“She cooked the hens, right? She said she knew how to stuff them.” Esther opened the refrigerator and breathed a sigh of relief.“Ach, gut. There are six hens in here. And I see she made a salad. And the potatoes are peeled, cut, and ready to be boiled and mashed.”She breathed a sigh of relief. “She’s prepared supper, and it will still be gut if our guests want lunch tomorrow, or we can make more side dishes and reheat the hens. The four of us can dine on one tonight,assuming Jayce plans to eat.” She grinned. “And I haven’t seen that boy turn down a meal.”
She heard horse hooves crunching against the gravel driveway and walked to the window. “Is that Evelyn Schrock?”
Lizzie joined her. “Ya, sure is. I knew there was a spark between her and Jayce. I think they’re sweet on each other.”
Esther recognized the dreamy way Lizzie spoke. As much as she would love to nurture a budding romance, this wasn’t one toencourage. “Whether they are or not, Jayce leaves in a few weeks. You’ve already caused them to almost vomit by overwhelmingthem with vanilla in your buggy.”
Lizzie pushed her bottom lip out. “I made a mistake.” She pointed to the small house the couple lived in. “Amos didn’t livehere when he became smitten with Naomi. And now they are married and expecting twins.”
Esther put her hands on her hips and sighed. “Lizzie, Amos was Amish, even if he was from somewhere else. Jayce isn’t just from somewhere else. He might as well be from another planet.” She shook her head. “They are too different for us to intervene in any way. Encouraging a romance would only end with one or both of them hurt. We’ve already talked about this.”
“Maybe.” Lizzie continued staring out the window. “Stranger things have happened.” She leaned closer to the glass, craningher neck to see Jayce and Rose sitting on the porch. “And speaking of stranger . . .” She lifted her eyes to Esther’s. “Ihope that girl settles down, because she’ll put me in an early grave if she talks that much all the time.” She tapped a fingerto her head. “And I’m wondering if maybe a few marbles are missing. I know I set that timer for the bread.”
“In her defense we’ve both burned bread before. It’s her first day, so we will see how it goes.”
Lizzie huffed. “Here’s how it’s gonna go. She’s going to quit talking so much, or I’m going to lose mei mind.” She ambled barefoot toward the living room. “Your shift. I’m taking a nap.”
Esther watched Evelyn tether her horse and walk toward the house. Some days, when her arthritis was bothering her or her stomachulcer flared up, or even when she was just exhausted, she longed for youth. But age brings wisdom, and when she thought aboutit carefully, she realized she’d never want to go back to those early years.
Yes, she’d fallen in love and gotten married, but a person in his or her twenties was still finding their way. Esther prayedthat the three young people on the porch would make wise choices. Especially Evelyn and Jayce. She had no idea what to thinkabout Rose. She also prayed that she and Lizzie hadn’t worsened their already stressful situation with this new hire.
* * *
Evelyn slowly approached the porch since Jayce had made no effort to come to her. Instead, he sat on the porch swing besidea crying woman, his hand on her arm. It looked intimate enough that Evelyn had been tempted not to get out of the buggy butto just head back home.
“Should I leave?” she whispered as she stood at the bottom of the porch steps. “I don’t want to interrupt.”
“Nee, nee,” the woman said as she swiped at tears and stood up. “I’m Rose, Lizzie and Esther’s new employee. I’ve been hired to cook,clean, and help them run the inn. I’ve made a horrible mess of mei first day.” She held her arms stiff at her sides as she winced. “I wanted to make a gut impression. I think I’m overexcited. I just arrived here from Ohio. I don’t know anyone, and I just . . .” She covered herface with her hands, and Evelyn walked up the steps to her.
“Please don’t cry. Lizzie and Esther are wonderful people and very understanding. They know you’ll need time to adjust.” Evelyntouched the girl’s arm. Jayce slouched on the porch swing, one hand to his forehead.
Rose sniffled. “Are you here to see Lizzie or Esther?” She glanced over her shoulder. “Should I go get them?”
“Um . . .” She glanced at Jayce, who stood up.
“She’s here to see me,” he said before he yawned.
“If you’re tired, we can reschedule.” Evelyn didn’t mean for the comment to sound snappy when it left her mouth.
“Nope. Let’s go.” Jayce turned to Rose. “Everything is going to be okay. Don’t worry.”
Rose nodded. “I’ll just go inside and try to make amends with Lizzie and Esther.”
Jayce cleared his throat. “Maybe just let them rest for now. Having so many guests is wearing them out.”
She nodded, then Jayce motioned for Evelyn to follow him.
“Nice to meet you, Rose.” Evelyn waved before she got in step with Jayce.
“Oh wow,” he said once they were far enough away from the main house. He shook his head. “That is one sweet girl, but . . .”He turned to Evelyn. “She’s nuts.”
Evelyn playfully slapped Jayce’s arm. “That’s a terrible thing to say.” Oddly, a surge of relief coursed through her. At firstglance Jayce had looked cozy with Rose.
“Yeah, you’re right. Nuts is a bad word to use.” Jayce shook his head. “But she talks a lot.” He raised both eyebrows. “I mean, a whole lot.”
Another wave of relief washed over her. Then she saw a bench ahead facing the
