Lee Solano would have to be present at the next meeting with Liam-Ryder Industries. That much was clear.
This could happen fast.
And it could be good in so many ways. For so many people.
As the visitors left her office, Annie let her mind drift to a choice made three hundred years ago that ultimately brought her to this moment.
Thirty-Three
July 1738
They sat in Rachel Treadway’s parlor, Jakob on a cushionless straight-back chair and Elizabeth across from him on a stuffed velvet settee.
“I’m so pleased you found time to visit Philadelphia again.” Elizabeth’s hands were crossed neatly in her lap. They spoke the familiar German of their childhoods.
This was Jakob’s second visit in just a few weeks, leaving his farm and children in the care of others for days at a time. His choice to see her came at a high price. “We have much to discuss together,” he said.
“Yes, I agree.” Ask me. I’ll say yes.
“The cabin is well stocked now. The children don’t like to leave it.”
She heard the nerves etched through Jakob’s voice. “I would love to see your children.”
“Especially Lisbetli?”
“Especially Lisbetli.” I would go back with you now. Ask.
Jakob nodded. “That would make her very happy.”
Elizabeth leaned forward, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Jakob. “And your friends? Do they ask you to get their supplies also when you come?”
“I bring a list. It must be worthwhile to bring two horses and a wagon.” He sipped his tea.
Elizabeth poured her own tea. “I see much to admire in the Amish.”
He looked up. “Do you?”
I admire you most of all. “Yes.” She added sugar and stirred her tea. Why did he not just say what was on his mind?
“We live plain and apart, you know.”
Her heart bursting, she barely heard his voice. “Yes, I know. But you are strong people. Even when I was a child in Switzerland I could tell.”
“Some would find our ways difficult.”
“I suppose so.” Sip. “Do any of your people ever choose to live otherwise?”
“It is very hard to do,” he said. “It would be seen as a loss of faith.”
“And would it be?”
“For some.”
“And for you, Mr. Byler?”
“I am not as sure as I once was on that point.” His teacup rattled, and he set it down.
“Do you think you will always live apart?”
She watched him swallow hard.
“I have been examining my faith for some time now. God works in mysterious ways.”
“I have seen this to be true in my own life as well.” Elizabeth hoped they were talking about the same thing.
“If God revealed His will, I would obey.”
“As would I.” Elizabeth sipped her tea. I will say yes!
“I have prayed that God would show His will.”
“As have I.”
“Very good.”
Ask, she thought, just ask.
Jakob was silent. He picked up his teacup again. He took one delicate sip and carefully replaced the cup and saucer on the low table. “It is kind of the Treadways to provide for you as they have, but I wonder if you have thought of having a home of your own.”
Finally. “Of late I have considered the matter with increasing frequency.”
“And you are disposed to have your own home, Miss Kallen?”
She felt the hope in his words and answered quickly. “I am quite keenly so disposed, Mr. Byler.”
“Ah. I am glad to hear this.”
Jakob went silent again. Elizabeth poured another splash of tea into her own cup.
“I wonder if a particular religious atmosphere would make you uncomfortable,” Jakob said.
Elizabeth chose her words carefully, mindful of what it was costing Jakob to have this conversation. “I believe each person must follow conscience, Mr. Byler. My faith means a great deal to me. I do not presume to judge another person. Only God sees the heart.”
“I see. And do you have any particular aspirations for your home?”
“English.” Her answer was firm. “I want my children to learn to speak English.”
Jakob blushed. “Perhaps you would teach me as well.”
“I would be happy to.”
Jakob blew out his breath and dared to smile. “Perhaps you will speak to your minister, then. I wonder how much time you require to be ready.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I will speak to the Treadways immediately so they can find someone else for the shop. I have very few possessions of my own.”
“Thank you, Miss Kallen. You do me a great honor.”
She smiled at his blush.
“You married Miss Kallen?” Maria’s pitch rose with the realization. Her face broke into a grin as she looked at her siblings gathered around the table.
“Daed, no, you can’t do this.” Barbara stood up and moved to the hearth, where she gripped a blackened pot in both hands.
“It’s done.” Jakob glanced through the tiny window in the front of the cabin. “She’s outside, anxious to see all of you. I expect you to make her welcome.”
“She’s a nice lady.” Maria took Lisbetli’s hands and clapped them together.
“Is she going to join the church?” Barbara asked accusingly, pot in hand.
“I don’t know what she might decide to do in the future.” Jakob knew this was not the last time he would hear this question. “I have not asked her to join.”
“Then you’re going to leave the church. You did not even wait for the bishop to marry you.” Christian straightened in his seat. “You can’t be Amish if your wife is not Amish. You’re defying Ordnung.”
“I don’t want to stop being Amish.” Anna’s violet eyes—Verona’s eyes—widened.
“I won’t ask you to.” Jakob touched Anna’s trembling hand. “Neither will Elizabeth.”
“Why did you marry an outsider?” Christian asked. “Don’t you believe in our ways anymore?”
“The questions are not that simple, Christian.” Jakob’s eyes moved among the faces of all his children. “Elizabeth is eager to help us make a home.”
“I’m making a home.” Barbara set the pot on the table with a thud. “I’m cooking. I’m looking after the children. I’m mending your shirts. I never complain.”
“You’re doing a wonderful job, Bar-bar. But someday—soon—you will want to do those things for your own husband.”
Anna scraped her chair back and began to pace around the room.
“I still don’t understand.” Christian leaned forward on the table, his chin in his hands. “Do you not believe we must follow Ordnung?”
“I believe God has brought us to a new land for a purpose.” Jakob leaned over and picked up Lisbetli from the crate she balanced on. “God has given us great opportunity. It is hard for all of us without your mother. God sent us Elizabeth to make it easier.”
“But we keep separate from outsiders.” Christian pushed back from the table. “How can we have an outsider living with us?”
“I hope she won’t feel like an outsider.” Jakob kissed the top of Lisbetli’s head.
A gust of wind blew through the cabin. Jakob turned his head to see the front door standing wide open. He got up to close it. As he leaned against it to be sure it latched, he realized with a lurch how the door had come to be open.
“Where’s Anna?” He spun around and pulled the door open again.
At the edge of the clearing, he saw Anna’s dark apron disappear from sight into the black oaks. Elizabeth was already running after her.
Thirty-Four
Annie’s laptop was open on the conference table on Thursday afternoon. In an open electronic document, presumably she was taking notes on the meeting with representatives of Liam-Ryder Industries and corporate attorneys. However, she spent more time glancing at the
digital time display on the upper right corner of the screen than she did typing. If the meeting did not wrap up soon, she would have to leave anyway.
Twenty minutes. Fifteen. Twelve. Ten. Eight. Five. Three. One. She snapped the laptop closed and stood up.
“Gentlemen, I’m sorry, but I have another appointment, and it’s impossible to reschedule.” Annie scooped a stack of papers off the table and stuffed them into her bag. “I’m glad we’ve come to general agreement. Please feel free to use my office as long as you like to hash out the details of what we’ve been talking about. Jamie will assist you with anything you need.”
“Excuse me, gentlemen.” Lee Solano jumped up from the table and followed Annie out. She pulled the door closed behind them and looked at him expectantly.
“Are you sure about this?” Lee asked.
“I’ve never been more sure.”
“But Barrett? I don’t get it. We went to a lot of trouble to take him out of action.”
“I know. At the time it seemed liked the thing to do.”
“And now?”
“And now it seems like the time to make things right. I’m sorry for my mistaken judgment. Barrett was never the enemy. I should have known better than to think Barrett would try to steal my work. That was Rick.”
“Don’t forget the college plagiarism,” Lee said.
“Which may or may not be true.” Annie slung her bag over her shoulder. “I’m inclined to think somebody got the best of him then as well.”
“You can’t be sure.”
“How can we ever be sure of what is in someone else’s mind and heart? Maybe Barrett was already a victim, and we made it worse. If you could turn up that information, anyone could.”
“Like Rick?”
“We broke Barrett’s spirit,” Annie said softly. “Now I want to put the pieces back together. I want to do the right thing.”
“And Rick?”
She shrugged. “He doesn’t figure into this new deal and hopefully never will. Barrett won’t own the company. He’ll just run it as a division of LRI. Rick will have nothing to gain by going after him again.”
“This is happening fast.” Lee drew a hand across his forehead. “I want to ask for some time to do due diligence. Find out who these people are.”
“If you like. But they’re on the New York Stock Exchange and made a profit the last seven quarters in a row.”
“Let me be sure I understand the terms you’re expecting.” Lee readjusted his stance and rubbed his palms together. “First, you want to sell the company, including its major asset, which is the new program you’ve developed for tracking sales according to shopper patterns, product placement in stores, and web presence.”
“That’s right.” Somewhere in Annie’s brain, a giant clock ticked.
“Second, you want Barrett to receive a substantial offer to return and run the company, especially the sales and marketing he’s so good at.”
“Right.”
“And you want everyone on staff to have guaranteed employment for at least two years with a bonus if they sign an agreement to stay for that period of time.”
“Right again.” Annie glanced toward the door. Lee had heard this all three times. She wasn’t going to change her mind.
“The profits from the sale are to be placed in a trust that even you can’t undo.”
Annie took a deep breath. “Yes, that’s right. We can talk more later. Right now, I really have to go.”
“As your attorney, I have to say—”
“Later, Lee.” Annie left the suite.
It was 2:23. She still had seven minutes to get to the corner where Ruth would be waiting by 2:30.
At 2:29, Annie pulled to the curb just shy of the corner and put the car in PARK. The clock in her dash clicked to 2:30 then 2:31 and 2:32.
At 2:38 Annie started to worry.
Ruth wasn’t used to the daytime shift. Everything seemed to go wrong. She passed off charts to the wrong charge nurse and missed getting vitals on patients in a block of six rooms. She was still in the middle of helping residents dress when she was supposed to be helping them to their seats in the wing’s dining area. And now she faced a mess of chocolate pudding and apple juice splattered across the tile because Mr. Green wanted butterscotch pudding and grape juice. With one sweep of his arm, he made sure no one could expect him to eat the substitution.
The clock at the nurses’ station, large enough to see from yards away, said 2:37. Panic welled in Ruth. In the hall, she found a housekeeping cart.
“Mind if I take a couple towels?” she asked Tara, who pushed the cart. “I’ve got a small mess in here.”
“Help yourself.”
And then she saw him—a man who looked like Tom Reynolds. But what would Tom be doing here?
Familiar shoulders, the jeans and plaid shirt. He had just passed the nurses’ station, striding toward the exit where automatic doors would wheeze open.
“Do you know that man?” Ruth tried to sound casual.
Tara glanced down the hall, two towels between her hands. “Sure. He comes a couple of times a month to see his mother, Mrs. Renaldi. But I think he changed his name.”
“Reynolds.” Ruth felt the blood drain from her face.
“Yeah, that’s it. Know him?”
His name lodged in her throat as she saw the doors close behind him. For the first time, she noticed the red truck parked in the space nearest the door.
“Tara, do me a huge favor? Clean up the pudding mess in Mr. Green’s room? I’m already late clocking out, and I have an appointment.” Ruth put on her best pleading face.
Tara grimaced at the mess. “I guess so.”
Ruth flew down the corridor. The doors opened slowly, with a hesitancy she found aggravating even on a good day. By the time she stepped outside, she saw only the back end of Tom’s truck leaving the parking lot.
Groaning, Ruth ran back to the staff lounge to clock out and grab her purse. On her way out of the building, the clock at the nurses’ station announced 2:44. He had a seven-minute head start. If he got there first, all her hoping would be for nothing.
Rufus sat in the office in the back of the Amish furniture store. David, who ran the store, was flipping through pages of handwritten notes on a small yellow pad.
“I don’t know why I write down half the stuff I do.” David turned another page. “I’m afraid I’ll forget something important. Then I can’t remember what I thought was so important that I had to write it down.”
Rufus attempted a laugh.
David riffled more pages. “I know I’ve got that special order in here somewhere. The lady was very specific about wanting matching end tables, and she doesn’t want any shortcuts. Of course I thought you were perfect for the job.”
“I’ll be glad to take it on,” Rufus said. If you ever find your notes. The little battery clock on David’s desk said the time was 2:45. Now that Rufus had agreed to see his sister, every minute bonged in his head, a reminder of lost time. He imagined Ruth sitting in the passenger seat of Annie’s car, the two of them pulling onto a busy street, stopping at a light, searching store signs.
Her packet of letters was safe in his bedroom, each one read at least three times.
“Oh, here it is.” David tapped the page. “Yes, she admired the one on display. She’d like two, but slightly larger. She gave me measurements. Oh yes, she also wants a hope chest that matches.”
“That sounds fine,” Rufus said.
“How long do you think it will take? She was anxious to know.”
“We’d better say six weeks.”
“She’ll want to hear four.”
Rufus shook his head. “I can’t promise that. We’d better stick with six.”
“All right, six. I’ll remind her that if she wants the best work, it takes time.” David fished around in a desk drawer. “Let me write up the order on an official form with the measurements she gave me.”
In the silence of David’s concentratio
n, the clock turned to 2:51.
Annie turned on the ignition as Ruth threw herself into the car.
“Sorry,” Ruth said. “I just couldn’t get away. I had no idea what the day shift was like.”
“It should only be about twelve minutes.” Annie put her foot to the accelerator. “We should be fine.”
“I saw Tom Reynolds,” Ruth said.
Annie scanned the view ahead, rapidly evaluating which route would be quickest. “Really? Tom was at the nursing home?”
“I didn’t know, but his mother is there recovering from a fall. I guess he usually comes to see her during the day before my shift starts. He left before I did.”
“Uh-oh. Maybe he had another errand.”
They came to a major intersection, and Annie turned right onto the six-lane grid. Almost immediately she slammed on the brakes. Traffic in front of them was at a standstill. Two police cars crossed the lanes, barricading the northbound traffic.
“An accident.” Annie leaned to the left to try to look around the congestion. Behind them an ambulance screamed at a searing pitch. The Prius shuddered as the emergency vehicle weaved past them at high speed.
Ruth moaned. “Can we go another way?”
Annie glanced in the mirrors. In a matter of seconds, vehicles sucked up any space to maneuver. “We’re stuck.”
Rufus gave David a price for the three pieces of furniture, knowing David would add another 15 percent to the number he reported to the customer. They agreed on some other pieces Rufus could make for David’s showroom. Rufus would stop by again in two weeks with two cedar chests he was nearly finished with.
It was after three now. Rufus wandered through the shop one last time and then out the front door. A simple backless bench ran along the stone wall beneath the display window. Rufus took a seat and fixed his eyes in the direction he believed Annalise would come from, though he could not be sure. Across the parking lot, traffic flowed past in six lanes, knotting and unknotting with the rhythm of the well-timed traffic lights.
He wondered if Ruth had grown thin, how she supported herself, if she was sorry, if she was happy. He squinted as if he might find the answers in afternoon sunlight.
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