Loaves of Love

by Beth Wiseman

  Around ten o’clock, Clara walked into the bakery, smiling in that way that warmed a person’s heart. Katie barely knew Clara, but the woman had a gift. She could brighten a room with her presence. Katie’s stomach twisted when she thought about how close she’d come to kissing Henry a week ago and how much she’d longed for it.

  “Wie bischt.” Clara slipped out of her coat as she walked toward Katie. “I’ve come to offer mei help.”

  Katie stopped kneading the dough for the bread she was making. “I’m happy to see you, but I’m sure you have better things to do than to help me.”

  “We’re out for the holidays, and I don’t have anything else going on. I really don’t mind giving you a hand.” She giggled, eyeing the fried pies Katie had made earlier that morning. “I work for food.”

  Clara was a schoolteacher, a position she’d only hold until she married. Katie wanted to ask if she’d spent any more time with Henry, but it seemed forward.

  “Danki for your kind offer,” Katie said. “I’m still disappointed about the propane oven, but I don’t have any choice but to keep using it during this busy season.” She sighed. “And I don’t want to hurt David’s feelings by returning it, which is surely what mei mamm will want me to do when she is well enough to return.”

  Clara sat on the stool behind the counter and picked up a pen nearby. She twirled it in her fingers for a few seconds. “So, how are things going with you and David?”

  Katie studied Clara’s questioning expression. “Um, okay, I guess.” She wasn’t being entirely truthful. She’d dreamed up a dozen ways to tell David she didn’t want to see him anymore, but it seemed unkind to break up during the holidays. She’d been drawn to his looks in the beginning, but the more she got to know him, the more she realized he wasn’t the right person for her. He couldn’t be when she was having such strong feelings for Henry. She thought about the intimacy she’d felt in Henry’s arms a week ago, but then guilt wrapped around her, and she forced herself to let go of the memory.

  “Do you think things will get serious with you and David?” Clara avoided Katie’s eyes now as she continued to fidget with the pen in her hand.

  Katie tried to understand Clara’s expression, but after her friend set the pen back on the counter, she gnawed on a fingernail and wouldn’t make eye contact. Then a light went on in Katie’s mind. Clara is interested in David. But what about Henry? Maybe it should have been music to Katie’s ears, but she wasn’t sure David would be a good fit for Clara either.

  “I am trying to think of a way to tell David that I think our lunches need to stop.” She winced. “And all the kissing. Sometimes he makes me feel like a possession because he always wants to kiss when people are around, and it makes me uncomfortable.” She was surprised she’d blurted out her feelings, but she didn’t have any sisters, and she’d been too busy to visit the girlfriends she’d grown up with. It just seemed too personal to discuss with anyone else.

  Clara’s familiar glowing expression came alive. “You’re going to break up with David?”

  Katie’s heart shriveled with disappointment. As much as she wanted Henry, she didn’t want to see him hurt. It sounded like Clara was more interested in David than Henry.

  “Ya, I guess I am going to slow things down, but maybe not until after Christmas.” Katie opened the oven door and added a loaf of bread.

  Clara smiled. “I don’t think he’s the one for you.”

  Katie didn’t think David was good enough for Clara. He seemed self-absorbed, the opposite of this woman who’d offered to help someone she didn’t know very well. Didn’t she realize what a catch she had with Henry?

  Whatever information Clara had come to gather, she’d apparently gotten, and she rolled up her sleeves and smiled. “Put me to work. Let me help you.”

  No matter their thoughts about David and Henry, Katie was happy to have Clara as a friend. For the next several hours, they knocked out a record amount of pastries, pies, and bread. The large oven, combined with another set of hands, allowed Katie to surpass what she and her mother had ever produced in the same period of time.

  When the holiday season was over, Katie wanted to go back to the old way of doing things. Eventually, she would get used to Clara and Henry being together if they decided to continue seeing each other. She’d also be accepting if Clara chose to be with David.

  Katie knew her time with David was coming to an end. Maybe Clara’s interest should feel like a gift, but Katie felt like it was a gift Clara would end up wanting to return, regretting that she hadn’t given Henry more time.

  Henry tapped his foot nervously at the Railroad Café as he waited for Clara. He only had an hour for lunch, and he was anxious to hear how Clara’s conversation with Katie went. They were behaving like teenagers, but the anticipation of what might lie ahead had Henry feeling like a kid again. The thing about childish antics was that as a kid, hope reigned. Kids didn’t usually feel defeated. For a while, Henry pretended to be that young boy again, braving his insecurities. Even as his confidence slipped away, he wasn’t giving up until he heard what Clara had to say.

  She finally showed up and slid into the booth seat across from Henry. “Sorry I’m late.” She peeled off her black cape and laid it on the seat next to her. The temperature had warmed up over the past week, but it was going to get cold again by Christmas, which was only nine days away.

  “I think Katie is going to break up with David, but I don’t think it will be before Christmas.”

  Henry wanted to rid himself of the doubt he’d carried around for so long. But it remained, despite his best efforts. “That still doesn’t mean she’ll want to give it a go with me.”

  Clara smiled. “You just have to trust me about this. Katie won’t say much about you because she doesn’t want to interrupt anything that might be going on with us. I wanted to tell her that we weren’t going to pursue anything romantic, but you said not to.”

  Clara had somehow slipped into the role of friend, and if he didn’t have such strong feelings for Katie, maybe he would have tried harder with Clara. But then, he knew Clara’s heart was being called in a different direction too.

  Henry thought back to the embrace he’d shared with Katie, and as much as he’d like to think there was more to their relationship than friendship, he knew he could have just caught her at a bad moment, needing comfort.

  “I just want to see what happens with her and David.” He took a sip of water.

  “Me too. But I’m rooting for you.” Clara reached for her own glass of water.

  “Ach, I took care of that errand you asked me to run.” Henry smiled. Clara had come unexpectedly into all of their lives, and she’d been nothing but kind and giving. He was happy to do something for her, and he appreciated her honesty when she recognized his feelings for Katie. He would have dreaded telling Clara his heart belonged to someone else.

  “Danki,” she said. “I guess now we just wait.”

  Henry didn’t think she would have to wait too long to see the results of Henry’s errand.

  David came into the bakery just as Katie was taking out three loaves of bread. She’d turned the pans halfway through the baking cycle, but they were still lopsided.

  “I don’t understand why this keeps happening.” She put her hands on her hips and blew a strand of hair from her face.

  David walked up to the counter and leaned over like he might be expecting her to turn around and kiss him, but when she only took a quick look over her shoulder, he stood tall again. “Ya, Mamm used to have that problem too. I think it’s why she got a new oven.”

  Katie gritted her teeth. As grateful as she was for the gift, maybe David could have shared that tidbit of information so she could have made a more informed decision. All she really wanted was her two wood ovens back, even if she couldn’t produce as much. Hopefully, her mother would be back after Christmas to share the workload. A shiver ran the length of Katie’s spine when she thought about her mother’s reaction to the ne
w oven.

  “Lunch today?” David pulled his phone from his pocket.

  Katie almost grunted, but she took a calming deep breath. “I can’t. I have way too much to do.” She was sure Clara would watch the bakery and keep things going when she got back from her own lunch with Henry. And maybe Katie shouldn’t prolong the inevitable. She’d made up her mind about David. Even though she’d planned to wait until after the holidays to break it off, maybe that was only leading him on further. What if he gave her a lavish Christmas present? Her family didn’t exchange fancy presents, but David’s family didn’t live the way hers did.

  Clara walked in right then, and Katie feared she wasn’t going to get out of lunch now.

  David put away his phone and smiled at Clara. “I bet your friend would watch the bakery, so we could go to lunch.”

  Clara gave David a curt smile as she passed by him. “Whatever Katie wants to do is fine with me, but I know she has a lot of back orders, and I’m helping her get caught up.”

  Katie was glad Clara was trying to deter David’s efforts, but she was more confused than ever about Clara’s intentions.

  “Actually, I do need a break.” Katie wiped flour from her black apron and reached for her coat on the rack. “You’ve done too much already, Clara, but if you could just give me this time with David, I won’t be gone long.”

  Clara twirled the string on her prayer covering. “Ya. Sure.”

  Katie was certain Clara wasn’t happy about her choice to have lunch with David. She could hear it in her voice. But Katie wanted to end this. Then Clara would be free to go out with him, and Katie would be able see where things led between her and Henry. As she gazed at Clara, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would break Henry’s heart when she started to see David.

  And what if Henry remained uninterested in anything beyond friendship with Katie?

  Either way, she was going to be truthful with David about her feelings.

  10

  DAVID’S EYES ACTUALLY BECAME WATERY WHEN KATIE told him she didn’t think she wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with him.

  “Is it something I did?” He looked past the pizza on the table between them and stared into Katie’s eyes.

  “Nee, nee. It’s not anything you did.” It was, a little. He was too openly affectionate for her taste. She didn’t like the way he constantly brought up her inability to embrace modern technology. He seemed to march to his own beat, instead of sometimes putting others ahead of him. Seeing him react like this made her feel compassion, and if Clara chose to date him, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Katie wanted to stay friends with Clara.

  “Is it someone else?” Neither she nor David had touched the pizza.

  Katie swallowed hard. “I’m not sure.” Looking down, she said, “And I’d like to give back the propane oven you gave me.” She shouldn’t have accepted it in the first place, for several reasons.

  “Nee. You keep it. You need it.” David finally put a slice of pizza on his plate and picked it up, but before it reached his mouth, he set it down. “Is it Henry?”

  Katie was still pondering how she could get David to take back the oven when he hit her with that question. Avoiding his eyes, she said, “Ya, I think it might be.”

  “What about Clara? I thought they just started dating.” David scooped up the pizza and took a large bite, keeping his eyes on Katie.

  “Ya, I’m not sure where that’s headed. I won’t interfere or get between Clara and Henry.” She reached over and put her hand on David’s. “Either way, I don’t have those kinds of feelings for you, although you have been wonderful to me and done nothing wrong.”

  David heartily finished the slice of pizza and took another one. He’d regained his appetite. “So, Clara might be free?”

  Katie couldn’t help but be offended that he’d gotten over her news so quickly and moved right on to Clara. Maybe it would be a relief once it sank in. “I-I don’t know,” she said. “She’s only been out with Henry once that I know of.”

  David nodded with a mouthful of pizza. Katie finally took a bite of her slice as she recalled Clara’s sudden interest in David. It could all be the perfect scenario if Henry had feelings for Katie. She’d sensed there might be something there, but she was not going to step on Clara’s toes. She would need to put patience and prayer in the forefront of her mind.

  By the time they’d eaten and gotten back to the shop, David had a bounce in his step that disturbed Katie. It only confirmed that she had made the right decision by cutting him loose. He’d gone from crocodile tears about the breakup to anticipation in less time than it took him to finish his pizza.

  He’s all yours, if you want him, Clara.

  When they arrived back at the bakery, David followed her inside and went straight to Clara. If he asked her out right in front of Katie, only minutes after she’d broken up with him, she might smack him.

  Katie decided to give them some privacy by excusing herself to go to the bathroom. She could hear through the wall if they didn’t whisper. Clara would probably tell her if David asked her out. Or would she, knowing Henry was Katie’s friend?

  Sure enough, David asked if she’d like to go to lunch one day during the week. Clara’s answer was like a knife to Katie’s heart. “Danki for asking, David. But I’m seeing someone else.”

  Clara had made her choice, and she’d chosen Henry. As much as Katie wanted to stay friends with Clara, she wondered if her heart could take it.

  Over the next week, Katie’s patrons—many of them return customers—inquired about the new propane oven, which had become a huge thorn in her side. Loaves of bread were lopsided, the pies and pastries didn’t have the same unique taste, and word seemed to be spreading through the district that Katie was using propane. It was only a matter of time before her parents got wind of the change.

  Even though business had declined, she’d just received an order for a dozen loaves of bread, and the customer wanted to pick them up tomorrow evening. Christmas Eve. With one of the wood ovens still broken, and both stored in the back, she had no choice but to use the propane one for now.

  She sat on the stool and looked around at her Christmas decorations, trying to drum up even the tiniest bit of holiday spirit. She’d been in the slumps ever since someone got word to her that Clara had a bad cold and wouldn’t be able to help Katie as planned. She felt like a horrible person, but she questioned if that was really true. Maybe Clara was spending time with Henry since he hadn’t been by either.

  But it was a busy time of year, and Katie couldn’t expect everyone to cater to her needs. She would allow a few minutes to feel sorry for herself, then she’d start on the loaves of bread and pray that at least some of them didn’t come out lopsided.

  When Jonas walked in the door, she sat taller. “Is Mamm okay?” Her brother hadn’t been by since the day he visited and saw her new oven. She appreciated him not telling their parents, but if he was here to give her a hard time, she wasn’t in the mood.

  “Ya, Mamm is fine. She’s anxious to get back to the bakery and said she is coming to work next week.” Jonas shrugged. “You’re going to have to face the music sometime, mei schweschder.”

  Katie stood, put her hands on her hips, then gently kicked the propane oven. “I hate this thing. I’d do anything to have my wood ovens back.” She turned to face her brother. “And not just because Mamm is coming back to work. Nothing tastes the same, and . . .” She put both hands on her forehead. “It’s cold in here all the time, and I miss the smell of pies mixed with cedar burning.”

  “Ya, it doesn’t have the same warm feeling in here.” Jonas went around the counter, reached in, and grabbed a chocolate cupcake. He took a big bite, then finished it off with a second bite. “Ach, I ran into Henry. He asked if you could meet him here tomorrow night. He said he can’t get here until late, like around nine, so I said I’d bring you since you don’t like to drive the buggy at night.”

  Katie’s stomach flipped a little. “
But it’s Christmas Eve. What could be so important that he needs to see me here that late on Christmas Eve?” She was going to be exhausted after baking and handling last-minute customers tomorrow, then going home to feed everyone. She had a lot of preparation to do for Christmas dinner.

  “I’m just the messenger.” Her brother snatched another cupcake and waved as he headed out the door.

  Katie sat back down on the stool and tried to figure out why Henry wanted to see her tomorrow night. She wondered if Clara knew about this late-night meeting and how she would feel about it.

  Katie was on edge all day Christmas Eve. Her stomach fluttered with anticipation and twisted with worry every time someone came in to pick up an order. None of the baked goods was up to the standard she and her mother had set years ago. Finally, there was only one order left to be picked up.

  She’d just taken out the last of an order for a dozen loaves of bread when the lady walked in early. Six of the loaves were acceptable, barely, but the other half dozen were a bit lopsided. Katie hoped the woman was tolerant. She’d been very sweet when she came in to place the order a couple days ago.

  Katie glanced at the clock, knowing she wouldn’t be leaving by three today, even though she’d posted a notice on the door a week ago.

  “Hello. The last loaves just came out of the oven and need a few minutes to cool off.” She began wrapping the loaves on the racks nearby that had already cooled.

  The older woman, dressed in a red pantsuit with gray hair tucked into a bun had already shed her coat and begun to look around. “No worries, dear. I’m not in a hurry.” She glanced at Katie and smiled. “I don’t have any plans for this evening or tomorrow.”