by Amy Clipston
“Would you like a piece?” Kayla offered him a plate with a large hunk of cake.
“Ya. Danki.” He took it and then grabbed a fork from the pile on the table.
“Kaffi?” Cindy appeared next to him and held out a cup of the steaming liquid.
“Danki.” He took the cup and then turned toward the table, where Laura still stood by the cake. “Are you going to have a piece?”
“Ya.” She smiled up at him, but her smile didn’t meet her eyes.
He longed to take her arm, pull her into the utility room, and ask her what was wrong. Had Rudy hurt her feelings when they spoke alone on the porch? His jaw tightened at the thought of Rudy once again hurting her, but it was none of his business.
He leaned in closer. “Was iss letz?”
“Nothing.” She placed a piece of cake on her plate and then licked her fingers. “Did you try the kuche?” She pointed to the large piece of cake on his plate.
“Not yet.”
“Well? What are you waiting for?” She jammed a hand on her hip and lifted her chin. She was adorable. “You realize I slaved over these two kuches.” She looked over at Mollie, who had already demolished her cake. Her face was covered in chocolate icing and sprinkles, and pieces of cake peppered her blond curls. “You can’t tell I made two, but I did.”
“She definitely enjoyed that kuche.”
“Are you going to try your piece?”
Allen set his cup on the table and then forked a piece of the moist, sweet cake into his mouth. He groaned as he nodded. “Superb.”
“Superb?” Her eyes sparkled.
“Outstanding.” He took another bite.
“Allen.” Vernon sidled up to him and tapped his shoulder. “I meant to ask you earlier. How are you feeling? Are you doing better?”
Allen nodded as he swallowed another piece of cake. “I am. Danki for asking. Our talk helped.”
Laura sat down in a chair beside Kayla and began talking to one of their friends from church.
“How are you doing?” Allen asked Vernon.
“I’m doing fine.” Vernon set his cup on the table beside Allen’s. “The farm is always busy, but Jamie and Mark have made me take a little bit of a step back. They want to handle more. I think they’re pushing me into retirement, but I keep telling them I’m not as old as I look.” He chuckled.
Allen smiled, but a niggle of worry remained at the base of his neck. He would try to get Laura alone later to ask if she was okay. Surely, because they were friends, her well-being was his business.
Kayla touched Laura’s shoulder. “Lorraine and I are going to start cleaning up.”
“Oh. Is it time?” Laura looked up at the clock on the wall and found it was after seven. “I didn’t realize how late it was.”
“That’s because we were having too much fun talking.” Sadie Byler, a friend from church, put her hand on Laura’s arm. “It was so gut seeing you. Danki for inviting us to come celebrate Mollie’s birthday.”
“I’m so froh you could.” Laura stood and began gathering plates and cups.
“I can do this.” Kayla took the stack from her and then nodded at Mollie in the high chair. “Why don’t you clean up the birthday girl?”
“Danki.” Laura wet a paper towel and began wiping the cake and icing off Mollie’s face.
Mollie squirmed, arched her back, and grimaced in protest.
“I’m sorry, mei liewe, but you’re a mess.” Laura struggled to wipe Mollie’s hands, too, and then started on her curls. They were matted with a mixture of cake and icing.
“I don’t think you can wipe off that icing.” Cindy stood beside Laura while leaning on a broom. “I think you should put her right into the bathtub.”
“Ya, you’re right.” Laura pulled the tray off the high chair and unbuckled Mollie’s safety belt. “You need a bath, little one.”
“I put Mollie’s gifts in her room. I’m going to sweep up the kitchen and then see if anything else needs to be picked up in the schtupp.”
“Danki so much for helping,” Laura said.
“Gern gschehne.” Cindy tackled the kitchen floor with her broom.
Mollie held up her arms, and Laura scooped her up. She looked toward where Lorraine was washing trays and Kayla was drying. What would she do without her friends’ help?
Laura said good-bye to the remaining guests in the kitchen before she carried Mollie toward the stairs. She stepped into the family room, where Allen sat on the sofa. Jamie sat across from him in a wing chair.
Allen jumped up and approached her. “Do you need help?”
“No. I’m going to give her a bath before I go home.” She glanced around the room. “Where are Rudy, Mark, and mei dat?”
Jamie pointed toward the front door. “They went to sit outside.”
“Why are you two in here?” Laura shifted Mollie in her arms as the messy baby rested her head on her shoulder, no doubt making her own dress a mess. But she didn’t mind.
Jamie shrugged. “We just didn’t want to go outside. We were talking about Allen’s buggy projects.”
“I was boring him to tears.” Allen smirked. “He’s just being nice.”
“No, not really.” Jamie shook his head. “I like hearing about your projects. It’s much more interesting than my cows.”
“I doubt that.” Allen gave her a sheepish smile.
Laura’s heart warmed. Perhaps Jamie would be the friend Allen needed since Rudy wasn’t making any effort to reach out to him.
She nodded toward the stairs. “I’m going to get Mollie in the tub.”
“Call me if you need me,” Allen said as she ascended the steps.
“I will,” she promised.
When she reached the top of the stairs, she walked into Mollie’s room, flipped on the lantern, and set Mollie in her crib. Then she entered the bathroom, turned on the lantern there, and began filling the tub. While the water ran, she stepped back into Mollie’s room and spotted the gift bags piled on her bed. She opened the one from Cindy and pulled out a crib-size quilt stitched with a pink and purple lone star pattern in the center. Laura gasped as she ran her fingers over the intricate stitching. It was gorgeous! Her sister was so very talented.
Then she opened a large shopping bag from Kayla and Jamie and found a baby doll and a pink corn popper toy.
Laura laughed and turned to Mollie, who stood in the crib, holding on to the railing. “Look at what Kayla got you.” She held up the corn popper. “What do you think?”
Mollie squealed and reached for it.
“You need to walk if you want to use it.” She set the corn popper in the crib, and Mollie touched it. “We’ll have to practice again next week.”
Laura checked the other gift bags. She found board books and a teddy bear from Allen’s friends and a dog pull-toy from her father and Mark. One of Allen’s customers had given her more books and a set of plastic blocks.
“You got some nice gifts.” She smiled as she lifted Mollie into her arms. “Let’s get you cleaned up so you can go to bed.”
She carried Mollie into the bathroom and undressed her. Then she set her in the bath seat before kneeling next to the tub. Mollie squealed and giggled as she splashed. Laura laughed as she gathered a washcloth and baby wash.
“Did you have a gut birthday party? Did you enjoy the kuche?” As she continued to ask Mollie questions as she bathed her, Mollie babbled, squealed, and splashed in response.
Laura was washing Mollie’s hair when footsteps sounded on the stairs. She grinned and leaned down to Mollie. “Is that your dat coming up the stairs? Do you think your daddy is coming to see if I got all the icing and kuche out of your schee curls?”
Mollie squealed, and her blue eyes widened. “Dat! Dat! Dat!”
The footsteps grew louder, and Laura grinned as she turned toward the doorway. When Rudy appeared, Laura’s smile dissolved.
“Hi, Rudy.” She sat back on her heels and wiped her hands down her apron, which was damp from Mo
llie’s splashing. She turned to Mollie. “This is Rudy. Can you say Rudy?”
Mollie laughed and splashed again, creating a small tsunami in the tub.
“Are you almost done?” Rudy gestured toward the tub.
“Ya. I just have to finish washing her hair, and then I need to rinse her, dry her, and dress her for bed.”
“Why can’t Allen do that?”
“I offered to do it to help him.”
His mouth pressed into a hard line. “I thought you and I would have some time to spend together tonight. That’s why I came.”
She blinked. “You didn’t want to come to a party?”
“I wanted to see you. Is that a bad thing?”
“No, it’s not bad, but I thought you’d want to see everyone else too.” She pointed at Mollie, who was still happy in the water. “I thought you’d want to help celebrate her special day.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I wanted to see you, Laura, and now it’s almost eight o’clock. I don’t think your dat will be froh if I keep you out too late.”
“He’ll understand.” She pointed toward the stairs. “Why don’t you go tell him it’s going to take me another thirty minutes or so to get Mollie into bed, so I won’t be home until later.”
“Your family is already gone,” he snapped, his voice echoing through the bathroom. “We’re the only ones left here.”
“They’re gone?” She stood and sat down on the lid of the commode. “But Cindy, Kayla, and Lorraine were cleaning up the kitchen. They’re all done?”
“They all just left.”
“Oh.” She looked toward the tub where Mollie bobbed a plastic toy beneath the surface of the bathwater and sang to herself. “I didn’t realize we’d been playing in the tub for that long.” She frowned as guilt seeped under her skin. “I’m sorry. I must have lost track of time. We were having too much fun in the tub.”
“Why can’t Allen finish getting her ready for bed so we can go? I’d like to be home before ten.”
Frustration gripped her. “If you want to go, then go.”
“And how will you get home?” His voice challenged her.
“I’ll see if Allen’s driver can come and get me, or I’ll just stay here tonight.” She gestured toward Mollie’s room down the hall. “I already have clothes here.”
“So you’ll just stay here like Allen’s fraa?” He sneered, his words steeped with sarcasm.
She stood, her back ramrod straight as she glared up at him. “How dare you say that!”
“Even Lorraine thought you were Allen’s fraa and Mollie’s mamm!” He nearly spat the words at her. “And why were you out to eat with Allen? Did you go on a date with him before you asked me out on a date? Are you dating both of us now?”
Laura tried to speak, but no words passed her lips. Her eyes stung with furious tears. “How could you even say that to me?”
“I think it’s a valid question.” He folded his arms over his wide chest. “Why would Lorraine think you and Allen were a couple unless you acted like it? Were you holding hands in the restaurant? Maybe whispering to each other?” He pointed to Mollie. “Maybe you were cutting up Mollie’s food and feeding it to her like her mamm would?”
His words shot across her nerves like shards of glass, cutting and fraying them. “Do you even have a heart at all, Rudy?” she said sternly. “Do you remember how mei dat grieved when mei mamm died? Do you remember how I grieved—how I’m still grieving for her every day?” She jammed a finger into her chest. When he didn’t respond, she added, “Do you?”
His eyes widened as he held up his hands. “Calm down. I wasn’t talking about your mamm.”
“Ya, you are. When you accuse Allen of trying to steal me away from you, then you’re also disrespecting other widowers, like mei dat. Allen lost his fraa, the love of his life. He’s mourning, and he’s hurting.”
She made a sweeping gesture toward Mollie and lowered her voice. “She lost her mamm. Allen and Mollie need me, and that’s why I’m here. If you can’t get that through your head, then maybe you should leave. I don’t need your accusations and criticisms in my life. You’re not the man I thought you were when I agreed to be your girlfriend, and it’s breaking my heart.” Her voice broke as tears streamed down her face and a sob choked back her words. She yanked a handful of tissues from the box on the counter and wiped her eyes and nose before tossing the tissues into the trash.
Swallowing a deep breath, she sank onto her knees in front of Mollie, grabbed the little plastic bucket from the edge of the tub, and began to rinse her off. She worked in silence for a few moments, waiting for Rudy’s footsteps to echo in the stairwell as he left her. Instead he remained in the doorway, his eyes no doubt boring into her back.
“Laura, I’m sorry.” Rudy’s voice was soft and gentle as it broke through the heavy tension hovering over them.
She kept her back to him as she released the stopper in the tub, sending the water gurgling down the drain. She grabbed a towel from the rack on the wall.
“Please look at me,” he said.
Standing, she lifted Mollie from the tub and wrapped her in the towel. Then she faced him.
His eyes pleaded with her. “I’m sorry. I was out of line once again. Will you ride home with me?”
She paused, taking in his hunched posture and contrite expression. It was their culture to forgive, and she and Rudy had a long history together. Regret diminished her frustration. “Ya, I will. You can wait downstairs. I promise I’ll only be a few minutes.”
He nodded and then stepped out of the bathroom. She could hear him going down the stairs.
As she carried Mollie into her bedroom, an ache overtook her. If she was meant to be with Rudy, why did they argue every time they spoke? They were supposed to be in love, but he hadn’t told her he loved her in months. Had they fallen out of love?
Were we ever in love?
The ache morphed into a block of ice as she set Mollie on the changing table and began to dress her. She dismissed the sobering thoughts and smiled down at her charge. All that mattered right now was taking care of this little girl. Laura would sort through her problems with Rudy later.
TWENTY
White-hot fury boiled through Allen’s veins as he stood at the bottom of the stairs and leaned on the banister.
Laura’s angry and frustrated words echoed in the stairwell as she spoke to Rudy. “Ya, you are. When you accuse Allen of trying to steal me away from you, then you’re also disrespecting other widowers, like mei dat. Allen lost his fraa, the love of his life. He’s grieving, and he’s hurting. She lost her mamm. Allen and Mollie need me, and that’s why I’m here. If you can’t get that through your head, then maybe you should leave. I don’t need your constant accusations and criticisms in my life. You’re not the man I thought you were when I agreed to be your girlfriend, and it’s breaking my heart.”
Allen closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. His chest constricted as if a rubber band were wrapped around it, biting into his skin and robbing him of air in his lungs. He longed to march upstairs and instruct Rudy to leave his house and stay away from Laura.
But Laura was the one to tell Rudy to leave and stay away from her.
Allen clenched his fists. Why did Laura allow Rudy to disrespect her? She was beautiful, kind, loving, and loyal, and she deserved so much better than a man who castigated her and accused her of cheating on him. She deserved a man who would cherish and protect her, not make her cry.
Allen gritted his teeth and stared up toward the second floor as he waited for Rudy to reply, but they both must have lowered their voices. He thought he heard the sound of bathwater gurgling down through the pipes, and he held his breath, hoping Rudy would come to his senses and realize how cruel he’d been to Laura.
After several moments, footsteps echoed in the hallway, and Allen moved away from the stairs. He folded his arms over his chest and lifted his chin as Rudy descended.
When Rudy reached the botto
m step, he gave Allen a sheepish smile. “Do you need help with anything down here?”
“No, danki.” Allen motioned toward the kitchen. “The maed cleaned up the kitchen, and Mark and Jamie helped me straighten up in here. It’s all done.”
“Oh.” Rudy rubbed his clean-shaven chin. “Laura asked me to wait down here for her. I’m going to take her home.”
Allen frowned as disappointment lanced through him. So she forgave him. “You can have a seat.” He pointed to the wing chair.
“Danki.” Rudy crossed the room and sat down.
Allen started toward the kitchen but then stopped and faced Rudy. “I hope you realize Laura and I are only gut freinden, like you and I used to be before Savilla died and you stopped really talking to me.” He took a step toward him. “You were my first freind when I moved here, and I appreciated how you reached out to me and helped me adjust and blend into the community.”
Rudy’s mouth dropped open.
“Right now I need Laura’s help, but it’s not going to last forever. This will all come to an end when Irma Mae is well and ready to help me again.” He pointed at Rudy as his body shook. “So why don’t you do us both a favor and stop practically accusing Laura of having an affair with me? Our relationship is strictly platonic, and I would never risk Laura’s reputation or your friendship by allowing people to assume we were behaving inappropriately.”
A vision of Savilla filled Allen’s mind and he cleared his throat. “Besides that, Savilla has only been gone ten months. You know we’re not permitted to date until a year after a spouse dies, but that’s irrelevant. I’m not ready to have another relationship, and I could never disrespect Savilla’s precious memory.”
“I’m sorry.” Rudy stood. “I’ve been selfish and prideful, and I’ll do better. I miss your friendship, and I’ll do my best to be a better freind to you.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Allen kept his voice low so Laura wouldn’t hear him. “The person you should worry about is Laura.” He pointed toward the stairs. “She deserves someone who cherishes her, not someone who cuts her down.” He wagged his finger at Rudy. “You need to be a better boyfriend before you break her heart and lose her forever.”
