“Like big slabs of redwood from the West Coast.”
Rebecca led the way around, exchanging greetings with most of the men in the warehouse. Every so often, she would stop and introduce him or explain a certain machine.
Jacob was impressed. Not just about the facility but how knowledgeable she was about pretty much every facet of the company. As they exited one building and entered another, his appreciation for her grew. He especially liked how she interacted with all the employees. Whether they were older men or boys in their late teens, she knew everyone’s name and something about them. All the men treated her as if she were a sister. They joked with her and answered her questions.
Jacob also liked that she didn’t seem especially close to any of them.
When they entered the main building and she showed him around the retail store, Jacob found himself wondering more and more about her personal relationships and far less about break rooms or employees’ names. By the time she asked if he’d like to join her for a glass of iced tea at the small café on the top floor, Jacob knew he wanted to know a whole lot more about her.
“I happened to notice that you are gut friends with a lot of the men here.”
“We’ve all worked together for some time. Some men are second- and even third-generation employees, just like Lukas and myself. We’ve all grown up together.”
“So you’re close to them.”
“Jah.” She looked at him curiously. “What are you getting at?”
“I’m trying to figure out if you are seeing any of the men.” Because she looked confused, he decided to be completely blunt. “Like, in a romantic way.”
Her eyebrows shot straight up. “Of course not.”
“Why, of course not?”
“Jacob, I don’t date employees.” She sounded incredulous that he would even think such a thing.
“Ever?” he clarified.
“I haven’t yet.” She smiled then.
He knew a flirtatious smile when he saw one. Feeling bolder, he asked, “What about someone new? Like, say, a man who was new to Charm. A new employee who is, you know, attempting to make friends.”
Her blue eyes sparkled. “Well. Hmm. It would be awful of me to ignore an offer of friendship.”
“Is it against the company rules for employees to see each other?”
“Nee.” After taking what seemed like a fortifying breath, she said, “Actually, some of our men are married to the women who work in the café or retail store.”
“So, even though you never have spent time with any of the men who work here . . . you might? If the person was right?”
Her cheeks and neck turned pink. “Jacob, are you . . . are you asking me out?”
“I’d like to. If I asked you, what do you think you might say?”
She bit her bottom lip. “I’d probably warn you that I’m kind of a handful. Things in my family are a little scattered, too. You know about my daed recently passing.”
Taking care to speak softly so that she’d understand he was being completely serious, he replied, “I know. And I even heard the rumors about your brother leaving.”
“Because of all that, I don’t really have a lot of extra time.”
“I don’t need a lot of your time. Just some of it.”
Her eyes widened. She sipped her tea, then she straightened her shoulders. “I canna believe I’m saying this, but okay.”
“Okay?”
When she nodded, a surprised look on her face, he grinned at her. “That makes me mighty happy.” She smiled weakly back, and Jacob decided that he had better push a little bit before she started overthinking things and changed her mind. “So, when do you get off work today?”
“At four o’clock.” Her voice was still hesitant. It was cute.
“So, may I walk you home?”
“Jah. But I live close by. How will you get home after that?”
“I can walk there.”
She crossed her legs and chuckled softly. “You’re not wasting any time, are you?”
“I’m afraid if I give you too much time to think about it, you might change your mind and tell me no after all,” he said honestly.
“You might be as ruthlessly honest as I have a tendency to be. Come to my desk when I get off. I’ll be waiting.”
“I’ll be there,” he said as they walked down the stairs to her desk. After getting his key and folder from Mercy, he walked outside.
He had some time to kill. Then he was going to do something he’d never expected to do when he’d packed up his things and moved to Charm.
He was going courting.
Just the idea of it made him grin.
Chapter 16
That same day
It was turning out to be quite the Tuesday for Lilly Yoder. First, Mrs. Mast had asked her to stay a few minutes after school to talk. Then, when she’d told Peter that she couldn’t walk home with him after all, he’d offered to stay behind and wait for her. Right in front of his best friend Andy, Katie, and another handful of people. Lilly, of course, had blushed like crazy. Because that was all she seemed able to do around Peter. But that didn’t stop her from telling him thank you.
Beyond all of that, Katie was talking to her again. At first, she’d only said hello and talked about her little brother’s new rabbit. When she’d realized Lilly wasn’t going to hold a grudge, Katie sat next to her at lunch.
“You don’t mind if I sit with ya, do you?” she’d asked.
“Why would I mind?” After all, it wasn’t like she had that many friends.
“Probably because I haven’t been that nice to you lately.”
“What did I do?”
Katie chomped on a carrot stick. “It weren’t that as much as what Peter did. He’s been following you around like a puppy.” Around another bite, she said, “I was pretty jealous.”
Lilly wasn’t sure what Katie could be jealous of—she was the one who had all the friends. Then she remembered the way Katie had glared at her when Peter was talking to her the other day. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you and Peter were seeing each other.”
“We weren’t.”
So Katie had been holding on to a crush? “Oh. Well, I guess I should tell you that it wasn’t anything personal. I honestly didn’t try to get Peter to start walking me home. It just happened.”
To Lilly’s amusement, Katie shrugged off her concerns as if they were of no consequence at all. “Don’t worry about it. I was being foolish. The truth is that Peter and I have known each other all our lives. We’ve never been all that close or even that good of friends. I don’t know why I thought he’d one day start looking at me in a new way.”
“Oh. I see.” Of course, Lilly really didn’t, but if things were fine between them now, she wasn’t going to argue.
Sighing dramatically, Katie added, “Actually, last night I was thinking about why I was so upset with you. And that’s when I realized something.”
“What?”
“See, I wasn’t only jealous of Peter liking you. I was jealous of you, too.”
Her? “Katie, you’re the one with all the friends. What are you talking about?”
“You’re pretty, Lilly. And smart, too. And it’s even kind of nice that you are new here. All the kids might like me now, but they remember when I couldn’t say my ‘R’s and used to suck my thumb.”
Lilly burst out laughing. “You are pretty, too. And I haven’t noticed you slip up with your ‘R’s yet.”
Katie chuckled, too. “Gut. What I’m trying to say is that you being here reminded me of everything I’m not and it made me kind of sad. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“Danke.” With another smile, Katie had dived into her sandwich and started telling Lilly another story about her many siblings. They sounded like a wild bunch. One of them was always getting hurt or injured or in trouble.
Lilly had been happy to simply listen and eat her sandwich. As she did so, she realized that Katie hadn’t br
ought up Lilly’s parents dying once. Maybe Peter had glared at her so much the other day that she was afraid to mention Lilly’s parents ever again.
But Lilly preferred to think that Katie had started thinking of Lilly as just, well, Lilly. The new girl. Not Lilly, the poor girl whose parents died and who had to live with her grandparents and uncle.
If that was the case, she would be thankful for that.
Late that afternoon, when Mrs. Mast reentered the classroom after dismissing school for the day, Peter was following her.
“It’s pretty warm outside. I didn’t have the heart to make Peter stand in the sun while waiting for you,” Mrs. Mast explained. “Do you mind if he sits in the back of the classroom while you and I chat near my desk?”
After casting a quick glance in Peter’s direction and seeing him shrug, Lilly shrugged, too. “Sure. That’s fine.”
“Good,” she said as she walked to her desk. “Now then, I bet you know why I wanted to speak to you.”
“Is it because I was working on algebra in your classroom?”
“It is.”
“I won’t do that again.”
“Lilly, you certainly aren’t in trouble. Actually, I went over to the high school the other day and talked to some of my teacher friends there.”
This was starting to sound bad. “What did they say?” she asked hesitantly. Oh, she really hoped no one wanted her to start attending the English high school.
Mrs. Mast’s kind eyes softened. “My friend Blaire wants you to go over there on Monday. She’s going to meet you at the door and—”
“Nee,” Lilly interrupted. “I don’t want to go to the high school.”
Mrs. Mast held up a hand. “No one wants you to transfer over there. All Blaire wants to do is give you some tests.”
“Why?”
“If you score as high as I think you might, Blaire is going to help me gather some materials for you.” She paused, then added, “And find you some tutors.”
“Could I do the work here?” Though she hadn’t meant to, she glanced over at Peter.
He’d moved closer and was making no secret that he was eavesdropping on the conversation. When she looked his way, he smiled. That smile helped enough to make her stop questioning everything her teacher was saying.
“I’m sorry. I’ll stop interrupting so much.”
Mrs. Mast grinned, then looked over her shoulder. “Peter, since it’s obvious that you’re listening, and since I have no doubt that you and Lilly will talk about this the whole way home, you might as well join the conversation.”
“Danke, Aunt Rachel,” he said, walking right over and, bold-as-you-please, sitting on Lilly’s other side.
Unable to help herself, Lilly giggled. “You are incorrigible, Peter.”
“Since I’m not even sure what that means, I think you need to go to the high school on Monday and meet Blaire and get tested,” he replied.
“Who would the tutors be?” Lilly asked. “And where would I meet them?”
“They are going to be high school juniors and seniors who can drive. They’ll come here once or twice a week and help you understand everything you’re working on.”
“So I would still be here, but I’d be working on my own a lot.”
“Jah.” Mrs. Mast’s expression was somber. “Lilly, my job as a teacher is to help my students. If I thought you needed glasses, I would help you get to the eye doctor. If you were having a lot of trouble learning and I feared that you needed a special class or teacher, I would do that, too. As far as I’m concerned, your needs are no less important than anyone else’s. They’re simply a bit unusual.”
Lilly liked that statement. Plus, it would be so nice to learn something new instead of always pretending to be interested in what everyone else was trying to figure out.
But still . . . What would her grandparents say?
“Would the tutors be expensive?” she asked.
“They wouldn’t be expensive at all. They would be free,” Mrs. Mast explained.
“Oh.”
“When would she go over to the high school?” Peter asked.
“Blaire said she could drive over here and pick you up during her morning break. So you’d go to the high school a little after nine, then either Blaire or another teacher would drive you back here.”
“I’ll still need to talk with my uncle Jacob and my grandparents.”
“I understand. Just let me know by the end of the week. If you decide you don’t want help, when Blaire stops by, I’ll tell her that you changed your mind,” Mrs. Mast said easily.
“All right, then. I guess I’ll let you know on Thursday or Friday.”
“I’m proud of you, Lilly,” Mrs. Mast said as she stood up and walked her and Peter to the door. “I know you’ve been through a lot and that this is another change. But I think you’ll be really glad you decided to do this.”
“Danke,” Lilly said. “You went to a lot of trouble for me. It was mighty nice of you.”
“You’re welcome, dear.” Stepping back, Mrs. Mast said, “Now you two go enjoy your evening.”
“We sure will, Aunt Rachel,” Peter said. “See you tomorrow.”
“Jah. I’ll see you then.” Wagging a finger at him playfully, she added, “But don’t you forget to do your homework.”
His grin slipped away. “I won’t.”
“Gut.” After winking Lilly’s way, Mrs. Mast closed the door behind them.
When they were alone, Peter laughed. “I think she’s said that to me every afternoon for five years.”
“I guess there was a reason for that?”
“Jah. I got pretty lazy when I was eight or nine. Our former teacher had to ask my parents to help keep me in line. They warned me to be better behaved for Aunt Rachel when she started here.”
“Did you listen?”
He rubbed his rear end. “Oh, jah. My daed made sure of it.”
“Ouch.”
He shrugged off her sympathy. “It weren’t so bad. Like I said, I’ve always been kind of a handful.”
“You’ve been really nice to me,” she said as they crossed the stretch of empty highway, then detoured onto a narrow path that lay between two different farms. Everyone walked down it to get from one end of Charm to the other.
So far, Lilly had only been on it when most of the other kids were there. Now it was just the two of them.
It felt different.
Peter glanced her way and grinned again. “Of course I’m going to be nice to you.”
“Why?”
He stared straight ahead. “You know why,” he said after a good five minutes.
She really didn’t. Her worst fears got the best of her. “Is it because my parents died?”
He stopped suddenly. “Nee.”
Now she was really confused. Glancing around, she felt like they were the only two people for miles around. There was a faint breeze making the hay in the field on their left rustle in the wind.
“Then why?” she asked.
He sighed, looked at her backpack on her shoulder, then reached out and set it on the ground. He tossed his down with a lot less care. While she stood there gaping at him, he took both of her hands in his. It was the first time she’d ever held a boy’s hand. She noticed his hands were far bigger and rougher.
“Peter?”
“I like you, Lilly,” he said at last. “I think you’re pretty. I like how you’re kind of shy. I like how you’re really smart. I like how you put up with Katie and her goofy ways. But what I like the most is that you are letting me walk you home.”
“I’m letting you hold my hands, too,” she pointed out.
He squeezed her hands gently. “Jah. Today? Well, today’s a really gut day.” He dropped her hands then and picked up their backpacks. “Now, do you have any more questions, Miss I’m-too-smart-for-regular-school?”
She couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing just as she grabbed her backpack from him and started walking. When he chuc
kled too as he fell into step beside her, she knew Peter had been right. It surely was a really good day.
Chapter 17
That same day
It was a beautiful early September afternoon. Though the air was warm, the humidity had lessened. A slight breeze filled the air, bringing with it a hint of the upcoming change in season. Those elements, combined with the many terra-cotta pots of dark red geraniums, yellow mums, and pretty purple pansies, made walking outside a pleasure.
But Rebecca was beginning to think that the main reason the day felt so perfect was because Jacob was by her side.
He’d returned to the office at four o’clock on the dot. Then, he’d stood patiently by the door as she cleared off her desk and gathered her purse and keys. Of course that had taken double the time it usually did, what with her smiling at him, losing her train of thought, and generally behaving like a schoolgirl instead of the independent working woman that she was.
When she’d finally announced that she was ready to go, he’d smiled.
“I’m glad,” he’d said. As if nothing else was needed to be said.
And maybe nothing else did.
His easy acceptance of her made her feel special, which was a mighty nice feeling.
Now, as they continued to walk, she noticed that Jacob was measuring his steps to hers. It was a kind thing to do. So many men would have expected her to walk faster to keep their pace. His accommodation was a sign, she thought. A sign that they were supposed to enjoy this time together as much as possible. And, perhaps, use it to discover more about each other.
“Hey, Jacob?”
“Jah?”
“Do you remember when I was walking home with Lilly? We were on that path in between the Hendrix and Montgomery properties and had almost made it to town?”
“If you are asking if I remember overhearing Lilly being terribly rude to you, the answer is yes. I remember that well.”
Rebecca noticed that his voice had darkened. She also sensed that he was about to apologize to her again. She decided to get to her point, and quickly.
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