Sarasota Dreams (29 page)

“Pray about it,” Abe advised. “You might discover an opportunity that you never thought possible.”

Mary let out a chuckle. “Come on, Abe, why don’t you tell Jeremiah what we’ve been discussing?”

“Maybe later.”

Jeremiah pulled to a stop in front of the old farmhouse, put the car in
Park,
and turned toward Abe. “What is Mary talking about?”

Mary got out of the car and waited for the men. They started walking toward the house when she turned to face them. “You two go talk while I get lunch on the table. It’ll be about half an hour.”

Abe grinned at his wife then turned to face Jeremiah. “My wife is a wise woman, and she doesn’t believe in waiting for things.”

Jeremiah ran his fingers through his hair. “Both of you are talking in riddles. Since you’ve decided to let me in on this one, let’s talk now. I’m with Mary on not liking to wait.”

T
hey walked past the barn toward a field that had obviously not been worked in years. Jeremiah looked out over the flat terrain before turning to face Abe, who shielded his eyes. “What do you think about all that land?”

“It looks good,” Jeremiah replied. “Why? Are you thinking about planting some crops on it?”

“Been thinking about it.”

“Any idea what you want to plant?”

Abe shook his head, removed his hand from his face, and looked Jeremiah directly in the eye. “It’s all up to you.”

“Me?” Now Abe was back to talking in riddles, and Jeremiah had no idea how to figure out this one.

“Ya, I’d like to sell it to you.”

Jeremiah let out a nervous laugh. “If I had two spare nickels to rub together, I’d consider trying to find a way to buy it, but I can’t afford to right now—at least not until my debt is paid off.”

“This land has been sitting here for years. It’s a shame to let it go to waste. Mary and I have been talking about a way for you to buy it, and she actually came up with a good idea. I’ll put you to work on it and let you have one of the men who helped remove the barn to work for you. Whatever crops you plant will be yours, but the land will continue to be mine. As you turn a profit, you can pay me for working it. You should do well with the hundred acres I want to sell you.”

“A hundred acres?”

Abe offered a clipped nod. “Ya. That’s what we have here.”

“I appreciate it, Abe, but that’s way too generous.”

Abe shrugged. “Not really. That land is just sitting there doing nothing. If you work it, once the harvest comes in I won’t have to pay your salary since you’ll be making money off the crops. You will also pay the man who helps you.”

“But before the crops come in, I’ll have to work another job.”

“Ya, you’ll continue to work for me. I’m sure I’ll have plenty for you to do around here, but when you’re finished for the day, you’ll go over and tend your own crops.” He gave Jeremiah a serious look. “You will have to work very long hours, but since you’ve been with me, I can tell you are able to do that.”

Jeremiah looked back over the land, this time from a different perspective. All that land could be his if he said yes. It sure was a nice proposition.

“When do you want an answer?”

Abe gave him a puzzled look. “Why do you ask that?”

“I should probably consider it,” Jeremiah said.

“What is there to consider? You want land, and I’m offering you a good deal on a hundred fertile acres that I can’t use. You will be able to repay your debt much more quickly with your own crops.”

Indeed. Jeremiah had become so conditioned to look for the other person’s ulterior motive, he’d been afraid to give Abe a quick decision.

He pondered the pros and cons of taking Abe up on his offer. Mary hollered that lunch was ready, and Abe let her know they’d be right there.

Abe gestured toward the house. “Let’s go eat. Mary always puts a lot of work into cooking, and I don’t want to act like I don’t appreciate her.”

“Good move.” Jeremiah fell into step beside Abe, and they walked in silence for about a hundred yards. Before they reached the house, Jeremiah had made up his mind. “I’ll do it. I mean, if you are serious about wanting to do this deal for the land, I’d like to take you up on it.”

Abe leveled him with a serious glare. “I am always serious about any offer I make.” Then he relaxed.

“Yes, I know that, and I’m serious, too. This is probably the best opportunity I’ll ever have, and it’s definitely something I want to do.”

“Good. I’m glad you want to have your own crops. I always thought it was such a waste not to do something with that land. Some commercial developers have offered me more money than I’d ever need in my lifetime, but I thought the land could be put to much better use than what they were proposing.” He shook his head. “Converting farmland so close to my home could turn out to be a disaster.”

“We’ll be neighbors for life,” Jeremiah pointed out.

“Ya, that is true.”

If Jeremiah had ever doubted his decision to come back to the church he’d so abruptly left years ago, that was erased by Abe’s simple statement. “Thank you, Abe. I’ll do everything I can not to let you down.”

“I’m not worried about that. I have faith that you’ll find the right crop to work.”

Jeremiah noticed the glance between Abe and Mary and then the twinkle in her eye when she realized he’d taken them up on their offer. A broad smile covered her lips as she gestured toward the table. “Jeremiah, why don’t you say the blessing today?”

After the “amen,” Mary handed Jeremiah the platter of sliced ham. He piled his plate with a couple of slices, a heaping spoon of scalloped potatoes, green beans, and fresh tomatoes. Abe spoke very little, except to tell Jeremiah some of the crops he’d considered for the property.

“But it’s ultimately up to you,” he added. “I don’t want to interfere in your business decisions.”

Jeremiah blotted his mouth with the cloth napkin and placed it back on his lap. “I like the idea of lemons, tomatoes, and peppers.”

“We know those will do well. After you establish your crops, you can experiment with different varieties and perhaps add new plants as you get comfortable,” Abe said. He turned to Mary. “What is for dessert?”

“In honor of our celebration, I made two desserts—coconut cake and peanut butter pie from my grandmother’s recipe.”

“I would like some of both,” Abe said. “How about you, Jeremiah?”

Still feeling as though he was floating from Abe’s offer, he nodded as he patted his belly. “I might regret it later, but that sounds good. I’d hate to have to decide between those two options.”

“Good!” Mary hopped up from the table to cut the pie and cake. She came back with dinner-size plates for the men, and then she went back to the counter to cut herself a small slice of pie.

“This is excellent, Mary,” Jeremiah said after taking a bite of each dessert. “Your grandmother taught you well.”

Mary blushed and lowered her head. Jeremiah glanced over at Abe, who smiled at his wife. The love between them was powerful and evident. Jeremiah sent up a silent prayer that he’d find a life partner who was as perfect for him as Abe and Mary were for each other. He wanted that person to be Shelley, but only if she was the one the Lord had picked out for him.

After they finished eating, Jeremiah watched Abe jump into action helping Mary. His own father had never lifted a finger around the house, but he could see the advantages of pitching in. Mary clearly appreciated Abe’s help, and it gave them more opportunities to interact. Jeremiah filed that in his memory bank for future use. Then he helped as much as he knew how to.

After everything was put away, Mary said she was tired and needed to lie down for a little while. Abe asked him to join him for a walk.

Once he and Abe were far enough away from the house that Jeremiah didn’t have to worry about Mary hearing them, he asked, “Is Mary okay? I don’t remember her getting tired in the middle of the day before.”

Abe chuckled. “Ya, she’s doing just fine for a woman who is going to have a baby in about six months.”

Jeremiah’s eyebrows shot up. “She is? You and Mary are going to be parents soon?” His heart pounded as hard as it would have if he’d been the father. “That’s great! I’m happy for you!”

“We are happy, too.”

“Have you told Mary’s grandparents yet?”

“Neh, so if you don’t mind, I’d like for you to keep that bit of information to yourself. We’ve been asking them to come out to see us, but her grandfather hasn’t been able to get away from the restaurant since they hired that new girl, and the late-shift manager is on vacation.” Abe chuckled. “He’s worried that some of the people will hurt Jocelyn’s feelings about the way she looks and acts.”

“Jocelyn is okay,” Jeremiah said. “And I think she can handle anything people say to her.”

“That is what Mary told him, but he isn’t ready to leave her alone yet.”

“So you and Mary will have to go to town to tell them the news,” Jeremiah said.

“Ya. We are going there on Wednesday.”

Jeremiah looked over toward the land that would soon be his, stretched his arms out, and sucked in a deep breath. This was turning out to be a wonderful day—full of delicious food and the best news he’d heard in ages.

Although Jeremiah could have hung around all day staring at the property, he didn’t want to overstay his welcome, so he thanked Abe, asked him to let Mary know how much he appreciated all the fabulous food, and headed back to his parents’ house in town. As he drove, he thought about having his own land and even building a house to live in with his future wife and children. The image brought a smile to his face like nothing else ever could have—not even his hot-orange sports car that he’d had such a hard time giving up.

Mr. Penner had asked Shelley to stick around later on Wednesday, so he could visit with Mary and Abe when they stopped by his house. The woman who worked as the late-shift manager was visiting family in Ohio, and he didn’t want to leave Jocelyn in charge yet.

“Mind if I eat first before we get slammed?” Jocelyn asked.

“Sure, that’s fine. I’m not all that hungry anyway.” Shelley hadn’t seen Jeremiah in several days. She knew he’d gone over to the Glick farm and had lunch with Abe and Mary on Sunday, so she’d planned to chat with Mary about it. But Mary hadn’t come by the restaurant lately, which Shelley thought was odd.

Jocelyn leaned over and waved her hand in front of Shelley’s face. “You okay?”

Shelley startled. “Um … ya, I’m just fine.”

“You seem out of sorts lately. Anything you wanna talk about?”

“Neh. I have a lot on my mind lately.”

“I can imagine.” Jocelyn started walking toward the kitchen to get her meal. She stopped and turned back to Shelley. “If you ever want to unload, I’m a good listener.”

“Thanks, Jocelyn.”

Shelley doubted Jocelyn would ever understand anything about her life—from being Mennonite to having a mother who was falling deeper into depression and a brother who’d never be completely independent. Sometimes her life felt weighty and more than she could bear until she prayed and allowed the Lord to remind her through scripture that there was more to life than what she had on earth.

The dining room was slow, which allowed both Jocelyn and Shelley to eat a little something before the crowd arrived. Shelley had just served the customers in the corner booth when she glanced up and saw Jeremiah walking toward her. She tried to be nonchalant when she greeted him, but the instant she opened her mouth, merely a squeak came out.

“Mind if I sit over there?” he asked, pointing to one of the empty tables in the dining room.

“That is fine,” Shelley replied, her voice softer than usual. “I’ll be right with you as soon as I bring these orders back to the kitchen.”

As soon as she got out of Jeremiah’s line of vision, Shelley stopped, took a deep breath, and tried to regain her composure. After not seeing him for a while, she’d managed to put him out of her mind—at least, she thought she had.

“Want me to take over?” Jocelyn said as she breezed by.

“Whatever for?”

Jocelyn offered an understanding grin. “Atta girl. Keep that attitude, and you’ll be able to fool him into thinking you don’t care. Guys like girls who play hard to get.”

“I’m not—” Shelley stopped herself to keep from defending herself, which would make it seem as though she was playing a game with Jeremiah. Well she wasn’t, was she? She paused for a moment to think about it. No, she definitely wasn’t playing any sort of game. She pushed that thought from her mind and plowed ahead.

After she felt that she could hold a decent conversation with Jeremiah, Shelley went back out to take his order. He asked for a piece of pie and some milk.

“Is that all?” she asked.

“Yes, I had dinner. I just wanted to stop by and see you.”

Shelley allowed a smile to tweak her lips. “You don’t have to order dessert if you’re not hungry.”

“I can always make room for some of Mrs. Penner’s delicious pie.”

“Okay, I’ll bring it right out.” Shelley turned and started toward the kitchen when she heard the jingle at the door. She turned around and saw Mr. and Mrs. Penner walking in, followed by Abe and Mary—all of them wearing broader grins than she’d ever seen on any of them. She glanced over her shoulder and spotted Jeremiah with the same expression. They were all definitely on to something, and she felt left out.