Made with Love

by Tricia Goyer

  Noah didn’t answer, and she turned to him. She searched his eyes and she could tell he was trying to figure out how to answer.

  “Well, I’ll tell you the truth. I know I’d expect the same from you.” He sighed. “There have been minor injuries before. Once Mose thought it would be funny to heat up Gerald’s wrench with a blowtorch. Can you imagine Gerald’s surprise when he picked it up? That one did warrant a trip to the emergency room, but the others have been only minor.”

  Lovina’s gut tightened at his words, and she nibbled on her lower lip as worries and concerns flooded her mind.

  Noah reached forward and placed his hand on her arm. “Push away those fretful thoughts, Lovina. I talked to the guys, and I’ll talk to them again. There’s a time for fun and games, and there’s time to be serious. I’ll remind them that this job isn’t a game.”

  There was both sternness and compassion in Noah’s gaze, and relief flooded over her. Noah walked a tight rope between helping out the teens, making sure they didn’t get into too much trouble, and doing a good job on this remodel.

  Lovina looked around, amazed at the work that had already been done. She couldn’t imagine what the cost would have been had she hired a crew to do the same work. She glanced back at him. “I know you are doing your best, Noah, and I appreciate everything you’re doing. I know you’ll continue to make sure the guys work hard in a safe way.” She emphasized the word, and he nodded.

  Outside they heard a car pull up, and they walked to the door side by side.

  A man stepped out, and he approached them. He looked to Noah. “Are you Noah Yoder?”

  “Yes.”

  The older man with silver hair and tanned skin looked to Lovina and then back to Noah again. “I hope I didn’t interrupt your work, but Jill from Sarasota Salvage mentioned you have some old movie posters. She said I might be able to take a peek.”

  Noah looked to Lovina. “I was actually going to get working on a bathroom. We need to redo—”

  “No, it’s all right.” Lovina held up a hand, interrupting his words. “I’m sure the bathroom will still be there.” She pointed to the teens, who were approaching from Uncle Roy’s yard. “I was going to use their help for a few minutes anyway. I need them to move some stuff around in the office area, and their muscles can be put to good use.”

  Noah nodded, and a slight smile touched his lips as he focused on the man. “Ja, I do have some old movie posters. They’re framed but the other day I took a few out to study them. They are authentic and when I was searching for their value I discovered there are some real gems there.” Noah chuckled. “Now, I’m not one to know much about movies and such, but I’ve heard that Gone With the Wind was a popular flick?”

  The man’s eyes brightened and the two men walked toward the back of the building. There was a lightness to Noah’s step, and seeing that brought joy to Lovina’s heart.

  “God, only You could create a plan so perfectly to meet the desire of both our hearts,” she whispered. “As long as the teens don’t mess things up with their pranks.” Her smile fell.

  Gerald, Mose, and Atlee walked forward, and they must have noticed the concern on her face because their smiles faded. Lovina eyed them as they stood silently before her. She considered lecturing them about messing with the sander and nearly causing an accident. She considered giving them the cold shoulder so they would understand how serious their actions were. But more than anything she knew the Amish way. It was a way of forgiveness. It was a way of reconciliation. And she decided to offer both.

  “I know you have to fix the wall,” she said simply, “but I was hoping you’d help me move some things around the office first.” And then she smiled at them, and relief flooded their faces. She turned and they followed, talking about the breakfast muffins they’d eaten for breakfast.

  Lovina looked back over her shoulder as she walked. “Someone brought you muffins?”

  “Ja.” Atlee nodded excitedly. “It was that older lady from the quilt shop. She came by last night when we were cleaning up garbage around the property.”

  “She thanked us for doing such gut work around the place,” Gerald added, brushing his longer hair back out of his eyes. “She said that she’d prayed about this place every time she passed—that God would use it ‘for His good work.’ ” Atlee elbowed Mose. “Isn’t that what she said?”

  Lovina looked to Mose.

  Mose was the shortest of the guys and the quietest. “Ja, that’s what she said.” He snorted. “She called them Morning Glory Muffins, but all I could think about was those flowers. Thankfully they didn’t taste like flowers.”

  “That’s one good reason to stay Amish,” Gerald added. “Amish girls do know how to cook.”

  Lovina laughed at that. “Yes, they do.” Although Noah had never explained, she knew that these youth were weighing whether to stay Amish or go the way of the world. And while Lovina knew that being Amish wasn’t the only way to heaven—that accepting Jesus was—she hoped for the sake of the teens that they’d find God in the midst of their searching. Whether they continued on with the Amish way of life mattered little in comparison to that.

  “I’ll have to ask for that recipe,” Lovina commented as they walked into the office area. “I always enjoy cooking up something new, especially for Dat.”

  She paused just inside the door and looked around. The large desk and two file cabinets filled the space. There was a large window there too, and a fan was plugged in.

  Lovina fanned her face. “For some reason this room gets very hot. I was talking to the building inspector about it, and he said the air conditioning ducts weren’t vented correctly to this area of the building. Instead of spending a lot of money on ducting, he suggested that I put in a window air conditioning unit. It’ll buy some time until the pie shop gets up and going, gets profitable.”

  The teen boys listened respectfully, but she could tell they were mostly just interested in what she needed from them.

  “So, what I need for you to do is…” She pointed to the desk. “Put the desk on the wall by the door.” Then she pointed to the file cabinets. “And then move those cabinets to the wall with the window. One on either side.”

  “Got it!” Mose said. Then he smiled at her, and she could tell that he truly was sorry for the dent in the wall.

  Lovina left the teens and returned to the large, open area. Her plan was to write up some ads for The Budget regarding bakers and other staff positions that would soon be available. She also was going to post an ad on the community bulletin board at the post office in Pinecraft. She’d already had some inquiries from year-round residents, and she’d gotten a few letters from young women who were interested in coming down and working during the season, which was when she’d need extra help.

  Remembering that she’d left her notebook in the front basket of her bicycle, Lovina opened the front door and walked directly into a tall man.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She jumped back. Looking up, she saw that it was Thomas Chupp. “I really shouldn’t rush out the door like that.”

  “It’s my fault.” He took a step back and then reached a hand to her. “Are you all right?”

  “Ja. I’m fine. I…” Lovina’s words stopped when she noticed someone right behind Thomas. Mem stood there with a bigger smile than Lovina had seen in a long time. “Mem! I didn’t know you were here too.”

  Her mother had only been to the warehouse once. She didn’t say much about all the work Lovina was doing, which was the same in Lovina’s mind as speaking against it.

  “Mem, what are you doing here?”

  “Oh, I was out walking—uh, coming here—and Thomas saw me and said he was on his way over. He asked if he could walk along.”

  Lovina nodded, guessing the real truth. Thomas had seen Mem walking, and when he asked if Mem was headed here she changed her plans and came. Still, what did it matter? They were here.

  “Thomas, it’s so gut of you to come. Would you like to see inside?
I’ve been impressed by the progress.”

  “Sure.” He nodded and smiled, but he only seemed partly interested in what she was doing as she showed him around. Mem walked around too, silent. Taking it all in.

  “It’s amazing what you’ve done with this place.” He bent down and looked at the floor, running his fingers over the concrete. “This really is great work, and I bet you’ve already increased the property value. Even if you sold now I bet you could make a nice profit.”

  “Oh, that is true,” Mem commented. “Just seeing how everything is cleaned up, well, I bet you can’t even limit the possibilities of what could be done with this place. In fact, the people of Pinecraft have been talking about building a community center—a place for people to gather when the weather doesn’t cooperate.” Mem smiled. “As good as our weather often is here, there are some days when the park doesn’t work. Wouldn’t this be a wonderful place to set up tables and gather?”

  Thomas nodded in agreement.

  Even though the room was expansive, Lovina felt as if she couldn’t breathe. Their presence—their pressure—was suffocating. The teen boys walked through the main area, trying to walk quietly and not saying a word to disrupt them. Had they overheard the conversation?

  “Yes, I’m sure I could sell this place. But money matters so little in comparison to having a dream fulfilled.” She smiled. “I’m eager to walk through the next steps.” She glanced down the wall by the windows and pointed. “To see tables lined up there with happy customers eating pie.”

  “Speaking of pie.” Thomas rubbed his stomach. “I didn’t have much of a breakfast, and I was wondering if you’d like to go to lunch?” He smiled at her mem, and then looked back at her. “I hope you don’t mind, but while all this is nice to look at, I’d love some time alone with you, Lovina. I hope you’d do me the honor.”

  A heaviness cloaked Lovina’s shoulders, and Mem’s gaze seemed to burn into her. She knew nothing would make Mem happier than for her to go to lunch with Thomas, but she had so much to do around here. She also wasn’t interested in giving him any hope that there could be something between them, especially since she and Noah were growing closer by the day.

  “Actually, I have a lot to do around here.” She remembered something else, too. “I also told Noah and the guys that I’d pick up lunch for them.”

  Mem stepped forward. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll pick up lunch for your workers at Yoder’s—my treat—and you two can go to Der Dutchman. Lovina, you’ve been working so hard. You need to get off your feet.”

  From the look on Mem’s face she knew her mother wasn’t going to back down. It would also be a good time to let Thomas know that she appreciated his friendship…but she couldn’t imagine anything more.

  “Okay, ja.” She looked to Mem. “They all love the chicken and mashed…”

  “No worries. I’ll take care of it.” Mem shooed her away.

  Lovina left with the stares of the teens on her back as she and Thomas walked to Der Dutchman. The only thing she was thankful for was that she didn’t have to see Noah watching as she walked away. She didn’t want to know what he thought.

  The restaurant was busy, and it took a while for them to get seated. While Thomas enjoyed the lunch buffet, Lovina picked at her salad and a side of macaroni and cheese.

  “I’ll be returning to Somerset tomorrow, Lovina.”

  “You are? Already?” Lovina hoped that he couldn’t notice the relief in her voice. “I know you’ll be happy to be back at your farm, and just think…by the time that you return the pie shop will no doubt be up and running.”

  “Ja.” He took a big bite of cherry pie and swallowed. “I’ll be curious to see how your pie shop does, especially with two good restaurants in town that already serve pie.”

  Lovina winced at the statement but offered a smile. “I trust God, Thomas. I know He’s put that pie shop on my mind for a reason.”

  “Well, that makes sense,” he said in a way that told her it didn’t make sense at all. “And I was wondering…do you think I can write when I’m gone?”

  “Write me?” Her eyes widened.

  “Ja. Who did you think?”

  She twirled the cheesy noodles with her fork, refusing to meet his gaze. “Well, I suppose you can write…if you don’t mind my not being able to write back. I’m going to be pretty busy running a pie shop.”

  Disappointment clouded his face, and then he set down his fork. “Yes, I see.” He leaned closer. “Well, I suppose that I’ll be able to see you when I visit…at the pie shop.”

  Lovina nodded, and she could tell by the emotion that flickered in his gaze that Thomas Chupp understood. The only thing was that the emotion she saw wasn’t hurt or disappointment…but anger. As Lovina pushed her plate to the side she guessed that Thomas Chupp was used to getting his way. Only this time he wasn’t.

  Thomas finished up his meal, and then he rose to go pay the check. In his mind their date was over, and relief flooded Lovina to know he finally understood that they weren’t meant to be. The only problem was, she knew Mem wouldn’t understand at all.

  Morning Glory Muffins

  2½ cups flour

  1¼ cups sugar

  3 teaspoons cinnamon

  2 teaspoons baking soda

  ½ teaspoon salt

  3 eggs

  ¾ cup applesauce

  ½ cup vegetable oil

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  2 cups grated carrots

  1 medium tart apple, peeled and grated

  1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple

  ½ cup flaked coconut

  ½ cup raisins

  ½ cup chopped walnuts

  Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. In another bowl combine eggs, applesauce, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be thick). Stir in rest of ingredients. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake 20-24 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans. Makes 2 dozen.

  Twenty

  If you must doubt, doubt your doubts, not your beliefs.

  AMISH PROVERB

  Lovina was only too happy when she returned to the warehouse. Thomas walked her there, but he didn’t stay or dawdle. She stepped inside the warehouse, and a wonderful aroma greeted her. Right inside the doorway there were boxes of food from Yoder’s. Mem had brought food for Noah and the teens as promised, but it looked as if it hadn’t even been touched.

  Voices came from the back office area, echoing across the expansive room. She followed the voices and found the guys working in back. An old toilet sat in the hallway. Everything else had been removed too, including the sink, the railings, and the broken light fixture. A flood light had been set up, and Noah was fiddling with something in the hole where the toilet previously sat.

  She stood in the hallway, wondering what she should say to them. Should she apologize for leaving? Should she offer to bring the food back to them? No. That didn’t seem like a good idea. They’d need to wash up before they ate. Maybe it would be better if they ate at Roy’s place?

  Mose was sitting on the floor, handing his uncle tools. He looked up at the light fixture. “You know I heard that you can actually fill a light bulb with gasoline, and then when someone flips it on the whole thing will explode.” Mose chuckled.

  Atlee sat up straighter. “Man, that would be one way to—”

  “Don’t even think of it.” Noah’s voice was stern. “That’s stupid, and you’re going to get yourselves seriously hurt. You’d better not try anything like that around here.”

  Noah returned to his work, and Lovina took a step back, not wanting them to know she’d overheard. She stepped into a shadowy area of the hall.

  “You guys should be thankful that judge didn’t give you a harder sentence,” Noah mumbled under his breath. “Half of the school gone—burned down—because of a stupid prank.”

  The room was silent. They didn�
��t say a word.

  “Wrench.” Noah said.

  And then she heard the sound of tools being moved around in the toolbox.

  She couldn’t see what they were doing, but she guessed that Mose handed Noah the wrench.

  “It was an accident…” Gerald started, and then let his voice trail off.

  “Which is the very reason the judge let you off. Why he let you come down here.” Noah sighed. “Please don’t mess it up.”

  Lovina waited a minute longer, and then she walked up to the door, clearing her throat. “There you are. I can’t believe you’ve gotten so far on the bathroom.” She tried to offer a cheerful tone, and she focused on Noah. But he didn’t pause. Didn’t turn.

  “Yup, it’s going good,” Gerald finally said, looking at her. Gerald and Atlee sat against one wall watching Noah work.

  “So, did you know that lunch is waiting?” She tried to sound cheerful.

  “Yes, we know,” Mose said, frustrated.

  “We have to wait until the new toilet is in,” Gerald said. “Noah wants us to know how to do this so we can install our own toilets someday.” The sarcasm was clear in his voice.

  “I see.”

  She stood there a moment longer watching Noah work, but it was clear she wasn’t wanted. “Well, I think I’m going to go work from home today. I have some advertisements to write and…other business paperwork to get done.”

  “Have fun,” Gerald called, but other than that no one said a word. A heaviness weighed her down, and she wondered what the problem was. Noah had been so happy this morning. He’d been excited about the progress. He had a hop in his step as he’d headed back to show off those old movie posters. And now…now he wouldn’t even look at her. Why? Was he starting to regret getting involved in such a big project? That thought, and a dozen other worries, filled her mind as she rode her bicycle home. It didn’t help that her mem was standing at the window, as if watching for her, as she rode onto the small driveway.

  Lovina sighed as she parked the bike and forced a smile as she entered the house. Mem still stood there, looking at the back door. Her eyes were wide, expectant.