A man wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers hat stepped in front of Jesse. “Are you Noelle Schrock?” he asked.
She nodded.
“I’m Steve Browne—the manager of the market.” She guessed he was in his forties. “Your driver called. She can’t give you a ride tonight. Some sort of emergency came up.”
Noelle rubbed the back of her hand over her forehead, wishing Jesse would go away. She didn’t have any idea what to do now, and she couldn’t think with him so close.
Jesse stepped to the man’s side. “We can give you a ride.”
We. She shook her head but didn’t speak.
Steve, who seemed to sense her discomfort, nodded toward Holly. “I’ll ask if Carlos can give you a lift.”
Before Noelle had a chance to say anything more, Steve disappeared into the crowd and Jesse stepped forward again. “Let me give you a ride.”
The last thing she wanted in all the world was to talk with Jesse King.
“Noelle.”
She couldn’t fathom how he could seem so familiar and so foreign all at the same time. The line of his jaw. His baby blue eyes. The way his hair curled along his forehead, ruining his bowl cut. It was as if he’d never been away. But he’d left her and married someone else. And now had a baby daughter in his arms. She turned toward the customer to her right, willing herself to remain calm.
Jesse stayed put, even after Steve returned and announced that Holly said Carlos could give her a ride. Noelle thanked the man and helped the next customer. A baby cried and Noelle realized it was Jesse’s. Where in the world was his wife?
A few minutes later, he finally left, without saying another word. God willing, Salome would recover quickly, and Noelle would never have to see Jesse again.
CHAPTER TWO
At six o’clock, when the bells rang to signal the market was closing, Noelle tucked the money box into her purse and then quickly packed up the leftover loaves of bread, sticky buns, and pies—far more than what she’d hoped for. It was obvious she wasn’t as good at sales as Salome. She’d only sold a couple of loaves of bread and a few boxes of sticky buns.
The manager wandered down the aisle, asking vendors if they needed help. His baseball cap was backward now, and it appeared he was as eager to go home as everyone else. Noelle grabbed an apple pie, surprising herself, and held the box out to him. “I have an extra,” she said. “Would you like it?”
“Wow.” He took it from her. “Salome has never given me a pie.”
Noelle winced. That was because Salome was a better businesswoman.
Steve smiled. “Thank you. My wife and kids will be thrilled.”
She nodded and then said, “I appreciate you asking Holly if they could give me a ride.”
“No problem. Tell Salome hello.”
Noelle said she would and then, as he continued on, turned her attention to across the way, where Holly was packing the last of her chocolates into her plastic crates as Carlos arrived. She didn’t have nearly as much left as Noelle.
Holly slapped her brother on the back. “We’re giving Noelle a ride.”
“Noelle?”
“Over there,” Holly said. “Salome’s sister. Is that all right?”
Carlos turned toward Noelle, a smile on his face. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll take out our crates and then come and help you too.”
Noelle slipped into her coat and finished tidying up the booth. When Carlos returned with the dolly, the three of them managed her boxes in one load. Carlos led the way, followed by Noelle and then Holly. As they neared the back door, Noelle spotted Jesse sitting on a bench, talking with the owner of the furniture booth as he gave the baby a bottle.
She quickened her pace.
But when Jesse saw her, he stood. “I’ll be at church tomorrow.” He effortlessly balanced the baby and bottle. “Could we talk then? About what happened?”
Noelle stopped abruptly, causing Holly to run into her, hitting her with a box. “Oops. You okay?”
Noelle ignored Holly and spun around toward Jesse. In a raw voice, she stammered, “I have nothing to say to you.”
In a calm and steady tone he said, “It’s apparent you haven’t changed your mind about me.”
Her voice shook as she asked, “What are you talking about?”
“You know.”
Noelle’s jaw dropped. “Actually, I have no idea.” He hadn’t come back. He’d dated an Englisch girl. Then he’d married someone else.
And now he was blaming her. Noelle stomped away, the heels of her boots clicking across the linoleum, without waiting for a response.
Holly followed, squeaking “Oops” again, this time to Jesse as she passed by.
When they stepped out into the cold, Holly asked, “Whoa, who was that?”
Noelle’s voice still shook as she said, “A guy I used to know.”
“Do you despise him? Or love him?” Holly raised her eyebrows. “The two can be so hard to distinguish between at times.”
Carlos shot his sister an exasperated look and said, “Ignore her. I’m still trying to teach her some manners.”
Holly shook her head and then stepped ahead to an old white pickup.
It had a canopy over the bed, and once they’d loaded the boxes, Noelle climbed into the back seat of the cab while Carlos and Holly sat up front. Noelle gave Carlos the address of Ted and Salome’s Dawdi Haus, where the boxes and products were stored, for now. They’d most likely move them once Noelle had the kitchen unpacked in the new house.
After Carlos entered the address into his phone, they were on their way. Soon the siblings’ conversation fell to their mother.
Noelle leaned her head against the cold glass of the window and looked out into the darkness, half listening to the brother and sister, envying how close they were.
Fifteen minutes later, they reached the Dawdi Haus. Both Holly and Carlos jumped down to help her unload.
