An Honest Love (11 page)

“Elisabeth, I think your
mudder
has topped herself this time.” The short, plump woman sitting next to Mr. Mullet smiled at them both. “I don’t know how she gets the meat so tender.”

“Me either. I wish I had half of her cooking talent.”

“I’m sure you’re a fine cook.”

“Who are you?” Mullet punched his fork in the air in Aaron’s direction.

“Zachariah, please.” Looking horrified, Mrs. Mullet put her hand on her husband’s forearm and guided his fork back to his plate. She leaned over and whispered in his ear. “That’s Aaron Detweiler.”

Aaron wanted to disappear underneath the old man’s scrutinizing gaze. He seemed to stare at Aaron for eternity. He could only imagine what
Herr
Mullet was thinking, probably realizing he was breaking bread with a former criminal. He wouldn’t be surprised if the man and his wife got up from the table and left.

“Detweiler.” Mullet said the name slowly, like it was a piece of gristle he couldn’t chew completely. “Aaron Detweiler.” Then he finally turned to his wife.

Aaron scooted his chair back. He didn’t need this. If these people didn’t want to sit with an ex-con, he’d do them the favor by leaving. He moved to get up.

“Oh, now I know who you are. Sarah’s youngest boy.” Mullet leaned back in his chair and smiled, his stern expression completely disappearing.

“How many times have I told you to get your eyes checked?” Mrs. Mullet looked at Elisabeth, then at Aaron, clearly exasperated. “Stubborn
mann
. He can’t see two feet in front of him.”

“Can too.” He speared the last piece of pot roast on his plate. “Been a long time since I seen this
bu
.”

“He comes to church,” Mrs. Mullet pointed out. “Every service.”

“That don’t mean nothing. Lot’s of people come to church. We have a big district. Can’t expect me to remember every single person.”

Mrs. Mullet sighed. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with him.”

“There ain’t nothing wrong with my hearing, Alma, and I heard that!”

Aaron glanced at the Mullets, then at Elisabeth, who was staring down at her lap. One of the hairpins holding her
kapp
in place was crooked. Her shoulders started to shake, and he could tell she was trying to contain her laughter.

For the first time that afternoon he allowed himself to relax a bit. The Mullets, finished with their dinner, excused themselves and left the table. When they were gone, Elisabeth burst into giggles.

“That was hysterical.” She brought her hand up to her mouth, her eyes glittering with humor. “
Herr
Mullet staring you down like that. And all because he can’t see.”

“That’s not why I thought he was staring me down.”

“You’re kidding. Everyone knows Carol’s grandpa is practically blind. The only reason he knows who I am is because the Mullets are family friends. I’ve known them all my life.” Her smile faded. “Wait a minute. You’re serious, aren’t you?”

He stood up. “I’ll get us something to eat.”

Elisabeth watched Aaron make his way to the dining room, where two long tables had been set up end to end, laden with a variety of numerous dishes. Behind the tables several women served heaping helpings of food. As Aaron waited his turn, she studied him, wondering why he had reacted to Mr. Mullet that way. Even as he stood in line, he seemed to separate himself from everyone else, not speaking to anyone unless spoken to.

It didn’t take him long to go through the line, and soon he came back carrying two plates. He set the plate in front of her. “Wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a little bit of everything.”

She looked down at a thick slice of her mother’s pot roast, smothered in rich brown gravy, fluffy potatoes, buttery corn, creamy celery casserole, and a fresh slice of bread. Her mouth watered as the aromas reached her nose. “Perfect.
Danki
.”

He lowered his head and dug into his meal as if she weren’t there.

Despite her hunger, she kept looking at him, wondering if she would ever figure him out.

“What?” he said, glancing up, his mouth full of food.

“You never answered my question.”

He swallowed his food. “Which one? You’ve been so
inquisitive
today, I lost track.”

“Ha ha. Why did you think
Herr
Mullet was staring at you?”

“Does it matter?”

“
Ya
. And I’m not eating until you answer me.”

“You’re assuming I won’t let you starve.”

“Oh, I know you won’t let me starve.”

He regarded her for a moment. “Okay, but I’m answering you only because
I’m
starving, and the Mullets were right, this pot roast is fantastic.”

She grinned. His response was a small victory but a victory nevertheless. “I’m listening.”

“My past is not exactly a secret around here. People pretty much see the words
drug dealer
stamped on my forehead whenever they look at me.”

“That’s not true.” Elisabeth looked at him. “I don’t, and obviously the Mullets don’t either.”

“But that’s what I thought. So there’s your answer.” He picked up a slice of bread slathered with butter. “Now, can I eat in peace?”

“I suppose.” She took her fork and slid it into the tender pot roast. “So is that why you keep to yourself so much? You think everyone thinks badly of you because you were in jail?”

“So much for the peaceful part.” He kept his gaze on his plate. “And I don’t think everyone thinks badly of me.”

“I know for a fact the Mullets wouldn’t think that way because
Herr
Mullet’s brother Nathaniel got arrested years ago for stealing a neighbor’s horse.”

He looked up at her. “Really?”

“
Ya
. That was when I was a little girl. I remember him spending time in the pokey for a while.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “The
pokey
?”

“Isn’t that what they call jail?”

“Who calls it that?”

“I don’t know, I thought I heard someone say it.”

He shook his head, a genuine smile on his face. “The pokey. I’ve heard a lot of names for jail, but never that one. ”

She wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Maybe I read it in a book. But I’m pretty sure I heard it somewhere, because I don’t read too many books.”

“Me either. Never been much of a reader. Rachel’s a different story. Always saw her with a book in her hand.”

“That’s my sister Ruth. I can’t believe she hasn’t gone blind from it.”

“I don’t think you can go blind from reading, Elisabeth.”

“I know that, Aaron.” She lifted a brow at him. “It’s an expression.”

“I know it’s an expression, I just didn’t know if you knew.”

“Well, I know, okay?” Her good humor started to fade. “I’m not stupid.”

Aaron set down his fork. “I never said you were.”

“I’m sure you were thinking it.”

“Elisabeth, I have never thought you were stupid. It’s amazing what you’ve done with the office. Everything is organized, the accounts are always balanced, and you’ve done a great job keeping track of the orders. That takes smarts.”

She blushed at his compliment. “
Danki
, Aaron. That’s nice of you to say.”

He tore a chunk off his piece of bread. “I’m not being nice, I’m being honest.”

“I’m glad you think I’m doing a
gut
job. I was worried I’d screw up.”

“Well, you were late on the first day.” His lips formed a smile, a rare occurrence.

Tilting her head, her grin widened. “You have a nice smile, Aaron. You should smile more often.”

He cleared his throat and glanced away. She thought she saw his cheeks redden. He scooped up the last bite of mashed potatoes on his plate. Certain he would bolt as soon as he finished eating, she asked, “What was jail like?”

Aaron froze for a moment, mid-chew. Then he swallowed and looked straight at her. “You don’t want to know.”

“If I didn’t want to know, I wouldn’t have asked.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have asked.”

“Was it that bad?”

“
Ya
,” he said, without hesitation. “It was bad. And it’s a place you don’t want to
geh
.”

She nodded, matching her mood to his. “I never intend to.”

“
Gut
.”

“Was it hard to get off drugs?”

He grimaced. “What’s with the third degree, Elisabeth?”

“It’s not a third degree. I’m just making conversation.”

“That’s not what it feels like.”

“I didn’t mean it to feel that way. I’m genuinely curious.” She set her fork down. “But if you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

They sat in silence for a long moment. The murmurs of the other conversations in the room surrounded them, and she wished Aaron would say something. Just as she thought they were having a good time—okay, a decent time—she had to say something to grind everything to a stop.

“Elisabeth?”

She looked up to see her sister, Ruth, standing by the table. “What is it?”

“We need your help in the kitchen. Carol’s
mami
and a few other women haven’t had a chance to eat yet.” She looked at Aaron for a moment, then back at Elisabeth, a puzzled expression on her face.

“All right.” She rose from her chair and moved to pick up her plate. Aaron stood up.

“I’ll see you later?” She met his eyes, searching to see if he was still upset with her. If he was, she couldn’t tell, as his usual passive mask was firmly in place.

He gave her a brief nod, then walked away. She followed him with her gaze and saw him walk out the door. With a sigh, she picked up their plates and headed to the kitchen with Ruth.

“What’s going on with you and Aaron?” Ruth asked as they entered the Mullets’ crowded kitchen. In addition to two women washing and drying dishes, two others were stirring pots on the stove while others were preparing dessert.

Elisabeth took the plates to the sink and handed them to one of the washers. “Nothing. We were just eating together.”

“By yourselves.” Ruth lifted her brow, a sly smile on her face.

“Only for a short while. We were eating with the Mullets, but they’d finished their meal and left.”

“Mm hmm.” Ruth gave her a knowing look, then went to the kitchen table where their mother was slicing pies and cakes.

“We’re just friends!”

Several of the women, including her mother, stopped and looked at her.

Elisabeth ignored their stares, irritated with Ruth for bringing the subject up in the first place. She found an apron and put it over her dress, then busied herself with the work in the kitchen.

But she couldn’t put Aaron out of her mind. Were they friends? She wasn’t sure. One moment they were getting along and the next they were irritated with each other. That didn’t seem like a friendship to her.

She had no idea where they stood with each other, and for some reason that really bothered her.

Anna glanced at Lukas sitting beside her, enjoying a plate piled high with creamy celery casserole, crispy fried chicken, warm buttery rolls, and steaming cabbage and noodles. In between bites he visited with Tobias and Rachel, who were seated across from them. She took note of how the brothers were a contrast not only physically but in temperament as well. Tall and lean, with wavy blond hair and blue eyes, Tobias was quick with a joke and enjoyed teasing everyone in sight. Lukas’s dark hair and complexion seemed to match his usual no-nonsense mood. While he could be lighthearted, he approached nearly everything with absolute seriousness, a quality she appreciated and one of the many things she liked about him.

She glanced at her own plate, which was almost empty. Happiness that she hadn’t felt in a long time flowed through her. When he had asked to take her to the wedding a couple of days ago, she wasn’t completely sure she wanted to go, but she had agreed to anyway. It was getting harder and harder to tell Lukas no to anything.

The anxiety she thought she’d feel during the wedding service never materialized. She also hadn’t thought about Daniel much at all lately, as Lukas continued to move into her thoughts and into her heart. She remembered what he’d said to her a couple of months ago, when he had first told her he liked her.
What you see is
what you get
. He had been right about that. Unselfish, honest, and loyal, he turned out to be everything Daniel wasn’t.