Esther had been working on Gus, trying to teach him to be polite and civil to folks. The man had a long way to go, but todaywas proof of Esther’s and the Lord’s efforts. Gus was coming around.
As she walked up the porch steps, she thought about Evelyn and Jayce. The more she pondered, the easier it was to see them together. She hoped they were enjoying each other’s company today, but she also said a quick prayer that no one would get hurt. She also prayed that she and Lizzie would follow the Lord’s lead when it came to Jayce and Evelyn.
After she found Lizzie in the bedroom folding towels on the bed, she told her everything Gus had said. “It would be excitingif he stayed on, don’t you think?”
Lizzie shrugged. “Ya, he’s a nice kid. But he’s not Amish, and that changes things up a little.”
Esther blinked in surprise. Lizzie was the one always jumping on the romantic bandwagon, even if the odds of the couple gettingtogether were slim.
Lizzie picked up the towels. “I’m going to take these upstairs while the movie people are still in the dining room.” She frowned.“They eat a lot more when Rose isn’t cooking.”
Esther sighed. “I know.”
Lizzie walked out, leaving Esther to wonder if maybe her sister was madder about the box than she’d let on. Then Esther walkedto the window, closed her eyes, and prayed again that Evelyn and Jayce were having a good day, whatever they were doing.
* * *
Jayce couldn’t believe how wigged out Evelyn was. They’d barely rounded the corner when she started trembling and squeezinghis hand. It was fairly dark with only the dimly lit running lights on the boat and a small light attached to Adam’s hat.He’d swapped out his Amish straw hat before they left. Twice Adam had asked if they wanted to go back, and Evelyn shook herhead both times.
At some point Jayce’s arm had found its way around Evelyn, and he held her snug against him. “You okay?” he whispered. She nodded but was quiet.
Adam rattled on with a constant stream of information about the caverns, how they were discovered, how deep the water was,and a bunch of other details Jayce wasn’t retaining. He was sure Evelyn wasn’t processing the information, either, as hereyes jetted back and forth, especially near low ceilings. Adam kept his focus on maneuvering the boat while he talked.
“I got you,” Jayce said as he pulled Evelyn even closer. “Nothing’s going to happen on my watch.”
Adam pointed out various water creatures, then paused. “Evelyn, you okay? Jayce?”
Jayce looked up to see they were at a dead end. He’d been so worried about Evelyn and the way she was trembling, he hadn’thad time to panic. Until now.
* * *
Evelyn knew what happened at this juncture. They were at the halfway point. The guides always turned off the lights so visitorscould see how truly dark it was in the cave. She was pretty sure, under the circumstances, Adam wouldn’t suggest that. Andhe didn’t.
As they started back, Evelyn realized she’d held her breath half the time, snuggled into the safety of Jayce’s arms, and hadn’tasked him once how he was doing.
“Is this as awful as you thought it would be?” She stayed close to him, the feel of his arm around her a memory she’d carry home with her and cherish later.
He flinched. “It’s not something I’d want to do all the time, but I’ll do it tomorrow and show my dad I can. But . . .” Hegot close to her ear and whispered, “I know you were nervous. I could feel it. Somehow, that kept me distracted. I wantedto be sure you were okay.” His lips brushed her earlobe on the way to her cheek where he kissed her softly, sending a rushof emotion flooding over her.
As he stared into her eyes, she realized she’d never wanted a man to kiss her more than at this very moment. She eased outof his embrace and faced him. “I’m glad we did this.”
“I’m glad it’s half over.” Jayce smiled as he cupped her cheek.
It was coming—the kiss—and she didn’t want it to be in front of Adam. Her eyes drifted in his direction. Adam cleared histhroat.
“We omitted one part of the tour,” Adam said as he winked at Evelyn. “But I think you two did so well, you might want to experiencethe lights-out part.”
Jayce stiffened as he lowered his hand. “Uh, lights out? For how long?”
“However long we want,” Evelyn said softly as she brought his hand back to her cheek, holding it there while her eyes foundhis and held his gaze.
“I think I’m ready,” Jayce said as a slow smile swept across his face.
Then everything went black, and even though Evelyn couldn’t see the look in Jayce’s eyes, she knew what he looked like right now. She felt it through his touch and the overwhelming emotion that came through in his kiss. He was slow and thoughtful at first, gradually becoming more exploratory, almost as if he was speaking to her with his mouth. And she was answering with all her heart. His closeness seemed comfortable and familiar, yet new and exciting at the same time, sending her stomach into a wild swirl. The kiss seemed to go on forever, and Evelyn had no desire for it to end.
When the lights finally came back on, she wiggled free, but Jayce and Adam laughed. “Caught!” Adam said.
Evelyn covered her face with her hands at first but eventually laughed along with them.
When they got back to the boat ramp, Adam began to tie up the boat. “Evelyn, you did really gut,” he said before he straightened and turned to Jayce. “And you seemed to do okay too.” He paused, grinning. “Better
