“CHRISTOPHER!” AENTI TILLIE’S VOICE RANG FROM DOWNSTAIRS. “Would you please get the door?”
“Ya. Just a minute.” Chris pulled a fresh, mint-green work shirt over his plain white undershirt. He’d just finished taking a long, hot shower. He was full after the delicious meal of steak and potatoes, and he longed for a few minutes to sit and relax. His back and neck were sore after working in the harness shop all day and then mucking stalls.
He pushed his hand through his thick, damp hair as he headed down the stairs toward the kitchen. He didn’t mind answering the door for his aunt, but it seemed a strange request when he was on the second floor and she was on the first. Besides, who was coming to visit after supper?
Chris reached the bottom step, and his aunt and uncle stood in the doorway leading to the family room, smiling at him. Why had his aunt called him downstairs to answer the door when she was standing two rooms away from it?
He eyed them with suspicion. “What’s going on?”
“Go answer the door.” Onkel Hank smirked. “It’s for you.”
With a mental head shake, Chris crossed the kitchen and walked toward the mudroom. Why was everyone acting so strangely today? Emily had rushed back home after lunch. Leroy seemed a little odd when he acted as if he didn’t know it was Chris’s birthday, which was improbable since Emily had baked cupcakes in his house. Now his aunt and uncle were grinning at him as he answered the back door. Had they all lost their minds today?
Chris wrenched the door open. Emily stood on the porch, flanked by her family.
“Surprise!” they yelled in unison.
“Happy birthday!” Emily held up a cake saver. “We’re here for your party.”
“My party?” Chris asked, shocked. “I didn’t know I was having a party.”
“That’s what makes it a surprise party.” Emily winked at him and then stepped past him, heading into the kitchen.
“Happy birthday.” Veronica walked into the house behind Emily.
Jason echoed the wishes as he followed her.
“Happy birthday, Chris.” Leroy patted him on the shoulder on his way through the door. “I knew it was your birthday, but I was warned not to give away any of the surprise. I didn’t want Emily upset with me.”
“Happy birthday.” Mattie followed Leroy.
“You look really surprised.” Rachel grinned. “Happy birthday.”
“It’s gut to see you.” Mike came in behind Rachel. He stayed in the mudroom as Rachel went into the kitchen. “Happy birthday.”
“Danki,” Chris said, finding his voice. He’d never expected this. “I’m a little overwhelmed right now.”
“You look it,” Mike said. “Emily has been planning this for a couple of weeks.”
“She has?” Chris asked with more surprise. “I had no idea.”
“Well, that was the idea.” Mike chuckled. “She was really stressed earlier, hoping everything would come together the way she planned.”
“Oh.” Chris suddenly understood why she was acting unusual earlier. Renewed admiration for Emily flowed through him. She was such an amazing maedel.
Why would she go to all this trouble for me?
“Will you play ball with me after we have cake and ice cream?” John asked. “It’s been too long since our last game.”
“We’ll see, buddy,” Mike told him. “Let’s wait and find out what Emily has planned, okay? We don’t want to upset her. She worked hard to coordinate this party.”
“All right.” John frowned.
“I’m sure we can make some time,” Chris promised. “It’s my birthday, so I get to pick what I want to do.”
“Yes!” John said.
“Chris?” Emily called. “Are you ready for us to sing to you?”
Mike pointed toward the kitchen. “You better go.”
“Ya, you’re right.” When he entered the kitchen, the smell of coffee washed over him. The family was gathered around the kitchen table, and a large, beautiful cake with chocolate frosting sat in the middle of the table. He stood in a puddle of mixed emotions as everyone in the room looked at him.
“Are we ready to sing?” Emily asked.
The family began a loud and wonderfully off-key version of “Happy Birthday,” and Chris beamed as sentiment churned inside of him. He’d never imagined Emily and her family would throw a surprise party for him. He wasn’t a member of their family, but they treated him as if he were. What had he done to deserve their generosity?
As they sang, Chris’s eyes locked with Emily’s. She was glowing with her bright smile and her blue dress that complemented her gorgeous eyes. He was spellbound with his focus frozen on her.
When the song ended, Emily began cutting the cake. Tillie scooped ice cream and Rachel filled coffee cups.
“So how does it feel to be twenty-four?” Onkel Hank sidled up to Chris.
“Well,” Chris began with a shrug, “I think it’s pretty much the same as twenty-three.”
“Wait until you hit fifty,” Leroy teased. “You’ll feel a difference between forty-nine and fifty.”
“Ya, that is true,” Onkel Hank agreed, and the two men laughed.
“Chris, were you really surprised?” Veronica shoved a plate with a large hunk of cake and a scoop of cookies and cream ice cream into his hand. After he took it, she gave him a spoon. He was pleased to see the cake under the frosting was chocolate too.
“Danki. Ya, I was completely surprised.” He pushed the spoon through the moist cake and took a bite. It was beyond delicious. It was positively delectable!
“I told you he’d be surprised, Em,” Veronica said over her shoulder. “You were so worried, and it was perfect.”
Chris looked over at Emily. “This cake is amazing, Em. I think it’s even better than the cupcakes.”
“Danki.”
As soon as Chris had taken the last bite of cake and ice cream, John pushed two gift bags toward him. “You need to open your presents.”
“Presents?” This was just too much.
Veronica laughed as she handed Hank a piece of cake. “It’s your birthday, Chris. How could we not bring you presents?”
“Open them.” John held the bags up higher.
“Okay.” Chris set his plate on the table and took one of the bags. He pulled out a card signed by Rachel, Mike, and John. Inside he found a variety of sweet-and-sour candies. His favorite. How did they know? Emily must have done research. He looked up at Mike and then Rachel. “This is perfect. Danki.”
“Open this one now.” John thrust the other gift bag toward Chris.
He opened the card, signed by Veronica and Jason. Inside the bag were two jars of roasted peanuts. “Danki,” he told Veronica and Jason. “I love these.”
“Here’s another one.” Mattie handed him a card. “This is from Leroy and me.”
“Danki.” Chris opened the card and found money. “This is too much.”
“No, no. Don’t be gegisch.” Mattie waved it off. “Enjoy it.”
“I’ve been waiting all day to give you this.” Aenti Tillie gave him another card. “You probably thought we weren’t going to give you anything, but I wanted to wait until the party.” She glanced at Emily.
Chris opened the second card, which also contained money. “Danki.”
“And now mine.” Emily lifted a package wrapped in bright blue paper from the counter and handed it to Chris. He remembered now that Jason had carried it into the house. Emily’s smile was tentative, holding a hint of worry. Was she concerned Chris wouldn’t like her gift?
Chris removed the blue envelope taped to the front and opened it, revealing a card with a serene scene of a lake with sailboats on the front. He opened the card and under the printed words “Happy Birthday” was a note in neat handwriting.
Dear Chris,
I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to spend your birthday with you. I hope you enjoy the gift and use it in gut health. As I’ve written in the notes earlier, you are very talented, and I’m honored to be your freind.
Always & forever,
Em
He ripped open the paper to find a hard plastic case. He unlatched it and flipped it open. Inside was a complete set of leatherworking tools. He gaped. Emily had to have spent close to a hundred dollars—maybe more—on this beautiful set. He ran his fingers over the tools as his mind reeled.
“Emily.” His voice trembled with a combination of awe and admiration. “This is too much. I can’t accept this.”
“It wasn’t too much.” She stepped closer and her scent—strawberries and chocolate—sent his senses spinning. “Mei dat helped me find this set, and they’re actually gently used.” She shrugged as if it weren’t a big deal. “I thought you should have your own tools. Every talented leatherworker needs his own set, right?”
Chris swallowed as he took in her sweet face. If they weren’t standing in a room full of people, he would be tempted to pull her to him for a warm hug.
Their gazes locked, and the rest of the room faded away. It was as if they were the only two people there. Time seemed to stand still, and her closeness made it hard to breathe.
“Who else wants cake and ice cream?” Rachel suddenly asked, a little too loudly.
Could Rachel sense his thoughts? Did she know how desperately he wanted to speak to Emily alone?
Conversations buzzed around the room as Rachel and Aenti Tillie made sure everyone had cake and ice cream.
Emily broke their trance and looked down at the tool set. “The tools aren’t top of the line, but mei dat said this is a gut starter set. You can buy better tools when you’re more experienced.”
“Em,” he whispered. “They’re perfect. I’m really overwhelmed. You shouldn’t have spent so much money on me. You didn’t need to. And I—”
“Stop,” Emily said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I wanted to get these for you. You never know how to accept a compliment, and sometimes a compliment comes in the form of a gift. When someone tells you how capable you are, you either shut down or change the subject. Chris, you have absolutely no idea how special you are. I wanted to do something nice for you because you’re mei freind, and I’m so grateful to have you in my life.”
She pointed to the tool set. “Do me a favor. Accept the tools and enjoy them. Keep creating wunderbaar items that customers will buy.” She bit her lip, and her cheeks reddened. “And maybe think of me every once in a while when you’re working. That’s all I ask.”
“That won’t be difficult.” Affection flooded through Chris. “Danki, Em.”
John tugged on his sleeve. “Chris! Can we play ball now?”
“John, that was rude,” Mike said, chastising the little boy. “Chris and Emily were talking.”
“It’s okay,” Emily said. “You can go have fun. It’s your birthday.”
Torn, Chris looked back and forth between John and Emily. He longed to stay with Emily, but he didn’t want to disappoint John.
“We can talk later. I promise.” Could she read his thoughts?
“It’s fine,” Chris told Mike before looking down at John. “I’ll play, but you have to let me pitch first. Sound gut?”
“Oh yeah.” John clapped and then looked at Jason. “Are you going to play ball with us?”
Jason turned toward Veronica.
“Go on.” She waved toward the door. “Have fun. I’m fine.”
Chris looked at Emily. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“I’ll be here,” she promised.
As Chris followed the others out the door, his spirit soared. He’d never expected a birthday like this, and his heart was overwhelmed.
CHRIS CLIMBED HIS AUNT AND UNCLE’S BACK PORCH STEPS two hours later. The pasture and the harness shop were shrouded in darkness, and a cold breeze caused him to tremble under his coat. The scent of wood-burning fireplaces drifted over him as he beamed. It had been such a wonderful evening that he thought his soul might overflow with happiness.
After spending an hour playing ball with John, Mike, and Jason, he sat on the porch and talked with all the men before having a second piece of cake.
When Jason and Mike announced it was time for them to leave, Chris walked to the Fishers’ house with everyone while Emily stayed behind to help his aunt clean up.
As Mike went into the house to pick up some cupcakes Emily wanted them to take home, Veronica waved Chris over to their buggy.
“Danki again for the roasted peanuts, Veronica. And the party was fantastic.”
“Gern gschehne.” Veronica paused before she continued. “I wanted to talk to you for a moment.” Her blue eyes were serious. “Emily worked hard to plan that party. I just want you to know she cares deeply for you. She pours herself completely into everything that’s most important to her. Please be careful with her heart.”
Chris swallowed as the sentiment of her words flowed through him. “I will.”
“Danki,” Veronica said. “I’m sure we’ll see you soon.”
After saying good-bye to everyone, he headed back to his uncle’s house. Veronica’s words rang through him as he went into the kitchen once again. Aenti Tillie was washing dishes and Emily was drying them. He smiled, and for the first time since he’d come to Bird-in-Hand a few weeks ago, he completely relaxed. This is home. It’s truly home. Just like my aunt and uncle, I’m a member of Emily’s family, and I belong here.
Contentment stole over him, and he grinned. He owed it all to Emily and her generous spirit. Something unfamiliar took root in his soul. What was that feeling?
Emily spun and gasped, facing him. She clutched a hand to her black apron. “I didn’t hear you come in. How long have you been standing there?”
“Only a few minutes.” He crossed the kitchen to her.
“I asked Veronica and Mike to take a few of the leftover cupcakes I had at the haus. Did they take them?” Emily dried a dish.
“Ya, they did.” He retrieved a dish towel from the counter. “Do you need help cleaning up?”
“No, no.” Aenti Tillie waved them off. “You can both go. I can handle this.”
Emily gave her a pointed look. “I don’t expect you to clean all this up. The party was my idea.”
“And I’m froh to help.” Aenti Tillie pointed toward the cake saver. “Do you want to take the rest of the cake home?”
Emily shook her head. “Oh no. That’s for Chris.”
“Danki,” he said. “I will enjoy it.”
“You can go,” Aenti Tillie said again. “Hank will be back in a minute, and he can dry for me.”
“Danki, Tillie.” Emily hesitated and peered up at Chris, her eyes expectant.
“May I walk you home?” he asked, and her face relaxed. He’d read her thoughts for once.
“That would be nice.” Emily turned toward his aunt. “Danki again for everything.”
“I enjoyed it. Gut nacht.” Aenti Tillie waved.
Chris grabbed a lantern from the mudroom and headed out to the porch, propping the door open for Emily.
She shivered as her shoes hit the porch. “The temperature has dropped in the past few hours.”
Chris shucked his coat and draped it over her shoulders. “Here.”
“No, no,” she protested, pushing it off her shoulders. “You need it.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You don’t ever think of yourself, do you?”
Emily blinked, her face full of surprise.
“Keep it. I don’t need it.”
“Okay.” She pushed her slim arms through the sleeves and hugged the coat to her middle.
Chris grinned, imagining the coat would smell like her when she returned it. He reached over and took her hand in his. To his surprise, she laced her fingers with his and smiled up at him. Her skin was warm and soft, despite the cold evening air.
“The party was wunderbaar,” he said as they walked side by side toward her house. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I was worried you’d be upset with me.”
“Why would I be upset?”
Emily glanced at the path ahead of them. “I meant what I said earlier about how you have trouble with compliments, and you don’t seem comfortable being the center of attention. I was worried you might prefer to spend your birthday alone.”
“Who would want to spend their birthday alone?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Well, that’s not what I wanted, so danki very much.”
“Gern gschehne.”
“And the gift you gave me. You spent way too much, Em.”
“You deserve your own tool set.” She squeezed his hand. “You’ve earned it, Chris.”
“Danki.”
When they reached her house, Chris set the lantern on the edge of the porch. He looked down at her, and her eyes were warm blue pools in the light of the lantern. He longed for another mile to walk beside her.
“I told you blue was my favorite color, right?”
Her brow creased. “Ya, you did.”
“Do you know why it’s my favorite color?”
She shook her head.
“It’s because of your eyes. I could never get tired of looking into your eyes. In fact, I lose myself in them.”
An almost inaudible gasp escaped her pink lips as she stared up at him.
Chris didn’t want to leave her. He wanted to sit on the porch with her all night long. He missed her when they were apart, and he cherished every moment they were together. He looked forward to hearing her voice and staring into her eyes. He awoke in the morning thinking of her, and she filled his thoughts during the day. She was also his last thought before he fell asleep at night. Since Chris met Emily, his nightmares had become sporadic, and he’d dreamed of her more than once.
Exhilaration roared through him like a summer storm as he stared down at her. The air around them seemed to spark with their attraction.
“Chris?” Her eyes gleamed with tenderness. “Are you okay?”
“Ya.” His response was thin and reedy. “I’m better than okay.”
Chris placed his hands on her arms and leaned in close. Her body shivered at the contact, and her warm breath danced along his cheek. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of it. Dipping his chin, he brushed his lips over her cheek.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he whispered against her ear. “Danki for everything, Em.” I love you.
When he released her, she started to pull off his coat, but he held up his hand to stop her. “Just keep it until tomorrow.”
“All right.” Emily smiled up at him, her eyes glimmering. “Gut nacht. Happy birthday.”
“It was the happiest.” He said a silent prayer, asking God to help him keep Emily in his life so he could cherish her forever.