“How nice to see you, Evelyn.” Lizzie came from behind a closed bedroom door, yawning. She turned to Rose. “Hon, why don’tyou go take a look upstairs and make sure our guests have enough towels and that everything is in order.”
“I already did.” Rose gleamed. “I’ve cleaned the bathrooms, refreshed toiletries, and double-checked each room. And thereare plenty of towels in the bathrooms.”
“I thought I saw that we were running short on lavender soap. There’s plenty more in the basement, but can you be a dear and go see if each bathroom has a gut supply? That woman . . . um, Quinn . . . mentioned how much she liked it. Maybe put some extras out for her to take homenext time you go to the basement.”
“Jayce likes the smell of lavender too.” Evelyn felt herself starting to blush. “I use lavender soap, and he mentioned somethingabout it.” As she tried to casually shrug, Lizzie stared at her, tipping her head to one side.
“I’ve been putting a spicier scent in the bathroom that the men are sharing,” Rose said. “But I can put some of the lavendersoap in theirs too.”
“Ach nee. I didn’t mean he would use lavender soap. That’s probably a type of soap more for women. He just said he thinks of me when he smells lavender.” Evelynwas sure her face was reddening even more. And she was ashamed of herself for being so deliberate, making sure Rose knew Jaycewas spoken for, which was hardly the case.
“Ya, okay. I’ll put extra lavender soap out in the women’s bathroom.” Rose hurried to the stairs. Once she was out of sight,Lizzie fell onto the couch, leaned her head back, and closed her eyes.
“I thought I’d better come save you.” She lifted her head. “That is one sweet maedel. She can’t cook, but that can be taught. She knows how to clean without a doubt.” Moaning, she motioned for Evelyn to sitdown on the couch beside her. “But I don’t have a clue how to teach her not to talk so much. She wears me out.”
“She said she made some chicken salad, a recipe Jayce gave her.” Evelyn was fishing for information. She hoped it didn’t show. Lizzie and Esther were known matchmakers. If they thought there was even a hint of love in the air, they’d be sharpening their cupid arrows. Maybe they already had hopes that Jayce would stay around for Rose. That seemed unlikely.
Lizzie straightened her prayer covering as she sat taller on the couch. Her bare feet barely touched the floor when she satall the way back against the cushion. “The chicken salad wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t really gut either. And considering Jayce prepared a fine breakfast, I was surprised lunch wasn’t better. But when I checked the recipe,I asked Rose if she’d followed it exactly. She said she’d miscalculated how much salt to use and forgotten the dill weed.”Lizzie scrunched her face up, then leaned closer to Evelyn. “How do you miscalculate salt?”
Evelyn grinned.
“I heard her say that food was the way to a man’s stomach.” Lizzie huffed as she rolled her eyes. “She’s going to be an oldmaid if that’s the case.”
Lizzie’s comments squelched any worries that she and Esther were playing matchmaker between Rose and Jayce. Then Lizzie’seyes lit up. “Hon, I’m always happy when you visit, but are you here to see me or Esther?” She raised an eyebrow. “Or someoneelse?”
Evelyn cleared her throat and avoided Lizzie’s inquiring gaze. “I’m having supper with Jayce.” She glanced out the window.“He said four o’clock, but I’m a little early.” She finally looked at Lizzie, and Evelyn felt like a fish caught on a hook.
“Ach, a date. I see.” Lizzie twisted to face Evelyn. “He’s a handsome boy.”
Evelyn covered her mouth to cough, buying herself some time and hoping to deflect this conversation. “He’s not really a boy. He’s twenty-two.” Her mother had called Jayce a boy too.
“At my age, dear, twenty-two is a boy.” She twirled the string of her prayer covering. “He doesn’t like his life in Los Angeles,and he doesn’t fit in with the rest of them. He and his father don’t get along at all. It’s sad.” She showed off her shinywhite dentures. False teeth changed a person’s smile. Sometimes for the better, but other times they seemed to distort a person’sfeatures. Lizzie’s teeth lent cuteness to her unique personality.
Evelyn looked out the window again when she heard footsteps coming up the front porch. “Naomi is here,” she said to Lizzie,happy to have a distraction from the conversation. Evelyn could tell where Lizzie was heading.
“Wie bischt, Evelyn. Nice to see you.” Naomi had a box about twice the size of a shoebox under her arm. “This is for you and Esther.”
Lizzie stood. “I hope it isn’t heavy. You shouldn’t be carrying anything that weighs much.” She winked at Naomi.
Pregnancies weren’t usually discussed, but prior to Naomi marrying Amos, and before Evelyn started working at the BargainCenter, she and Naomi had been close. Naomi had shared with her that she was having twins.
Naomi passed the box to Lizzie. “It isn’t heavy. Amos and I have been cleaning the basement, and we found the box in a corner.I guess we’d never noticed it before, but it has your names on it.”
“Goodness me. I don’t know how a person would get into this thing. Look at all the tape around it.” Lizzie pulled a pair of reading glasses from her apron pocket and looked closer at a small card taped to the box. “Hmm . . . It just says to Esther and Lizzie. It has to be from our mamm.” She eyed the box a moment longer, then excused herself to the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
“Isn’t that Esther’s bedroom?” Evelyn asked Naomi.
“Ya, they are sharing the room for now. Rose is sleeping in Lizzie’s room until all these movie people are gone.” Naomi put ahand on her belly. With the type of clothing they wore, Evelyn could barely
