Carolyn leaned against the table, tempted to break out in song again. But she decided against it. She knew Atlee had heard her singing—or caterwauling, as Freemont called it when they were growing up. She also could tell he was trying to hide his stunned expression. He was a polite man, after all. But even though she couldn’t carry a tune if someone handed her a bucket, she loved to sing church hymns, and she often did when she was alone. They comforted her, much like baking did. They also made her happy.
She paused, guilt washing over her because of the way she’d treated Atlee, remembering the shocked look on his face when she said she didn’t need him. And she didn’t. But she also didn’t want to hurt his feelings, and she knew she had. The only way to make it right was to let him fix the shelves. And when she came up with the idea to pay him, she felt much better about him working on the repairs.
She went back to making the bread twists. She shouldn’t be baking right now. The Lord knew she had plenty of other things to do. But she needed to make sure the oven wasn’t functioning properly before she forked out money for another repair visit.
Quickly, she twisted the soft dough that held flecks of dried orange zest. Once they were baked, she would drizzle chocolate on top of them. At Christmas she made them extra special by adding small pieces of candied orange peel on top, but she didn’t have time for that level of detail right now.
By the time she was ready to check the oven temperature, Atlee had reappeared. “That was a quick job,” he said. “The shelves weren’t in bad shape. Yer nephews did gut work.”
“They’ll be happy to hear that. Mei bruder will too.” She felt the heat from the oven. This time it was close enough to 350 degrees. She relaxed her tensed shoulders. Maybe it wouldn’t need to be repaired after all. She reached for the twists, her arm brushing Atlee’s. “Sorry,” she said, grabbing the tray. She looked up at him and was surprised to find him gazing at her.
“Nee problem.”
He didn’t move, and neither did she. She couldn’t stop looking at him. Deep-set blue eyes that resembled slate. Average height, but several inches taller than her. His hair was a little on the long side, and she could see the salt-and-pepper strands threaded through the dark brown waves coming from under his hat.
Suddenly he grabbed the other end of the tray. “Looked like you might drop it.”
She glanced down and saw she was losing her grip. Not to mention mei senses. Carolyn nodded her thanks and hurried to put the twists in the oven. Heat blasted her already hot cheeks.
“I noticed a few more things that need some attention,” he said.
She shut the oven door, set the timer, and took a calming breath. She didn’t need to pay any mind to Atlee’s nice hair or blue eyes. She needed to get her focus back on track. She turned around, squaring her shoulders and giving him what she hoped was her most businesslike expression. “Such as?”
“There’s a stain on the ceiling for starters.”
“Oh.”
“Then there’s the uneven floorboard and the exterior trim to be painted. Also, you need some decent landscaping in the front. A bigger sign too. You have to make this place inviting to yer customers both inside and out.”
All those things were on her list, except for the landscaping. And the sign. She resisted the urge to dig her pad out of her pocket. “I suppose you can fix all that too?”
“It will take a couple of days, but ya. I can take care of it.”
“You seem to know about running a business.”
“Used to have mei own cabinetry shop. I also did retail for a couple of years. But that was a long time ago. Before . . . before May, mei wife, and I got married.”
She saw a shadow of grief pass in front of his eyes. She took a step toward him. “She must have been a wonderful woman.”
“She was.” He glanced away, his mouth tugging into a sad frown. Then he looked at her again. “When are you planning to open up shop?”
“In two weeks.” She steeled herself for his questioning look.
He remained impassive. “All right. What do you want me to start on first?”
Carolyn was relieved he didn’t interrogate her further about her deadline. But his next question gave her pause. It was bad enough that he was discovering all the problems she was dealing with. Now she had to admit her financial situation. “I can’t afford to pay you for all that work.” Maybe for one or two jobs, but definitely not the landscaping. That would take extra money she didn’t have to spare. She was learning the hard way how difficult it was to open a bakery, and she felt foolish for not planning better.
“Then don’t pay me,” he said. “Problem solved.”
“But you’re mei employee.”
“Okay, I quit.”
That made her laugh, and it felt good. “I still can’t let you do all that work without compensation.”
“Hmm.” He sniffed the air. “The bread twists smell gut.”
“You want me to pay you in baked goods?”
“That would be great for mei taste buds, but not mei waistline.” He patted his flat abdomen.
Carolyn snapped her fingers. “I know. I could teach you how to bake.”
His brow went up. “A baking lesson?”
“Ya,” she said, warming up to the idea. “You don’t know how to bake, do you?”
“I can barely cook.”
“Everyone needs to learn how to make cookies, at least. Or fry pies.”
He scratched his chin through his beard. “I do like a gut fry pie.”
She smiled. “I’ll teach you how to make them in exchange for repairing the ceiling and floorboard.”
“Don’t forget the landscaping and painting.”
She shook her head. “One baking lesson isn’t going to cover all that.”
He looked thoughtful. “All right, how about this? I’ll do it all”—he held up his hand when she started to protest—“and after yer bakery is open and you’ve made a little money, you can pay me.”
“But you won’t be here.”
“I’ll give you mei address and you can send me a check.”
She leaned against the table. “You trust me to do that?”
He tilted his head and looked at her. “Of course.”
Carolyn put out her hand. “Then we have a deal.”
He shook her hand. “I’ll get started on the floorboard.”
She watched as he went to the broken floorboard and pulled a claw hammer from his tool belt. She blew out a long breath. He was right. A building free of problems, spruced up, and with nice landscaping would entice customers—who would then, hopefully, enjoy her baked goods enough to spread the word around the area. As far as the community—well, their coming would be hit or miss, especially the long-term residents. She was certain Emmanuel Troyer had poisoned some of them against her.
Emmanuel. She didn’t want to think about him. He’d disappeared from Birch Creek, and from all accounts no one knew where he was. She did feel sorry for his wife, Rhoda, a nice woman who didn’t deserve such a cruel husband. Mary mentioned that Rhoda still held hope for Emmanuel’s return. It might not be Christian of her, but Carolyn hoped she’d never see the man again.
She’d tried to forget the harsh words he’d flung at her before she left the community, but even in Nappanee they were never far from her mind. Rebellious. Useless. Stupid. Homely. She was none of those, and she knew that. Although she wasn’t exactly a looker. But those words had wounded her so deeply that although some had become merely scars, others had never fully healed.
Opening the bakery and making it a success would give her the confidence and respectability she was missing. She wasn’t that odd, misfit young woman anymore. The time had come for everyone to see that.
After Atlee finished fixing the floorboard, he found a few others in the bakery that needed nailing down. Several times while he worked, he glanced at Carolyn as she finished making the bread twists. She seemed to be in a better mood now—humming, even, as she drizzled melted chocolate over the twists, which smelled amazing. At least she wasn’t singing. But remembering her enthusiasm as she sang that hymn made him smile. God didn’t care about pitch accuracy. It was the heart behind the singing that mattered.
Even though they’d agreed he would do only certain jobs, he decided to make a thorough inspection of the property while Carolyn worked in the pantry. Fortunately, the plumbing was okay, but the sink in the small bathroom had a long crack in it, and it would eventually have to be replaced or it would leak. After making a mental note of a few repair jobs on the inside, he went outside to inspect the landscaping—or lack thereof. It would take a while for him to thoroughly weed out the front flower beds.
At one time this house must have been a great place to live, and he could envision it being a nice bakery. But he was skeptical of Carolyn’s two-week deadline. Even with his help, he wasn’t sure how this place could open for business in that amount of time—unless she had other people pitching in to finish the rest of the work. He didn’t even know if she had a business license, although with a bakery this small, she might not need one.
The screen door squeaked as she stepped outside from the back of the house. He’d have to remember to oil that later. “The floor looks terrific,” she said.
He nodded his thanks. “Nothing a few nails couldn’t fix.” He took a step toward her. “Everything else will take longer, obviously.”
Her shoulders slumped a little. “I know.”
“Got anyone else helping you out?”
She crossed her arms as she lifted her chin. “Nee. Like I said, I can—”
“Do this yerself. Right.” Amazing how she could switch from relaxed to defensive in a split second. She wasn’t going to like his next question either. “Did you have an inspection before you bought this place?”
She bit her bottom lip. “Um, nee.”
“Has anyone looked at the roof or the foundation?”
Her cheeks turned light pink, and she shook her head. “Inspections cost money.”
The morning sun beat down on the back of his neck. It was going to be a hot one today. “They can also save you money in the long run.”
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll get an inspection. I’m not stupid, you know.”
“I never said you were.” He approached her, wanting to extinguish the defensive spark in her eyes. “I’m sorry if I made it seem that way.”
She looked away. “It’s not yer fault. And I haven’t been as smart as I should have been with mei business venture.” Then she looked up at him. “But that doesn’t mean I’m a failure. I bought this place on mei own. I painted both the interior and exterior walls, refinished the floors, purchased and brought in the tables, had the ovens installed, cleaned the windows—”
“I get the picture.” Where was all this defensive defiance coming from? “Carolyn, you’re not a failure. There’s always a learning curve when it comes to running a business. I made plenty of mistakes with mine.” He was glad to see the strain at the corners of her mouth ease.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice was soft as she uncrossed her arms. “I keep snapping at you, and that’s not right. Mei bruder did check the plumbing and took out the wiring, but he also told me I should have gotten an inspection. I should have listened.”
“You’ll know next time.”
“There won’t be a next time.” She looked up at him, her eyes a beautiful shade of light blue. “This is mei only chance.”
Only chance? What did that mean? And why couldn’t he stop looking at her? She was completely different from May, not only in temperament but in appearance too. May had been slight, while Carolyn was plump. May was close to his height, Carolyn a few inches shorter. May would be forever young in his memories, while Carolyn’s round face showed her age. But in that moment, the past didn’t matter. It barely grazed his mind.
“I promised you some bread twists,” she said, her gaze still holding his.
“Ya. You did.”
She rubbed her lips together. “They’re probably still warm.”
“It is hot out today.” He kept his eyes on her.
The pink hue on her cheeks deepened. “Then we should geh inside.” She turned and walked into the bakery’s kitchen.
The screen door squeaked shut and he blinked. What just happened? He touched his own face, feeling the heat there. Yes, it was hot outside. But that wasn’t why his face felt like it was on fire, or why his pulse was only now starting to slow back to normal. None of this made sense. It was as if he were attracted to Carolyn Yoder. That couldn’t be possible, because he had always been sure May was the only woman for him. He went inside, tamping down his confused emotions.
Carolyn was placing a bread twist on a paper plate as he approached her, and he put whatever happened outside out of his mind. “Here you geh,” she said as she handed it to him. Atlee took a bite as she walked over to an orange watercooler on a small table in the back corner of the kitchen. She took a paper cup from the stack next to it and filled it. Then she handed it to him.
He took a drink. Fresh water and a delicious bread twist that practically melted in his mouth. What more could he ask for? “This is appeditlich,” he said. “There’s a hint of both orange and chocolate, but nothing overpowering. It’s a great combination.” When she smiled at his compliment, his heart lurched. So much for pretending.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said, taking a cloth and wiping crumbs off the table.
“Aren’t you having one?”
She shook her head. “I’m not hungry. Besides, I could stand to lose a few pounds.”
Her comment drew his gaze to her figure, which he thought was just fine.
“I did have to check the oven again, but maybe I shouldn’t have spent so much time testing recipes the last few days.” She straightened her apron. “I just want everything to be perfect.”
He set down the twist. “It will be, Carolyn.” He didn’t know why he was compelled to make the promise, but right now he would do anything to erase the defeat on her face.
“Do you know how to do inspections?” She rubbed her finger across the edge of the stainless-steel table, not looking at him.
“I’m not licensed. But I could check the roof and foundation. I can spot major problems, but you’ll still want to have a professional do a thorough walk-through at some point.”
Carolyn looked at him. “I will, once I have some money coming in.”
He was about to tell her that it would be a while before she’d make a profit, but now wasn’t the time to point that out.
“How much for the inspection?” she asked.
“It will cost you another baking lesson.”
She chuckled. “I haven’t given you the first one. You might not like baking.”
“Or I might love it.”
That made her laugh, which brought a grin to her face. Which made him notice her smile, which then amped up his heart rate. This time he didn’t bother fighting it. This was the most alive he’d felt since May’s death. Being able to help Carolyn achieve her goal and making her smile took the edge off his loneliness. He wasn’t ready to let go of that great feeling just yet.