A Plain & Fancy Christmas Page 19

  By now, Katie was more advanced than Rachel in knowing what buses they had to take to reach their destinations. Today, though, they had only to walk about five blocks. As they stopped at the corner to wait for the light, Rachel realized she had left the piece of paper with the restaurant’s address back in the apartment. She recalled that they had to make a turn, but she wasn’t sure if it was left or right. She told Katie, and they retraced their steps to Ellie’s building.

  They waited for the elevator. When its doors opened, a man in his early twenties rushed out, dressed in a gray suit, preoccupied with checking his pockets. Rachel and Katie stepped inside the elevator and faced front. Katie pressed the button for Ellie’s floor, and the man turned back, hurrying into the elevator, muttering under his breath.

  “Forgot my phone,” he explained in annoyance, repeatedly pressing the button to his floor, as if that would somehow get him there sooner.

  They waited for the doors to close. An elderly woman with a cane entered the lobby from outside, slowly and painfully making her way toward them.

  “Oh, man, no way,” he murmured.

  Katie was reaching for the button to hold the elevator doors open, when he leaned across her and held down the Door Close button. She looked at him with wide eyes as the doors closed and they began to ascend.

  He noticed her unhappy surprise. “I gotta get to work. She’ll catch it when it comes back down,” he explained curtly.

  Rachel and Katie stood immobile, afraid to speak. The elevator stopped on the third floor, and he got off, leaving the two of them staring at each other in horror.

  “She was an old woman, like Grandma Hannah,” Katie said, her voice low as if he might be able to hear her. “Who would do such a thing as that?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t understand that.” The elevator stopped, and they got out.

  “He was so mean.” Katie was growing upset. “Are there a lot of mean people here like that man?”

  Rachel put a hand on her shoulder. “There are mean people just as there are nice people. We have met so many nice, good people, let’s remember that. Okay?”

  They walked down the hall toward the apartment. Who would treat their neighbors that way, Rachel wondered. It had been puzzling enough to ride the elevator with other residents of the building and learn that the most they could hope for was a slight smile or possibly a brief hello. No one seemed to want to converse at all. They were busy sipping at tall thermoses of coffee, texting on cell phones, or staring straight ahead, lost in thought. But this was even worse, and that man had thought nothing of it. What was this place, this world outside her community?

  She and Katie put the incident out of their minds as they arrived for their lunch, receiving hugs and kisses all around. Rachel was pleased that no one made too much of a fuss over Katie’s new clothes, although she could see Nina looking Katie up and down with approval when she wasn’t watching. Nina caught Rachel’s eye and smiled. The two of them frequently discussed how to make this experience a good one for Katie, and Rachel knew how much it meant to her to see the little girl doing such a good job handling so many changes.

  “So, my little caterpillar, how are you today?” Blaine Lawrence had taken to calling Katie by the names of insects or flowers, which invariably made her laugh. The restaurant was crowded and noisy, so she had to speak more loudly than usual. “I brought you something.” She reached into her purse and took out a gold-colored box. “Chocolates. We never talked about whether you like chocolate, but I thought I would take a chance.”

  “I love chocolate!” Katie grinned. “Thank you.”

  “Perhaps I’ll hold that,” Rachel said, taking it from Blaine. “A treat later, right?”

  “Of course,” Louis put in. “You want to be able to enjoy a big lunch first.”

  “We eat a lot, but we don’t work a lot,” Rachel noted.

  “This is like a vacation,” Gil said. “Plenty of time to work.”

  “Would you like to go work out at a gym?” Nina asked. “I’d be happy to buy a membership for you.”

  Rachel must have looked startled, because Nina hastily corrected herself. “I don’t know what I was thinking. That’s ridiculous.”

  “What do you do at a gym?” Katie asked.

  Nina turned to her, speaking up to be heard above the din. “You keep your body healthy. Exercise on the machines, or take classes.”

  Katie smiled at the notion. “You pay for that? Why would you? Working keeps your body healthy.”

  There was a pause as the adults considered how to answer. Rachel jumped in.

  “Not everybody does physical work, work that involves their body. So they want to be sure their bodies don’t get rusty.”

  “Oh.” Katie still looked confused.

  “You’re completely right, Katie,” Louis said. “Hard work is the best way to keep your body healthy.”

  “That’s right, Daffodil. It’s all this sitting around we do that’s so bad,” said Blaine. “If I could still run around, you and I would do the things you’ve told me you do at home. Camping, walking in the countryside, playing kickball. Sounds wonderful.”

  “It is,” Katie said. “Right now, it’s apple cider time, too. I love the cider we make every fall from our apples.” She sighed.

  They ordered lunch and chatted about the experiences Katie and Rachel were having so far. Rachel was amazed at how comfortable the two of them had become with these people. It was more than she would ever have expected, or could have hoped. The world in which they lived was frightening in so many ways, but they made it so much easier than it could have been, always ready to meet Rachel and Katie, explain things, take care of things. They might not live in the same house, but they did provide a support system. Different from the Amish, she thought, incredibly different, but still based on love and loyalty.

  As lunch progressed, she noticed that Katie was growing quieter, as if the effort to be heard above the other noisy diners was too much for her. When they were done, they all decided to go for a walk. They adopted a slow pace to accommodate Blaine, who was using a cane. She insisted the walk would do her good. Katie and Rachel followed behind the others. Turning on to a main avenue, they found the streets much more crowded. It seemed as if they were going one way, while everyone else was coming toward them. She put a protective hand on Katie’s shoulder, and noticed how stiffly her daughter was holding herself. It dawned on her that she hadn’t said a single word in quite a while. Rachel glanced down to find Katie looking unhappy.

  “What is it?” she asked, leaning over to speak quietly.

  At that moment, a large woman carrying several shopping bags passed by. The shopping bags banged into Katie, knocking her off balance so that she fell against her mother. The woman kept on going.

  Katie regained her footing, then burst into tears.

  “Are you hurt?” Rachel asked, kneeling down and putting an arm around her child. “Tell me.”

  “Make it all stop!” Sobbing now, Katie buried her face on Rachel’s shoulder. In between sobs, she could barely get out the words. “Please make it stop!”

  Rachel stood and called out. “Nina!”

  All the others stopped and looked back at her.

  “Katie’s not feeling well. I’m going to take her back.”

  Nina started toward them in concern.

  Rachel waved her off. “Just a headache. Please excuse us. We’ll talk later.”

  “Are you sure we can’t help?” Louis asked.

  She smiled to reassure them. “We’ll be fine when I can get her home.”

  Katie tugged at her mother’s sleeve in excitement. “Are we really going home? To the farm?”

  Rachel looked at her daughter, her wet eyes shining behind a hopeful smile. Her heart sank.

  She glanced over at the concerned faces watching Katie, and repeated that they would be fine and she would call them later. Then, she ushered Katie in the opposite direction, off the crowded avenue to a quieter side str
eet.

  Rachel put her hands on Katie’s shoulders. “Do you want to go back? To the farm?”

  Katie looked down and didn’t respond.

  “We will, you know. If you are unhappy here, it is no good to stay. The only reason we are here is to get to know our other family better. But if this is too much for us, then we should leave. It’s not like home, and it’s hard, I know.”

  “But you want to be here, don’t you?” Katie asked in a small voice.

  “I only want to be here if we both want to. If you say we should go, we will pack up and get on our way.”

  Katie seemed to relax at her mother’s words. “If I ask to go, then we will?”

  Rachel nodded.

  The little girl thought about it. “We don’t need to go yet.” She put her arms around her mother’s neck and hugged her. “Thank you. But, Mama …?”

  “Yes?”

  “When is Christmas?”

  “About two months from now.”

  “Can we go home for Christmas? I don’t want to miss Christmas at home.”

  Rachel smiled. “Me neither. Absolutely. I promise. By Christmas, we’ll be home.”

  Chapter 28

  Ellie ambled along the side of the road, pausing now and then to widen the berth between herself and the occasional passing car. Sometimes the drivers waved to her, and she waved back. In the past few weeks, she had taken to walking from her house to the farm whenever she could, leaving her car at home. She still drove in the mornings for the milking, though; the sky was dark and she didn’t want to be late.

  As she approached the Kings’ house, she paused to wave at William and Zeke, Judah and Annie’s older children, manning the roadside stand across the street. They were doing a brisk business this month in apples and potatoes, but for the moment there were no customers.

  She went over to the door leading into Sarah’s section of the house, and let herself in. They were planning to bake apple pies this afternoon. Sarah was already getting started, laying out pie pans on the kitchen table. She greeted Ellie, and gestured to an apron slung over a chair. “Ready to work?”

  Ellie made a quick count of pans. “Twelve pies?”

  Sarah nodded. Ellie put on the apron and went to the sink to wash her hands. Secretly, she was thrilled with her advancing abilities with pies and breads. It was amazing, she thought, that she had never been attracted to a hobby that involved using her hands to create something tangible. Lately, she had also begun spending time with Isaac when he made repairs around the farm, trying to learn from him. Making something out of nothing or visibly improving something gave her tremendous satisfaction. Of course, previously, she hadn’t made time for any hobbies at all. Happily, things were different now.

  She would never have imagined that her life could undergo such a transformation. It was almost shocking to her how quickly and happily she had thrown off the mantle of pressured executive. Every day, she learned something new. It felt as if what she was doing now was exactly what she should be doing. Yet, in a million years she wouldn’t have been drawn to such a life. What did that say about what she had been doing with her life up until this point?

  The time passed quickly, until she suddenly realized she had to get ready for work. On Saturdays and three weekday nights, she waitressed at Carson’s from five to closing. Sarah wrapped up a pie for her to take home and said she would see Ellie in the morning.

  She got to the road and saw Annie leaving her own house in a small, open wagon. She turned it onto the main road and pulled lightly on the reins, causing the horse to stop in front of Ellie.

  “On your way home?”

  Ellie nodded.

  “I’m going that way. Would you like to ride with me?”

  “Thank you. That would be great.”

  Ellie climbed up, pleasantly surprised by Annie’s offer. She still wasn’t sure what Judah’s wife thought of her, but she was glad the two of them would have time alone.

  Annie gave a quick click of her tongue, and the horse moved forward. “Do you hear from Rachel?”

  “No, I don’t. From what my parents have told me, she and Katie are doing very well.” Ellie herself had wondered what communication Rachel had with Leah and Isaac, but she didn’t feel it was her place to ask.

  “I hear they eat in a lot of restaurants, and it is very expensive.”

  Ellie smiled. “That’s true. New Yorkers do eat in a lot of restaurants. I know I did. And, yes, it can be crazily expensive.”

  Annie frowned. “What is that teaching Katie?”

  “Hmmm.” Ellie tried to sound as noncommittal as she could, casting about in her mind for a change in subject. “You know, I was wondering—how late into the year do you keep the stand open? Through November, or are the tourists gone by then?”

  Annie launched into a discussion of available crops and the seasonal rhythms of tourist crowds, which carried them until she pulled the wagon up in front of Ellie’s house. She cast an appraising eye over it. Most of the other women in the King family had been inside, but so far there had been no occasion for Annie to come over.

  “Please, won’t you come in?” Ellie asked.

  Annie followed her in as far as the kitchen, her eyes assessing the scrubbed appliances and uncluttered, clean surfaces. Ellie always kept the room clean, but she was glad that she had taken a few extra minutes with it that morning.

  “Would you like to see the rest of the house?”

  “No, that’s fine.” Annie put a hand on the doorknob. “Very nice.” She pointed with her free hand. “Lemon juice will take those stains out of your cutting board.”

  Ellie fought off a powerful urge to laugh. You just couldn’t resist, could you? Aloud, she said, “I’ll definitely try that. Thank you so much for taking me home.”

  She was rewarded with one of the first genuine smiles Annie had ever directed to her. “I enjoyed our talk.”

  “Well, well,” Ellie muttered to herself when her guest was gone. “Do I detect a thaw in the ice floe?”

  She took a quick shower and changed her clothes, then drove to the restaurant, making it with two minutes to spare. At the front, she greeted Harriet, the older woman who worked the register and had directed Ellie when she came in to interview for the job. She hurried through the rows of tables toward the swinging doors that led to the kitchen, waving to Suki, the other waitress working this shift. The heat of the kitchen hit her squarely in the face as she tied on her black half-apron, and felt in the pockets to make sure her pen and pad of checks were there.

  “Ellie, hey, baby!” Anita was the one female among the three cooks who worked there, rotating shifts to divide up lunches and dinners. Married with two grown children, she had worked in restaurant kitchens for nearly twenty years. She had a great sense of humor, but wouldn’t dream of putting up with any nonsense from anyone when it came to the job. Ellie thought she was terrific.

  “Hey, Anita!” Ellie called back, racing away.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carson standing by a table, talking with a couple seated there. Old friends, no doubt, judging by the way they were laughing. He knew a lot of the people who ate here, possibly because this was one of three restaurants he owned. It was also the smallest and most informal, and tended to have a number of regulars. All three of his places were known for serving good food with a healthy bent, a little lighter on the butter and sugar, but still satisfying, nearly everything made on-site or purchased locally.

  He ran his hand through his thick hair. Ellie gave an inward sigh at the sight. She had an enormous crush on him, but he showed no interest in her. Besides, she was still in the dark about his personal circumstances, not to mention that he was her boss. Opening that can of worms, she had decided, would be a mistake. But she couldn’t help her thoughts, and she thought he was undeniably attractive.

  It was a hectic night. Cleaning up a table in the rear around nine o’clock, she glanced up to see Carson backing out of the kitchen as he pushed open a swin
ging door with one foot, in the middle of a conversation.

  “… stop there. Then gotta get home to the little woman and the kiddies,” he said, raising a hand in farewell. “See you tomorrow, lunch shift, right?”

  Ellie could hear Anita respond, but couldn’t make out the words. Not that she was listening. Now she had her answer to the most important question about Carson. He was married. And had children as well. Disappointment welled up inside her. It didn’t matter how she felt, though; that was the end of that. She should have guessed he wouldn’t be single. His wife was doubtless gorgeous and perfect, the light of his life.

  “G’night, Ellie.” From the other side of a row of tables, he passed her on his way and smiled.

  “Right,” she forced herself to answer. “Good night.”

  He was probably going to check on another of his restaurants before he went home. The door closed behind him. Married, she thought. Just as well. She hadn’t had a successful romantic relationship for a long time; there was no reason to think she would break her pattern now. Worse, when things went bad, she would probably wind up having to quit. For the moment, this was a perfect job, allowing her time to do everything she wanted at home and with the Kings. Things were going so well, she told herself; now wasn’t the time to jeopardize her good fortune. Still, she allowed herself another sigh, this one of regret.

  In the course of the next few weeks, Ellie settled into a routine, starting off her days by milking the cows with the King men, then having breakfast with the family, and joining in on whatever chores were scheduled for that day. Little by little, her shifts were increased at the restaurant, so she was waitressing most nights, and would leave before supper to get changed for work. She tried to stay as far away from Carson as she could, but it was impossible for her not to notice that he was spending more time engaging her in conversation. He had started asking her opinions about how things were going when he wasn’t around to observe, how the rest of the waitstaff was doing, whether the dining room was running as smoothly as it could be. She answered him as best she could, but tried to keep it brief, fearful that if she looked at him for too long, her expression would give away how she felt.