Today hadn’t gone the way Joe had planned. It seemed the wedge between him and Anna had been driven further, forcing them apart even more. When Anna had entered the shop this morning, hope had filled his heart. But the scenario he had imagined never happened. How could they get back to that place where they once communed together?
Anna hadn’t been in a good mood today. After their brief conversation in the break room this morning, they hadn’t spoken two words to each other.
A man walked in the door carting a large bouquet of flowers. Were they from Linda’s husband? Joseph smiled.
“Is there an Anna Smucker here?” the man from the florist asked.
Joe’s smile turned upside down. He pointed to where Anna helped a customer.
Joe watched as Anna’s face lit up in delight. She read the small card attached to the flowers and smiled. When she unintentionally caught Joe’s eye, she abruptly turned around. He watched as she excused herself, then cheerfully took the flowers to the break room.
<><><>
Joseph double checked the door to be certain Anna was still assisting a customer. He quickly and quietly tip-toed over to the bouquet of flowers, searching for the card.
“What are you doing?”
Joseph jumped. “Harvey, you scared me to death.”
Harvey chuckled. “Caught ya with your hand in the cookie jar, did I?”
“Shh…just keep watch while I read the card.” He held the small envelope in his hand.
“You know, you really shouldn’t be doing that.”
“You’re right.” Joe moved to put the card back.
Harv began his exposition from memory, “To my beloved Anna, You are the most wonderful woman in the world. Flowers are lovely, but they pale in comparison to your beauty. Looking forward to tonight. Yours alone, Aaron.” Harvey’s face brightened. “Pretty debonair fellow, wouldn’t you say?”
“Is that really what it says?” Joe lifted a brow.
Harv nodded sheepishly. “I read it earlier. Figured you’d be wantin’ to know what it said.”
Joe plopped down into one of the chairs at the table and stared miserably at the beautiful red roses. “What am I going to do, Harv?”
“Why don’t you pray? Then wait on the Lord.”
“Should I just stand by and watch Anna marry Aaron?”
“Pray. And wait on the Lord.”
Joseph sucked in a deep breath and released it heavily. “Okay.”
<><><>
Aaron walked into Threads of Beauty ten minutes prior to closing time. Anna was glad to see him, anxious to be on her way home. The atmosphere had been way too tense in the store today. She thought she’d be thrilled to see Joe again, and she had been this morning. But it seemed there had been a brick wall between them since.
“I need to wait until Linda arrives before I can leave,” she informed Aaron. “She had some errands to run.” Anna refolded several scraps of material on the Clearance table and organized them as they’d been earlier in the day. Why is it that customers could never replace items the way they found them? Oh well, just part of the job. At least it kept her busy.
Aaron nodded and took a seat and pulled out a newspaper from his coat. He glanced over at Joe behind the cash register, still irked by his presence.
Linda entered the store carrying several bolts of fabric and Joe rushed to help her. They took her purchases into the back room, then Linda beckoned Anna to the back room as well.
Aaron eyed the cash register, a dozen thoughts swirling in his mind. It’s now or never, he told himself. He rushed to the register and quickly opened it. He lifted the drawer and grabbed the large bills from underneath. He rapidly closed the drawer and glanced around for a place to stash the money. He spied Joe’s Bible on one of the inside shelves. Perfect!
<><><>
Anna and Linda walked out of the break room. Anna smiled at Aaron as he patiently sat where she’d last seen him, still reading his newspaper. “I’ll be ready to go in just a few minutes, Aaron. Linda and I need to go over today’s sales receipts and count the money. You don’t mind waiting, do you?”
“No, of course not, Schatzi.” Aaron’s eyes sparkled.
Anna opened up the cash register and removed the drawer. She gasped when she didn’t see the large bills underneath.
Linda moved close and whispered, “Anna, is there a problem?”
Anna gestured to the empty drawer bottom. “The money’s gone…you don’t think?” She hated to think the worst of Joe, but history spoke for itself.
“Well, perhaps there’s another explanation. Maybe it’s around here somewhere.”
Anna look at the shelf beneath the counter. Something green peeked out from Joseph’s Bible. She pointed it out to Linda.
Linda frowned. “Oh no.” She sighed.
Aaron walked up. “Is there a problem?”
“There’s money missing,” Anna volunteered.
“I’ll call the police,” Aaron said, hastily making his way out the door.
<><><>
Joseph stood in shock as the officer brought his hands behind his back and placed the cuffs on his wrists. Another officer stood stalwart, reading him his rights. He kept silent.
Anna’s disappointed gaze darted elsewhere when he forlornly looked her way, but not before he recognized the shame. It was the same look his father had given him before he’d walked out the door the last time.
Pray and wait on the Lord.
This time, no matter what happened, he couldn’t let his faith waver. But it was different now. Somehow, he felt peace instead of fear.
God was in control.