Another week went by, and Eva had a routine going. So far, Ramona had stalled Mamm’s commands about Eva coming home sooner. Eva calculated her time left here. If she stayed until May, she’d be here close to three months. But already she loved everything about Pinecraft.
The people were friendly, and the town buzzed with an energy all its own. The Amish blended with the Mennonites and the Englisch in a worldly way that she enjoyed. But she held to her standards and her faith. At least Mamm had taught her well in that respect. And...she did miss her mother at times. But she made it a point to talk to Helen at the required time at least twice a week. Mamm had become more animated and talkative lately. Maybe being alone with her quilts and other sewing had given her time to miss Eva—not just the fussing over Eva part.
Meantime, Eva had fallen into a rhythm that worked. Each morning, she helped Ramona with the baking and the preparation for the afternoon teas as needed. Then she rested for a while before walking to the Dawson Department Store. There she went to work on cleaning and straightening the racks and shelves, hanging items, rearranging displays and keeping busy until time for her to walk the short distance to the school to meet Becky. Yes, she’d been elevated to actually meeting Becky at the school gate.
They laughed and talked and sometimes stopped for ice cream. Eva tried to keep Becky outside as much as possible or in the little corner they’d created in the clutter of Tanner’s office. He’d made Becky a small blue Adirondack chair and added a larger one for Eva. They could read or do homework there in the corner where Eva had set up a side table as a desk, complete with a small chair. Becky bragged that her teacher was pleased with how her reading had improved.
“I told Rachel you have helped me so much, Eva,” Becky said with her arms reaching wide. “This much.”
“That’s a big much,” Eva had said, after laughing. “But I’m glad we work well together.”
Tanner stayed away from them for the most part. Every once in a while, he’d join them at the picnic table for ice cream or cookies. But he’d only sit and smile and listen to his talkative daughter. Sometimes, Eva would glance at him and find him gazing at her.
Contentment. That’s what Eva felt, and she could see it more and more in Tanner’s eyes, too. They’d agreed to disagree, but she knew she’d won his trust the day he told her she could pick up Becky at school.
Now if he would only trust her with his secrets. She had pieced things together enough to know that he and Deborah had married because of Becky. But they’d loved each other. Did he regret what they’d done? Did he regret that Deborah had died and left him to raise Becky alone? Loving her and losing her was grief enough but knowing they could have had a life together with a proper marriage and then children had to be eating at him, too. Maybe what Tanner needed the most was forgiveness. And he’d probably never really asked for that. Could that be his secret—that he’d never confessed and asked for true forgiveness? Or was it that he couldn’t forgive himself?
She wanted to ask Tanner that, but he’d made it clear he didn’t want to share anything much with her. Or anyone for that matter.
“What are you thinking over there?” Ramona asked now as she breezed into the kitchen all bright and cheery. She’d been busy in the pantry making a grocery list.
Eva looked up from her thoughts. Like a spoiled cat, she enjoyed resting in her favorite spot by the window. “Actually, I was thinking about how content I am. I’ve only had that light sniffle after the ocean, and I came close to a panic when those kids harassed me at the store. Then the one almost panic attack the day I was late to work. I’m breathing easier and I don’t feel that weight of worry I always have back home.”
She didn’t mention that Tanner had calmed her down both times.
“You’ve learned to relax,” Ramona said, nodding as she made a cup of cinnamon tea. “That’s a gut thing.”
“Denke for talking to Mamm,” Eva said. “She tends to forget I’m in my twenties now and fully grown.”
“You will always be her little girl,” Ramona said. “But I think she’s trying to let you go from her apron strings. And, Eva, she’s been talking about someone else a lot each time she calls.”
“Really? Who?”
“Moses.”
“Moses, the neighbor she doesn’t like at all?”
“The one and only. Seemed he fell and hurt his ankle, so Helen has been feeding him and helping with his animals.”
Eva burst out laughing. “You mean my mamm, who hates animals and wouldn’t let me keep a stray dog, is helping her worst enemy with his goats?”
“And they’re talking about making goat milk soap together. Moses thinks there’s a market for it. Soap, lotion, all kinds of things. Your mamm has some ideas of her own.” Ramona chuckled. “Scandalous, isn’t it?”
Shocked, Eva sat still. “Why hasn’t she mentioned any of this to me?”
“I think she’s found an outlet for her need to hover, so she’s afraid you’ll judge her or think badly of her. She doesn’t want it to look like it’s more than it really is.”
“Do you think it’s more?” Eva asked, her head spinning.
“I do believe I hear a happy tone in her sharp words,” Ramona admitted. “She’s found someone else to save.”
Eva’s heart skipped a few beats. “That explains the happy tone I have heard in her voice, too. Then maybe she won’t mind if I stay here longer.”
“I don’t know about that,” Ramona replied. “But don’t let her bully you to come home. She’s not suffering overly much.”
“Should I ask about Moses?”
“Neh, I promised I wouldn’t repeat what she’s told me. Mind now, she’s only reported the facts, nothing else. And she duly complained to make it look like a big sacrifice. She’s not ready to admit they might be friends after all.”
“I won’t say a word,” Eva replied. “But I’ll listen for hints next time I talk with her.”
Ramona dipped her chin in a nod. “Now, let’s get to baking, shall we?”
“Ja,” Eva replied, her head full of all the ways she could convince her mother that she was happy here. “Teresa is coming to help, remember? She needs the extra money.”
“And I need the dependable help,” Ramona replied. “Teresa has saved my bacon many times.”
Eva didn’t ask what that phrase meant, but she took it to mean Teresa was a great helper.
A knock on the side door to the kitchen showed Teresa’s smiling face peeking between the sheers covering the paned door.
“Kumm,” Eva called, smiling.
Teresa entered, in a good mood as usual. “Gut daag.”
“Morning to you, too,” Ramona said as she pulled things out of the propane refrigerator. “Now we have many tasks.”
Ramona put Eva and Teresa to work on getting the tearoom ready for the next group of women while she finished baking the bite-sized pecan tassies they’d serve at the tea.
“A birthday party. One of them is turning sixty. They’re all from Louisiana and they come down to Florida every spring. They love tearooms, so we’re next on their list. Mind you, they are not the stoic, dignified types. These ladies like to have fun. I want them to keep coming back since they have money to burn.”
“We’ll make sure they like our service and our food,” Eva promised. “They sound fascinating.”
Teresa nodded, her dark eyes full of sparks. “I hope I can laugh and have a gut time when I’m sixty. That’s so old.”
“Watch it,” Ramona teased. “I’m there myself.”
“Okay, what’s up with you?” Eva asked Teresa after Ramona had gone back into the kitchen.
“Jasper and I are officially walking out together,” Teresa said with a dreamy smile. “He has explained that he makes gut money at the market and even does some handyman work on the side. His home is neat and clean—Mamm and I made sure of that when we took food the other day. It’s not huge, but doable.”
“You’ve got it all figured out then,” Eva said, wishing she could look toward some kind of future that held promises.
She thought of Tanner and Becky. Are they my future?
Too soon? Or not soon enough? She’d keep praying on the matter.
Teresa went on, describing how Jasper had brought her candy and they’d walked on the beach, their mamms sitting on a bench nearby. “It’s wunderbar gut to be in love, Eva.”
Eva laughed, happy for her friend. “I’m so excited for you.” It seemed a bit rushed, but Eva did believe in love at first sight. And why did Tanner’s frowning face pop into her head?
“One day, you’ll be the one telling me you’re in love,” her friend said, her smile all crunched up as she eyed Eva.
“I don’t know.”
Eva wished that with all her heart. But she needed answers before that could happen. And Tanner wasn’t an answering man.
But was Tanner the man for her?
“Okay, the pecan tassies are cooling on the counter,” Ramona said. “Let’s set up the two round tables up front. We have eight women, so four to a table. The ladies like to chat back and forth. And be careful around their hats. They make new ones every year and the birthday girl gets to pick the winner of the best hat.”
“What’s the prize?” Teresa asked, her tone full of wonder.
“A freshly baked cheesecake which she has to share with everyone.”
“Oh, and birthday cake, too?” Eva paced back and forth, carrying dishes.
“They have the birthday cake here. Then they take the cheesecake home to their condo for later. A great plan since it seems, from what they’ve told me, they like to stay up half the night, talking and laughing.”
Eva bobbed her head. “I’d like some cheesecake later myself.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Ramona replied with a wink. “Now if you get the tables ready, we can take a quick break and I’ll share a tassie or two with you.”
“That can work.” Teresa said with a grin.
A knock at the front door brought their heads up.
“It’s way too early for the tea party,” Ramona said, her voice echoing from where she’d bent to find something in the refrigerator.
Eva set down the butterfly-embossed plates they planned to use. “I’ll go check.”
She hurried to the screen door at the front of the long house and saw Tanner standing there shifting back and forth on his brogans.
“Tanner? What are you doing here so early?”
He held his hat in his hand, his eyes burning through Eva. “It’s Becky. She’s sick this morning and I have a delivery to make to one of the condos out on the island. I thought she’d be in school, but she’s home. I have a neighbor watching her right now. But could you kumm? I’ve tried everyone else.”
Eva nodded and motioned him in. “I need to let Ramona know. I’m helping her set up a tea.”
“Then you can’t come?”
Eva saw the apprehension in his eyes. She’d never seen Tanner flustered, but when it came to Becky the man fell apart.
“I think we can make it work,” she said. “Let’s go back to the kitchen and I’ll get you some fresh lemonade.”
He followed, but probably didn’t even register her offer.
“Tanner,” Ramona said. “What a nice surprise.”
Eva explained his problem. “Do you mind, Aenti?”
Ramona looked around. “The tassies were the hardest to get done. And you’re almost finished setting the tables. Teresa, are you ready to learn the fine art of making finger sandwiches?”
“Ja,” Teresa said. “But what if I mess up?”
“It’s hard to mess up,” Ramona said. “I will teach you. I can’t depend on Eva for much longer, gut as she is in helping me, and you’ll be a perfect replacement once she’s gone. So let’s get cracking.”
Tanner paced with worry. He glanced from Ramona to Eva. “So you can help me?”
“Ja. Let me get my tote bag and a few sugar cookies for Becky. What’s wrong with her anyway?”
“She has a cold and cough. Not sure how she picked it up, but she’s miserable.”
Ramona shot Eva a glance. “Be mindful of washing your hands and keeping Becky cleaned up. And make her some honey and lemon tea.”
“I will,” Eva replied, not sure how she’d handle taking care of a sick child. But she’d try her best. For Becky and especially for Tanner. The man looked like a walking pile of mush.
Soon they were on the cart and hurrying full throttle back to Tanner’s house. “Denke,” he kept saying. “I have to rent a truck to get this big piece I made out to the condo. A heavy table. So time is ticking on the rental fees.”
“You can drive a vehicle?”
He nodded. “I had to learn to do things differently down here. Sometimes, the buyer will pay for the rental, and I don’t want to add too much on the time. I really appreciate your help.”
Eva realized being a single man with a child could have its challenges. Tanner had managed up until now, but a baby Becky might have worked better with family members. A growing, energetic young girl would require a lot more effort.
“It’s fine, Tanner. I’m sure Becky will be better soon. Just a cold. She loves being outside and the pollen is beginning to fall everywhere.”
Eva had noticed that already. She hoped the yellow snow-like pollen wouldn’t affect her own allergies and problems. But she had sneezed a bit yesterday. Why did she want to cough right now? Neh, Tanner would take that the wrong way. She cleared her throat and hoped she’d be okay. Becky needed her.
“She’s never sick,” he said. “Never like this. I think she has a fever.”
“Do you have a thermometer?”
“I think so.”
“I carry one with me.”
“You’d know all about this, right?”
“Sure. But I’m not a doctor. She might need to visit one.”
“We have a clinic here in town. Just up the street.”
“I’ll find out about it. Do I have your permission to take Becky there if she needs to go?”
Tanner gave her a startled glance. “Is it that bad?”
“I don’t know yet, but Tanner, you need to calm down. I want to have all the needed information. Children get sick all the time.”
“Not my Becky.”
“Tanner, slow down and listen to me.”
He turned to stare at her. “What?”
“You can’t be upset in front of Becky. You’ll scare her. I’m sure she’ll be fine. Why are you so worried?”
He glared at Eva and then his expression softened. “I’m sorry. I worry too much, ain’t so?”
“Just a little, ja.”
“It’s just hard, trying to raise a child alone. I have a lot of people willing to help when they can. But lately, it seems she’s growing up so fast and I can’t keep up with her and the business, too.”
“I’m here for now,” Eva reminded him. “I’ll take care of her. Ramona will know where to take her if I need to do so. I promise I’ll do my best.”
Tanner let out a breath as they reached his house. “I believe you, Eva. And I’m so glad you’re here.”
Eva nodded, her heart bumping too hard against her ribs. She was glad to be here, too, but she wouldn’t always be around. Would he find a wife, just so he had someone to help with Becky? Or would he suffer because of what he considered to be his past sin? He couldn’t save his daughter’s mamm, and what if he couldn’t save Becky?