Her Brother's Keeper (25 page)

O
n the way to meet Ryan, Charlotte pulled her makeup bag from her purse and found her compact, glad it lit up since it was starting to get dark outside. She opened her bottle of foundation, dabbed a little on her finger, then stared at herself in the mirror. It had been so long since she'd applied any makeup, she had gotten used to how she looked without it. Continuing to look at herself, she realized she wasn't the same person as when she'd left, and she closed the compact, wiped the liquid that was on her finger on a tissue, then stuffed everything back in her purse.

“I'm pretty sure you are the first Amish woman I've taken to the Blue Pacific. Is this a special occasion?” The driver was someone that Hannah's family used often, and Hannah had already told Charlotte that she was a chatty woman about Lena's age.

“I guess it's sort of a special occasion. A friend is visiting the area, and we're meeting for din—supper.”

The woman nodded, and Charlotte was thinking that it was probably a good thing she didn't walk into the restaurant in Amish clothes, full makeup, and her hair hung loose and curled. She'd decided to keep her curls under her prayer covering, which somewhere along the line had taken on a new meaning—her
kapp
. She wondered how Ryan would react to her new Amish look. She'd already warned him about how she'd be dressed.

“They have great food there,” the woman said. “They're known for their sushi, but they also have eclectic choices on the menu, and—” She glanced over her shoulder. “Do you know what that means, hon? Eclectic?”

Charlotte was taken aback, but remembered that the Amish didn't get as much education as most people, so she stayed in character when she responded. “
Ya
, I do. I'm looking forward to eating there. I'm from Texas.”

“I thought I heard a bit of a Southern accent in your voice. What brings you to Lancaster County? Family? They don't have a lot of Amish in Texas, do they?”

Charlotte wished she could just clamp her lips closed and not answer, and she was searching for a way to answer this woman truthfully. She was never going to tell another lie when she left this place.

“I'm just visiting for a while, and no, there aren't many Amish communities in Texas.”
Ah, the truth
.

From that moment on, the woman—Mindy—did
most of the talking. Charlotte answered politely when the conversation called for it, but her stomach was churning, and not from hunger. She glanced at her bandaged hands. She'd let go of the rope about halfway down, when the pain had become too much to bear. She had a bruise on her hip from where she landed, but it could have been a lot worse, for her hands and her hip.

When the woman pulled up in front of the Blue Pacific, Charlotte paid her, looked at her cell phone, and realized she was a few minutes late, so she hurried to the door.

“I'm meeting someone,” she said to the hostess as she propped her black purse up on her shoulder, then put a hand across her stomach, hoping it would settle down. “His name is Ryan Hanemann,” she added.

“Yes. He's here. Please follow me.”

Charlotte followed the woman through what felt like a maze, and once they got to the very back of the restaurant, she saw Ryan stand up. It took every ounce of restraint she had not to run into his arms, and she certainly hadn't expected to tear up when she saw him, but her emotions lived permanently on her sleeve these days.

“You make a beautiful Amish woman.” He eased his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead, and she held on to him tightly for a few seconds before easing away. Ryan pulled out her chair, then moved to the other side of the small table.

“Danki
, sir,” she said as she slid into the chair, unable to keep her heart from dancing even though she was still
fighting tears. “I'm so happy to see you. I hate that it has to be like this.”

Ignoring her nod at her attire, Ryan reached over and gently grabbed her wrists, turning her palms faceup. “Still hurting?”

She nodded. “They were getting better until I slid on a rope out of my window, like an idiot.”

His touch was gentle as he rubbed his thumb along the top of her bandaged hands. “This is a good look for Charlotte Dolinsky.” He winked at her. “Minus the bandages.”

“Wow, I haven't heard my first and last name in a really long time.”

He leaned back against the chair. “You look different. And I don't mean because you're wearing Amish clothes or that you don't have on any makeup. But you look different, in a good way. And I like the new hair color I see peeking out from beneath your prayer covering.”

“Well, I was thinking of dressing this way from now on,” she said, grinning. “And I told you what happened with my hair.” She paused. “But maybe I'll keep this color.”

Ryan continued to study her for a few moments until the waitress walked up to take their order. After the woman left, Ryan refocused his gaze on Charlotte. “No, I'm serious. You're very pretty.”

Charlotte could feel her cheeks turning pink. “I'm fatter.” She smiled broadly.

Ryan's gray-blue eyes twinkled in the dimly lit space,
a single candle burning between them. “No, that's not it. You've always been a gorgeous woman, but you have a glow now.”

Charlotte was still basking in the compliment when Ryan went on.

“You look . . . happy.”

Charlotte took a sip from her glass of water that was already on the table when she arrived. “You know, I expected not to like Hannah or any of them. But they are the closest thing to family I've ever had. Except for Ethan, of course.”

“I hope you'll be able to stay in touch with them after you leave.” Ryan loosened the knot in a grayish-blue tie that matched his eyes. “Do you think Ethan killed himself because he felt guilty about having an affair with Edna?”

“I think there's only one person who might be able to answer that question. And that's really the last piece of the puzzle. Then I'll know.” She shrugged, sighing. “And then I'll go home. I still think that I will wait and write a long letter explaining everything once I'm back in Texas.”

They were quiet while the waitress placed their appetizer on the table. “This trip has never been about Ethan.” Ryan reached for a pot sticker from the plate between them. Charlotte took one of the fried chicken dumplings as she waited for Ryan to explain. “You always said that you felt unsettled because you didn't know why Ethan
killed himself. You said you couldn't move forward. Am I right?”

“Right.” Charlotte glanced around the table for a dipping sauce but she didn't see one.

“Charlotte, you're never going to know for sure what demons Ethan was carrying around to make him take his own life. Maybe it was guilt. Or something else. And I admit that I wanted answers too. But I don't think that I realized until this moment that these past few weeks have really been about you.” He smiled. “You found your family.”

Charlotte finished chewing her bite. “Wait, wait. I love those people. I really do. But they might not even speak to me after they learn the truth. I found out what having a family feels like, but I don't get to keep them as my own.”

Ryan tipped his head to the side. “Charlotte . . . you
did
find your family. You found your Father, and in Him, you've found your family and the missing piece of yourself that always left you feeling unsettled.” He reached over and touched her hand again. “So many times, we step onto a path with our own intentions guiding the way, but even if we are being led by God, many times the destination is by His design, not ours.”

Charlotte picked up her napkin and dabbed at her eyes. “I really am happy!” She gently pressed her bandaged palms against the table, half laughing, half crying.

“I'm happy for you. And I'm happy to be here with you.”

Finally. Is this my shot at happiness, God?

Isaac dropped his dirty boots by the front door when he got home from work since he'd managed to step in a puddle where the garden hose was leaking, leaving a muddy mess.
One more thing to fix around here.

“Wie bischt?”
His mother met him near the door. “Where's your
daed
?”

Isaac hung his hat on the rack by the door. “
Daed
insisted that we supervise the inventory this year, so he's still at the store with Phyllis and Tom. I came home so I can tend to the animals before it gets too late. Tom said he'll bring
Daed
home later.” He shook his head as he made his way to the kitchen for something to drink. His mother was on his heels. “Phyllis and Tom have always done a fine job, so it wonders me why
Daed
thinks they need our help this year.”

“Probably the same reason he wants to cut me into firewood.”

Isaac closed the refrigerator after he found the iced tea and spun around to face his mother, glowering. “
Mamm
, that's not funny.”

She covered her mouth with her hand, but her shoulders bounced a little as she stifled her giggle. “I know,” she finally said. “But I talked to your
daed
's doctor today and told him what was going on, that your father had been so mean . . . and saying crazy things. He does think there could be a problem with his medications, and he is
calling in some adjusted prescriptions for two of them. So, hopefully he will stop wanting to turn me into firewood.” She giggled this time.

Isaac shook his head, but he couldn't help but smile, feeling hopeful about this new information. “I hope that's the problem.”

“Me too. Please thank your friend, Mary, for forwarding that suggestion.”

Isaac took several swigs of tea before he lifted the lid from a simmering pot on the oven.
Pork roast.
He took a deep breath, savoring the aroma. “
Ya
, I will.” He put the lid back, leaving it cracked like his mother had. “I'm going to feed the animals.”

“So . . . will you be having any more picnics with Mary?” His mother leaned against the kitchen counter and smiled.

“Nee.”
He turned to go, but she called his name. He knew where this conversation was going.

“She seems very nice. Why not?”

“Mary doesn't even live here. You know that. Eventually, she will go back to Texas. We're just friends.”

His mother sighed. “Well, I believe her to be an angel sent from God. She was at least able to get you out on a real date. Do you think you'll stay in touch with her?”

Isaac glanced out the window into the darkness, then back at his mother. “I don't know,
Mamm
, but I need to tend to the critters.”

“Isaac.” She walked up to him and put a hand on
his arm. “When your father was first sick, I admit that I needed your help that first year. But despite his leg, your father is able to take care of himself now. You can't base your future on us. Do you hear me? If you don't get that
daadi haus
livable, I'm going to hire someone. Someone
Englisch
.” She grinned as she slapped him playfully on the arm. “So. Unless you want an
Englisch
carpenter underfoot for weeks, you best make that a priority.”

“Mamm
, you don't know if it's
Daed
's meds making him all loopy in the head. What if it's not?” Isaac thought about Ethan and his depression. He didn't want his
daed
struggling with the same thing.

“Sweet boy.” She shook her head. “Even if it isn't, we will get it figured out.” A smiled filled her face. “Unless he turns me into firewood.” She bent over laughing, then looked up at Isaac, who was too stunned to move. “Chop, chop!” she said. Then she laughed so hard that Isaac couldn't help but laugh with her.

Finally, he gathered himself. “It really isn't funny,
Mamm
.”

“Of course it is,” she said as she pulled a tissue from her apron pocket. “Your father and I have been married for thirty-four years. We squabble. And he's gotten lazy the past year. But he'd never hurt me. And I plan to keep pushing him to do more for himself.” She poked him in the arm. “So, you best get out there and find yourself a
fraa
before you are an old man.”

Isaac knew who he wanted to marry, but he just
nodded and went outside. He was going to stay close to his mother until he knew for certain his father wasn't losing his mind. And he wasn't going to ask out Hannah until Mary went back to Texas, out of respect.