ll find a ride home.”
Joanna smiled. “With?”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “Who knows. I’m definitely not my sister’s keeper.”
Because Elaine was Mandy and Miriam’s grandmother, Mammi Lu used to arrange playdates when Joanna visited. She and Mandy clicked immediately, more so than she did with Miriam. But she liked Miriam too.
Joanna didn’t have many friends that were girls.
The district she grew up in was small and had more boys.
Her family had more boys than girls too—she was outnumbered six to one.
She relished spending time with Mandy and Miriam when she visited Mammi Lu.
Best of all, she’d already had friends when she’d arrived in Strasburg Township, hopefully to stay.
Mandy and Miriam’s grandfather, Daniel, was the bishop of their district, and he and Elaine were hosting the ice cream social.
Joanna noticed a stranger—a man—who was tall, muscular, and handsome with sandy hair and deep brown eyes. She didn’t recognize him, and she tried not to stare.
After the singing, the guys took turns cranking the ice cream freezer and showing off their muscles.
The stranger had a five o’clock shadow and appeared a few years older than most of the Youngie.
As they all stood around in groups eating the ice cream, Caleb introduced him to Joanna and Mandy.
“This is Jacob Byer,” he said. Miriam stepped into the circle. Caleb continued. “Jacob is new to our—”
“Hallo!” Miriam said, interrupting Caleb. “Welcome to Strasburg Township.”
Jacob took a step backward but then smiled. “Denki. And who are you?”
“Miriam.” She grinned and then swept her hand toward Mandy. “This is my twin.” She nodded toward Joanna. “And our friend Joanna.”
Forcing herself to be outgoing, Joanna asked Jacob, “Where are you from?”
“Ohio. Holmes County.” Jacob took a step closer to Joanna. He towered over her, even though she was five eight. “I have an uncle who lives here. Enoch Byer.”
Joanna spoke as confidently as she could. “Are you visiting Lancaster County or do you plan to stay?”
Jacob’s eyes twinkled as his gaze met hers. “I’m staying.”
Someone called out, “Joanna!” She turned. Adam sauntered toward them. “Are you ready to leave?”
She wasn’t.
“I hope I’ll see you soon.” Jacob gave her a charming smile that left her feeling flustered. Miriam was now standing beside him.
Joanna gave Jacob, and everyone, a wave and turned around slowly.
She didn’t want to hurry and make Jacob think she was courting Adam.
Nor did she want to go too slowly and risk having Adam say something embarrassing in front of Jacob.
Her heart beat faster. Perhaps she hadn’t met the right person yet—until now.
On the way home as Adam chatted away about the ice cream, about Mandy and Caleb, and about his grandparents’ business that he was excited to learn, Joanna thought about Jacob.
About how tall he was. And how handsome with his square jaw and deep brown eyes.
And his charming smile. Compared to Adam, who seemed to be an open book, Jacob was quiet and mysterious. She couldn’t stop thinking about him.
When they reached Mammi Lu’s, Joanna thanked Adam for the ride and started to open the buggy door.
“Wait!” Adam set the brake and jumped to the ground. “I need to do that for you.”
Joanna waited, a little impatiently. When Adam appeared at her door he extended his hand to her as he grinned.
She took his hand and jumped down. “Denki.” She started toward the back door. Mammi Lu had left a battery-operated lantern hanging to light her way.
“Wait,” he said again but not as enthusiastically as before. “Aren’t you going to ask me to stay? Lemonade on the porch? Maybe a cookie.”
Joanna turned toward him at the bottom of the steps. “I’m tired. From the trip and everything.”
“Oh.” He took off his hat and ran his hand through his dark hair. “I wanted to talk about the trip. About sitting in the back of the van together. Don’t tell me you didn’t feel something.”
Annoyed, Joanna said, “I didn’t feel anything.” But she had. Although it paled when compared with what she was feeling for Jacob.
His face fell. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. At the office, right? You’re coming by to talk to Mammi about a job.”
“Jah.” Joanna momentarily regretted not asking him to stay. But not enough to change her mind. “See you tomorrow.” If she got the job, she and Adam would have a chance to get to know each other. Perhaps she’d want to court him eventually—unless Jacob Byer asked her out first.
The next morning, Joanna watched Becky run dishwater into the kitchen sink in the warehouse.
As she added soap, she said, “Apparently the boys couldn’t wash their own mugs on Friday.
” All of the mugs were white and matched.
The kitchen consisted of a counter with a stovetop, a sink, a drying rack, and a small fridge.
Becky put the mugs into the soapy water as she chatted with Joanna.
“Business has picked up, plus we have two vacation rentals—the apartment above the shop and a house. We’re renovating one property and looking to buy another one to flip.
I need an assistant and Ike needs a couple more men.
You’d be supporting the team too.” She began washing one of the cups.
“The team?”
She dunked the cup in the rinse water. “That’s what we call our crew. Have you ever heard the saying ‘Teamwork divides the effort and multiplies the effect’?”
Joanna nodded as she picked up a towel to dry. Mammi Lu sometimes said that when they tackled a big job together.
“Teamwork is one of our top values.” Becky put the mug in the rack and began washing a second mug.
“I’d need you to shop, clean and stock the rentals, launder the linens, and help with decorating the houses we renovate.
Nothing big. Just enough to make possible buyers take notice, if you like that sort of work. ”
The mug slipped a couple of inches through Joanna’s hand before she caught it. She loved that sort of work. She’d wanted to decorate her parents’ house but was never allowed to. Mammi Lu had let her do some painting and other projects, however.
“Are you interested?”
“Absolutely.” Joanna placed the dry mug in the cupboard. “When can I start?”
“How about today? Nick can take you into Lancaster. I have a list of supplies we need.” Becky grinned. “Welcome to the team. It’s wonderful gut that you want to join us.”
Joanna couldn’t stop smiling as she spent the morning shopping in Lancaster. Nor as she cleaned the vacation apartment that afternoon. After work, as she recorded her hours on her time sheet, Adam approached her. She was happy to see him, but then in the distance Jacob waved.
She smiled past Adam to Jacob. Adam turned, nodded at Jacob, and faced Joanna again. A forlorn expression settled on his face as he stopped at the counter and picked up a pen.
“Joanna.” Jacob stopped when he reached her. “What are you doing here?”
“Working.”
“Nice,” Adam muttered. She noted he had a book under his arm.
Jacob grinned.
“You work here too?” Joanna asked him, now ignoring Adam.
“Jah.” Jacob flashed his charming smile. “Ike hired me this afternoon.”
Adam groaned, and Jacob gave Joanna a wave as he headed to the other side of the warehouse.
Joanna stepped closer to Adam. She couldn’t keep herself from asking, “What Buch are you reading?”
Without smiling Adam held up the book. Little Women. “It’s my Mammi Becky’s copy.”
Tuesday morning as they clocked in, Jacob asked Joanna to go with him for ice cream that evening.
“How about if we meet there?” His brown eyes shone. “After supper.”
Joanna surprised herself by immediately saying, “I’d like that.
” She noted Adam stood by the office door.
Had he heard her exchange with Jacob? Flustered, she thought of how she’d rejected Adam’s invitation to ice cream just three days before.
And then refused to serve him lemonade and cookies Sunday evening, which hadn’t been very hospitable.
She spent her morning cleaning the vacation rental house.
In the afternoon, she and Becky organized the warehouse.
After dinner Joanna scootered to the creamery.
Jacob already waited in a line of tourists.
She joined him, ordering one scoop of chocolate ice cream.
Jacob ordered and then devoured a banana split—and then ordered a second one.
As he ate, he told her about growing up in Ohio. “This is hard to talk about,” he said, “but my Dat left our family when I was six for an Englisch woman.”
Empathy washed through Joanna. In comparison to Jacob, she’d had a happy childhood. “I’m sorry,” she said. “That must have been really hard.”
“Jah,” he said. “I don’t talk about it much—I haven’t told anyone here what happened to my family.”
Joanna was touched he’d told her. “I won’t tell anyone. I don’t gossip.”
As he smiled his eyes shimmered, sending a wave of warmth through her. “You don’t seem to be the type who would.” He took another bite of ice cream and then said, “Anyway, that’s why I came here to live with my uncle. I’ll farm his land someday.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Jacob nodded. “It’s a relief to have a plan. In the meantime, I’ll work for Ike and Becky.”
While they chatted, Miriam approached on her scooter. “Joanna! Jacob!” She hopped off and yanked it up onto the sidewalk. She grinned at Jacob. “What are you doing here?”
“We’re celebrating our new jobs.” Jacob explained both he and Joanna had been hired by Ike and Becky.
Miriam tilted her head and turned her gaze to Joanna. “Lucky you.” Then she chuckled, a little ruefully. “Must be nice to be the granddaughter of Becky’s best friend.”
Joanna’s face grew warm. If Miriam thought that was why she’d been hired, which was most likely true, nothing Joanna could say would make a difference. She stayed quiet.
“Well, nice to see you, but I’ve gotta go.” Miriam jumped back on her scooter, dodging an Englisch couple as she maneuvered from the sidewalk back to the street and around the corner.
Jacob grimaced. “Is she always so blunt?”
“Oh, she’s fine.” Joanna wasn’t going to speak badly of the bishop’s granddaughter—or of anyone, she hoped. Besides, Miriam really was her friend, even if they were very different.
Fifteen minutes later, as they readied to leave, Jacob looked Joanna in the eye and said, “I’d like to be your friend, to get to know you. Out of all the girls at the singing last night, you’re the one who caught my attention. You seem the most interesting.”
Joanna had never been so flattered in her life. He’d chosen her, even over Miriam. And he wanted to be her friend, meaning she could get to know him before any thought of courting. She said, her voice barely above a whisper, “I’d like to be your friend too.”
The next morning, Becky appeared tired as she sat at her desk with her head down. She jotted something on a legal pad.
Joanna took a step closer to the desk. “Guder Mariye.”
Becky lifted her head, showing red-rimmed eyes.
Alarmed, Joanna asked, “What’s the matter?”
Becky brushed at her eyes. “Adam left for Florida.”
Joanna stepped closer. “Pinecraft?”
Becky nodded. “Two friends of his from Spartansburg have construction jobs waiting there. They stopped by last night and convinced him to go with them. Although it didn’t take much talking on their part for Adam to decide to leave.”
As she thought of Adam’s forlorn expression the previous afternoon, Joanna suppressed a pang of regret. She should have been nicer to Adam. “For how long?”
Becky shrugged. “I have no idea. For a while, I’m guessing.” Her eyes grew watery. “Maybe for good.”