by Amy Clipston
Jeff’s lips twitched as he rubbed his chin. His expression eased the knots in her stomach. Perhaps he had a sense of humor. Perhaps they could even become friends.
“I didn’t mean to overhear your conversation with Kent, but did you say you’re moving in tomorrow?” Jeff asked.
“Ya, that’s right.” Christiana picked up her notepad and hugged it to her chest.
“How about I bring you kaffi tomorrow?” He turned up his palms. “I promise I won’t spill it.”
Christiana blew out a loud sigh. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
“I’m just kidding.” His smile was warm. “Tell me about your baked goods.”
“Well, I make the usual items you’d see at a bake stand—pies, cakes, cookies.” Christiana retrieved her pen and fingered it. “They’re pretty typical.”
“No, they’re not,” Phoebe said. “Christiana collects cookbooks and tries different recipes. Our cousins suggested she move her business from her roadside stand to this booth because, among other reasons, her bake stand is so busy. Last night we were eating supper when a customer knocked on our back door wanting to buy two pies even though the bake stand was closed.”
“Wow. That’s impressive.” Jeff seemed to study her, and Christiana shifted her weight on her feet. “What are your biggest sellers?”
Christiana pursed her lips and envisioned her bake stand. “I’d say the most typical Amish recipes, like whoopie pies and shoofly pies.”
“What about kichlin?” he asked.
“She sells out of those too,” Phoebe said.
“Do you make macadamia nut kichlin?” he asked, rubbing his hands together.
“I do. Are they your favorite?”
“Ya, they are.” He grinned, and she silently admired how that made his face light up. “You said your cousins convinced you to move your business here?”
“That’s right,” Christiana said.
“Who are your cousins? Would I know any of them?” he asked.
“You know them all.” Christiana nodded in the direction of the Coffee Corner. “Bethany, Leanna, and Salina.”
“Really?” His dark eyebrows rose. “I could tell you were close, but I didn’t realize you were family.”
“We are.” Christiana glanced toward his booth. “Why don’t you show us what you sell?”
“Sure.” He made a sweeping gesture toward his booth. “I have a variety of gifts made with wood and leather.”
“What’s your bestseller?” Christiana slipped her pen and notepad into her tote bag as she followed him out of her booth and into his. The sweet aroma of leather and wood filled her senses, and the old oak floor creaked under her feet.
“Probably the personalized leather bracelets the Englishers like. I have a manual stamping machine.” He pointed to where it was sitting on a small table, and then he picked up a bracelet with the name Christy on it. As he held it out to her, a smile turned up the corners of his lips. “Here’s one for you. Has anyone ever called you Christy?”
She laughed as she ran her fingers over the letters. “No.” She met his gaze and shook her head. “That’s not exactly true. Mei daadi once told my parents he thought Christiana was too long and they should call me Christy, but it didn’t stick.” She handed the bracelet back to him. “I can see why your customers would like these. They’re really nice.”
“Danki.” He turned toward one of the shelves. “They also like the leather belts and key chains.”
Christiana followed him toward the back of the booth, where Phoebe was perusing personalized shelves and wooden trains. When a burning smell filled her lungs, she touched Jeff’s hand. But then she quickly pulled her hand away as embarrassment filled her. How could she be so forward with a man?
He turned toward her, his eyes wide.
“I’m sorry,” Christiana said as she folded her hands. “I didn’t mean . . . I think I smell something burning.”
“That’s just my burnishing machine. I use it to cut leather.” He pointed to the table in the back of the booth. A machine with two round ends sat on it. “It smells a bit. I apologize in advance, because you’ll notice that a lot.”
“That’s gut to know.” She glanced around the booth. “Phoebe was right. You are talented. How did you learn how to make all these amazing things?”
“Mei daadi taught me.” He folded his arms over his wide chest. “I took an interest in the hobby when I was twelve, and he bought me my first set of tools. It’s always been my favorite pastime. It’s how I relax after working on mei dat’s dairy farm.”
“That’s neat. Mei mammi, mei dat’s mamm, gave me my first cookbook. Baking is my favorite way to relax, even though it turned into a job too.” Christiana scanned the booth again. “How long have you rented this space?”
“About a year.”
“What inspired you to open it?”
“Ah. Well . . .” He pushed one hand through his curls. “I decided I needed to try something different and, I guess, make a change in my life. My parents suggested I sell my wooden and leather creations, so I opened Unique Leather and Wood Gifts here.” He looked down at his shirt and wiped off what seemed to be invisible fuzz. When he looked at her, his expression was what she’d have to call sheepish. “I won’t bore you with that story, though.”
But she wanted to hear that story! Why did he need to make a change in his life? Was that why he seemed so sad? But she couldn’t ask such personal questions when they’d just met.
“Christiana.” Phoebe rushed over with a wooden sign. The words on it said The Smiths, Established 2005. “You should ask Jeff to make your sign for the booth.”
“Oh no.” Christiana shook her head. “It’s lovely, but I don’t want to trouble him.”
“It’s no trouble.” He stood up straight. “What would you like on it?”
“No, no.” Christiana shook her head. “I’m going to ask mei dat to make it.”
“She needs a sign that says The Bake Shop,” Phoebe said. “Can you make one?”
“I’d be froh to do that for you.” He pointed to the signs on the wall. “Which style do you like?”
“How much are they?” Christiana asked.
“Don’t worry about the price.” He walked over to the display. “Which one do you like best?”
“I like this one.” Phoebe held up the sign in her hands.
Christiana nodded. “Ya, I agree.”
“Consider it done.” He took the sign from Phoebe. “I’ll try to finish it by tomorrow.”
“Danki. But, really, how much will I owe you?” Christiana looked behind him and found prices on the wall. “Is it that price over there?”
“Ya, but I’ll give you a discount. How about fifty percent off since we’ll be neighbors?”
“That’s not right. I should pay full price.”
A smile tugged at his lips as he pointed at Christiana. “You’re stubborn, aren’t you?”
Phoebe rolled her eyes. “You have no idea.”
“Phoebe!” Christiana gasped.
Jeff tilted his head back and laughed, and the deep, rich sound caused Christiana to smile. He was even more attractive when he laughed.
A group of customers walked into the booth and began commenting on Jeff’s items.
“We should go,” Christiana told him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Have a gut day.” Jeff gave them a little wave and then walked over to one of the customers. “Good morning. How may I help you?”
Christiana looked at him once more before walking away with Phoebe. Jeff seemed to have a secret or two, but maybe one day she’d be a friend he’d want to share them with.
* * *
“It sounds like the booth is perfect,” Mamm said later that morning as she helped Christiana and Phoebe pack fresh baked goods into boxes.
“It is,” Phoebe said. “And the man in the next booth is going to make her a sign that says The Bake Shop.”
“Is he?” Mamm grinned.
“Is he handsome?”
“Oh no. Please don’t start.” Christiana groaned. “I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I just want to sell my baked goods.”
“He’s the one she spilled kaffi on,” Phoebe continued as she filled a box with macadamia nut cookies. “And, ya, he is handsome.”
Christiana tried to ignore her mother’s grin.
“That’s very nice,” Mamm said. “It sounds like you might have a new freind next door.”
“Ya, I suppose so.” Christiana added another box of cookies to the stack on the counter. “I need to get all my supplies together—my favorite kichlin recipes, my cash box, change, my two largest coolers, one for my ingredients—oh, and the two rolling baker’s racks I bought today. I’m so glad to have them. Getting my fresh baked goods from my taxi into the market will be so much easier. Bringing home any baked goods I don’t sell by the end of the day on Saturday will be easier too.”
She pointed toward the large utility room off her mother’s kitchen. “Since I’ll be baking so much more at once—and danki so much for helping me—we’ll have to set up a staging area in there so we can sort everything.” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, I can’t forget to buy a cash register. I’ll have to go to the store later. All our cousins have one, and I noticed Jeff has one too.”
“I think he likes you,” Phoebe said.
“Phoebe, please stop,” Christiana said, warning her. “I’m not interested, and I’m sure he isn’t either. It would be nice to have a freind, but that’s all I want. Besides, it would complicate things if I dated him and then it didn’t work out. We’re going to see each other three days every week.”
Christiana turned toward the oven and checked the time. Another batch of cookies would be done in a few minutes. She continued packing cookies as her thoughts turned to Jeff. While she wasn’t interested in finding a boyfriend, she did like the idea of being his friend. Maybe if they got to know each other, he’d tell her why he’d been so rude to her the day before. Maybe he’d share the reason for the underlying sadness she still saw in his eyes and why he’d needed a change in his life that led to opening a booth at the market.
But right now, she needed to concentrate on making her own booth successful.
Tomorrow she’d join her cousins at the Bird-in-Hand market and open her bakery. She could hardly wait to make her first sale.
4
The following morning Jeff held up the sign he’d made for Christiana’s booth and ran his finger over it. He’d stayed late last night to make and then varnish it, and then he arrived at the market early this morning after finishing his chores on the farm earlier than usual.
He pursed his lips as he critiqued his work. It was good, but it wasn’t his best effort. If he stared at it long enough, he could see the imperfections. But it was decent, and it would welcome Christiana’s customers to her booth.
He laid the sign on his counter and peeked into Christiana’s booth to see if she had arrived, but she wasn’t there. The market was still quiet. He imagined her packing up her baked goods and traveling to the market. Would her family help her set up the booth today?
He rubbed at a knot on the back of his neck as he recalled his conversation with Christiana and Phoebe the day before. He wasn’t quite sure why he’d offered to make the sign. Perhaps it was Christiana’s pretty smile, her enticing blue-green eyes, or the adorable smattering of freckles that marched across the bridge of her nose.
Something about her drew him in, something that almost encouraged him to share the true reason he opened the booth. But when he’d realized he was sharing too much, he stopped talking. He didn’t want to open himself to more vulnerability.
He inwardly groaned. How could he even consider telling Christiana that his former fiancée dumped him and then married another man? It would be too embarrassing. But that’s why he couldn’t allow himself to trust another woman, to consider more than friendship with any woman. Anyone—even someone as nice as Christiana—could lead him on and then throw him away. He needed to concentrate on just becoming her friend, no matter how pretty she was. He was better off alone. Besides, a girl like her most likely had a boyfriend.
He stepped back into the booth and picked up the sign. Perhaps it was best if he put some distance between Christiana and him. He didn’t want to risk becoming attached. He could leave the sign in her booth and then not worry about receiving any payment from her. It would be a onetime gift for his new neighbor, and nothing more.
Jeff set the sign on a shelf in her empty booth and then slipped back into his. He busied himself arranging his collection of wooden letters for his name trains, counting how many he had for each letter of the alphabet and recording it in his inventory logbook. He felt something soft on his leg, and he smiled when he found Daisy rubbing her head against his shin and purring.
“Hey there, Daisy.” He patted the workbench next to him, and the gray tabby jumped up. “How are you today?” He rubbed her ear, and she tilted her head as her purr grew louder. “I bet you’re looking for some treats, huh?”
He pulled a bag out of the bottom drawer of his workbench and set a few treats in front of her.
He laughed to himself as the cat happily ate. Then he glanced around, and his heart felt heavy. Why were his sales down for the whole past month? He didn’t want to have to close his booth.
“Give me your honest opinion, Daisy.” He placed a few more cat treats on the workbench. “Do you think I can bring my sales up to where they should be?”
The cat ate the last treat and then began licking her gray-and-white paws.
“What do you think I should start selling? What would attract more customers and guarantee my booth rent?”
Daisy moved from licking her paws to licking her legs.
Jeff snorted. “I’m talking to a cat about my business challenges. I’ve completely lost my mind.”
As Daisy continued her bath, he rubbed her head. She glanced up at him before stretching to lick her back. Why was talking to this cat easier than talking to a human?
He knew the answer to that question. When he spoke to Daisy, he didn’t have to worry about being judged as a dolt for not using the right words. If only he could find more courage and confidence. If only he could accomplish something great, like running a successful business. Despite his lifelong lack of confidence, he’d managed school, had some friends, and contributed to the family business on the farm. But he’d thought he’d sustained a relationship with Ella too—and look how that turned out.
Jeff pushed away his thoughts and finished inventorying his wooden letters. When he heard commotion in the booth next door, he stepped out into the aisle. A boy who looked about twelve was standing on a plastic crate and reaching high, attempting to hang the sign Jeff made from some hooks above the booth. Behind him, Christiana, her cousins, Phoebe, and an older woman seemed to be organizing.
When the boy teetered, Jeff rushed forward and grabbed him just as the crate flipped over.
“Whoa, there.” Jeff gave a little laugh. “Why don’t I help you hang that?”
“Danki.” The boy gave him a sheepish smile and handed him the sign.
“What happened?” Leanna rushed over.
“I almost fell.” The boy gestured at Jeff. “He caught me.”
Leanna wagged her finger at him. “I told you not to stand on that crate.” Then she looked at Jeff. “Danki, Jeff. This is mei sohn, Chester.”
“Hi.” Jeff could see the resemblance between mother and son. Chester had her light-brown hair and eyes. “I’ll hang that for you.” Jeff pulled a stool over from his booth and climbed up. When he’d hung the sign from the hooks, he jumped down and said, “There you go.”
Chester looked up at the sign. “I wish I was tall like you.”
Jeff laughed. “You should see mei bruder. He’s six feet tall. He makes me look like the younger bruder.”
“Really?” Chester’s eyes widened.
Jeff nodded. “Ya.”
; “Jeff.” Christiana appeared beside him. “Danki so much for the schee sign.”
She looked pretty today in her green dress and black apron. Her blue-green eyes seemed greener, and the red hair peeking out from underneath her prayer covering seemed even brighter.
He pushed the thoughts away as he smiled. “Gern gschehne.”
She pulled a couple of bills from the pocket of her apron and held them out. “Here’s your money.”
He waved it off. “Consider it a housewarming gift.”
“A housewarming gift?” She laughed, and he enjoyed the sweet sound. “That’s generous, but it’s not right. Take the money.” She set it in his palm. “I insist.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but the older woman joined them. He folded the stack of bills and shoved it into his pocket.
“Christiana, is this your freind Jeff you were telling me about yesterday?” the woman asked.
Warmth filled Jeff’s chest. Christiana already considered him a friend?
Christiana’s expression transformed into an embarrassed smile as she gestured between him and the woman. “Jeff, this is mei mamm, Lynn. Mamm, Jeff made the schee sign Chester was trying to hang for me.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, Jeff.” Lynn shook his hand. She had light-blue eyes and light-brown hair like Phoebe’s, but Jeff saw the family resemblance in her thin nose. Where on earth had Christiana gotten that gorgeous red hair? Was her father a redhead?
“It’s nice to meet you too.” Jeff turned to Christiana. “Do you need help with anything else?”
“Well . . .” Christiana scanned the booth. Phoebe, Bethany, and Salina were still organizing baked goods on the shelves. “I think we have it handled, but danki.”
The sweet scents of pies, cakes, and cookies filled his senses as he took in the impressive display. He even saw some cupcakes.
Toward the back of the booth, Leanna was setting up the counter with a cash register and a cup that held pens and pencils. He thought the cash register was probably battery operated like his. Chester sat behind the counter on a cooler, off in a corner.
