That wasn’t her problem. She spoke first and thought later. And usually had to do some damage control. Good thing she never ran out of words.
Levi drove through Hidden Springs, stopping at the small branch bank to deposit his checks. Then he drove past the turnoff for Arthur toward another town closer to the highway. He passed an old factory then turned into the driveway for his afternoon job.
As he parked, he glanced down and realized he’d forgotten to eat the lunch he’d stopped by Zooks’ to purchase. Instead, he’d spent the drive time thinking of Elsie and what might have been. A dangerous pastime.
Too late now. The man he was working for approached the buggy.
Levi ignored the grumbling of his stomach and pushed the memories of Elsie aside.
He needed to focus on his job now.
He’d ask Abigail for recommendations for a new elf later since Elsie was off the market.
Chapter 3
Elsie straightened what seemed like every aisle in the first half of the store, making sure the grocery items were at the front of the shelves where customers could reach them and everything was where it belonged.
Then she unpacked and shelved endless numbers of cans from dusty boxes that sometimes had icky, sticky black stuff in them from cans that had burst. She recorded the spoilage, discarded them in a container, and cleaned the mess.
She was thankful she had a place to work. Really. But accidentally setting a microwave on fire during her short-lived job as nanny to an Englisch family had been infinitely more exciting. The parents hadn’t been so happy to learn that an entire kitchen wall had gone up in flames, but the fire department had responded and she’d herded the two children outside to watch. Elsie had been scared—terrified, actually—but being Amish, she hadn’t known she couldn’t heat certain things in a microwave. She still wasn’t clear on that. But no matter. She’d been fired and no Englisch family would consider her for a nanny position.
Black tennis shoes appeared in her peripheral vision, and she paused, clutching a badly dented can of off-brand cream of celery soup in her hand. She looked up from her crouched position in front of the bottom shelf and met Thomas Zook’s gaze. He bounced an apple in his hand. His mouth was set in a slight frown. Oh dear, had she done something wrong already?
“I hate to do this on your first day, but my wife has a doctor’s appointment. Keep an eye out for customers, watch the register, and oh, I’m expecting an ice cream delivery from a factory outside of Chicago that’s going out of business. Sign for it, but make sure they don’t try to push some overly strange flavor on us. Use your best judgment. If you think it’ll sell, accept it. If you don’t think it will, reject it.”
Elsie grinned. “I can do that. You can trust me.” If there was one thing she was an expert on, it was ice cream.
Thomas Zook’s expression didn’t ease, but he nodded, palmed the apple, and walked out.
Elsie finished fronting the bottom shelf, then moved to the stool behind the register as an Amish family from another district came in. She’d seen them before but didn’t know them.
They were new friends by the time they reached the checkout. Elsie had just finished ringing up their large order when a bunch of schoolchildren came in. “Hi, Teacher Elsie.”
As they flocked around the candy aisle, Elsie cringed. How could they call her teacher when she’d taught them nothing? She’d tried, really, but the usually well-behaved children had turned into monsters when she’d accepted the job. Either that or they got her talking about something totally unrelated to the lesson. The current teacher hadn’t had a bit of trouble since she took over. So unfair. At least the bishop was kind about it. He’d said Elsie’s voice was soft and sweet, but she lacked authority.
Levi would probably disagree with that assessment, since he’d accused her of lashing out irrationally. She could still see the shock on his face. The horror. And then the slow shaking of his head. Jah, a year and a half later and it still stung. Especially since she killed the chance of marriage to her one true love.
She checked out the noisy bunch of children—hopefully she wouldn’t get into trouble for ruining their appetites—and breathed a sigh of relief as they banged their way through the doorway with their bags of leftover Halloween candy Zooks’ sold at a steep discount.
She could handle this job. She could. She took a moment to bask in the swell of success.
Fifteen minutes later, the ice cream delivery truck rumbled into the parking lot.
“Zook here?” a burly man asked, sticking his head through the doorway.
Elsie turned toward him. “No—”
“Unload the truck!” the man shouted.
Elsie tried to remember Thomas Zook’s instructions as flats piled high with boxes were wheeled into the store. At least they knew where to take it. She hadn’t known there was a walk-in freezer they could leave the flats in. And the amount! Did Zooks’ really sell so much ice cream? She started toward the back to find out the flavors but was interrupted by a customer with an overfilled cart who needed Elsie’s listening ears.
Finally, one of the men slapped a paper down on the counter. “Sign here. We’re in a hurry to get back to Chicago. The weatherman is predicting an ice storm.”
“I’m supposed to look over the packing list.” She signed her name.
“Yeah, lady.” The man snatched up the signed sheet and slapped another paper down.
The truck rumbled away as she scanned the list.
Twenty flats of dill pickle ice cream?
She frowned, her heart sinking. She’d been taken advantage of.
Dill pickle ice cream. Really?
It was kind of a pregnant woman cliché, but maybe it would sell.
Maybe.
Probably not.
Ice cream had just murdered her job, for sure and certain.
* * *
Levi wasn’t late, but the day had seemed to stretch on forever. He was glad to finally be home. He trudged up the porch steps, tired, discouraged, and in serious need of a shower. He also faced a long evening working on toy orders. What did late to bed and early to rise make a man? Other than exhausted? Sometimes it seemed he never had a chance to truly rest. Especially since his sleep was often interrupted by nightmares.
A delicious scent of fresh baked bread mixed with something chocolatey and another smell he couldn’t identify. He needed to eat on the run, though. Hopefully, Abigail wouldn’t be peeved at him for ruining her plans for supper.
The predicted ice storm still hadn’t arrived, but traffic was terrible and Levi heard that everyone was stocking up on necessities. He needed to ask Abigail what the necessities were and whether they needed any, but he’d probably forget before he got to the store. Or lose the list. He had so many stresses and concerns since the gas explosion it was a wonder he didn’t lose himself.
Or maybe his mind was the first to go.
He paused long enough to take off his work boots. Considering what they’d waded through, they needed to stay outside. He opened the back door and stepped into the warm kitchen. Abigail sat at the table frosting a batch of chocolate cupcakes. She hummed as she worked, a happy smile on her face. Behind her, something simmered on the stove. His stomach rumbled.
Abigail looked up, her smile turning upside down as she stared. Gawked, really. He winced. He must look and smell worse than he thought.
“What happened to you?” Jah, there was buggy loads of shock in her voice.
He grimaced. “I’ll explain later. Let me shower first, okay?”
She wrinkled her nose. “You need to. Go on, now. And use the mudroom entrance so you don’t track through the house.”
Levi hurried around the house, went through the mudroom door, grabbed a clean set of clothes from his pile, and went into the shared bathroom. He dropped his clothes into the laundry basket Abigail left in there and, without waiting for the water to warm, stepped into the spray.
Once he was clean and dressed, he took the baske
t full of dirty laundry to the mudroom and dumped the contents right into the gas-powered machine. He started the load, then returned to the kitchen. Abigail had rolled her wheelchair closer to the stove and now stood on wobbly legs, stirring whatever was in the kettle.
“How can I help?” He peered over her shoulders. Carrots, celery, onion, bits of chicken, and noodles. Chicken noodle soup. “Oh, that looks good. Do you want to dish it out here or should I carry the kettle to the table?”
“Dish it out here. I need to slice a loaf of bread.” She carefully lowered herself into the wheelchair. “Did you ask Elsie to be your elf?”
“Ah, no. I stopped at Zooks’ for some baloney, cheese, and bread for my lunch and Thomas told me she was his newest hire. It seemed pointless to ask after that. And besides, I was a little too filthy to go calling on Elsie after work. Especially to offer her a job.”
Abigail snorted. “A little?”
He wrinkled his nose at her, then grabbed a couple of soup bowls. Soup was quick. He’d slurp it down and head out to the workshop to do the job he loved instead of remodeling or home maintenance or construction jobs. He should rename his daed’s business from Wyse and Sons Construction to Levi’s Honey-Do Business. Except, he was no longer anyone’s honey.
Oh, Elsie…
“What happened to you at work anyway?” Abigail’s voice yanked him back to the present.
“I was hired to help someone finish their basement. But the homeowner didn’t know what he was doing and knocked a hole in a pipe when my back was turned. Unfortunately, I was standing under it and got a sewage shower. He needs to hire a plumber to fix it before I return.” Hopefully, someone else would clean it up, too. That wasn’t in his job description. Ugh.
“Ewww. Not appropriate supper conversation.”
“Hey. You asked.” Levi carried the filled bowls to the table. “Do you have any other ideas for an elf?”
“No. But let me think about it. I really wanted Elsie. She would’ve been perfect.”
Jah, she was perfect. Except, he’d have to arrange her hours so they never saw each other.
Perfect. Except, he would know she’d been in his home, handling his things.
Perfect. Except, she’d be always on his mind.
Perfect. Just perfect.
* * *
Fired. On the same day she was hired. That had to be a first.
Tears burned Elsie’s eyes and clouded her vision as she clutched the bags of replacement groceries in one hand and her purse, containing the day’s wages in cash, in the other.
She’d be embarrassed to slip that small wad of cash into Daed’s hand from her purse.
She’d never eat ice cream again.
Okay, maybe that was a little overdramatic. She’d never eat dill pickle ice cream again.
Not that she would’ve eaten it in the first place. It even sounded disgusting. Who came up with such flavors? And why?
But that aside, where could she go to be alone so she could mourn in private? She placed her shopping bags and purse on the buggy floorboard next to three cardboard boxes from home and untied the reins from the hitching post.
Home was out of the question. There were too many people with grandparents, parents, brothers, and sisters all clustered in one five-bedroom house. There was no privacy anywhere.
It was way too cold to go to a park or to the hidden springs. She’d have privacy there, though, thanks to the frigid temperatures.
Best thing to do would be to pretend that nothing bad had happened and to take the home-canned foods Mamm said she could give to Abigail and Levi to their house.
Levi. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be home yet. He had been nice enough at Zooks’, thanking her for bringing his check by, but she wasn’t prepared to risk seeing him twice in one day. Not that he was ever mean. He’d practiced avoidance skills so much he about had them mastered. Still, if he was home, she’d drive past. But if he wasn’t home, she would stop.
Abigail wouldn’t say anything if Elsie looked a bit stressed. They were friends, but not that close. Probably the best thing to do would be to pretend she was fine, deliver the home-canned goods, and maybe by the time she finished and went home she’d have her emotions under control.
She climbed into the buggy, unwrapped one of her candy canes from last Christmas that she’d purchased at Zooks’, and drove away, blinking back tears. But really, getting fired over ice cream seemed so unfair. The Englisch men from Chicago had taken advantage of her. Thomas Zook even admitted the truth of it, but he fired her just the same.
She’d never get a job around these parts. The best thing she could do would be to continue with her oldest brother Sam’s offer to move with him to the city—Chicago, a big one where she wasn’t known—and work as a nanny-housekeeper-cook for Sam while she studied for her GED and he went to college. He needed her to care for his son since his wife died in childbirth. The idea of moving excited her more than it probably should. The only bad thing was she didn’t want to leave these parts. If she did, she’d be shunned. Her friends and family were here. And so was Levi. Not that they’d ever be a couple again. Not after she’d been the one to break up with him.
Worst mistake of her life. But she didn’t know how to fix it. How did she apologize for being a complete and total fool?
She sighed. She couldn’t. Leaving was her best option. Her only option.
She swiped her knuckles across her eyes and paused on the side of the road by the Wyse mailbox. The barn was closed, so she couldn’t see if Levi’s buggy was there or not. But because he usually left the barn doors open when he was home since his woodworking shop was out there, that meant he wasn’t home.
Elsie parked near the wheelchair ramp and stared for a moment at the work boots set near the screen door. She could leave the boxes and not stay to talk, but if Abigail heard a noise, she might try to carry the boxes in on her lap in the wheelchair and might fall or drop a box full of glass jars.
Elsie glanced again at the closed barn doors. Levi wouldn’t have done his evening chores yet. He probably wore a different pair of shoes. Besides, it was not yet five. Didn’t he normally work until five?
Satisfied that Abigail was alone, Elsie set the brakes and got out of the buggy. She lifted out one heavy box full of home-canned vegetables, carried it up to the door, and kick-knocked.
The door swung open, and Levi stood there. For a brief second, he stared; then he took the box from her. His mouth worked, but nothing came out.
Behind him, Abigail wheeled her way closer. “Elsie! Welcome. We were just about to sit down for supper. Would you like to warm up with a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup?”
“No, danki. I have a couple more boxes in the buggy.” Despite herself, her voice cracked.
Levi blinked, put the box on the floor, and stepped forward. “Come in out of the cold. Might as well join us since you’re here. I’ll get the boxes.” He shoved his feet in a pair of black tennis shoes but didn’t bother to tie them.
“Please, join us.” Abigail clasped her hands together.
Elsie’s bottom lip quivered. “I really don’t think—”
Levi’s hand landed, warm and familiar, on her shoulder. Tingles raced through her. He jerked away as if he’d been burnt. “Then don’t think. It’s been a while.” His voice was husky. Raw. “Please stay.”
Said the man who’d been avoiding her?
“Besides, you look like you need a friend,” he said gruffly.
She wasn’t sure she’d define their relationship as friends. Still, tears beaded on her lashes. She tried to blink them away. “There are two more boxes. I’ll get the smaller one.”
“You moving in?” Levi asked, going past her. “I’ll get both. You talk to Abigail.”
Oh. He meant Abigail was her friend. Not him.
Anger flared. At least it dried up the tears. “No, I’m not moving in. They’re full of food for you and Abigail. Honestly.”
He grunted and shut the door behind him.
“You brought us food?” Abigail frowned. “Why? Actually, never mind why. Danki. We really appreciate it. But supper is getting cold. You simply must join us. I insist. Besides, Levi is right. It’s been forever. Sit.”
“But…Levi…Well, I…” Why did words have to fail her now?
Abigail giggled. “Jah. He feels the same. Besides, aren’t you the one who told me that chocolate fixes everything? I have chocolate.” She pointed to the cupcakes.
“I was wrong. It can’t fix this. I was hired and fired on the same day. From Zooks’! And he was desperate for help.” Elsie’s voice hitched.
Abigail smiled. Smiled—as if getting fired was something to smile about! “Stay for supper. I guarantee chocolate can fix this.”
Chapter 4
He was ten times the fool, that’s all. Levi kicked at a rock and then wanted to howl when his toes took the brunt of it. His fault. Both for kicking a hard object and for seconding Abigail’s supper invitation. But the pain in Elsie’s eyes about did him in. He didn’t know what had gone wrong in her life, and all things considered, he probably shouldn’t care, but he did. He also wanted to fix the problem. And not just this one, but all of them.
He breathed in a lungful of frigid air that somehow seemed tinted with the scent of peppermint, which smelled infinitely better than his stinky work boots beside the door. Elsie always smelled like the red-and-white candy. She’d tasted of it back when he used to kiss her.
Ugh. He groaned. His thoughts had to go there. But abandoned on the buggy seat was a partially unwrapped candy cane, the end white from her sucking the red coloring off like she always had for as long as he’d known her. For about a half second he was tempted to taste the candy. But how would she react if she knew he’d candy-cane-kissed her?
Okay, that bordered on creepy. Obsessed. He forced his attention away from the candy and to the boxes stacked on the back seat of the buggy. He’d only been half joking when he teasingly mentioned her moving in, but he liked the idea. Too much.
Wow. His thoughts were wandering down rabbit trails they had no business traveling. And just because of Elsie’s beyond sad expression—and Abigail’s supper invitation.
The Amish Christmas Gift Page 3
