Sarasota Dreams (54 page)

Ruthie noticed how quiet Papa was during supper. Mother occasionally glanced back and forth between Papa and Ruthie, but she didn’t say anything. Finally when she got up to serve dessert, Papa motioned for her to sit back down.

“I would like to discuss some things with the two of you,” he said.

“Can’t it wait?” Mother asked.

“Neh. I would like to do it now.”

Mother folded her hands in her lap and nodded. Ruthie could tell Mother already knew what was going on. She turned to Papa. “What is so important that we have to talk about it now?”

“I spoke with Howard Krahn this afternoon. He seems to think the reason we are not opposed to the Polks joining the church has something to do with Charles courting you.”

“We’re not exactly courting.” Ruthie glanced down at the table as her cheeks flamed.

Papa propped his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers. “That is not the way people in the church see things.”

“Why would that be a problem?” Mother asked. “I would think that would make people appreciate the Polks even more.”

“Not the way they look at it,” Papa said. “Howard seems to think we stand a good chance of losing Ruthie to the world if she continues seeing Charles.” He turned and faced Ruthie with a long gaze before shaking his head and turning back to Mother. “Our daughter has a good head on her shoulders. I don’t see her leaving the church for any man. Besides, if the Polks are sincere—and I think they are—it is a decision that requires many hours of hard work and effort.”

“Ya,” Mother agreed. “I don’t think someone who wasn’t sincere would go to that much trouble.”

Ruthie listened to her parents discussing the Polks and decided this was probably not a good time to continue pursuing a relationship with Charles—at least not until they were sure. If his family wound up not joining the church, she’d be an emotional mess. As it was, she liked him enough to know she’d miss him if she didn’t see him again. On the other hand, if his family eventually became accepted members, she was still young and she had plenty of time to court Charles—that is, if he wanted to.

“Well?” Papa asked, staring at her. “What do you think about it?”

She blinked. “Sorry, Papa. I wasn’t listening.”

He leaned back in his chair, folded his arms, and feigned anger. “Not listening? What kind of daughter doesn’t listen?” Before she could respond, he burst out laughing. “Thinking about the young man again? I understand.” He reached for Mother’s hand. “We were young once.”

Ruthie needed to set her parents straight. “I like Charles, but I’ve decided I need to back off … at least for now. There is no point in continuing to see him if I’m not sure he’ll even stay.”

Papa gave her an odd glance. “Have you prayed about this?”

She couldn’t lie, so she shook her head. “No, Papa, but I don’t think the Lord wants me taking chances like this.”

“Ruthie, the Lord wants you to turn to Him for everything, including matters of the heart, which doesn’t mean you can’t take chances. If you care about Charles as much as I think you do, you should turn to God and ask for guidance. Don’t try to make any decisions without Him.”

Papa was right, but Ruthie didn’t know where to start with a prayer about her relationship—particularly since she wasn’t certain how Charles felt about her. She didn’t have enough experience with men to even begin figuring them out.

“That is what your Mother and I will pray for, Ruthie. And I want you to remember to do the same.”

After dinner all three of them cleared the dishes. Mother filled the sink with water, and Papa went out to the backyard to check on his tomatoes that had been attacked by aphids.

“Ruthie, do you mind bringing me the saltshaker?” Mother asked. “The humidity has the holes blocked, and I need to clear them out.”

They worked in silence as they finished cleaning the kitchen. Once they were finished, Ruthie went out the front door and watched the sun set.

A few minutes after the sun went down, Papa joined her on the porch. “Rosemary seems like a nice girl. Do you think she can handle the store?”

“She caught on to the paperwork fairly quickly, but she seems timid around the customers,” Ruthie replied.

Pop looked down at Ruthie. “You were that girl once, remember?”

She smiled. “I still am.”

“And you do just fine with the customers, so I suspect she will, too.”

He had an excellent point, and she nodded. “True.”

“My concern is how motivated she is to make the effort.”

“I’ll try to find out,” Ruthie offered. “She said she likes it here.”

“That’s a good start. Why don’t you get your office work done early and spend more time with her on the sales floor tomorrow?”

The next morning Charles decided to leave the house early and stop by the Kauffmans’ souvenir shop before going to the campus. He was surprised to see another woman standing behind the counter. As he approached, he thought he saw fear in her eyes. His heart sank as he assumed she must be one of the people from the church he hadn’t met yet.

“M–may I help you?” she asked as he got closer.

“Is Ruthie around?”

“Um … she stepped out for just a few minutes. Would you like me to give her a message?”

“Do you think she’ll be back in the next five minutes or so?”

She nodded. “I think so.”

“Good, then I’ll wait.”

As Charles walked around and perused the aisles, he couldn’t help but smile at some of the merchandise. The store offered everything from scented, orange-shaped erasers to chocolate alligators. He imagined tourists buying some of those items and wondering what to do with them once they got home.

“Charles?”

The sound of Ruthie’s voice from behind caught his attention. He turned and found himself face-to-face with Ruthie, and his breath caught in his throat. The sweet expression on her face had captured his heart, and he suspected he’d never be able to erase the image of her soulful eyes looking at him at this moment.

“Hi, Ruthie. I just wanted to stop by and see you for a few minutes before I go to class.”

“Did you need something?” she asked as she took a step back.

Charles looked around, trying to think of something to say. His gaze settled on the other woman in the store. “Who is she?”

“Oh, that’s Rosemary. Papa hired her to help out, and I’m training her.”

“I don’t think I’ve met her,” Charles said. “Does she go to our—I mean, your church?”

Ruthie studied him for a second before replying. “She just moved here, but I think she will go to our church.”

Charles was at a loss for words. In the past, he would have resorted to putting on a clown act, but he didn’t want to do that with Ruthie. She’d see right through him.

He lifted his arm and glanced at his watch. “Well, I better get going. I have to catch the next bus to make it to class on time.”

A
fter Charles left, Ruthie turned and walked toward Rosemary. “Did you have any problems while I was gone?”

  “Neh,” Rosemary said. “That man you were just talking to was the only person who came in.”

Ruthie cleared her throat. “Tuesdays are generally slow. Papa should be here shortly. Once he arrives, we can place the order. I’ll let you do it.”

“But—”

“You’ll do just fine. I’ll be right there with you to make sure you don’t make any mistakes.”

Having someone to teach gave Ruthie confidence she didn’t know she possessed, even though she sensed something else going on with Rosemary. Papa had trusted her, and now she was happy to rise to the occasion. But she made a mental note to be cautious.

After Papa came into the store, Ruthie and Rosemary spent the rest of the time going through the new catalogs and ordering merchandise. “Until you learn your way around here, it’s probably best to concentrate on reorders of what we know sells,” she explained. “Papa likes to add new merchandise, but he’s very careful about which vendors he chooses. Some of them aren’t as reputable as others, and we won’t carry merchandise that doesn’t fit what we believe.”

Ruthie was happy to see that Rosemary paid close attention and asked questions. Occasionally she caught Rosemary giving her an odd look, but she didn’t mention it. Instead she found something else to explain.

Dan Hostetler from one of the neighboring shops stopped by right before noon. “I saw the Polk boy come in here earlier,” he told Papa.

Ruthie quickly stilled as she waited for Papa’s reaction. It was Rosemary, however, who broke into a coughing fit. “I’ll get you some water,” Ruthie offered.

“Neh,” Rosemary said. “I’ll be fine.”

Papa frowned at Rosemary before responding to Mr. Hostetler. “I didn’t know the Polk boy was here, but that is fine by me. Did you have anything else to say about it?”

“No,” Mr. Hostetler said, shaking his head while staring at Ruthie through narrowed eyes. “I just thought you needed to know since you weren’t in the store at the time.”

“He can come in here anytime the store is open,” Papa said. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Mr. Hostetler mumbled a few words about evil trying to infiltrate the church before leaving. Ruthie noticed Papa’s jaw tightening.

Ruthie wished Rosemary wouldn’t stare at her. She felt as though Rosemary was judging her.

Papa went back to the office, leaving the women on the sales floor. Ruthie decided to explain stock rotation and other merchandising concepts since they were still so slow.

After a half hour, Ruthie had taught her everything she knew about merchandising. Rosemary still looked puzzled.

“Is there anything you still don’t understand?” Ruthie asked.

“One thing,” Rosemary said. “Is it always this slow around here?”

“No, it’s just that way early in the week and during the times between our tourist seasons.”

“When are the tourist seasons?” Rosemary asked.

“Holidays are generally busy. We see a lot of older people during the winter, and then families come when their children get out of school in the summertime.”

Rosemary nodded. “I guess you probably don’t have many customers who are from Sarasota.”

“Actually we have quite a few. Some people like to buy Florida souvenirs for family and friends up north.”

Ruthie hadn’t realized how much she knew about her family’s business until Rosemary asked all those questions. The extra confidence boost made her feel good.

“I have one more question,” Rosemary said softly.

Fully expecting it to be about business, Ruthie looked at Rosemary.

“What’s that?”

“Why are you courting that Polk man? My uncle says he’s not Mennonite, and if he has anything to do with it, he and his family won’t be allowed to join the church.”

For a shy girl, Rosemary sure did know how to produce a shock. Ruthie felt her blood rush as she tried to think of an answer. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Fortunately Papa walked up and took over.

“All done here?” he asked. Instead of waiting for an answer, he gave a clipped nod toward the door. “You can go on home now, Rosemary. We’ll see you in the morning.”

He folded his arms and waited for Rosemary to get her bag. As soon as she left, he turned to Ruthie. “How long has she been talking about the Polks?”

“Not long,” Ruthie replied. “She just asked—”

“I heard what she asked,” Papa said. “She has no business coming into our store and talking to you like that.”

“She surprised me.”

“Next time she says anything about her uncle’s opinion of the Polk family, tell me right away so I can deal with it. I would have said something this time, but I wanted to find out what you’d already told her first.”

Ruthie swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay, Papa.”

Fortunately the summer semester was a short one. Charles didn’t think he could last much longer in the classes that had ceased to hold his interest a long time ago. He studied hard during the next couple of weeks to get good grades, in case he ever decided to go back to school.

When he first mentioned his desires to Abe, he was surprised at Abe’s reaction. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret. I agree with your father. Finish the semester and make sure you do it on good terms. You may decide to finish your education, and getting low grades will make it more difficult to come back.”