Chapter 12 #2
Mammi Becky swung back around to face him, a smile spreading across her face. “I’m so glad to hear that. We want you to be happy here.”
“Denki,” Adam said.
“Would you do me a favor?”
“Of course,” Adam answered without thinking.
“See if Joanna wants a ride.” Mammi turned back toward the stove. “She needs a friend right now.”
The last thing Adam wanted to do was show up at Lu’s and ask Joanna if she wanted a ride to the singing, but he’d promised Mammi Becky he would. He couldn’t break a promise, especially not to his Mammi.
Joanna wore a faded blue dress and stood in Lu’s flower garden, between rows of delphiniums and foxgloves. She wasn’t working, not technically. After all it was the Lord’s Day. Perhaps she was planning her work for the next day.
As he pulled his horse to a stop, he asked, “Want a ride to the singing?”
She wrinkled her nose, which made her eyes dance a little. “Nee.”
Relief washed through Adam.
“Joanna!”
Adam turned toward the house. Lu stood on the back porch. “I forgot to tell you. Elaine told me Mandy needs your help tonight.”
Joanna exhaled, slowly, and said, “Give me a few minutes.”
“Gladly,” Adam lied. Once they showed up at the singing together, people would start gossiping about them. And if Jacob was there, especially if he was with the young woman from earlier in the day, there would be tension.
Adam’s ankle began to ache as he turned the horse and buggy around in front of Lu’s back porch to wait.
Joanna clearly wasn’t interested in him after all these years.
She wasn’t the type to have a rebound relationship—and he didn’t want her to.
If she was ever going to be interested in him, he wanted it to be on his own merit. Not on the lack of Jacob’s.
Ten minutes later, Adam watched in the rearview mirror as Joanna walked toward him, her stride brisk. She’d changed into a mint green dress and a freshly pressed apron and Kapp. As she climbed up into the buggy, she said, “Thank you for thinking of me.”
“You’re welcome.” He’d never, not in a million years, tell her that Mammi Becky had suggested he stop by.
In fact, he regretted not thinking of it himself.
Joanna did need friends now more than ever.
They chatted about how hot it was and whether the clouds on the horizon would bring a thunderstorm before the day was done. Joanna appeared to be fine.
When they arrived at the singing, Adam let Joanna off by the house, where a group of women had gathered, and continued on to the pasture to unhitch the horse.
Several men stood in a circle at the gate.
Caleb opened it for Adam and then jogged alongside him.
Adam glanced back at the group. Jacob wasn’t among them.
After he unhitched and hobbled the horse and scooted the buggy alongside the fence, Adam walked with Caleb back to the front yard, where the benches were set up for an outdoor singing.
Several of the Youngie played volleyball in the side yard, including Jacob and the woman he’d been talking to after church.
Adam searched for Joanna but couldn’t find her. He guessed she was in the house with Mandy and headed to the kitchen.
“What are you doing in here?” Mandy asked after he stepped through the door.
“Hallo to you too.” He grinned.
Mandy rewarded him with a sweet smile, while Joanna kept her back to him. It appeared they’d been having a private conversation, which he’d interrupted.
“I wondered if I could help with anything?”
“Jah.” Mandy pointed to a couple of pitchers of water. “You can take those out and put them on the picnic table.”
As he lifted the pitchers, Mandy said to Joanna, “Anyway, I really appreciated your phone call. I feel a little more hopeful now.” Adam stepped quickly to the door as Mandy said, “Speaking of phone calls, Miriam called yesterday. She’s thinking about moving—”
Adam continued down the back steps, pondering why he’d ventured into the kitchen in the first place. Joanna. He’d wanted to be where she was, even if he hadn’t been wanted. He needed to be more guarded.
Fifteen minutes later, Caleb called everyone to the front yard, where the benches sat.
The young woman walked with two other girls ahead of Jacob.
Joanna and Mandy didn’t come out of the house until the singing had already begun.
When they did, Joanna had her head down.
Halfway through the singing, the young woman who had been with Jacob stood and walked up the aisle and away from the gathering.
“Where’s Veronica going?” one of the girls asked.
“Shh,” someone replied.
A short time later, Jacob stood and headed down to the pasture. Not long after, he came up the driveway in his buggy.
Adam stood and headed toward the house. Sure enough, Veronica was standing by the lane. Jacob stopped, climbed down from his side of the buggy, and hurried over to open her door.
Adam turned toward the group. Joanna stood at the back, watching the buggy. Until her gaze fell to Adam. Then she quickly looked away.