The following day, Brad decided to stop by the flower shop in Strasburg to see Sara again. It was after twelve when he got there, but he hoped he wasn’t too late to take her out to lunch.
When Brad entered the store, he saw no sign of Sara. An older woman with light brown hair, sprinkled with gray, sat behind the counter. As he approached, she smiled. “Good afternoon. May I help you, sir?”
“Umm … yes …” Brad glanced around. “Is Sara working today?”
“Yes, she’s in the back room having lunch.” The woman pointed over her shoulder. “Did you need to speak with her, or is there something I can help you with?”
“My name is Brad, and Sara and I know each other.” He shifted his weight. “I’d like to talk to her if possible.”
The woman rose from the stool. “I’ll tell her you’re here.”
As he waited for Sara, Brad walked around the shop, looking at all the plants and flowers for sale. Some were kept in a refrigerated cooler, but most, like the indoor plants, had been set in various locations throughout the store.
Think I might pay for one of these plants or a bouquet of flowers and have it sent to my aunt. She’d probably enjoy looking at it while she’s recuperating from her recent surgery. Brad thumped his head. I should have thought to do that sooner.
As he was contemplating which arrangement to choose, Sara came out of the back room, along with the woman who had been behind the desk.
“Hi, Brad.” Sara offered a friendly smile. “Mrs. Roberts said you wanted to speak to me.”
He gave a quick nod. “I’d hoped to take you out for lunch again, but I guess I got here too late.”
“Yes, I’m almost done and will be back working behind the front desk again soon.” She moved a little closer to him. “I’d offer to share my lunch with you, but I only brought half a sandwich today and it’s nearly gone.”
“That’s okay. I’ll pick up something to eat after I leave here.” Brad’s voice lowered when he saw Mrs. Roberts looking at him. No doubt she was listening in on their conversation.
He jammed his hands into his jacket pockets, feeling nervous and nearly tongue-tied all of a sudden. “Have you, uh, made any special plans for New Year’s Eve?”
“No, I haven’t. I’ll probably spend the evening with my grandparents, and if they are too tired to stay up till midnight, I’ll most likely go to bed too.”
“What about Michelle? Won’t she be there?”
Sara shook her head. “I heard her mention to Grandma that she will be doing something with Ezekiel that evening. I believe they’ll be getting together with some of his friends. Come to think of it, Michelle said their get-together would be at his cousin Raymond’s house.”
“Do you think your grandparents would mind if I stole you away for at least part of New Year’s Eve?” he asked. “There’s going to be a Christian concert in Lancaster that evening, and I thought it would be fun to go.”
She dropped her gaze to the floor, and then looked up at him again. “It sounds interesting, but let me check with Grandma and Grandpa first and see if they would mind if I go.”
“Okay, sure. You have my number, so give me a call and let me know as soon as you’ve talked to them.”
“I will.” Sara cheeks turned slightly pink. “Guess I’d better go back and finish the little bit that’s left of my lunch. Thanks for coming in, Brad. I’ll talk to you soon.”
When Sara disappeared into the back room, Brad stepped up to the counter. His stomach growled while he picked a nicely colored bouquet for his aunt. “This should brighten up her day.”
After he wrote a message for the card to accompany the flowers being sent, Brad checked his phone where all his addresses were stored. “And here is the address I’d like them to be sent to. My aunt lives in Seattle, Washington, so I hope it won’t be a problem.”
“No, we are an FTD florist, so we can schedule a delivery anywhere in the United States. Is there any particular day you want these to arrive?” Mrs. Roberts asked.
“As soon as you can send them would be nice.” Brad clutched his stomach when it growled loudly again.
“Sounds like you’d better eat some lunch.” She grinned.
“Yep, that’s where I’m heading next.” Brad paid for the purchase. “Okay. Well, thanks for taking care of that.”
“Thank you for shopping here. Have a nice day.”
Walking out the door, Brad’s thoughts went to Sara again. He hoped the Lapps wouldn’t object to her going to the concert with him, because he looked forward to being with her again, on a real date.
Sara couldn’t believe she was actually considering going to a Christian concert with Brad. I’m not a religious person, she told herself as she finished her lunch. I may not even enjoy the music. Sara drank the last of her bottled water. But I would like to spend New Year’s Eve with Brad.
It made no sense that she’d be attracted to a man of God—preparing to go into the ministry, no less. She stared at her empty bottle. Brad’s not my type. We have nothing in common, really. Then why do I feel so drawn to him? Does Brad feel it too? Is that why he seems to be interested in me?
It wasn’t Brad’s good looks that drew her to him either. It was his soft-spoken, gentle, caring way. He clearly was concerned about people and their problems. Everything about him seemed genuine. He was the real deal, not fake or trying to be impressive. She still hadn’t told him things were better between her and Michelle or why. Maybe if we go out on New Year’s Eve I’ll bring up the subject.
Sara gathered up her things and looked at her watch. It was time to relieve Karen so she could take her lunch break. So for now, Sara would put all thoughts of Brad Fuller out of her mind and concentrate on greeting customers and placing orders. After she picked Michelle up at Dienners later this afternoon, Sara would stop by the grocery store and get something for tonight’s supper. She had told Grandma this morning during breakfast that she’d cook this evening’s meal. Unfortunately, Sara had no idea what to fix. Maybe Michelle would have some idea. After all, she knew Sara’s grandparents better than she did, since she’d lived with them longer.
Ronks
Michelle glanced at the clock. Just another thirty minutes and her shift would be done for the day. The lunch crowd had dispersed a few hours ago, and only a few customers had come in since then. But that was normal for this time of the day. In another hour, people would be coming in for supper, but Michelle would be gone by then. It was another chilly day, with fresh snow on the ground, so she would wait inside until closer to when Sara picked her up a little after four thirty.
An elderly Amish couple had just come in and been seated, so she went to take their orders. Michelle had noticed as they’d walked to the table that the woman used a cane, while the man supported her as she held onto his arm.
“If you have any questions about the items we serve, let me know.” Michelle handed each of them a menu.
Since Michelle wore Amish clothes, they must have assumed she could speak their language, for they responded to her in Pennsylvania Dutch.
A warm tingle swept up the back of Michelle’s neck, and then across her face. “Sorry, but I only know a few Amish words,” she explained.
The woman tipped her head back, looking curiously at Michelle through her thick-lensed glasses. “Aren’t you Amish?”
“N–no, not yet.” Michelle tried not to stutter. “I want to become Amish though, and I’m taking classes to join the church.”
The woman blinked rapidly. “Seriously?”
Michelle gave a brief nod.
“So you didn’t grow up in an Amish home?”
“No.”
“Then why would you want to join the Plain faith?” For the first time, the man spoke as he squinted his gray-blue eyes at Michelle.
With the way the couple looked at her, Michelle felt like she’d said something wrong. Are they just curious or don’t they approve of an English person becoming Amish? Michelle hoped they didn’t question her much longer. Was it really that unusual for an English person to want to become a member of the Amish church?
She pulled her shoulders straight back and lifted her chin. “I don’t need modern things to make me happy, and I appreciate the simple lifestyle of the Amish people.”
“Leaving your progressive world behind and becoming one of us Plain folks will be difficult.” The man’s gnarly fingers shook as he pointed at Michelle. “Very few people have done it, because it’s not an easy road unless you are born into it and raised without modern-day conveniences.”
“I understand.” Hoping they wouldn’t ask more questions, she gestured to their menus. “Would you like to choose something from there, or do you prefer to serve yourselves from the buffet? I believe the dinner items have recently been set out.”
“We’ll choose from the items on the buffet.” The Amish man looked at his wife. “Right, Vera?”
She gave a brief nod.
“What would you both like to drink?” Michelle wondered how the woman would manage the buffet while holding a cane. She wasn’t about to challenge this feisty couple, and thought they probably had things figured out on how to fill their plates.
“Water is fine for me,” Vera replied.
“Same here,” her husband said. “Oh, and I’d also like a cup of coffee. What about you, Vera. Do you want some kaffi?”
“No, just water this time.” When she shook her head, the ties on her head covering swished back and forth.
“Okay then. While I get your drinks, feel free to go to the buffet.” Michelle was about to walk away when the man spoke again.
“You don’t have to join the Amish church to simplify. You can put some of our principles into practice and still remain English.”
“Yeah, I know.” Michelle wished this topic hadn’t been brought up again. It felt as if the man thought her decision to become Amish was wrong. Was he hoping to talk her out of it? And if so, for what reason? Michelle didn’t even know these people. She couldn’t imagine why they would care whether she joined the Amish church or not.
Michelle pressed the order pad against her chest as she felt another uncontrollable rush of heat. “Will there be anything else?”
The man opened his mouth, as if to say something, but his wife spoke first. “No, that will be all. Thank you.”
With relief, Michelle hurried away. Will other Amish people react to me like that couple did? she wondered. Am I foolish to believe I can become one of them and that I’ll be accepted? Maybe I haven’t thought things through clearly enough. It might be good if I talk to Mary Ruth or Willis about this. While they hadn’t said anything to discourage her, the Lapps might believe Michelle was making a mistake taking steps to become Amish.