Joy made a quick inventory of the bakery’s supplies the following morning. She had plenty of staples: flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. At least this week she could avoid the market, maybe even next week. If she reduced the batch sizes and was careful not to burn anything, they could put off closing the shop a bit longer. Maybe even for good.
God, will You please send us more customers? As though God prompted her memory, the order for a dozen cinnamon rolls came to mind. She’d mixed the ingredients earlier, so the dough should have had enough time to rise. Joy hoped the man would remember his order. The last thing she wanted was a display cabinet full of unsold rolls.
Once the pan was in the oven, she set the timer. She wouldn’t chance a distraction that could cause her to forget. Joy leaned against the counter. It seemed odd not having more to make. Usually as one batch baked, she prepared the next. She grabbed the broom and swept the floor before the timer dinged. Joy removed the rolls from the oven, drizzled them with frosting, and placed them in a box once they cooled.
Hours later, she drummed her fingernails on the counter. Lord, would You please remind the man about the order he placed? And would You remind Sarah that she’s late? Again. Joy tapped the counter faster. Sarah certainly wasn’t upset last night when Lois brought up the possibility of closing the bakery. Joy half-expected her sister to stroll in any moment and announce she’d made other plans for the day.
Joy wandered out of the kitchen. She scanned the display cabinet. If the man didn’t pick up his order, she could squeeze them in on the bottom shelf. They probably wouldn’t all sell before turning stale. She checked the coffee level in the pot, then sat down at one of the tables with a piece of paper and pen. Without customers to wait on, she had time to write a letter.
Dear Cabinetmaker,
I can’t believe I’m admitting this to you, but you were right. My vision isn’t as clear as I had thought (long story so I’ll spare you having to listen to me ramble). As you said in one of your letters, I’m a pushover. My sister doesn’t think anything about coming into work late. She’s more interested in securing a marriage proposal than the bakery’s success. I’m the only one who cares if it stays open.
I’m sorry. You don’t need to hear my problems. But the next time I take an advance order for a dozen cinnamon rolls, I’m asking for the money up front. Well, maybe not—after all, I am a pushover.
The bell over the door jingled and Joy looked up.
“Gut mariye.” The handsome man smiled.
“Hello.” Joy folded the letter, stuffed it into an envelope, and stood. “I have the rolls you ordered in the back. I’ll get them.” Taking the letter with her, she went into the kitchen. She set the envelope on the counter and grabbed the pastry box.
“Your morning rush is over, I take it?”
Joy shook her head. “You’re mei first customer.” She placed the box on the counter. “Can I get you anything else?”
“Nett unless you have an idea for a stained glass window design that doesn’t involve a horse and buggy.”
“So that was why you were looking for a pattern?” She smiled. “I suppose you don’t look like a quilter.”
“Danki.” His cheeks turned a dark beet shade.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
He shrugged. “Why do you think I drove over to another town? I wasn’t going to risk one of mei friends seeing me enter a fabric store.”
“Oh, that would be traumatizing.” She chuckled.
“You have no idea.”
She sobered and stood taller. “Your secret is safe with me.”
He smiled.
“Besides, it wouldn’t be much fun to gossip about you since I don’t know your name.”
“I’m Noah. But I’m still holding you to our secret.”
She removed the order slip from the side of the box. “Since you’re the best customer I’ve had all morning, I guess I will.” If this was her only sale today, she dreaded having to give the report to Matthew at the supper table tonight. Now that she knew why he was so curious about sales, it made seeing empty tables stressful.
The bell dinged and Sarah poked her head in. “Just wanted to let you know I won’t be able to work today.” She ducked out.
Noah’s brows lifted.
“I should be used to it. Mei sister isn’t . . . interested in smelling like a brownie.”
“I don’t know why nett. I’m rather fond of the scent.” He motioned to the box next to the register. “I hope mei Englisch customer is drawn to the scent of cinnamon rolls. Maybe eating one will help when I tell her about nett finding a horse-and-buggy pattern.”
“She wants something Amish?”
“According to her, the entire motel is being remodeled to attract tourists seeking a glimpse of our Amish way.”
More visitors in the area might increase the bakery sales. Providing the bakery stayed open. She rang up his order. “What about doing the window in a quilt design?”
Noah smiled. “That’s a gut idea.” He handed her cash, then picked up the box. “Danki.”
“You’re welkom.”
He took a few steps away from the counter and stopped. “Did you want me to take the letter you were writing to your pen pal?”
“How do you know who I was writing to? And why do you keep calling him mei pen pal?”
He shrugged and contorted his lips into a lopsided smile.
She hesitated. It would save her from buying a stamp. Any savings would help. “Can you give me a minute?”
“Absolutely.”
She retreated into the kitchen. After jotting Cabinetmaker on the front of the envelope, she took it out front.
Noah reached for it.
“Wait.” She withdrew the letter. She’d have a little fun with him. “How do I know this will reach him unopened?”
He chuckled. “The letter I brought to you was sealed, jah?”
The door opened before she could answer. Lois looked around the empty room and frowned.
Joy handed Noah the envelope, silently praying he wouldn’t say anything in front of Lois about her pen pal.
Noah offered a cinnamon roll to the motel owner, Mrs. Paddock, as he used Joy’s suggestion of making the glass cabinets look like quilt blocks. “There’s a fabric store on Third Street and they have several quilts hanging on the walls. You could pick one out that you want me to copy.”
A simple block pattern wouldn’t take much to create out of glass. He hadn’t ever sweated over a job proposal before this one. Working on the motel cabinets would give him an excuse to drive over here regularly. After talking earlier with Joy, he wanted to get to know her better. He hoped he wouldn’t lose his chance once he confessed to writing the letters. Noah wiped his sleeve across his forehead. Just the thought of telling Joy that he was her pen pal made him sweat.
Mrs. Paddock placed her free hand on her hip. The woman took a bite of the roll and smiled. She walked the perimeter of the room, staring at the walls as if she were seeing it for the first time. “I think it could work.”
Noah let out a breath.
“I assume they sell the display quilts.”
“I can certainly find out.”
“Do you have time to look at the displays today? I would like to decide on the pattern so you can get busy. I still want this finished by Christmas. A block of rooms have already been reserved for a group of cross-country skiers.”
“Sure, how about now?” He didn’t want anything to stand in the way of securing this job. Christmas was less than two months away.
“I have a few phone calls to make before I can leave.”
“That’s fine. It takes me longer to get into town in mei buggy. I’ll meet you there.” Until she selected the design, he wouldn’t know if he had to order any special glass colors and that wouldn’t be before Monday.
She nodded and then took another bite of the roll. “This is really good.”
Noah smiled. “I think so too.” He’d eaten two of them on his way to the motel and would have eaten more had it not been for a sugar rush that made him shaky. Usually too much caffeine affected him that way, not sweets.
Noah headed to the door. He wasn’t sure how long Mrs. Paddock’s calls would take, but his ol’ mare, Cracker, wasn’t as fast as she used to be. He didn’t want to keep Mrs. Paddock waiting.
He reached for the door as she said, “Did you want to take the rest of your rolls?”
“Nay, share them with your work crew.” He continued walking outside.
Noah removed Cracker’s blanket and folded it. This morning when he hitched the buggy, he wasn’t sure if the gray clouds meant rain or snow. So far it hadn’t done either. Climbing onto the bench, he noticed Joy’s unopened letter. The traffic had been too heavy to read it earlier. He smiled, recalling the flicker in her eye when she playfully snatched the letter back. But once the customer entered the store, it was as if Joy panicked the way she shoved it into his hand.
He clicked his tongue and Cracker’s ears perked as she increased the pace. He wasn’t on the road long before it started to rain. It turned to sleet as he reached the outskirts of town. A Closed sign hung in the bakery window. He wasn’t sure what type of vehicle Mrs. Paddock drove, but he hoped the parking lot at the fabric store was empty so he could sit and read Joy’s letter.
He parked next to another buggy and spread the blanket over his horse. The letter would have to wait as several cars lined the building. He pressed his straw hat further on his head, but that didn’t keep his earlobes from numbing in the icy rain.
Inside the fabric store a blast of heat met him. So did Joy.
She wiggled her brows. “I must’ve been wrong earlier. This is two days in a row that you’ve visited the fabric store. Have you decided you want to learn how to sew?”
“Only if you’re teaching the class.”
Her eyes widened and she motioned to the opposite side of the room. “Meredith is with another customer. Is there something I can help you find?”
“I gave your suggestion to the motel owner and she’s going to stop in and pick out a quilt she likes. They are for sale, right?”
“Yes, but I’ll have to find out the price.”
“You might as well wait until she selects one,” he said when she started to turn.
“Okay. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Can I put a bakery order in for Monday?”
She smiled. “Cinnamon rolls again?”
“Surprise me.”
“So you want a dozen of . . . anything?”
He nodded. Anything that would give him a reason to see her again.
“Do you like chocolate? Nuts? Any allergies?”
Occupied by answering Joy’s questions, he didn’t notice Mrs. Paddock approach until she spoke.
“I think we might get snow tonight,” Mrs. Paddock said, her attention already drawn to the quilts.
He made a half shrug at Joy and trailed the Englischer to the different quilts. Several of them would be easy to copy. Most were straight cuts arranged in colorful block patterns.
“I like this one.” She pointed to the quilt of roses in the shape of a heart.
He studied the design. Not one simple cut.
“Can you do it?”
Noah cocked his head. “That’s—a lot of work.” A horse and buggy would have been simpler even without a pattern. He would have to start the project immediately. Since tomorrow wasn’t their Sunday to host the district services, he would be tempted to skip the afternoon fellowship to work in his shop. But his father, the district bishop, would disapprove. Besides, Noah would never challenge the Ordnung. The only work permitted on Sundays was tending livestock. Still, he would have to work night and day to finish by Christmas.
Joy stepped closer. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Yes,” Mrs. Paddock said. “Could you tell me the price of this quilt?”
“Excuse me while I get the information.”
“You haven’t seen them all.” Noah motioned to the back of the store. “There are more displayed on the back wall.”
Mrs. Paddock moved in that direction while he held his breath. But in the end, she still liked the rose quilt the best.
Joy returned. “It’s seven hundred.”
“You do have a pattern for it?” Noah was quick to ask. He wouldn’t be able to do the design without one to follow.
Joy nodded. “Jah, all the quilts on display have patterns.” She turned to Mrs. Paddock. “It might take a few minutes to get the quilt down, and it’s probably dusty after hanging several weeks.”
“Can I pay for it today and come back on a later date?”
“I’m sure that would be fine.” Joy craned her neck toward the register. “I see Meredith is free now. I’ll send her over.”
Noah followed Joy. “Can I look at the pattern? Also, do you have the fabric in stock?”
“Jah.” She stopped at a rack, thumbed through the different patterns, and handed it to him. “I’ll help you with the fabric in a minute. I need to tell Meredith about the purchase.”
“Okay,” he mumbled as he opened the pattern. He hoped the design wasn’t as difficult as it looked. A few minutes passed and Joy came up to him loaded down with multiple bolts of fabric. He reached out his arms. “Let me carry those.”
She released the stack to him. “You can set them on the cutting table.”
He lowered the bolts and studied the colors. Two different shades of green for the leaves, red, pink, and black for the stems; he should have all the colors in stock.
“How much yardage do you want?” She unrolled the first bolt.
“I’m nett sewing anything.” His defensive tone caused her to blink. “Sorry.” He cracked a smile. “You haven’t told me when the classes start.”
She cocked her head sideways and wagged the scissors.
“I just need enough to match the color with the stained glass.”
She snipped a small section and handed him the pieces.
“Danki.” He nodded toward the quilt. “Do you want help taking it down?”
“Probably, but let’s wait for Meredith to finish.” She piled the bolts at the end of the table. “I’m sure the window will be beautiful when you’re finished.”
“I hope so.” He glanced toward the door as Mrs. Paddock was leaving. “She wants it done by Christmas.”
A few moments later, he helped Joy and Meredith take down the quilt, paid for the pattern and swatches of fabric, then walked with Joy out to the buggies.
“You think this rain will turn to snow?” She pulled her cape tighter around her neck.
“It’d be better than sleet.” He unfastened her horse from the post, his conscience prodding him to set things straight about the letters. He handed her the reins. “I’ll be in earlier than today to pick up mei bakery order.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You opened mei letter, didn’t you?”