Lenore finished her cup of coffee and set it in the sink. “Oh Grandma, before I leave for school, I wanted to let you know that I won’t be here for supper Saturday night.”
“Oh, why’s that?”
“Last night on our buggy ride, Mark invited me to attend his birthday supper at his aunt and uncle’s place. I should have told you after I got home, but I had other things on my mind and forgot to mention it.”
“Danki for letting me know. Guess I’ll plan something small for my supper that evening, or maybe I’ll hitch my horse to the buggy and go out somewhere to eat.”
Lenore’s brows lifted. “By yourself?”
“Of course. I’m not so old that I can’t take the horse and buggy out by myself, and I don’t mind eating alone once in a while.”
Lenore blew out a quick breath. Now, in addition to being a bit nervous about going to Mark’s party, she’d have to worry about Grandma all evening.
Grandma waved her hand. “I know what you’re thinking, and I’ll be fine, so there’s no need to druwwle about me.”
“Okay, I’ll try not to worry.” Lenore managed to smile. “Oh, and one more thing before I forget … After school lets out today, I’m going shopping to get a birthday present for Mark. Any suggestions for what I should get?”
Grandma shook her head. “You know the young man better than I do. What kinds of things does he like?”
Lenore shrugged. “To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure. Mark works in his uncle’s woodworking shop, but that’s his job. I don’t know what kinds of things he enjoys doing when he’s not working.”
Grandma tapped her fingers along the edge of the table. “How about a buch? Most people enjoy reading.”
“A book would make a nice gift if I knew what type of subject Mark likes to read about.”
“How about a book on railroads or Pennsylvania history? I would think he might enjoy reading either of those topics,” Grandma suggested. “You could go to Moyer’s Book Barn here in Strasburg and see what they have.”
Lenore wrinkled her nose. “I would feel kind of funny about getting him a used book, which is mostly what they have there in the old barn.”
“Guess you could try Gordonville Bookstore. There’s also the Ridgeview Bookstore if you’re looking for someplace closer than Lancaster.”
“Okay, thanks for the ideas.” Lenore leaned over and kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “I’d better get going or the scholars will be at the schoolhouse before I am. I’ll try to be home in time to help you fix supper.”
Grandma lifted both hands. “No worries. I can fix the evening meal without your help once in a while.”
Lenore smiled and hurried out the door. It was a blessing and a privilege to be living here with Grandma. Something she may not be able to do if she ever got married, since her husband might want a place of their own. If a marriage were to happen, which Lenore thought was doubtful, she would join forces with her parents to convince Grandma to move in with them.
After Lenore went out the door, Mary Ruth remained at the kitchen table with a cup of cinnamon tea, pondering what Lenore said about being invited to Mark’s birthday celebration. She couldn’t help feeling some concern that Lenore might end up getting serious about Mark. He was obviously trying to develop a relationship with her or he wouldn’t have invited her to take a ride in his buggy last evening, not to mention asking her to attend his birthday supper.
Mary Ruth took a sip of tea and set the cup on the table with renewed determination. “I have to come up with some way to get Lenore and Jesse together again. If I were to invite him and Cindy to join us for supper some evening, that might seem too obvious to both Lenore and Jesse. Maybe I should enlist someone’s help with this.” She tipped her head from side to side, weighing her choices. “Now who could I ask that’s had some experience in matchmaking?”
As Sara wrapped a gift for a customer, she tried to keep her focus on making the package look as nice as possible. It was hard to keep her focus on anything other than the unresolved disagreement she and Brad were having.
We should have talked things through before going to bed, Sara thought as she handed her customer the wrapped item.
“Thank you.” The young woman smiled. “I’m sure my mother will like the pretty beaded necklace and matching earrings. Mom’s allergic to most flowers, so I appreciate that you sell other things here besides floral arrangements.”
“You’re welcome.” Sara did her best to offer a friendly smile. “I make the beaded items whenever I have some free time.”
“This is my first time in your shop, but it won’t be the last,” the woman called over her shoulder as she headed for the door.
Sara was pleased by the customer’s comment, but her heart still felt heavy. When she went home this evening she planned to air things out with Brad and say she was sorry for anything she’d said yesterday that may have hurt him. And I need to give him the benefit of the doubt. With all the busyness in the shop the past week or so, maybe he did mention plans for a barbecue and I just forgot.
Since no other customers were in the store for the moment, Sara stepped into the back room to see if Misty needed her help with anything.
Sara’s nose twitched and she sneezed a couple of times. She was surprised to see Misty putting bleach in a bucket with the grate for the Gerbera daisies.
“How come you’re adding bleach in there?” Sara asked, stepping up to her talented designer.
Misty gestured to the daisies. “It may seem strange, but Gerbs like the bleach. It actually helps them stay fresh longer.”
Sara’s eyes widened. “How interesting. I never would have guessed that any flower would do well in bleach.”
“Would you like another tip—only this one’s for tulips?”
“Sure.”
“Putting a couple of pennies in the bottom of the vase helps tulips stand up straight.”
Sara tipped her head. “Seriously?”
“Yes, and did you know tulips are the only flowers that continue to grow after they are cut? They can grow up to an inch.” There was a gleam in Misty’s eyes. “Here’s another one for you. Hydrangeas can be a difficult flower to keep alive once they’re cut, as they wilt easily. So the trick is after you cut them, you should dip them in alum before adding them to an arrangement. Some florists turn them upside down in the water for a while and then turn them over, cut the stems, and put them upright in the bucket. Oh, and spritzing the hydrangea can help some too.”
Sara gave a slow, disbelieving shake of her head. “You are amazing, Misty—so full of information the average person would not know.”
Misty grinned. “It’s my job as a floral designer to know lots of things about flowers.”
Sara patted Misty’s arm. “I’m glad you’re here working for me. I’d be lost without you.”
The bell on the front door jingled, signaling a customer had come into the store. “I’d better get out there. Talk to you later, Misty.”
Misty gave a nod. “Sure thing.”
When Sara stepped into the front of her flower shop, she was surprised to see Brad standing in front of the counter, holding one hand against his chest. “I came to apologize to my beautiful wife. If I did plan the barbecue without telling you, I was wrong, and I shouldn’t have gone to bed last night without saying I’m sorry.”
Sara rushed into his arms. “I’m just as much at fault as you for the disagreement and not resolving it then. Will you forgive me, Brad?”
“Of course.” He gently patted her back. “If you want me to cancel the barbecue, I’ll call everyone and ask if we can make it for some other time. It was inconsiderate of me to plan something like that so close to Mother’s Day, knowing how busy you’ve been.”
A few tears leaked out from under Sara’s lashes. “You don’t have to cancel, but maybe you could ask everyone if they would mind bringing a salad, chips, or dessert to accompany the meat you’ll barbecue. That would help, and I wouldn’t have to do any major preparation.”
“Sounds good to me.” When Brad lifted Sara’s chin and gave her a kiss, the ache in her heart she’d felt earlier melted like ice on a hot summer day.
By the end of the school day Lenore was more than ready to head for Moyer’s Book Barn. She’d changed her mind and decided to go there and see if any of their used books about the history of Pennsylvania were in good enough condition to buy. If she couldn’t find anything to her liking, she would go to Gordonville. Lenore also planned to give Mark one of her homemade greeting cards to go with whatever present she found.
As Lenore headed down the road a short time later, keeping her horse at a steady pace, her thoughts went to Jesse. Had he really asked about her when he’d stopped to see Grandma yesterday evening?
What would I have said to him if I had been home? Lenore kept a firm grip on the reins. I probably would have kept my focus mainly on Cindy and said very little to Jesse. After all, how does a woman make small talk with a man who broke their engagement? What would there be to converse about?
Lenore swatted at the annoying fly that had found its way into her buggy before she left the schoolyard. I suppose I could have mentioned the lovely spring weather we’re having. Or maybe asked how Cindy’s been doing in the care of his wife’s great-aunt.
Lenore was fully aware of how much Grandma missed taking care of Jesse’s little girl. It was obvious whenever she looked longingly at the toys she’d gotten out for Cindy to play with, kept in a wooden box Grandpa had made when Lenore and her brothers were children.
Maybe I should speak to Grandma about this. I could suggest that she talk to Jesse and volunteer to watch Cindy again. I’ll just make myself scarce whenever he drops Cindy off or picks her up. That way, at least Grandma will be happy.
As the old book barn came into view, Lenore quieted her thoughts and focused on the task of finding Mark an appropriate gift.