It was after supper when Esther saw Gus’s truck pulling onto the small gravel driveway in front of the cottage. Everyone, including Lizzie, had retired for the evening. Her sister was reading one of her romance books when Esther told her she was going to visit Gus. Lizzie didn’t offer to go with her, and Esther was sure that was for the best. She didn’t relish the thought of going to Gus’s cottage, but she figured she’d better take the battle there before Gus brought his hostilities to the inn and disrupted what had finally settled into a peaceful environment. At least, for now.
She slipped into her galoshes by the front door, slung her black cape around her shoulders, and put on her bonnet. It wasn’t raining at the moment, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t start up again.
As she slogged her way to the cottage, dread filled her. By the time she arrived and heaved herself up the porch steps, her knees felt like lead. She was surprised Gus hadn’t already come out and started yelling. Rapping lightly on the door, she closed her eyes and prayed for patience and tolerance.
The door opened slower than usual, and Gus was dressed quite presentably. It reminded her again of the times he had cleaned up to take her to her doctor and hospital visits. Even though her diagnosis had been a stomach ulcer, all the tests had terrified her.
Gus was wearing one of the same red-checkered shirts he’d worn during one of their trips to town. His black trousers were held up by suspenders, as always, and his hair was pulled back, but it appeared clean, and his beard had been groomed. Esther held her breath and prepared for his wrath.
He stared at her, narrowing his eyebrows. “Esther . . .” He paused to sigh. “I don’t have any clothes. And there’s only one person I can think of who would steal all my clothes, except the ones I’m wearing.”
Esther was too stunned by his calm demeanor to know how to respond. She’d expected him to open the door ranting and cursing because someone had cleaned his house. She thought he might notice the clothes missing later. But then she thought about the way Gus smelled most of the time. Perhaps that was because he never went to town to use the laundromat.
“Why would your crazy sister steal all my clothes?” He scratched the top of his head, frowning. “That’s a low blow even for Lizzie.”
Esther tried to be discreet as she peeked around Gus. The cottage was clean, just like it had been when Esther helped Gus a while back prior to a visit from his daughter. The woman had made it clear she never wanted to see Gus again.
“And another thing . . .” He nodded over his shoulder. “Maybe the only reason she cleaned the place up is to spy on me. Or maybe she stole things from me.” His expression soured even more.
Esther turned off the flashlight she was holding since the cottage was lit up with lanterns inside. “Lizzie didn’t steal your clothes, and she didn’t clean the cottage. Our new employee, Rose, did that. The girl didn’t know any better, and she was just trying to help. We would have washed your clothes today and hung them to dry, but the rain prevented us from doing that. It won’t happen again.”
Gus folded his arms across his chest, resting them on his belly. “I guess I’ll sleep in this for tonight.”
Esther didn’t know what to say. Apparently, Gus really didn’t own any other clothes besides the ones Rose had hauled away.
“Thank you for understanding.” She turned to leave, wishing she’d brought a slice of pie to soften the double blow, but she was also stunned he hadn’t thrown the fit she’d been expecting. “Good night.”
“Can you stay for a few minutes? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Esther slowly turned around, uninterested in listening to Gus complain about something.
“Gus, I’ve had an exhausting day.” She forced a yawn, which wasn’t difficult, but she followed him inside when he ignored her comment and walked into the cottage.
She waited for him to wave his arms around and lambaste Rose for her efforts. But he sat on the worn corner of the couch, where it appeared he always sat, with the TV tray next to his spot. Even though there was no television or electricity in the cottage, the tray was a makeshift end table.
Esther sat on the edge of a rocking chair, hoping she wouldn’t be staying long.
Gus scratched his chin and stared at the floor for a few seconds before he looked at her. “I went to see Heather today.”
The name sounded familiar, but Esther couldn’t place the woman.
When she didn’t respond, Gus snarled, then huffed. “My daughter, Esther. I only have one daughter. You met her.” He rolled his eyes. “Good grief.”
Esther should have gotten up and left right then. She’d warned Gus about speaking to her in such a manner. But she was too curious about why Gus went to visit the woman. To Esther’s knowledge, he’d only seen her the one time when they had harsh words.
“Ya, ya. I remember.”
He eyed her a couple more seconds, as if to make sure she knew how disgusted he was that she hadn’t remembered the name of a woman she’d met only once. “Did your visit go better than the last time? And why did you choose today, with this terrible weather?”
“I figured she would be home.” He pulled his gaze away and stared at the floor again. “Everything’s flooded, most people ain’t getting out. My truck can get through anything. And I recently learned she retired from her job, but I can’t remember what she did.”
Esther heard the regret in the last part of his comment. “So you just walked up to her door, even after she said during her last visit to your house that she never wanted to see you again?”
“I know what she said, Esther.” His mouth fell open like a cave, darkened by his jowls. “You don’t have to rub it in.”
At the time, Gus said he didn’t care that his time with his daughter had gone badly. Esther suspected he’d been hurt more than he let on. “I’m not trying to rub it in.” She crossed one leg over the other and cupped her knee with her hands.
He got up and began to pace the small living room.
Since Gus had lived there, Esther could count on one hand the times she’d been in the cottage. And this was the second time it was clean. The first time, Esther had cut Gus’s hair in preparation for his daughter’s visit. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t fussing about Rose cleaning the place. His daughter must be coming to visit again. But she waited.
“I figure now that I’m kind of a movie star . . .” He slowed his pacing and glanced at Esther. She did her best not to react. Being an extra in a movie was hardly a movie star. If he was even included in the picture show.
“I thought maybe she’d . . .” He cleared his throat and avoided looking at Esther. “I thought maybe she’d like me more.”
Esther thought it would make the woman incredibly shallow, if that were the case. And based on the vicious argument Heather and Gus had—part of it in front of Esther—she didn’t think anything Gus did would change Heather’s opinion of her father. But Esther had to tread softly. The fact that Gus had opened up this part of himself was proof that, whether Heather cared or not, Gus did. He cleared his throat again before Esther had time to respond.
“Brandon said he was going to have a private viewing of the scenes filmed here in Montgomery. They’d already done most of the movie off-site before they got here. He said these were unedited clips, but he wanted his investors to see them in case they needed to make changes while they’re still here. Not everyone gets to go to a movie premiere, even if it’s only to see an unedited clip. I wanted to ask Heather to come to the event.”
Esther was scared to ask Heather’s reaction, so she waited. Gus’s eyes were fixed on her and he seemed to be waiting for her to say something. “Was she home?” she finally asked, thinking it might be best if she wasn’t.
“Yeah, she was home.” He sat back down on his spot on the couch, nervously tapping his fingers together.
Esther wanted to ask if the woman slammed the door in his face, but she just nodded.
“Anyway, she said she’d be there and to let her know when it gets scheduled.” Gus kept his head down. A good thing since Esther was sure her surprise showed in her expression.
“Isn’t that what you wanted?” she finally asked before stifling another yawn, a real one this time. But she was tired of holding her tongue. “I’m surprised she agreed to attend after the way things ended between the two of you.”
Maybe she was provoking him intentionally. She wasn’t sure. She just wanted to get home to bed.
Gus lifted his eyes to hers. “Maybe when she sees the type of people I hang around, she’ll think me worthy to be in her life.”
Esther thought her heart might crack. Her legs carried her to the couch somehow, and before she knew it she was sitting close enough to Gus to put a hand on his arm. “Gus, that is not a gut reason for her to want to be in your life. It shouldn’t matter who your friends are.”
He lowered his head again. Esther had never seen Gus this vulnerable. “I know, Esther.” He slowly lifted his eyes to hers. “Will you come too?”
Esther smiled sympathetically. “I don’t think I will lend any credibility to your circle of friends. I’m just an old Amish woman who rents you a cottage.” She paused, slowly lowering her hand from his arm. “And you know our people don’t watch television or movies.”
Avoiding her eyes again, he cast his gaze onto the wooden floor. “I know you don’t. And I’m not asking because of any credibility . . .” He shook his head and sighed before he locked eyes with her. “I’m going to be real nervous with her there.”
This was a first, and Esther’s jaw actually dropped a little.
“I just reckon I wouldn’t be so nervous if you were there.” He looked away again.
Esther had always suspected she might be Gus’s only friend, even if their relationship wasn’t a true definition of the word. If she asked the bishop to attend, he would likely say no. Esther wasn’t a rule breaker. But when Gus looked back at her with such longing in his eyes, she said, “I’ll be there.”
Gus stood and started toward the door. Esther followed and stepped onto the porch when he opened the door. His jaw thrust forward. “Tell Rose Petal I can clean my own house. I don’t need her snooping through my things. But I’m fine with her doing my clothes. That laundry place in town is expensive.”
Esther was about to tell him Rose wasn’t going to clean his clothes, but then reconsidered. Gus hadn’t smelled good in all the years she’d known him. She’d never been sure if it was his personal hygiene or his clothes. Only one way to find out.
“I will tell her. But we don’t call her Rose Petal. Just Rose.” She narrowed her eyes at him to make her point.
“Yeah, okay, whatever.” Then, in typical Gus fashion, he closed the door.
By the time Esther climbed into bed, Lizzie was snoring, and only a dimly lit lantern shone on Esther’s side of the bed. She lay down, feeling like she should fall into a deep slumber right away. But she couldn’t seem to lose the images of Gus floating around in her mind.
If Mr. Clarkson didn’t include Gus in some capacity in his movie—and it had sounded like he wasn’t planning on it—Gus would be humiliated in front of his daughter. If Heather was planning to attend the showing, it might be for all the wrong reasons.
Gus was a cranky old man who drove everyone crazy, a black sheep in their untraditional little family. But he was their black sheep, and she didn’t want to see him get hurt.
* * *
Jayce had set the alarm on his phone Friday night, hoping to get up and downstairs before anyone else. With only 20 percent battery left, he’d have to remember to charge it at the cave. His father had scheduled everyone for work today since they’d lost so much time due to the rain.
Lizzie had been trying to beat Rose to the kitchen every morning, but Jayce knew the elderly sisters were spent. And if they had to eat another one of Rose’s meals, he worried his father might come unglued. He was already a man on edge because of the weather delays.
Jayce had three pounds of bacon cooked and was scrambling eggs when Lizzie shuffled barefoot into the room, her head covered with a scarf, and still in her robe, minus her teeth.
“Go back to bed, Lizzie.” He glanced at her before he sprinkled salt and pepper in the pan, then added a little shredded cheese he’d found in the refrigerator. “I got this.”
“Step aside, Jayce.” Lizzie nudged him with her elbow. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”
He grimaced in good humor. “As a matter of fact, I do. And I know you’ve been trying to beat Rose to the kitchen the last few mornings.” He added a small amount of cottage cheese to the bowl of eggs. It made them go further and added a fluffiness that complemented the effort.
“Who adds cottage cheese to eggs?” Lizzie shook her head.
“My mom did. I used to love watching her cook when I was a kid.” He paused, thinking about those happier times. “Go back to bed.” He glanced at the older woman, whose dark circles under her eyes were a testament to how tired she and Esther both were. “Just trust me. I used to own a deli, and believe it or not, I can cook. If Rose shows up soon, maybe she’ll learn something. But I don’t think any of us want to suffer through another one of her meals. I’ll help you cook as much as I can.”
Lizzie eyed him skeptically. “A deli sells sandwiches.”
Jayce grinned. “Yeah, but we also provided hot meals. I took some cooking classes before I opened it. We even had a few breakfast items on the menu—gourmet eggs with chives, Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs—”
“Stop.” Lizzie raised her hand. “Let’s just see if everyone can tolerate that cottage cheese you’ve got going in there.” She leaned closer to have a look, then sighed. “I’m too tired to argue. Have at it.”
“Don’t worry, Lizzie,” he said as she shuffled back to her bedroom.
A few minutes later, Rose rushed into the room fully dressed. “Ach nee. That’s mei job.” She tried to pry the wooden spoon from Jayce’s hand. “I wouldn’t be earning mei keep, and why is there cottage cheese on the counter?” She gasped. “You didn’t put that in the eggs, did you? That’s not suitable for eggs.”
He lowered the flame below the eggs and kept ownership of the wooden spoon. “Please let me do breakfast this morning. It might be a little different than you’re used to, but I enjoy cooking.”
Rose squinted at him. She was a beautiful woman, tall and slender, with gorgeous big brown eyes. And when she opened her mouth, she had perfectly straight white teeth. But then her mouth stayed open and never closed. Right now, though, she seemed a bit speechless, a welcome reprieve from her constant chatter. He convinced her to go set the table in the dining room.
Jayce turned when he heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs and hoped it was Jesse, Hal, or Giovanni. But it was his father.
“Well now, there’s a sight.” His dad chuckled. “My son cooking breakfast in an Amish kitchen.”
Jayce shrugged. “Esther and Lizzie have been getting up early to cook, so I decided to give them a break.”
His father went to the percolator, poured himself a cup of coffee, then added enough sugar to wire him for the day. “I guess anything is better than what that new girl cooks. The older ladies make a great meal, but that new gal can’t cook worth a . . .” His father rattled off words Jayce was used to, but when he lifted his eyes from the skillet, Rose stood at the entrance to the kitchen. Her eyes were watery, her bottom lip trembling.
“I just came to get more forks.” She tucked her head as she moved toward the drawer where the silverware was stored.
When she left the room, Jayce glared at his father.
“Don’t look at me like that. We paid for rooms and meals. The rooms are barely tolerable, so the meals should at least be decent.” His father left the kitchen with his coffee cup and went back upstairs.
“Ignore him,” Jayce said when a teary-eyed Rose came back in the kitchen. “He’s a jerk.” This was the quietest Rose had ever been, and while he wanted to enjoy the peacefulness of the morning, he didn’t like that his father had upset her. “Come here.”
She slowly made her way toward him. “People from all over the world cook all kinds of different ways. And not everyone has the same taste. But I can show you a few tricks to make a meal taste awesome.”
Sniffling, she nodded. “I know I don’t cook very gut. I’m worried Esther and Lizzie might fire me. But I try to do mei best even though mei mamm said cooking would never be mei strong suit. I do pretty well with pies. I mean, sometimes, but not always. I’m a gut cleaner, though, so I was hoping maybe I wouldn’t get fired because of mei cooking. But they say food is the way to a man’s stomach, and . . .”
Jayce took a deep breath, only half hearing as Rose rattled on. He found some fresh herbs, and despite Lizzie’s warning, he doctored the eggs a bit more.
Half an hour later everyone was seated in the dining room. Esther and Lizzie were still sleeping. Jayce took a seat in the large room with the others. He would have preferred to eat with Lizzie and Esther in the kitchen, but he was glad they were getting some much-needed rest.
Rose served the meal, and everyone raved. When she nodded to Jayce and opened her mouth to say something, Jayce interjected. “Yes, Rose did an excellent job.” He quickly turned to his father, who smirked. At least he didn’t humiliate Rose in front of everyone.
Jayce ate as quickly as he could and excused himself. He’d be with his father and the crew most of the day, minus his time alone on the banks of the river cavern. He didn’t want to spend a minute longer with the man than he had to.
Rose was sitting at the kitchen table eating eggs and bacon when he walked into the room.
“These eggs are very gut.”
He found a tablet of paper and a pen in the kitchen and scribbled down a recipe for chicken salad. “Follow this exactly, and you’ll wow Lizzie and Esther at lunch. The rest of us will be gone, but I bet they’ll like this recipe, if they have all the ingredients.”
“Danki, Jayce. I want to cook better. I really do. It’s something I’m working on, but it just doesn’t come easily to me.” She looked over the recipe. “But I can do this.”
“I know you can.” He pointed upstairs. “I gotta go finish getting ready. You okay?”
Smiling, she nodded. “Ya.”
It was the briefest conversation he’d had with the woman. Thankfully.
After Jayce brushed his teeth and ran a comb through his hair, he rushed downstairs since he’d seen the others gathering outside already. It was barely daylight, but his father had been insistent they get an early start to film before Bluespring Caverns opened for business. Jayce liked the idea. Maybe he would be able to spend some time with Evelyn, depending on her work schedule. He’d been thinking about her way too much. They could never be more than friends, but her kiss, awkward as it was, consumed his thoughts.
He raced across the living room toward the front door. Rose stood in front of it, a broad smile on her face.
He waited for her to move, but she just smiled. “Hey. Everything okay?” Please let it be okay. He didn’t have time for one of her lengthy conversations.
“Ya, I just wanted to thank you for helping me in the kitchen, and also for leaving me that recipe to try. I’m eager to make the chicken salad.” Smiling more broadly, she touched his arm. “Maybe we can spend some time in the kitchen together so I can learn more from you.”
“Uh, yeah . . . sure.” His eyes shifted to her hand still on his arm. “But right now I have to go. Everyone is getting ready to leave.”
“Ya, of course.” She slowly lowered her arm, winked at him, and stepped aside.