by Amy Clipston
“The lasagna was fantastic.” Chris leaned over and bumped his shoulder against Katie Ann’s as they sat at Emma’s table.
“Danki.” She smiled up at him as she inhaled his familiar scent—moist earth mixed with sandalwood and soap. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“You had me in mind when you made it, right?” His gorgeous eyes sparkled with mischief. “You knew I’d like this.”
“Ya.” She laughed. “You like food, and you seem satisfied with whatever I make, so of course you were on my mind when I put it together.”
“It was appeditlich. You’re a great cook.” He touched her hand, and she relished the feel of his warm skin against hers.
“Danki.” Katie Ann stood and gathered their plates, along with Wayne’s and Clara’s. She carried them to the counter.
“Dinner was great.” Mandy sidled up to her and set a pile of utensils next to the dishes. “Danki for cooking.”
“I’m so glad you liked it.” As Katie Ann looked at Mandy, a surge of confidence bubbled up inside her. “Could I talk to you later?”
“Ya, of course.” Mandy’s smile faded. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” Katie Ann shook her head. “I just want to talk.”
“I look forward to it.” Mandy’s smile was back, but it seemed to wobble. Was she nervous?
“Okay,” Clara said as she approached them with the remainder of the dishes. “I’ll start washing. Who wants to dry?”
“I’ll dry,” Mandy offered, taking dish towels from one of the cabinet drawers.
When the dishes were done—although they’d soon have to wash coffee mugs and dessert dishes—Katie Ann stepped over to the counter, where Mandy sorted utensils into a drawer. “Do you have a minute to talk now?”
Mandy looked up at her and nodded. “Ya, that would be gut.” She dropped the last of the knives into the drawer. “Do you want to go outside on the porch?”
“Ya, that would be perfect.” Katie Ann turned to Emma, who was arranging a plate of cookies. “We’re going to step outside for a minute.”
“Gut.” Emma gave her an encouraging smile.
As Katie Ann walked toward the mudroom, she caught Chris’s gaze. He gave her a nod and a thumbs-up, which ignited a tiny flame of hope deep in her chest. He had suggested she try to talk to Mandy again, inspiring her to give her best friend another chance. She followed Mandy out to the porch, where they both stood at the railing. The sweet smell of moist earth filled the warm May evening air.
“What do you want to talk about?” Mandy asked.
“I was wondering if we could make plans to get together—just the two of us.” Katie Ann leaned back on the railing. “We haven’t really talked in a while, and I’ve missed you.”
Mandy’s expression warmed. “I’ve missed you too.”
“You have?” The question slipped past Katie Ann’s lips without any forethought.
“Of course I have.” Mandy gave a little laugh. “You’re my best freind. Why wouldn’t I miss you?”
Relief spilled over Katie Ann. Maybe she hadn’t lost Mandy’s friendship! “I’m glad to hear it. I was thinking maybe we could get together for a sisters’ day. We can bake some things to sell at the bake stand or we can sew. Whatever you’d like to do would be great.”
“Okay.” Mandy touched her chin. “Maybe we can plan for Tuesday? We can get together at your haus, and then Ephraim can bring us over here to work in the garden and at the stand.”
“That sounds gut.”
The back door opened, and Ephraim appeared in the doorway. “Mandy. Are you coming back in? We’re having kaffi and dessert. Clara made her amazing sugar kichlin.”
Mandy’s expression brightened. “I’ll be right there.”
Ephraim nodded at Katie Ann and then disappeared inside the house.
“We’ll have a gut time on Tuesday,” Mandy said. Then she hurried after him.
Would they? Katie wondered if Mandy could stay away from Ephraim long enough to have even one meaningful conversation with her.
CHAPTER 6
Katie Ann turned the pages of her mother’s favorite cookbook with anticipation. This afternoon she and Mandy would bake items to sell at the stand, and they would finally talk. She’d been so excited last night that she’d had difficulty falling asleep.
She looked up at the clock and then walked to the windows that faced the driveway.
Mamm stepped into the kitchen. “She should be here any minute.”
“I know.” Katie Ann looked over her shoulder at her mother. “I’m just eager to get started. We haven’t really talked for so long.”
“I’m sure you two will have a great time.” Mamm picked up a bag of material from the counter. “I’ll be in the sewing room if you need me.”
Katie Ann returned to the counter and flipped through the cookbook, taking in the possible recipes they could make for the stand. She perused the variety of cookies, and when she settled on one, she mentally checked off the ingredients. She moved around in the pantry and gathered what they’d need. She was taking a mixing bowl from a lower cabinet when she heard the storm door open and click shut.
“Hi!” Mandy called as she stepped into the kitchen. She set a bag on the table.
“Wie geht’s?” Katie Ann pointed to the cookbook. “Are you ready to get started? I checked, and I have all the ingredients to make chocolate crinkle kichlin. Doesn’t that sound gut?”
“Ya.” Mandy jammed her thumb toward the door. “I need to go tell Ephraim something, but I’ll help you in a minute when I get back.” She started toward the mudroom.
“What?” Katie Ann crossed the kitchen, her blood pressure ticking up higher with each step.
Mandy turned around. “I said I need to go tell Ephraim something.” Her forehead puckered. “Why do you look so confused? I’ll be right back.”
“I’m not confused. I’m upset.” Katie Ann’s voice rose. Her breath scorched a hole in her chest, and she tasted rancid jealousy. “You came here to spend time with me, not talk to mei bruder.”
“I just have to tell him something. It will only take a few minutes.”
“But you’re here to see me.” Katie Ann jammed her finger in her chest. “Today is supposed to be my day. You can talk to him later when we’re on our way to Emma’s.”
Mandy blinked as she studied Katie Ann. “Why are you acting this way?”
“Because I’m tired of being the third wheel.” Katie Ann could hear the tremor in her voice as her body vibrated with a mixture of heartache and fury. “You’ve ignored me for months now, and I’ve had it. I’m done trying to gain your attention.”
“Ignored you?” Mandy shook her head. “When have I ever ignored you?”
Katie Ann gave a sarcastic laugh. “Are you kidding me?”
“No.” Mandy shook her head. “Tell me when I ignored you.”
“Too many times to list.” Katie Ann gestured widely as anger swirled in her chest like wasps. “Countless times during the past couple of months I’ve tried to talk to you, and you’ve either ignored me or walked away because Ephraim called you or interrupted us. Ever since you started dating mei bruder, you’ve completely forgotten about me.”
“I’d never forget you, Katie Ann. You’re my best freind.” Mandy’s cornflower-blue eyes sparkled with tears. “We’ve been freinden since we were kinner. Just because I’ve fallen in love with your bruder doesn’t mean you don’t matter to me.”
“That’s not how it feels.” Katie Ann pointed at her, her hands trembling. “I’ve been trying to talk to you about Chris for more than a month. I wanted to tell you about how he and I were getting to know each other, and about how he asked me to be his girlfriend. But every time I tried to tell you, you walked away. I’ve worked so hard to try to save our relationship, and you haven’t tried at all. You act like I’m not worth the effort.”
“What are you talking about?” Mandy’s eyes narrowed to slits. “That’s not true.”
“Ya, it is. I tri
ed to tell you one day while I was weeding the garden about a month ago. As soon as I started talking, Ephraim called you and you left. You promised we’d talk later, and we never did.”
Mandy shook her head. “I don’t remember that.”
“Really?” Katie Ann jammed her hands on her hips as a violent volcano erupted inside her, unpredictable and severe as her fury boiled over. “I tried a few other times, and each time you had to go talk to Ephraim. We used to talk about everything, Mandy. Do you remember that? Before you started dating Ephraim, we’d tell each other our secrets, but that changed when you started dating him. It’s like you can’t be his girlfriend and my best freind at the same time. You have to do one or the other.”
Mandy’s face twisted into a dark glower. “Are you asking me to choose between you and Ephraim?”
“No.” Katie Ann shook her head. “But I have to believe that you can be a better freind to me. I deserve it after all these years. I don’t understand how you could just throw me away like an old, useless toy.”
Tears trickled down Mandy’s pink cheeks. “I can’t believe you’re saying all this. I’ve never ignored you, and I’ve never thrown you away. I think you’re just jealous.”
“What?” Katie Ann’s voice rose again. “You’re not listening to me at all.”
“Ya, I am listening to you.” Mandy sniffed as she brushed away tears with her hand. “You’re accusing me of ignoring you and of forgetting our friendship. That’s not true at all. You’re just being cruel.”
“I’m not the only one who’s noticed this change in you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not long ago, Clara told me you forgot to get the baking supplies when it was your turn. She had to get supplies donated and then buy the rest herself. She said you seemed too busy with Ephraim to remember to get them.” Katie Ann gestured around the kitchen. “Other people have commented that you and Ephraim have alienated the rest of us. It’s like you’re in your own world, and none of the rest of us exist anymore.”
Mandy took a step toward the door. “I didn’t come today to be criticized. I thought we’d have a fun time, but that’s not what you had in mind at all. You just invited me over here to make me feel bad.”
“You’re missing the point,” Katie Ann insisted, holding her hand up to stop her from leaving. “I want our friendship back. I want things to be the way they used to be, before you were completely smitten with mei bruder. I want to be able to share things with you. I want to tell you all about Chris and how froh I am with him. You haven’t had any interest in hearing about my life, and I have a lot to tell you.”
“So tell me.” Mandy threw up her arms. “Tell me now.”
Katie Ann gaped.
“Well?” Mandy pointed at her. “You were so determined to get me to listen. Now I’m listening. What is so important that you can’t wait for me to go out and say hello to your bruder before we start baking?”
Katie Ann shook her head. “This isn’t how I wanted this discussion to go.”
“Maybe you should have thought about that before you started yelling at me.” Mandy scowled. “You seem to think everything is my fault.” She pointed to her chest. “Maybe it’s partially your fault that we haven’t been talking. Have you ever considered that our relationship has changed because we’ve both changed?” She wiped more tears. “You’re so quick to blame me for everything. All I did was fall in love with your bruder. Aren’t we all supposed to fall in love and get married?”
“Ya, but we don’t have to drop our freinden along the way!”
“I never dropped you!” Mandy yelled back.
They stared at each other as tears burned Katie Ann’s eyes. She could feel the rift between Mandy and her expanding into a great chasm.
Mamm appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on in here?”
Mandy made a sweeping gesture toward Mamm. “Why don’t you tell her? Tell her how you’ve done nothing but criticize me since I arrived here. Tell her you’re jealous because I spend time with your bruder.”
“That’s not what I said.” Katie Ann ground out the words as her temper flared.
“I’m going out to see Ephraim.” Mandy turned and started toward the mudroom.
Katie Ann pointed after her. “If you walk out that door now, don’t bother coming back in.”
“Don’t worry,” Mandy said without looking back. “I’m not interested in coming back in.” Her footsteps echoed in the mudroom before the storm door opened and slammed shut.
“What just happened?” Mamm’s eyes focused on Katie Ann. “What did you say to her?”
“I told her how I felt.” Katie Ann sniffed as tears poured from her eyes. Her hurt ran so deep she feared she might drown in it. “She said she was going to go see Ephraim, and I said today was supposed to be my day.” She pointed to her chest. “I told her I’ve missed her, and that I’ve felt ignored since she and Ephraim started dating. I explained that other people have noticed the change in her and Ephraim too. They’ve also said they’ve alienated their freinden.”
Katie Ann’s words came in a rush. “I explained I just wanted time with her. I told her that time and again she’s chosen Ephraim over me. I’ve tried so hard to save our friendship, but she hasn’t given it any effort at all. It’s as if she doesn’t care. She said I’m making it all up, but I’m not. All she’s done is ignore me since she started dating Ephraim, and I’m tired of it.”
“Just calm down.” Mamm rested her hands on Katie Ann’s shoulders. “You two can work this out if you just listen to each other. Maybe you shouldn’t have come on so strong.”
“How did I come on strong?” Katie Ann grabbed a napkin from the holder in the center of the table and wiped at her eyes and nose. “I just told her the truth.”
“I know you did, but I heard you yelling. Sometimes you have to be gentle when you tell people what’s difficult to share.” Mamm touched her cheek. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to hurt Mandy, but I think you needed to take her feelings into consideration too.”
“Her feelings?” Katie Ann’s lip trembled. “What about my feelings?”
“I know you’re hurting, mei liewe, but I’m sure Mandy is hurting now too. You said some upsetting things to her.”
Katie Ann shook her head as she stepped away from her mother, betrayal choking back her words. “How can you say that? She’s the one who ignored me and pushed me away. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Katie Ann!” Ephraim’s voice shouted from the mudroom. “Where are you?”
Katie Ann spun toward the mudroom doorway as Ephraim stomped in. Tension rolled off him like a fourth entity in the room.
“What did you say to Mandy?” Ephraim walked over to her and wagged a finger just millimeters from her nose. The intense look in his eyes stole Katie Ann’s breath.
“Ephraim,” Mamm began, “please calm down.”
“Mamm, let me handle this.” He turned back to Katie Ann, his hand vibrating as he pointed at her once again. “Mandy is out on the porch and can’t stop crying. What did you say to her?”
Katie Ann blanched, and unease blossomed at the base of her spine. She couldn’t remember ever seeing her brother so angry. “I told her I’m tired of feeling like I don’t matter. I just told her how I felt.” She gave him a brief explanation of what she’d already shared with Mamm.
Ephraim shook his head and swiped his hand down his face. “How is it that you always make everything about you?”
“What do you mean?” Katie Ann’s body quivered as pressure clamped on her chest like a vice, squeezing tight.
“Have you ever considered how Mandy feels?” He pointed toward the back door. “You made your best freind cry because you felt ignored. You could have discussed this with her instead of yelling at her and making her feel criticized. You never put anyone else’s feelings before yours.”
“That’s not true!” Katie Ann couldn’t stop herself from yelling as her anger spiked. “I’ve tried over
and over to talk to her, but every time you call her away or she decides she needs to see you instead of finishing her conversation with me. I’m tired of being left behind. I need a best freind who truly cares about me.”
“Is that so?” Ephraim lifted his chin as he glared at her. “Maybe you’re not gut enough to be her best freind anymore.”
Katie Ann gasped.
“Ephraim!” Mamm snapped. “Don’t talk to your schweschder like that.”
“I’m just telling her the truth, Mamm. No one has the right to make Mandy cry that way. Katie Ann is being selfish and only thinking of herself.”
“No, that’s not true.” Katie Ann shook her head. “I’m not being selfish. I’m just trying to save my relationship with my best freind.”
Ephraim snorted. “Yelling at someone and accusing them of being cruel is not how you save a friendship.”
“Everything was fine until you stole her away!” Katie Ann gave her brother a push, and he stepped away from her.
He gave a sarcastic laugh. “Really, Katie Ann? I didn’t steal Mandy away from you.”
“Ya, you did.” Katie Ann brushed away more tears as they streamed down her face. “If you hadn’t butted in, we’d still be best freinden.”
“I didn’t butt in.” Ephraim glared at her. “Mandy and I fell in love. Where is the fault in that?”
“You should have found someone else.” Katie Ann sniffed. She knew she was being immature, but she couldn’t help herself. The rift between her and Ephraim and the rift between her and Mandy were both tearing her heart to pieces.
“You can’t help who you love,” Ephraim said. “Don’t you love Chris?”
Katie Ann blinked, the question knocking her off balance for a moment.
“You don’t choose who you love,” Ephraim continued. “God puts who you’re supposed to love in your life so you can find that person.” He scowled. “I’m so disappointed in you. I thought you could handle my falling in love with Mandy, but it’s obvious you couldn’t.” His eyes seemed to glimmer with fury . . . and hatred? “You’re not mei schweschder, and you’re not Mandy’s freind,” he spat. “You’re someone I used to know, but I don’t know you now.”
