A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  All in all, the boys were doing all right.

  Mark had had a couple of days when he’d been moody and sullen. Only after practically forcing him to sit down and really talk about his feelings had the boy revealed just how much he was missing his friends from home. Jay had encouraged him to write to his buddies and to take advantage of the phone shanty down the street to give them a call.

  Now two of his best friends were planning to come to Pinecraft in November, after the fall harvest. Though November was still a couple of months away, those plans had been all Mark needed to perk up.

  After a bit of a rocky start, William was finally settling into school. The only bit of concern Jay had about him was his new bond with Emma. Jay was worried about William trying to find a replacement for his mamm, but it was Ben of all people who’d given Jay the best advice.

  “Emma is a nice lady, Daed. The best. You shouldn’t worry about how she and William are getting along.”

  When Jay had pointed out that it wasn’t Emma’s kindness that worried him but rather William’s growing dependence on her, Ben had given him even more thoughtful words of wisdom.

  “I can’t imagine that Got would give William a nice lady like that without a gut reason. You should stop doubting everything, Daed.”

  Perhaps that was the reason he was so worried, Jay reflected as he looked over at Emma, who was standing with a group of women near the women’s shuffleboard lane. He wasn’t doubting the Lord placing Emma and her girls in their lives as much as how he was handling their growing relationship. In fact, he was starting to think about Emma far too much.

  As if she sensed his gaze on her, Emma smiled at him and started walking his way.

  “Hi,” she said. “Are you having fun tonight?”

  “The best. Ben and Mark reminded me today that it wasn’t healthy to never leave the farm. They were right. At home, I’m tempted to work around the clock.”

  Her eyes sparkled. “You raised some mighty wise young men.”

  “I think so, too.”

  “And one of them is surely in love,” she murmured.

  He whipped his head around to where he’d spied Ben and Tricia standing together a mere half an hour ago. Though they were still in the middle of a crowd of several young people, it looked as if they were hardly aware of anyone but each other.

  “That boy of mine is truly smitten.” When he noticed Ben lean down to whisper something in Tricia’s ear and maybe—just maybe—brush his lips on her neck, he made a move to remind Ben of where they were. Ben wouldn’t do Tricia any favors if he embarrassed her publicly.

  But before he could move more than a couple of inches, Emma reached out and grabbed his sleeve. “Let them be. They are just fine, Jay.”

  “I don’t think so.” Lowering his voice, he said, “Ben is forgetting himself.”

  “I don’t think he’s forgetting a single thing,” she said with a blush, then smiled as she quietly pointed to Lena and Mandy. “Look who else is keeping an eye on them.”

  Jay grimaced as he watched the little girls giggle, their eyes never leaving Ben and Tricia for a second. “Uh-oh.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “I don’t want your girls to be shocked. Ben and Tricia are being entirely too free with their affection. I promise, I raised him to be more respectful and modest.”

  She waved a hand. “Ben and Tricia are of age. And they aren’t doing anything out of the ordinary. Anyway, I think they look sweet.”

  “Sweet?” She’d surprised him. Since she was a parent, too, he had thought she’d feel the same way he did.

  “Jah. Sweet. They are simply being affectionate. They’re not doing anything shocking.” She swayed a bit, letting her shoulder nudge his arm. “Look around you. No one except the girls and us are giving them a bit of notice.”

  As Jay scanned the area, he realized Emma was right. It wasn’t that the other people at the park didn’t see Ben and Tricia; it was that nobody was concerned by their behavior.

  Maybe he was overreacting a bit?

  “How did you get to be such an expert on kids courting?”

  “I’m surely not an expert,” she said with a self-conscious chuckle. “I was, um, simply remembering Sanford and me.”

  “Did you two act like that out in public?” He was a little shocked.

  “Act so smitten?”

  He nodded before thinking the better of it. “Actually, never mind. Forget I asked.” His question was too personal and vaguely insulting. After all, hadn’t he just acted like Ben and Tricia were making a spectacle of themselves?

  She folded her arms across her chest. “Jay, why are you taking back your question?”

  He noticed that she was looking at him in a direct way, too. Honestly, he hadn’t felt so awkward in months. Years. Somehow he was managing to sound like a stick-in-the-mud and judgmental, too. “Never mind. I’m embarrassing myself and no doubt you, too.”

  “I’m not embarrassed. It’s actually kind of fun to think about happy times with me and Sanford. Our families either dwell on his illness or never bring up his name.” She glanced at Ben and Tricia again, then turned to face Jay. “I married Sanford when I was younger than Tricia. I was only eighteen but I had known him for years. Being with him was nice. Comfortable. I loved him.” Emma pressed her palms against the fence, then continued, “We were happy together, and I suppose we had our romantic moments. But, well, we were never the sort of couple that Tricia and Ben seem to be.”

  “No?” She seemed to be circling around her past.

  Emma shook her head. “Sanford and I were more like best friends.” She shrugged. “I’m sorry. I guess women are usually romantic at heart. It kind of makes me happy to see Tricia and Ben so sweet on each other. Let them enjoy their moment.”

  Jay thought about his own courtship of Evelyn and realized that much of what Emma had just said could be applied to him. “I know what you mean,” he said at last.

  She blinked. “You do?”

  “Jah. I grew up with Evelyn, too. She was always a bit delicate. A bit introverted. When we were teenagers, she would have stayed home on an evening like tonight. I would have been over playing basketball like Mark and the other boys.” Thinking back, he forced himself to remember the evenings when he’d been frustrated with her bashfulness. Sometimes he’d wanted to complain, to tell her that he was tired of them never joining other couples at singings and such. He’d been so sure that if she tried a little harder to be out with others from time to time, she would have eventually overcome her shyness.

  But after she’d gotten sick, and he’d realized that his time with her might be cut short, he’d been ashamed that he hadn’t been more accepting of her quiet ways. He should have celebrated her strengths instead of concentrating on what he perceived to be her weaknesses.

  “Did you ever wish she was more outgoing?”

  “At times? Jah.” The moment the words were out of his mouth, he was hoping and praying that the Lord would erase them from Emma’s memory.

  Especially since she was looking at him like he’d said the sky was falling. “Sorry. I did love her. She was a gut frau.”

  “Of course she was.” She said it so quietly that he had to lean closer to hear her. “I was just realizing that my relationship with Sanford was gut, too.”

  “Jah. Of course it was.”

  “But it wasn’t particularly romantic.”

  Since she was being so honest, Jay forced himself to put to words things that had only ever been vague thoughts—thoughts he’d done his best to push away. “I never thought I needed romance.”

  Cheeks flushed, she looked down at her feet. He noticed that she had donned bright pink rubber flipflops that matched her dress.

  “Me, neither. But . . . but, maybe it would have been nice,” she said at last.

  Jay swallowed, too plagued by his regrets to say a word. He should have told Evelyn he loved her a whole lot more. He should have cared less about spending time with other pe
ople and treasured their time together more. He should have thanked her for giving him three fine boys and praised her for the wonderful way she’d raised them.

  He should have been a better man.

  Emma’s silence meant as much to him as when she chatted about whatever was on her mind. It was if she understood completely just how hard it was to discuss things better left unsaid. Then she lifted her chin and looked at him, her blue eyes shining with honesty.

  “I am only now beginning to realize that I don’t have to always think that everything between me and Sanford was perfect.”

  “No one expects a marriage to be perfect.”

  Looking at him sadly, she shook her head. “I’m afraid some people do. My family and Sanford’s family choose to remember my marriage that way. And while it was a gut marriage, it wasn’t perfect. No relationship ever is, not completely, I don’t think.”

  With that, she stepped back, just as two women who looked so similar to her that they could only be her sisters approached. After a curious look his way, they walked to either side of Emma and essentially escorted her away. The right thing to do would have been to avert his eyes and look someplace else, but he couldn’t refrain from watching Emma walk away.

  With the sun setting in the distance, the pink fabric of her dress highlighting her flawless complexion, and her tan toes peeking out of their sandals, he couldn’t help but think that she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.

  Remembering himself, he amended his thoughts: She was the prettiest thing he’d seen in years. Since Evelyn.

  It was a shame that his thoughts didn’t ring quite true.

  THE MINUTE BEN’S FATHER turned and walked back to the shuffleboard courts, Ben sighed in relief, making Tricia grin. “That was close. I thought for a minute my daed was going to come over here and join us,” he said.

  She couldn’t help but giggle. “Surely not.”

  “I’m not joking. He was looking like he thought we were making a scene.”

  Immediately she felt her cheeks warm. “Were we? I didn’t think we were doing anything bad.”

  “We weren’t. My father is simply being ridiculous. He doesn’t believe in public displays of affection.” Smiling, he said, “Unfortunately, Daed thinks even holding hands fits in that category.”

  Tricia was surprised. She’d been over to the Hiltys’ home several times now and had noticed that their father always treated his boys with kindness, including the occasional pat on the back or a squeeze of their shoulder. But maybe Ben was speaking of the way he expected his boys to treat girls?

  Leona Kaufmann, who was standing nearby, interrupted her thoughts. “Don’t worry. You two weren’t doing anything wrong.” Smiling at her new husband, Zack, she said, “It’s just that most parents don’t like to think of their kinner doing the things they used to do.”

  Ben grinned. “I don’t believe my parents ever held hands. I can’t imagine such a thing.”

  “My daed is always giving my mamm a hug or teasing her,” Zack said. Clasping Leona’s hand, he grinned. “Once me and my sister Violet caught them kissing in the kitchen late one night. I thought my sister was going to fall on the floor, she was so stunned.”

  When Tricia chuckled, Ben raised his brows. “Really? I can’t remember anything like that happening at my house.”

  Zack glanced over at Ben’s daed. “I don’t want to say the wrong thing, but maybe your father will be holding a lady’s hand one day in the future.”

  Ben frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  Gently, Tricia said, “It’s becoming fairly obvious that your father and Emma Keim like each other.”

  He looked at his father for a few minutes and mused, “They sure were having an intense conversation.”

  Tricia thought of asking Ben what he thought about that, but knew he wouldn’t want to say anything while they were standing next to other people.

  But almost an hour later, when he was walking her back to the Orange Blossom Inn before taking the SCAT to his farm, she gathered her courage and asked, “Would you be upset with your father if he started seeing Emma?”

  “Why would I be upset?”

  “You know why. Because of your mamm. You might not want him ever having another relationship. If you don’t, it’s okay,” she said quickly. “I am simply curious about what you are thinking.”

  “I’m starting to get the impression that you like to talk about things. A lot.”

  “I’m afraid so. I don’t like to guess how people are feeling,” she replied. Of course, she was also thinking about her volatile argument with Aunt Beverly a week ago. She’d been caught so off guard by her aunt’s comments, she’d practically accused Beverly of not caring about her—which she knew couldn’t be further from the truth. After all, Aunt Bev had taken her in when Tricia had arrived in Sarasota unannounced.

  Since then, things had been a little strained between them, but they were getting better every day. Tricia had come to realize that she wasn’t perfect and her aunt Beverly wasn’t, either. Everyone sometimes blurted things they wished they would have said with more care.

  Tricia was determined to use that strained conversation to her benefit now. She wanted to talk about things in a quiet, meaningful way. As often as she could.

  After they walked another half a block, he answered her earlier question. “I don’t mind if my daed likes Emma, Tricia.” After another couple of paces, he continued. “My mother was the best. But she was sick for quite a while before she passed away. I don’t know what my daed wants to do in the future, but if he chose to not remain alone, I wouldn’t blame him.”

  Everything Tricia could think to say seemed a little too bold and blunt. Though Ben didn’t talk about his mother much, she knew he still grieved for her. Therefore, she did the only thing she could think of to show her support. She reached out, took his hand, and gently squeezed.

  He turned to her in surprise. Then carefully took her hand in return.

  They walked the rest of the way to the inn hand in hand, neither of them caring that they made quite a sight.

  All Tricia knew was that she didn’t want to let go anytime soon.

  Chapter 12

  A whole lot of people were coming over after church and Emma was pretty sure she wasn’t going to have enough food.

  “You shouldn’t have invited them over in the first place,” she chastised herself as she chopped up another stalk of celery. “You should have left well enough alone.”

  But her practice of leaving well enough alone seemed to be a thing of the past. On Friday when Jay had stopped by to pick up William, they’d wound up sitting on her front stoop for a good hour, talking about nothing important, simply catching up on their week.

  It had been so nice.

  Remembering how comfortable she’d been, what with the porch’s overhang shielding her face but allowing the sun to shine down on her bare feet and calves, Emma knew she hadn’t felt so relaxed in ages. She and Jay had conversed about all sorts of topics, none of them taxing or particularly important. She’d smiled a lot and laughed some, too. As their easygoing conversation meandered along, each comment had led them off on another tangent. Before she’d known what she was doing, Emma had found herself inviting Jay and his family over after church on Sunday.

  Then on Saturday, while she’d been pinning clothes on the line, Ben had stopped by and asked if he could bring Tricia. Of course Emma had said yes. Having Tricia there would make Ben happy, and no doubt help Emma, too. Then, that afternoon, Tricia had shown up to see if she could bring her aunt Beverly. Emma had simply smiled weakly and nodded. She liked Beverly very much, and she knew that she’d be helpful, too, but on the other hand, Beverly managed a whole inn. She was used to entertaining large groups of people all the time. Why, she might look at Emma’s meager spread and think that it was hopelessly inadequate.

  Which was why Emma now kept staring at all the food, feeling certain she hadn’t made enough.

  “May
be I should make some potatoes?” she mumbled. “Or soup? But if I make soup, do I even have enough bowls?” Rushing to the cupboard, she pulled open the cabinet door and started counting.

  Lena, who had been sitting at the table, looked at her curiously. “Mommy, who are you talking to?”

  “Myself.”

  “How come you’re talking to yourself?”

  Realizing that she likely looked a sight, Emma shrugged. “I do that from time to time. It helps me think better.”

  Lena wrinkled her nose. “What are you thinking so hard about?”

  “Serving lunch after church. I want to make sure we have enough food for everyone. Wouldn’t it be terrible if we ran out of food?”

  Lena, being Lena, took her question seriously and nodded. “William would be sad.”

  “We can’t have that now, can we?”

  “What all did you make?”

  “Tuna salad, chicken salad, taco casserole, and oatmeal cookies. And fresh bread. And I bought potato chips from the store and pickles and a relish plate.”

  With each addition she listed, Lena’s eyes got bigger. “That’s a lot, Mommy.”

  “It is.” Sheepishly, she added, “Jay and his boys are bringing fresh berries, too.”

  “Oh, yum.”

  “Jah. And, um, Tricia said Miss Beverly was going to bring a chocolate cake and maybe even some banana bread.”

  “We’re gonna get to have oatmeal cookies, banana bread, fresh berries, and chocolate cake for dessert?” Lena now was wearing an expression she usually reserved for her birthday and Christmas.

  “We might have all of that, but you certainly can’t eat all of those desserts. You’d get a stomachache.” The moment Emma finished her explanation, she giggled. “I’m being silly, aren’t I?”