The Innkeeper's Bride

by Kathleen Fuller

  “We’re both good.” He met Cevilla’s gaze and smiled. “I called because I have an announcement to make.”

  “You’re getting married!” Meghan practically shouted into the phone.

  “Meghan,” Sharon said. “Don’t be foolish.”

  “She’s not foolish,” Richard said. “I am getting married.”

  “It’s about time,” Meghan said.

  Cevilla’s heart warmed. At least one person was happy for them.

  “Is this a joke?” Sharon’s voice blasted through the phone.

  “No,” Richard said evenly. “I—we—are both serious.”

  “Father, how could you?”

  “Easy, Sharon. Cevilla is right here, listening. Would you like to say hello?”

  “Certainly not.”

  Richard rolled his eyes and then mouthed to Cevilla, I told you.

  “When is the wedding?” Meghan asked as if her mother hadn’t just been insulting.

  “Meghan, don’t encourage him.”

  Cevilla could imagine Sharon clutching her pearls or rubbing her temple at the very least. She was also feeling left out of the conversation. “We haven’t discussed details, but we’ll have the exact date soon,” she added.

  “You’re serious, Father?” Sharon said.

  Frowning, Cevilla looked at Richard. Sharon was deliberately ignoring her, something Cevilla usually didn’t put up with. But for Richard’s sake she would keep her mouth shut.

  “Yes, I’m serious. I want you to meet Cevilla before the wedding.”

  “I can’t possibly take the time off.” Sharon sniffed.

  “Time off from what?” Richard asked. “You don’t have a job.”

  “I have commitments.”

  “The Garden Club and your hairdresser can wait a week.” He sighed.

  After a heavy silence, she said, “I’ll come on one condition.”

  That sparked a bit of hope in Cevilla, and from Richard’s sudden cheerful expression, he felt the same way. “What condition?”

  “That I take you back home.”

  “I am home,” he said, gripping the phone.

  “LA is your home. You belong here, with us.”

  “I belong with Cevilla.”

  Apparently Sharon and Meghan weren’t the only stubborn ones in the family. Those apples hadn’t fallen far from the tree.

  Richard continued talking. “Let’s get some things straight, Sharon. Number one, I’m not going back to LA. Two, I’m in love with Cevilla, and I’m going to marry her. And three, week after next, I’ll be baptized in the Amish church.”

  “You’re going to be Amish?” Meghan asked.

  “Yes. I’ve done my research and I’ve prayed, and I believe that’s what the Lord wants me to do. I’m as sure of that as I am about how much I love Cevilla. We have a second chance, and I’m not going to let that slip by.”

  “That is so sweet.” Meghan sniffed. “I have tears in my eyes, Grandfather. I’m so happy for you.”

  “Meghan, stop it!” Sharon shrieked. “Father, clearly you have dementia and can’t make your own decisions. I’m going to have you tested as soon as you come back to LA.”

  “Help,” Richard murmured, looking at Cevilla.

  That was all Cevilla needed to hear. She grabbed the phone and put it to her ear.

  “You don’t have to do that,” he said. “It’s on speaker.”

  “Oh.” She held the phone away from her and spoke into it. “Listen here, young lady. Who gave you a doctor’s license?”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “If your father has dementia, or any other health issue, I will accompany him to the doctor. I will be his wife, and I will take care of him, just as he takes care of me. We have fine doctors in our area, so you can trust that he will be in good hands.”

  “I don’t trust any such thing.”

  “That, my dear, is your problem.”

  Sharon huffed into the phone. “Let me speak to my father.”

  “Mother,” Meghan said, “why don’t we cool off a little and talk about this with Grandfather and Cevilla later?”

  “I have my psychiatrist on speed dial,” Sharon yelled, ignoring Meghan and Cevilla. “I’ll have you committed if I have to!”

  “I think you need a new psychiatrist,” Richard groused. “This one is clearly not helping you.”

  “You’re impossible.” Her voice sounded scratchy. “Can’t you see what all this is about, Father? She wants your money. I bet one of her children is behind all this.”

  “I don’t have any children,” Cevilla said quietly.

  “Sharon,” Richard said, “is it out of the realm of possibility that my fiancée loves me for me and not my bank account?”

  Silence on the phone, then, “I plan to talk with my lawyer.”

  “Do you have him on speed dial too?” Cevilla clamped her hand over her mouth. She didn’t mean for that to slip out.

  Sharon ignored the comment. “That woman won’t get a dime of our money.”

  “Our money?” Richard’s face twisted with anger. “You mean the money you worked all your life to earn? The years you spent sacrificing precious time and relationships for?”

  “How can you throw a lifetime away over some woman you barely know?”

  Cevilla now knew Richard was right. His daughter was unbearable. She held his hand as he closed his eyes.

  “This is my life, Sharon. I will live it how I choose, and I choose to be here with the woman I love, joining the faith God has led me to be a part of. I had hoped you would support my decision. I don’t have that many years left.”

  “Grandfather,” Meghan said, her voice thick, “I don’t like it when you say things like that.”

  “I’m not trying to hurt you, dear. But there’s no reason to beat around the bush. This wedding is happening.”

  “And I promise I’ll be there,” Meghan said. “Just tell me when.”

  “Thank you, Meghan. Sharon, I want you here, too, but only if you’re supportive.” He squeezed Cevilla’s hand. “Can you do that for me?”

  Cevilla held her breath, her eyes blurry with tears, as she and Richard waited for his daughter’s answer.

  “I can’t,” Sharon said, and then she ended the call.

  Richard slid his finger across the screen. He continued to hold Cevilla’s hand but didn’t say anything.

  Cevilla cleared the lump from her throat. “Maybe we should postpone—”

  “No.”

  “She probably needs some time to absorb the news.”

  He turned to her. “She’s had plenty of time. I didn’t move here on a whim.”

  “But it’s a big adjustment.”

  “She’s a sixty-year-old woman. She’ll adjust.” He sighed. “I’ve apologized to Sharon many times over the years. I’ve tried to reason with her. I’ve asked for her forgiveness. In the end she makes the same decision. I can’t put my life on hold waiting for her to come around. That’s not fair to me or to you. We’re getting married, and that’s final.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said, getting up and putting her arms around the back of his shoulders.

  He touched her hands. “It hurts,” he whispered. “I can’t deny that.”

  “I know.” She kissed the top of his ear. “God is a God of miracles. We can pray he’ll change Sharon.”

  Richard nodded. “He’s the only one who can.”

  * * *

  “Selah quit?”

  Levi shrank back in his chair as all three of his family members, gathered around the kitchen table, stared him down. He’d decided to wait until after lunch to tell them. “Ya, Nina. She quit.” His hands clenched under the table. He’d known Selah was angry when she marched toward him and Jackson. Jackson had moved out of his apartment and wanted to rent a room at the inn, which Levi had just agreed to. Then he had his feet knocked out from under him when Selah made her announcement, acting like Jackson wasn’t even there.

  “She didn’t give notice
?” Daed said, scratching his chin.

  “She didn’t say good-bye?” Grossmutter’s expression was a mix of confusion and disappointment.

  “What did you do, Levi?” Nina glared at him.

  He held up his hands. “I didn’t do anything.” Talk about a big fat lie. But he wasn’t about to tell his family that he’d kissed Selah, then hurt her feelings, then tried to act like nothing had happened. Some things had to remain private even among a nosy family like his.

  “You had to have done something—”

  “That’s enough, Nina.” Daed gave her a stern look. “Employees leave jobs all the time. We’ll just have to hire someone else.”

  “But there’s nee one like Selah.”

  Levi had to agree with that. “I’ll call the paper and place another ad.”

  “Nee, I’ll do it,” Daed said. “I’m going to call them anyway about running another ad. We’re giving a 20 percent winter discount to anyone who books a room from now until April.”

  “A discount?” Grossmutter shook her head. “We can’t afford discounts.”

  “We have to get guests in here somehow. Winter is the slow season. I just hadn’t anticipated how slow.”

  Guilt slashed at Levi. He still hadn’t told his father about the fake bad reviews. He’d meant to ask Jackson if they were still online, but then Selah showed up. His head started to pound. If only I hadn’t kissed her. But that wasn’t true. He didn’t regret the kiss, only his words and actions afterward.

  Daed picked up a few crumbs from the table and put them on his empty plate. “At least we have Jackson staying with us again.”

  “For how long?” Nina asked.

  “He didn’t say.” Levi stared at the half-eaten tuna fish sandwich on his plate. “For sure a week. After that, he didn’t know.”

  “I hope you gave him a discount,” Grossmutter said.

  Levi frowned. “I thought we couldn’t afford discounts.”

  “This is Jackson we’re talking about.” She got up from the table and started to clear it. “Of course he gets a discount.”

  Nina got up and helped Grossmutter, her expression somber. In a short time she and Selah had grown close. His thoughtless actions had unexpected consequences, and he could see he wasn’t the only one affected by her quitting.

  “Nina, you’ll have to work both the hostess and maid jobs the best you can until we hire someone else,” Daed said, “but we’ll all help. Selah helped confirm that even with only a few guests, doing both jobs is just too much work for one person. I hope it doesn’t take too long to find someone.”

  “All right.” Nina put the dirty dishes in the sink and turned on the tap. For once she wasn’t complaining about the hostess job.

  Levi cleared his own plate, ignoring Nina’s harsh look. Grossmutter wiped down the table but didn’t look at him. Great. She blamed him too. But why did they automatically think this was his fault? Had Selah complained about him? No, he knew she wouldn’t do that. His sister and grandmother were upset, and right now they needed him to be the scapegoat—even though they had no idea how close they were to the truth.

  * * *

  That evening after supper Selah walked out to the patio, sat down in one of the wooden Adirondack chairs Christian had purchased last summer in Holmes County, and looked at the sky. It was chilly and she was wearing only her sweater, but she barely felt the cold. She’d spent the afternoon kicking herself for what she’d done. Why had she let her temper get the best of her? She should have at least given notice and worked until they found someone else. Now she had not only lost a job she enjoyed but put people she cared about in a tough position.

  She closed her eyes. Lord, I thought I was done being impulsive and angry. I have such a long way to go. That admission made her think that even though she’d gone about it the wrong way, she’d been right to quit. With the way things were between her and Levi, she would have lost her cool at some point, and they would have had to fire her anyway. At least she wouldn’t have that on her résumé when she applied for another job.

  Selah slid down in the chair, which was already low to the ground. Appropriate, since she hadn’t felt this low in a long time. Her heart hurt, which irritated her more, because despite being angry with Levi, she still cared about him. For both their sakes, she still wished things were different between them. That line of thinking was useless, but she couldn’t help it.

  “Selah?”

  She turned her head and saw Ruby coming outside carrying a blanket. “Hey,” she said.

  Ruby covered her up. “Christian told me you quit yer job at the inn.”

  She nodded. She had told Christian in private right before supper, and to his credit he only nodded and didn’t press her further.

  “I thought you liked working there.” Ruby settled in the chair next to Selah and put her hands in her coat pockets.

  “I do—did.” Selah huddled under the blanket. “But it was time for me to move on.”

  “You were only there a couple of months.”

  “I know. But I don’t think being a maid is for me.” That said, if she found another cleaning job, she would snatch it in a heartbeat. Her goal hadn’t changed—she still wanted to move out and have her own small house. That plan would just be deferred longer than she expected.

  “Selah,” Ruby said, shifting in the chair, “I know I shouldn’t pry . . .”

  Then don’t. But she held her tongue. She’d been plenty rude to Ruby in the past for no good reason other than Selah had been miserable. Like now. Her sister-in-law didn’t deserve her disrespect.

  “But I don’t understand why you would leave a job you enjoyed and so desperately wanted. Did something happen with the Stolls?”

  Selah turned away. “You could say that.” She hesitated. “One Stoll in particular.”

  “Levi?”

  She turned to her. “How did you know?”

  “Because you’ve been out of sorts since he dropped you off last night.”

  “Why do you have to be so observant?”

  Ruby chuckled. “It’s a job requirement when you spend all day with young kinner. You wouldn’t believe what they try to get away with sometimes.” She grew serious. “If you don’t want to talk about it—”

  “I really don’t.” She paused. “But I should. It helps when I talk things out.” She blew out a breath. “This is embarrassing.”

  “You’re talking to me here, Selah. Embarrassing is mei middle name.”

  Selah chuckled. Ruby had managed to get herself into a few pinches since Selah had known her. She’d even inadvertently destroyed Christian’s classroom one day when she substituted for him after he sprained his ankle. Not only had he forgiven her for that, but the incident had been the start of their relationship. “I made a mistake,” Selah said. “One I promised myself I wouldn’t make.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I fell for another guy.”

  “Levi.”

  Selah nodded, rubbing her fingers on the hem of the soft blanket. “After Oliver, I promised myself I would avoid relationships with men altogether, friends or otherwise. Especially otherwise. But it didn’t take long for me to fall back into mei old habits.”

  “Is Levi like Oliver?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t think he was. Now I’m not so sure.”

  Ruby didn’t say anything for a moment. “I thought you said Oliver was a jerk. I can’t imagine Levi harming a fly.”

  “I didn’t think so either. But then he kissed me—”

  “Wait. What?” Ruby sat straight up. “He kissed you?”

  She shouldn’t have let that slip out. “Ya.”

  “Did he force himself on you?” Ruby’s tone held an angry edge.

  “Nee. Of course not. He’d never do that.”

  “Gut.” Ruby sat back. “Because if he had, he and I would be having words. Lots of words.”

  Selah smiled, warmth flooding her. Knowing her sister-in-law would protect her, and by
extension Christian, helped ease her pain. But not completely. “It was what he said afterward that hurt.” She explained his behavior after the kiss.

  “Ah.” Ruby chuckled. “I see what’s going on here.”

  “You do?”

  “Selah, men are confusing creatures. They don’t always say what they mean, particularly when they’re in love.”

  “Love?” Selah scoffed. “One kiss doesn’t mean love.” She and Oliver had kissed many times, but she never loved him. Which was a good thing, considering how he had treated her when she needed him.

  “It does when he’s the one.”

  “Ruby, you’re reading too much into this.”

  “Okay, maybe not love. But definitely like. Just because Oliver was an idiot doesn’t mean all men are.”

  “I know,” she said. “I just seem to fall for the wrong ones.”

  “How is Levi wrong?”

  Selah opened her mouth to answer but then closed it. Other than what happened after their kiss, Levi had done everything right. He was always concerned with how she was going to get home. He was at her side when she had her panic attack. He made her laugh, he complimented her work, and he put up with her quirks. “He’s not,” she said, realizing her words were true. The walls around her heart started to quake, but she forced them to stand firm. “None of that matters. He made his feelings clear. He’s not interested.”

  Ruby didn’t say anything, which was unusual for her. After a few minutes she spoke. “Seems like you have yer mind made up.”

  “I do.” Selah crossed her arms beneath the blanket.

  As she rose from the chair, Ruby added, “Don’t stay out here too long. You might catch cold.”

  “I won’t.” She turned and looked at Ruby. “Danki for listening. And for caring. And for the blanket.”

  Ruby bent down and gave her a quick hug. “Anytime.”

  Selah sat outside a little longer, trying to determine what she was going to do. She’d have to start her job hunt again, which she wasn’t looking forward to. She would go back to making supper for Christian and Ruby instead of just helping every night when she got home from work. Life would go back to the way it was before she worked for the Stolls, just as if the time she spent with them never happened. Knowing she wouldn’t see them every day depressed her, but she had to move on. She had no other choice.