Jayce stepped up from the last step of the basement into the kitchen, closing the door behind him. “Wow. There’s a lot ofstuff down there.”
“Ya, someday we will get things cleaned out. We only go down there to bring up more food we’ve canned and to run clothes throughthe wringer.” They’d also actually locked two young couples down there in hopes of solidifying a union. The first time wasa failed attempt with Naomi and a man who was not right for her, but the second time she’d been with Amos, and that resultedin a patched-up argument, which eventually led to marriage. Esther wasn’t about to share that with Jayce. She tried to offerthe boy a smile, but all she wanted to do was go to bed and collapse.
Lizzie grumbled when someone knocked at the front door.
“I’ll see who it is,” Jayce said, his white T-shirt wet from the towels he’d carried. “Bound to be one of our crowd.”
“Where is Rose?” Lizzie asked after Jayce left the room. “I’m surprised no one has complained about breakfast this morning.What was it anyway?”
Esther rubbed one of her temples, willing it to stop throbbing. “Some type of egg casserole—her mudder’s recipe, she said.”
“I hope her mudder prepares it better than she did.” Lizzie rolled her eyes.
“Ya, well, no one complained, and it got eaten. We will just need to see what she’s gut at and maybe adjust the way we do things. If cooking isn’t her strong suit, perhaps something else will be.”
“Well, I checked the upstairs bathrooms earlier, and they’re spotless.” Lizzie paused. “Did you clean them today?”
Esther shook her head. “Nee, I didn’t. Rose must have.”
“She must have cleaned them and vanished. I’ll go see if she’s in her room.” Lizzie nodded toward the dining room. “Thosemovie people must have no personal lives. All they do is meet in there and talk about that movie they’re making. Don’t theyhave families? I haven’t heard a one of them on the phone, checking in with anyone, nothing.”
“I’m sure they do that in private, Lizzie.” Esther’s lips thinned with irritation. “Have you thought about where your teethmight be?”
Amos came into the kitchen with Jayce behind him. “Naomi sent over these pies and two casseroles.” He piled everything onthe kitchen table. “She knows you shop on Thursdays and said you might need some extra food for all your guests. She wouldhave come herself, but her feet are swollen, and I told her to rest.”
“She needn’t be getting out in this weather anyway.” Esther eyed the gifts. “Please tell her we send our thanks. This willhelp a lot.”
“Jayce said there’s a leak in the roof. You still have that ladder in the barn, the really tall one?” Amos was soaked fromrunning to the inn. “I’m going to get up there and have a look.”
“I’ll help,” Jayce said as Esther handed Amos a towel to wipe his face and nodded about the ladder.
After they were gone, Lizzie leaned against the counter and attempted to straighten her prayer covering. “Well, the cropsand flowers are going to benefit from all this rain if we don’t float away.”
Quinn emerged from the dining room holding an empty coffee cup. “Looks like we might be in our meeting for a while. If you’llshow me where everything is, I’ll make more coffee.”
Lizzie took the woman’s cup. “I’ll handle it, hon.” After Quinn left, Lizzie said, “I’m sure that woman has never percolatedcoffee before in her life. Probably has some fancy machine where she comes from.”
“It was nice of her to offer.” Esther stowed the casseroles in the refrigerator. “Bless Naomi for thinking of us.”
“I miss that maedel.” Lizzie started the coffee percolating and leaned against the counter again. “But I’m glad she and Amos stayed close by.Just think . . .” Lizzie smiled, despite her weariness. “We’ll have two little ones running around soon.”
A few minutes later, Amos and Jayce came back into the kitchen, both dripping wet. “We’ve got a tarp secured over the leak,but some shingles need to be replaced. I know lots of areas are flooded, but we had high winds too. When I’m able to get tothe hardware store, I’ll get the supplies to repair it.” Amos turned to Jayce and shook his hand. “Danki for the help.”
“No problem.” Jayce turned to Esther after Amos left. “The new girl, Rose, must have cleaned upstairs because when I gathered up all the towels she’d piled in a corner, I peeked in the other rooms to make sure there weren’t any other leaks. There weren’t, and nothing was out of place. Even Quinn’s room was straightened and organized. And she’s more of a slob than the rest of us.” He walked to the pitcher of tea on the counter and poured himself a glass, then turned to Esther. “I’m at your disposal.” He nodded to the dining room. “They don’t need me, and I don’t want to be in there, so what can I do to help?”
“Sohn, you’re not on the payroll. You’re a guest.” Lizzie sighed. “Unless you can help me find mei teeth.”
Esther gasped. “Lizzie, those dentures are your responsibility. Jayce isn’t going to help you find them.”
Rose rushed into the room and handed Lizzie her dentures. “After I collected eggs, and I didn’t drop any, I went to the barnto check on the animals.” She bounced up on her toes. The girl seemed to be in perpetual motion. Esther felt even more tiredjust watching the girl’s energy level rising. “I love the goats. They’re probably mei favorite of all the animals. But I checked on the horses, fed them, and brushed them. I also filled up their water trough.Mei shoes are outside. It’s very muddy. I dried off as best I could on the porch.” She looked down and wiggled her toes. “Anyway,your dentures were on the workbench.”
Lizzie snapped her fingers. “That’s right! The broom handle broke, and I went to get another
