Nellie held up a hand in defense. “Nee, we can’t judge a mann simply because he isn’t able to be here. That Steve fellow said he was stuck at another job and would be here in the morning to check on things. Mr. Yoder recommended we stay out of the building until then, and I think that’s wise.”
Lucy felt a little unnerved at Nellie’s reaction to the recommendation from the company owner they hadn’t even met. Was she aware that her son could possibly be the owner? Was Lucy sure of what she’d seen? Perhaps it was best if she herself did not jump to conclusions in order to avoid any possible misunderstanding. Still, she was more than curious to know what his reasons were for not taking this job more seriously, whether he was Liam or not. One thing was certain in Lucy’s mind; if the owner of the company Nellie hired was indeed Liam, she now saw him as a bigger coward than she had when they were teenagers.
Nellie and Lydia packed the boxes back into the buggy, intending to leave for the day. Nellie couldn’t help but feel discouraged regarding the delay she would endure in opening her shop. More than that, she was disappointed in her only son. Had he become a coward?
Chapter 9
Liam felt confident leaving the paint job in the capable hands of his youngest employee. The young man was the best one who could operate the expensive paint sprayer he’d invested in, so Liam let the job go and followed the others in his white 4x4 to his mother’s quilt shop.
Had his men seen how nervous he was before they’d left the office? He had prayed the entire morning, and even breathed a few prayers now while he kept his eye on the road. There was a lot riding on this meeting; it could decide his fate in more ways than one. If all else failed, he would be professional and business-like in order to keep the job for the sake of the men who counted on him so they could pay their bills this month. He would do whatever he could to protect this job from falling through. His personal vested interest in the job and his family would have to be put aside.
When he parked his truck in the alley behind the shops on Main Street, Liam paused and took a deep breath before getting out, asking God for grace. He knew he had a lot of years to make up for to his mother and sister, and it wouldn’t be easy even if they allowed him to.
Lord, soften the hearts of my family, and pave the way for me to reunite with them. Bless me with the courage to face them and to endure the heartache if they should choose not to forgive me for abandoning them.
When Liam noticed his crew gathered around his truck, he knew he’d stalled long enough. One more deep breath and Liam swung open his door, easing himself out of his truck. It was now or never, and never was just not an option at this point. He tried to swallow the bile that threatened to enter his throat. He would be strong and accept whatever reaction his mother and sister had. He didn’t regret being out on his own and starting a business, but he knew he couldn’t keep his business and his family too. It had to be one or the other. He had no intention of returning to the community, and that would be the hardest part to make his mother understand.
Liam allowed the others to go ahead of him, while he hung back and examined the damage from the door. His family did not seem to be in the building, so he quickly busied himself checking for major structural damage. His chest tightened when he heard the front door swing open. His back was to the door, and he couldn’t bring himself to turn around. Liam felt his mother’s eyes bore into the back of his head. He could hear that she hadn’t moved from the entryway, as if his presence had flash-frozen her in place.
****
Lucy stifled every impulse in her to keep from marching over to the quilting shop and demanding to know if the handsome stranger was indeed Liam Yoder. When he stepped out of the white pickup truck, she could see in the blue of his eyes how much he resembled her old beau. When he’d left the Amish community, he’d taken her future hope of marrying and having kinner with him.
It’s been seven years. Why am I still so chafed about his leaving? I’ve had plenty of offers since then. Maybe I should have accepted one of them. Except none of them made me happy the way Liam had.
Lucy sighed as she watched her last customer leave the shop. She knew there would be a gap between this one and her lunch rush, but she intended to keep busy, hoping it would take her mind off of what was going on next door. Part of her didn’t have the heart to interrupt what she hoped would be a pleasant reunion between Liam and his familye. But the part of her that still held onto a little bit of anger for him wanted to storm over there and demand an explanation. Deep down, she knew she didn’t have the courage to confront him. Despite her outburst the last time she’d seen Liam, Lucy had been brought up to remain silent rather than voice unpleasant words toward another, but that didn’t stop her from feeling the strong desire to do just that.
****
Nellie stopped in her tracks when she entered her quilt shop. Her own son stood only a few feet from her—the son she hadn’t seen in seven years. Her dochder, Lydia, who stood next to her, reached out for her hand. Neither of them moved except to cling to one another. Nellie’s mouth went dry, preventing her from finding her voice. She watched Liam move further into the depth of the shop as Steve approached them.
“Good to see you again, Mrs. Yoder,” Steve said, then tipped his ball-cap toward Lydia. “Miss Yoder.”
Lydia’s heart beat a little faster as she made eye contact with Steve.
He pointed toward the back of the long shop. “That’s my boss, Liam Yoder.” Looking between the two, he did a double-take. “I hadn’t realized until now that he has the same last name as you do.”
Nellie wasn’t sure what to say, so she nodded. She figured it was best not to say anything until she’d had the chance to speak to her son away from his employees. It was obvious that he hadn’t told them she was his mamm, but Liam was a mirror image of his daed and looked nothing like her or Lydia. Pain pricked Nellie’s heart at the thought of her own son rejecting her like that. He’d left a lot of hurt in his wake when he’d left home so long ago, but Nellie had tried to fill the void by telling herself it was only temporary. But when weeks turned to months and months turned to years, she’d given up hope of ever setting eyes on him again. Now, here he was, only a few feet from her, and she couldn’t muster up the courage to pull Liam into her arms and tell him she’d missed him. Although she had to admit, part of her wanted to take him into the barn and give him a sound lashing for his behavior.
Chapter 10
Liam’s heart sped up at the mention of his name. He turned, not looking his mother or sister in the eye. He nodded politely. “Ma’am.”
Nellie’s throat constricted at the sound of his voice. She noticed immediately that he’d spoken to her using ma’am out of respect rather than using mamm as a term of endearment. This was not going to be easy.
Liam began to explain how he intended to put her shop back together to make it good as new, but Nellie didn’t hear a word he said. She was too busy biting her bottom lip to keep from sobbing and pulling her son into her arms. He’d grown to be a handsome mann—an Englischer. If he didn’t look so much like his daed, she would think he’d managed to fool everyone—everyone but her. Did he think he could come in here and convince her of his act of not knowing her? She could see the fear in his eyes. He knew. He knew that he couldn’t hide that from his own mamm. Didn’t he?
Liam could hear his voice cracking as though he were another person listening to his voice. He wasn’t even sure of what he was saying to his mother. All he could think about was how much he’d missed her. But he’d be lucky to keep the job now that she knew it was his company that she’d hired to do the renovations to her quilt shop. He hoped she wouldn’t fire him and his men. They needed the work, and he intended to do right by his mother for the first time since his dad had died.
He looked into his mother’s eyes trying to read her mood. Had she forgiven him for betraying her, or was she being polite the way he was? She seemed pleasant but worried. The lines on her face had deepened since the las
t time he’d seen her. Her dark brown hair was peppered with gray, and the dark circles surrounding her eyes implied how much sleep she’d probably lost over the past seven years.
Her cordial tone made him nervous. When he was a young boy, the woman could unravel any mischief he’d been up to with only her tone of voice and the look she was giving him now.
I’m a grown man now. I can handle this.
“We expect the renovations to take about three weeks, but as soon as we get the mess cleared away from the ceiling collapse, you should be able to get back in here and work around us. Can you give us until the end of the week to get this mess cleaned up so it’s safe for you and your daughter?”
He could see his mother cringe at the formal comment he’d made.
She tipped her mouth into a smile. “Of course, Mr. Yoder, but my dochder and I would rather stay and help clean things up.”
Liam could see his mother had no intention of budging on the matter. “That’s fine as long as you steer clear from the back of the store where the damage is the worst. I can’t guarantee your safety back there.”
Nellie nodded.
Steve and Jonny flashed Liam a strange look.
“Hey Boss, can we talk to you for a minute outside?”
Liam tipped his hat to his mother and sister before following his employees into the alley.
“What gives?” Jonny complained. “You know we can’t have those women in the store when we’re trying to clean this mess up. What if they get hurt? We’ll all have to give up our pay to take care of their hospital bills.”
“I don’t think Amish people go to hospitals,” Steve said, directing his comment toward Liam.
“Yeah, they are kind of backward, aren’t they?” Jonny said with a chuckle.
Even though Liam had said the same thing several times, hearing it from someone else grated on his nerves.
“The daughter is kinda pretty. I’d go out with her,” Jonny added.
Liam’s breath caught in his throat, causing him to choke. He clenched his fists as he coughed to clear his throat. He wanted to yell at Jonny That’s my sister you’re talking about, but Lydia hadn’t been his sister for the past seven years. Still, it was his duty to protect her, and he would not let the likes of Jonny lay a hand on Lydia. But as he thought about it, she wouldn’t find a better Christian man for her than Steve, who stood politely at his side. The two of them had been friends since high school; Steve had even stood by him during his struggle with his dad’s death.
“Let’s keep our minds on the current issue,” Liam ordered. “The Amish are hard workers, and I’m sure she feels the need to help because it’s her shop.”
“Since when do you know so much about Amish folks?” Jonny asked.
Liam ignored his flippant remark and turned to address Steve who knew of his past.
“Let the women remain, but everyone is responsible for keeping an eye on them.”
Jonny pulled off his ball cap and slapped it against his leg in frustration. “Okay, but if they get hurt, I’m not giving up my pay to send them to the hospital.”
Steve waited until Jonny stormed off, and then turned to Liam. “Don’t tell me that’s your family. I’d almost forgotten you were Amish.”
Liam swallowed the lump in his throat. “That is my mother and my sister. I am freaking out a little and don’t know how to deal with them. Seeing them again makes me realize how much I’ve missed them.”
Steve clapped him on the shoulder. “Then tell them that. It’s a good place to start, isn’t it?”
Liam crossed over to his mother’s buggy and petted the familiar horse. “It isn’t that easy, Steve. The Amish are closed off from the rest of the world. I haven’t been shunned, but her strong bond to the church will keep her from reaching out to me.”
Steve managed a half-smile. “I’m sorry, man. Is there anything I can do to make this workable for everyone?”
“For starters, you can keep Jonny away from my sister!”
Steve chuckled. “It would be my pleasure.”
Liam looked at his friend, noting a sudden change in his demeanor.
“Oh my gosh, you like my sister!”
Steve held his hands up playfully. “Don’t kill me, Boss!”
Liam smiled. “I’d be honored to have you as a brother-in-law someday. You’re a good Christian man. But that is up to my sister.”
Steve shook his friend’s hand. “I appreciate that. I feel like she’s been giving me the signal that it’s okay to talk to her. Is that okay with you?”
Liam felt his eyes bulge. “Really? I wouldn’t have ever thought she would consider an Englischer. I wonder if she took the baptism. I imagine she felt she had to after I left.”
Steve leaned up against the buggy. “Do you regret leaving?”
“I’m not sure I regret leaving, but I do regret not keeping in touch with my family. I shouldn’t have run off without talking to my mother about it. At the time, I thought I had no other choice. I was just a dumb kid.”
Steve wiped his brow and moved into the shade of the tree that the horse was tethered to. “It’s not too late to change things. You should say this stuff to your mom. There is no shame in admitting you made a mistake. Family is blood and will accept each other no matter what. Your mother seems like a very kind woman. I bet she’d understand. Like you said, you were just a kid.”
Liam remained quiet, processing Steve’s statement. Could it really be that easy? Truth be told, Liam was terrified his mother would turn her back on him. They no longer shared the same faith. But faith was a choice; family was a given.
Chapter 11
Liam realized the only way to figure out if his mother would accept him back into her life would be to wait it out and see how they interacted during the renovation. Only time would tell if reconciliation was possible. For now, there was one more thing he had to do; he had to go next door to the bakery and see if it was indeed his Lucy who worked there. If it was her, he could start his apologies with her and see how it went from there. If she received him, chances were good that his family would too.
Standing to the side of the door out of view, Liam took in a few deep breaths preparing himself to enter the bakery. What was he so afraid of? Was it more concern over the possibility of her being married, or was it fear that she would reject him? He knew he still loved her, he always would. But if she’d forgotten him and moved on with her life, he would have a tougher time accepting it and living with the mistake he’d made in leaving her so long ago.
The bells on the door jingled as he opened it slowly. There was no mistaking Lucy’s blue eyes and blond hair as she turned to face him. Liam nearly froze in place, mesmerized by the soft, inviting look in her eyes that used to make him weak in the knees. It was odd that she should still have that effect on him. Her eyes cast downward to the box of cookies she was filling for a customer. Liam held back pretending to look at the selection in the glass-front case. He recognized some of Lucy’s signature delicacies. He wasn’t surprised she was now making a living from her baking skills. He remembered the times she used to surprise him with her newest creation when they were sweethearts. He was always happy to be her taste-tester.
As Liam watched Lucy interact with the Englisch customer, he realized she had fulfilled her dream without leaving her family or the Amish ways. Why had he felt that leaving home was the only way to succeed? Had his desire to be like the Englischers been more important to him at the time? Being an Englischer had not been what he’d expected. He’d thought it meant total freedom, but it hadn’t. Being an Englischer was not without its own set of problems. Now that he was where he thought he wanted to be in life, all he could think about was going back to the Amish ways.
With the customer’s order filled, Lucy looked up into the handsome Englischer’s face. “May I help you?”
Liam wanted to say so much to her, but all he could manage was to point to the special she had written on the small chalkboard to the side of the co
unter.
A dozen cookies? What am I going to do with a dozen cookies? Why can’t I say what I came in here to say?
Lucy stood at the counter, tongs in hand, staring at Liam. How long had she been staring?
“Would you like all the same or an assortment?”
Liam cleared his throat. “Assortment, please.”
Lucy took her time selecting the cookies, allowing him ample time to speak up, but he just couldn’t force the words from his brain to his lips. She was more beautiful than he’d remembered her, and all he could do was stare at her. Had she been that beautiful the night he’d left her? His heart fluttered behind his ribcage, and he felt a bead of sweat roll between his shoulder blades and down his spine.
When she finished filling the box, Lucy placed it on top of the glass case, uttering his total. Liam handed her a ten-dollar bill, picked up the cookies and left the store without waiting for his change. More than that, he hadn’t said another word to Lucy.
Outside in the warm summer air, Liam tried to catch his breath, but the sun seemed to steal the air from his lungs. How could she have such an effect on him? He was a grown man. But not grown up enough to apologize, he guessed.
Lucy couldn’t believe Liam was walking out of her bakery without so much as a friendly word to her. Had she meant that little to him, that he couldn’t even acknowledge her? The very fact he’d left her seven years ago without a second thought gave her the answer she sought. It wasn’t what she wanted from him, and she wasn’t willing to settle for it. She’d allowed him to leave too easily when they were teenagers, but she was a grown woman now, and capable of speaking her mind. If there was one thing Lucy did not fear, it was confrontation.
Lucy yanked on the tie to her white kitchen apron and slapped it on the counter. She had no customers to deal with, and dealing with Liam’s inconsiderate behavior was at the forefront of her agenda. She would wait for the construction workers to leave for lunch, and then she would march over to the quilting shop and confront Liam. He would not get away that easily this time.
The Quilter's Son: Book One: Liam's Choice Page 3
