Jake sat at the counter sulking. He wasn’t proud of his behavior with Eva and Yvonne. He was anxious for them to return so he could hopefully make amends. Business was slow for a Saturday, and no other customers had come since Esther and Lizzie left. Plenty of time for Jake to think.
A wave of apprehension swept over him when Yvonne guided Eva’s buggy into the parking lot. She pulled the reins back and eased the horse to a stop as if she’d been doing it her entire life. Jake stood from where he was sitting behind the counter and waited for the women to get out of the buggy, hoping Eva didn’t slip into the driver’s side and dash away.
Both women headed toward the store, arm in arm and laughing. Jake felt outnumbered before they even walked in. He reminded himself that both of them had done wrong, but making them cry was worse.
Their expressions sobered as soon as they entered the store, and they walked to the counter and faced off with Jake. First Yvonne folded her arms across her chest, then Eva did. Neither said a word.
“Once again, I’m sorry.” Jake glanced back and forth between the two women. “I was angry, but I should not have yelled at either of you.” He didn’t think he’d hollered at Yvonne, but overkill on the apologies might be in order just the same. “And, Eva, I’m also sorry I was late and missed chicken and dumplings and reading.”
Eva lowered her head and sighed. After a couple of seconds, she lifted her eyes to his. “It’s okay.” She said the words, but the hurt lingered in her expression.
He turned to Yvonne.
“You don’t really owe me an apology,” she said. “I took something that belonged to you without asking, and I’m the one who is sorry.” She lifted her arms and pressed her fingers to her temples. “Sorrier than you know. I wish I hadn’t read those pages.”
Jake was anxious to start reading and hoped Eva would still want to. Or would she have plans with John? He was also wondering what could have upset Yvonne so much.
“Anyway”—Yvonne tucked her hair behind her ears—“if it’s okay with you, I’m going to give Eva a hand going through some boxes in the back room. She said she needs to take inventory of shipments that have recently arrived. A way to make up for my error in judgment.”
Jake grinned. “As long as you don’t steal anything.”
“Ha-ha.” She closed her eyes for a moment before she looked back at him. “I really am sorry. Believe it or not, I’ve never stolen anything in my life.”
Eva cleared her throat, glancing at Jake then back at Yvonne. “He believes you.” She waved an arm. “This way. Follow me. And I want to hear more about your wedding plans. It all sounds so exciting.”
Yvonne smiled. “Absolutely.”
They walked off and left Jake at the counter, not sure what he was supposed to do today. Tend to the customers, he supposed.
* * *
Eva listened in awe as Yvonne shared the details of her upcoming wedding in October. “Your dress sounds beautiful, and I love orchids. Those will make a beautiful bouquet.”
“Thanks. Planning a wedding is a lot of work, so it’s good to have confirmation I’m making the right choices.” Yvonne picked up a stack of books nearby and started checking them off a list Eva had given her. They were sitting on the floor cross-legged, facing each other. “I think the hardest part was deciding on a menu for our reception.” She laughed. “If there is one thing Trevor and I don’t agree on, it’s food. He has a long list of things he doesn’t like to eat, and I have an equally long list of food I don’t like.” She rolled her eyes. “And there are not many crossovers between the two lists.”
Eva shook her head. “Ach, that must make it hard to prepare meals.”
“Yes, it does.” Yvonne set the books aside and reached for another pile. “We eat a lot of chicken. It’s one thing we both like. And, speaking of . . . I heard Jake say you made chicken and dumplings. I’d love to have your recipe, unless it’s a family secret or something.”
“Nee, no secret. I’m happy to give it to you.”
They both turned when they heard footsteps. “Eva, I put Bonnie under the lean-to out back, along with my horse. It’s pouring rain, which makes it doubtful most people will venture out. It’s been slow for a Saturday anyway.” Jake eyed the dozen or so boxes spread out on the floor. “Need some help?”
“You’re the boss.” Eva heard the curtness in her voice that was perhaps unwarranted. Jake had apologized, and that should be that.
He frowned. “I don’t feel like it at the moment.”
Eva and Yvonne exchanged glances and grinned. “We’re talking about wedding plans, a subject all men just love.” Yvonne batted her eyes at Jake, which didn’t make Eva feel at all uncomfortable now that she knew Yvonne a little better. And it was obvious how much she loved her fiancé.
“Uh . . .” Jake pointed over his shoulder. “I actually just remembered some paperwork I should do up front. It looks like you have a system going anyway.”
Yvonne chuckled. “Yeah, okay. I figured that would scare you off.”
“I don’t scare that easily.” He rolled his eyes.
Eva wished she had some of Yvonne’s confidence. The older woman had a playful personality, like Jake, so it was no wonder they’d connected as friends so easily. But Eva wasn’t looking for friendship with Jake. She had that.
“Eva, I’m almost scared to ask, but are we still going to read together tonight?” Jake closed one eye, flinching a little.
“Ya, if you’d like to. The chicken and dumplings are in the refrigerator also. Which reminds me, we are almost out of propane.”
“I’ll get propane on Monday. And I’m quite sure I don’t deserve the chicken and dumplings, but I’m glad to hear you didn’t take them home.” He smiled, and Eva thought he looked relieved. “Maybe we can just close up around three instead of five. It’s supposed to rain like this until early evening.
“Ya, okay,” she said.
Jake pointed over his shoulder, grinning. “So, I’ll just be doing that paperwork and let you two get back to wedding talk.”
Eva nodded and waited for Yvonne to make a comeback, but she kept her head down and focused on the list in front of her. She waited until Jake was gone before she lifted her head. “Why are you two reading the book aloud together?”
“Um, well . . .” Eva felt herself blushing. “Jake said he read about ten pages, but some of the words were difficult for him. We only go to school through the eighth grade, so . . .” Shrugging, she didn’t finish.
“Don’t be embarrassed.” Yvonne shook her head. “I wasn’t familiar with some of the words in what I read either. I had to look them up on my phone.” Her shoulders slumped. “When I wasn’t bawling my head off.”
Eva wasn’t sure what to say, but she was going to try to understand why the book had had such an effect on Yvonne. “You said the book confused you and made you question what you have always believed. Was it a specific part that upset you so much?”
Yvonne tapped the pen she was holding against her knee. “Well, I guess it was the man’s testimonial—the author. He builds a pretty good case about why there is no afterlife, based on science, astronomy, and a bunch of other things I’ve researched. So I was with him on that. But then he started to break down all of those theories—and not based on scientific evidence, but strictly based on his own personal faith and how it changed throughout the course of his life. He gave explicit examples, and he wrote with such honesty and genuine belief that our soul goes on.” She blinked her eyes a few times, and Eva could almost feel the unspoken pain in her expression. “It’s like . . . I wanted to believe him, but I just can’t. I don’t think I ever will. So, for me, the book just upset me.” She shrugged before she took a deep breath. “I think it’s a lovely idea—that we all get to be together forever after we die—but I don’t buy it.”
Eva was out of her comfort zone, but she had to ask. “Do you think you might have felt differently if you had read the entire book?”
Yvonne offered up a weak smile. “I guess we’ll never know.”
After a lengthy silence, Eva said, “Would you like to read it with me and Jake? Maybe we could help you to understand or feel better about it.” She wasn’t overjoyed about sharing her time with Jake, but this felt more important.
Yvonne grunted as she grinned. “Oh, no. I’m not getting in the way of that little basement read-along you two have planned. Besides, I don’t think it would make a difference.”
Eva chewed a fingernail. “I think I am about to step out of line, but have you ever read the Bible?”
“Of course.” Yvonne didn’t hesitate. “When I became an adult, I researched and questioned the way my aunt and uncle brought me up. And there were stories in the Bible that certainly challenged those beliefs. This book was different. It was a normal guy, in present-day times—Well, not exactly present-day. Maybe over a hundred years ago, but certainly more current than the Bible. And there was something about his writing that just stung when I read it.”
There was a deep and curious longing in Yvonne’s eyes that tugged at Eva’s heart, saddened her that such a nice person didn’t believe in anything beyond their short time on earth. She was thinking about what to say when Yvonne cleared her throat.
“So, I’ve got a few years of experience on you.” She grinned, obviously veering from the subject at hand. “What is your plan this afternoon and this evening? Are you going to cozy up to Jake?”
Eva quickly put a finger to her lips, hoping Jake hadn’t heard the comment from around the corner. She cast her eyes down at the inventory sheet she had in her lap, feeling a blush coming on. “Ach, I don’t know,” she said barely above a whisper.
Yvonne grimaced playfully. “Is this the same woman who said she might grab him and kiss him?” she asked in a quieter voice.
Eva covered her face with her hands and couldn’t stifle the giggle that escaped. “I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Yep.” Yvonne grinned. “You might not have to be that overt, but you’ve got to get that handsome fellow to see you as the beautiful grown woman you are. And you might need to slip in something about John, somehow let Jake know that he’s not the guy for you.” She stretched out to her left until she could reach her purse draped over the back of a chair. She pulled out a small aerosol bottle, popped the top off, and handed the bottle to Yvonne. “Trevor loves this stuff.”
Eva stared at the bottle, bit her bottom lip, then handed it back to Yvonne. “We aren’t supposed to wear perfume.”
Yvonne puckered her lips. “Hmm. Well, it’s not exactly perfume. It’s a body spray. Does that make a difference?” She wiggled it in her hand.
Eva was fairly sure the fragrance would be frowned upon, but she took it, sprayed a little in the air, then breathed in the lavender aroma. “Ach, this smells so gut.”
“I don’t want to be a bad influence, so if you aren’t comfortable—”
Eva spritzed her neck before she quickly handed it back to Yvonne. She shrugged. “I don’t break the rules very often, so . . .”
“Well, okay, then.” Yvonne stuffed the body spray back into her purse and started digging around. “I know makeup is out of the question, but I have some clear lip gloss that’s shiny. It’s supposed to make your lips look fuller. I’m not sure it does, but shiny lips are always a good look.” After a few attempts digging around in her purse, she pulled out a small tube. “Only if you think it would be okay.”
“I’m sure it keeps your lips moist. Like Chapstick, and that’s allowed.” Eva reached out her hand. After she’d applied it, she gave it back to Yvonne before she ran her tongue along her lower lip. “It tingles.”
“Aw, and now you smell good and have full lips.” Yvonne paused, smiling softly. “Although, you have such natural beauty, you really don’t need anything to enhance that. We just want Jake to take notice of things maybe he hasn’t before. Especially if you plan to plant a big kiss on him.”
“I was joking.” Eva shook her head. “That would be much too forward.”
“You’re probably right.” Yvonne still had her legs crossed beneath her as she stretched her arms back and leaned on her hands. “I’m sure you have girlfriends that you confide in, but I’d love to take you to lunch tomorrow and hear all the details.”
Eva lowered her head. “I-I really don’t talk to mei friends about these types of things. And tomorrow is Sunday. We don’t have worship service, but I usually spend that time with mei family.”
Yvonne straightened. “And you absolutely don’t have to tell me a single thing either.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be painfully curious, but I’ll live. And we can still have lunch, but on Monday, if you’d like.”
Eva nodded. She’d never had an English friend before, only acquaintances. Yvonne would be gone in a couple of days, but for now she was enjoying the woman’s company and kindnesses—despite the way things had started out.
Yvonne lifted herself to her feet. “I’m going to go, but I’ll come by around noon on Monday if that’s a good time for lunch.”
“Ya, that would be gut.”
Yvonne draped her purse over her shoulder as she winked at her. “Good luck.”
Eva smiled at her new friend. “Danki.”
* * *
Yvonne ate a late lunch at the inn restaurant before going to her room to call Trevor. She’d made up her mind not to tell him about the book yet. As much as she wanted to discuss certain aspects of it, there was a part of her that wanted to forget she’d ever read it. She’d been comfortable with her beliefs her entire life and had had multiple conversations with Trevor about everything. However, this was something she wanted to do in person. There would be discussion, and as much as she dreaded the conversation, she didn’t want to keep things from him. She would shamefully tell him about taking the book without permission and how things went downhill after that. Then she’d tell him why the content upset her so much, and he would try to offer her an explanation that might make her feel better without trying to shift her beliefs. At least that’s the direction she was hoping he would go. Trevor had accepted the fact that he couldn’t change her mind about heaven and hell. Even though he’d given it his best try.
Her thoughts were so scrambled that there was a trickle of relief when she phoned him and the call went straight to voice mail. She’d worried she’d start babbling when she really did want to talk to him in person. She left a message for him to call her back and hung up, knowing she had one more call to make. One she dreaded. She hadn’t called George since before she left home, and she was surprised he hadn’t phoned her.
“Hi, George. Sorry I haven’t called before now.” She took a deep breath. George Meyers was an older man, mid-seventies, and he’d only recently insisted Yvonne call him by his first name. It still felt weird since he was generally a very formal person. “Mr. Lantz is refusing to sell the book. I’m not sure how much you are willing to pay.” She’d decided to hold off telling him that she’d already offered more than he had approved.
There was silence on the other end of the line. Yvonne waited. There was rarely chitchat where George was concerned, but the man never acted hastily. “I’ll go up to a hundred and twenty for the book.”
Yvonne squeezed her eyes closed as her stomach roiled. “Um . . . I already offered him up to a hundred and thirty. If he had accepted, I would have, of course, called you immediately. My apologies for not getting that approved, but at the time I thought I could get him to commit.” She paused, and when George didn’t say anything, she went on. “He said he isn’t selling for any amount.”
A longer silence this time. “One fifty. Final offer.”
Even though Yvonne’s commission would get a big boost, she dreaded having to ask Jake to consider a higher offer. She sighed as quietly as she could. “All right. But George, can I ask you something?”
He waited in silence.
“What is it about this book that makes it so important?” He didn’t answer for a few seconds. “I mean, is it the fact that only a hundred copies were printed? Or . . . another reason?”
“I collect rare books. It’s a rare book.” His voice sounded strained, almost irritated, at the question.
Yvonne chewed a fingernail as her pulse picked up. “Does it have anything to do with the content?” Whether or not he was becoming irritated, Yvonne wanted to know.
“No.”
She wondered for the first time since she’d worked for George if he was being honest. “Well, Mr. Lantz said he made a promise to his grandfather not to sell the book. That no amount would get him to sell.”
“Ms. Wilson, do I need to handle this deal myself?” He hadn’t called her by her last name in a long time. His voice was normally deep, but right now it was also forceful and laced with a mixture of disappointment and anger.
“I don’t think it will matter. He isn’t selling.”
She thought about how much she needed this sale. George was her biggest client. Trevor would take care of her and had paid for most of the wedding, but Yvonne had insisted on paying for her wedding dress, which was still in layaway. She was also still paying on an emergency appendectomy she’d had two years ago. An event that had turned out okay, but not without complications. She had her own insurance policy, but she had a six-thousand-dollar deductible. Yvonne had hoped to have her medical bills paid off before the wedding.
Another big expense had been paying for her uncle’s funeral. Yvonne had put the entire thing on her credit card when her aunt didn’t have the money. Her aunt and uncle had raised her, and she didn’t begrudge the cost. But it had seemed ironic at the time that her aunt wanted an expensive casket and full send-off when none of them believed he was being “sent” anywhere. In any case, another thing she was working to pay off before the wedding.
She was lost in thought when she realized George hadn’t responded to what she’d just said. “Are you still there?”
“Is the book signed by the author?” George’s voice sounded more leveled out but stern just the same.
“Yes, the dedication reads, ‘To MAC with love.’ Then the author’s name is handwritten beneath it.” Yvonne always checked to see if a book was autographed. Most that were worth any money tended to be signed. “It was also typed on a manual typewriter, although I can’t tell if that is the original manuscript or if it was photocopied at some point.”
“It’s the original.” George spoke with authority. “A lucky break that out of the hundred copies, you found the original.”
It almost sounded like a compliment, but Yvonne was skeptical. “With all due respect, how do you know that?”
“Because it is signed.”
Yvonne waited for further explanation, but George only sighed.
“I feel like I have done the best I can with Mr. Lantz. These people are Amish and live simple lives. The money doesn’t seem important to him, but keeping his promise to his grandfather does.” She paused. “But I will present your offer of a hundred fifty thousand to him.” Her stomach twisted into knots. She could already see the look on Jake’s face.
“Ms. Wilson, you have been successful at acquiring every book I’ve sought. I don’t want this to be the exception.” There was a long pause. “Are we clear?”
He had addressed her as Ms. Wilson again, and without him saying so, it was clear their working relationship was on the line, and she didn’t want to lose him as a client. “Yes, sir.”
After they’d ended the call, Yvonne swallowed back the lump in her throat. Of all the books in the world, why this one? It was as if she’d stumbled into a pit of bad karma and was slowly sinking in it. She was sure Jake wouldn’t sell, and she was ready to be done with that book.
She lay back on her bed and closed her eyes, deciding to focus on happier thoughts, like envisioning herself walking down the aisle toward Trevor, whose father would be giving her away. They were Christians—her fiancé’s entire family. Yvonne didn’t know if they were aware of her beliefs. She suspected not. They’d asked if she had a religious preference as to where the wedding should be held, and she’d said she didn’t. Yvonne had attended services with Trevor a few times at the church he’d grown up in and the one his parents still attended. Yvonne’s future mother-in-law lit up every time Yvonne and Trevor walked through the sanctuary doors. Yvonne wasn’t close to Trevor’s parents, mostly because they lived over an hour away. But they also tended to be a bit stuffy. Yvonne hoped they would get to know each other better after she and Trevor were married.
After she’d played out the entire scenario in her head—even selling her house—she thought again about how lucky she was.
Her thoughts shifted to Eva. She hoped her new and unexpected friend would make some headway with Jake. The guy was honorable if he was truly planning to step aside so John Yoder could date Eva. But her new friend had made it clear that Jake was the one she cared about. And it was obvious to Yvonne that Jake cared for Eva too. Even if it was awkward, Eva needed to let Jake know her feelings, that he was “the one” and she wasn’t interested in dating John.
She smiled to herself as she recalled the dating phase with Trevor, the way they’d fallen in love quickly and deeply. There wasn’t a better feeling in the world—the newness, the discovery, the passion.
She dozed off thinking about their wedding day. It would be perfect.