An Honest Love (12 page)

“Anna?”

She turned at the sound of Lukas’s voice. His dark brows furrowed slightly as he looked at her. “You’re awful quiet all of the sudden. Everything okay?”

She looked up to see that Tobias and Rachel were gone. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t even see them get up. I hope they didn’t think I was rude.”

“
Nee
, I’m sure they didn’t. You seemed to be in deep thought.”

“I was.”

“About what?”

Facing him, she said, “Daniel.”

“Oh.” He picked up his fork and turned it back and forth in his fingers. “I was afraid of that.”

“What?”

“I almost didn’t ask you to come today. I thought it might bring back bad memories.” He set down the fork and pushed back the chair. “We can leave if you want.”

She put her hand on his forearm. “
Nee
. I’ve had a great time, Lukas. I’m glad I got to talk to your brother and sister-in-law. And the food has been
sehr gut
.”

He looked at her hand on his arm, then back at her. His lips curved in a smile. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I want you to be happy, Anna.”

She lost herself in the warmth of his gaze. “Oh, I am, Lukas.”

Chapter 7

C
’mon, Elisabeth. I promise, it will be fun.”

Elisabeth stood outside Gabe’s blacksmith shop, talking to her friend Deborah, who had stopped by after her morning shift at Mary Yoder’s Amish Kitchen, where she was a waitress. Elisabeth had known Deborah for years, since they were in school together, but Elisabeth hadn’t seen her much since they had both started working. She was surprised to see Deborah pull up in the Miller’s driveway, and even more surprised by her invitation.

“I don’t know, Deborah. Who’s all going to be at the party?”

“Some people from work.”

“So it’s a work party?”

“
Nee
, not just people from work. Other friends. Amish friends.” Deborah tugged on the wristband of her knitted navy blue gloves. “This isn’t like you, Elisabeth. I’ve never known you to turn down an opportunity to
geh
out.”

“This is different.” Elisabeth had restricted her social life to mostly Amish gatherings, and she liked it that way. Up until a few months ago, Deborah had been a part of the same group of friends, but she hadn’t been at any of the singings this fall. “I’ve never been to one of these parties.”

“I have, and trust me, you’ll have a
gut
time. It’s at James Schrock’s house, back in his barn. You know how huge that thing is. It can hold over two hundred people.”

Elisabeth frowned. She’d heard through the grapevine that James was a shady character. He was eighteen, and since they’d all left school, he’d turned wild, cutting his hair short and even getting a car. His parents did little to curb his bad behavior. “I heard one of his parties got broken up by the police.”

“
Nee
, that was just a rumor. Look, I really want you to come. You can meet some of my new friends.”

“New friends?”

“
Ya
. One of them just moved into Middlefield. He’s really nice. We can all just hang out for a while.”

“I don’t know,” Elisabeth said, biting her lower lip.

“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to come back. Someone can even take you home early if you want.” She moved to stand next to Elisabeth and linked her arm through hers. “I miss you. We haven’t done anything together in a long time.”

Elisabeth had to admit that she’d also missed her friend. “There’s a barn raising at the Bontragers’ on Saturday. Why don’t you come to that?”

“I can’t make it Saturday.”

“Why not?”

“I have to work.”

“Then stop by after work.”

“I can’t.” She released Elisabeth and stepped away. “You know, you’re being a little snobby about this.”

“Snobby?”

“Yeah.” Deborah rubbed her finger under her nose. “Like you’re too
gut
to
geh
to the Schrocks’.”

Elisabeth shook her head, appalled her friend would think that. “That’s not it at all. I don’t think I’m too
gut
for anything.”

Deborah shrugged. “I’m just saying that’s how it seems to me.”

“All right. I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I’m asking.” She tugged on the bow of her black bonnet before climbing into her buggy. “Chase and I will be by to pick you up around eight tomorrow.”

“Chase?”

“
Ya
. He’s the one I want you to meet. Just started working at the restaurant. We’ve been hanging out. And he has the sweetest car you’ve ever seen. I have no idea what kind it is, but it’s so cool!”

Elisabeth took a step toward her friend. “Wait, I haven’t said I’d
geh
.”

Deborah merely grinned and grabbed the horse’s reins. “See you tomorrow night!”

Elisabeth half waved to Deborah as she pulled her buggy out of the driveway, wondering at the change in her friend.
Sweetest car
?
So cool
? Since when did Deborah talk like that?

She turned around to head inside, only to see Aaron standing there. Her heart leaped to her throat, and she put her hand over her chest. “
Gut
grief! You scared me! I didn’t know you were standing there.”

His blue eyes, normally void of emotion, were chips of ice, and his mouth was set in a thin line. “You’re not seriously thinking about going to that party, are you?”

“You were eavesdropping?”

He leaned forward, ignoring her question. “Are you?”

She’d spent half a year wishing she could elicit some kind of reaction from Aaron Detweiler, but overbearing disapproval wasn’t it.

He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Doesn’t matter. You can’t
geh
.”

Her hackles rose. “Excuse me? Since when do you tell me what I can or cannot do?”

“Since you’re considering doing something stupid, that’s when.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Number one, you shouldn’t have been eavesdropping on a private conversation—”

“It’s not private when you’re standing out here two feet from the Dumpster. Anyone could have heard you. What if Moriah had come outside? Do you think she’d be happy to know you were going to a Yankee party?”

“It’s not a Yankee party. It’s at the Schrocks’.”

“I guarantee there’ll be more Yanks than Amish there.”

“So?” Elisabeth was starting to see why Deborah thought her snobby. Aaron was coming across the same way. “You act like being around Yankees will give me a disease or something.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. That’s not what I mean. You know what goes on at those parties.”

Elisabeth crossed her arms over her chest. She wore a navy blue sweater over her dress, but it did little to ward off the early spring chill in the air. “Since I’ve never been to one, I don’t.” She didn’t mention that she’d heard what happened at some of those parties, especially about the drinking. “And since when do you have the right to act like my big
bruder
? Or worse, my
daed
?”

“In this case I have every right.”

“
Nee
, you don’t.” She brushed past him and went back inside the shop, straight to her office. When she tried to shut the door, he grabbed it, stopping her. “Will you just let it
geh
?”

He stepped inside the office and closed the door behind him. “
Nee
. I won’t. Not until you tell me you aren’t going to the Schrocks’.”

“I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal about this.” She went to her desk and sat down, then picked up the accounts ledger. Maybe if she ignored him he would go away.

“Because unlike you, I’ve been to these types of parties. And I know what goes on there.” When she didn’t respond, he went and stood beside her, not speaking.

She finally looked up at him. “Deborah’s my friend, Aaron. She wouldn’t invite me if there was going to be trouble. And you haven’t attended every party in Middlefield. I’m sure this one will be fine.”

“And what if it isn’t? What if there’s drinking? People using drugs? Girls and guys pairing off to go into cars or up in the hayloft? Because that’s what these kids do, Elisabeth. They get drunk and high. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what else they’re doing.”

Her face heated, and she turned away. “I wouldn’t do something like that.”

“When you’re under the influence of alcohol or drugs—or both—you’re capable of anything.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, and I’ve paid for them. With jail time, remember?”

She turned and looked up at him, fully expecting to see his hardened expression. Instead, she saw regret.

“You don’t want to get caught up in that, Elisabeth. Because I know how tempting all of that freedom is. All of the things we’ve been told not to do. Then once drugs and drink get ahold of you, it’s almost impossible to break free.”

“You did it.”

“
Ya
, and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. I went to rehab while I was in jail. And when I got out I had to fight the temptation to go back to my former life. To start drinking and using again. I’m still paying the consequences of those choices.”

Under any other circumstances she would have appreciated that he had finally revealed something so important, but she couldn’t help but feel talked down to. “That’s you. I don’t drink, and I’ve never even seen a drug. And I can’t believe you think I’d go off with some guy and . . . and . . .” Anger took the words from her mouth. She gripped the ledger book until the sides bent. “I have work to do.”

“Promise me you won’t
geh
to that party, Elisabeth.”

The lowness of his voice, along with the intensity and a touch of pleading in his words, almost made her look at him again. But she held her ground and thrust open the account book, tapping random numbers on the calculator as if she were deeply involved in balancing the books. Only when she heard him leave, loudly shutting the door behind him, did she look up. Through the small window on the office door, she saw him storm off toward the forge.

Hurt coursed through her. She couldn’t believe how little he thought of her. After all this time of working together, he thought she had so little character . . . so little
common sense
. Even when she had explained and defended herself, he still didn’t trust her enough to let the subject drop.

And since when did he actually care what she did? He’d never expressed any interest in what she did outside of work, and he had done nothing but refuse the gestures of friendship she’d extended his way, their miniscule conversation at Carol and Christian’s wedding the one exception. What right did he have to tell her what to do?

Well, she’d prove him wrong. She’d go to the party with Deborah tomorrow night, she’d have a good time, and she’d stay out of trouble. She’d show him she wasn’t as weak and stupid as he thought she was.

“This is useless, Aaron.” Gabe picked up a warped horseshoe, the second of a pair of shoes Aaron had made a little over an hour ago, just after he had talked to Elisabeth. He had a feeling everything he said went right through her ears without sinking into that stubborn brain of hers.

“Sorry.” He grabbed the shoe and its ruined match and tossed them into a pile of scrap. He’d recycle the shoes later, but he hated doing poor work. He had always taken pride in producing quality work for Gabe and his father. He never wanted to let them down.

Gabe looked at him, his expression concerned. “You seem to have something on your mind. Anything you want to talk about?”

Aaron shook his head. He didn’t want to worry Gabe about Elisabeth, and he held on to a thin reed of hope that what he’d said to her would make her change her mind. “I don’t want to get behind on that order for that farm down in Ravenna.”

“All right.” Gabe touched Aaron’s shoulder. “But if you need anything, let me know. The work’s important, but not as important as
familye
.”

He nodded, touched by Gabe’s words. “
Danki
.”

Gabe patted him on the arm and walked away.

For the rest of the day, Aaron tried not to think about Elisabeth going to the Schrocks’, but it took every ounce of his concentration to put her out of his mind. He’d never been so relieved when quitting time drew near.