A Love Undone (28 page)

Ray crawled into the truck and waved to his sister. The sky had turned lavender, and the top of the sun peered through breaking clouds. He couldn’t recall seeing this side of Jolene before. Then
again, they’d talked a lot since the incident with Yoder, and he understood himself better, so she trusted him more.

James opened his bag and got out the coffee. “I thought she hated me. But she’s pretty cool, Ray.”

“Ya, I know.” Ray opened his brown bag. “I thought she was as strait-laced as a body could get.”

James put the drink between his knees. “But she’s like your Mamm. Don’t all children think that of their parents when they’re young? Maybe you’ll see more of the real Jolene now that you’re eighteen.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Do you know where Teena lives, you know, for after we’re done selling flowers?”

“I have her address.”

The driver pointed at the GPS. “If you have an address, I can find it.”

Ray wasn’t ready for a serious girlfriend. He didn’t have a job past summer. He was only eighteen, and he’d vandalized Yoder’s place out of anger. Maybe Teena didn’t think of him that way, but he was ready to see her again and ask what was new in her life and tell her what was new in his.

Jolene stopped her pastry-toting wagon in front of the bakeshop. Glen was on the sidewalk, waiting for her, not a hint of a smile on his face. He had treated her in this manner since they’d talked a couple of weeks ago. She opened the door to the rig. “Morning.”

“Hi.” His tone was even and kind but almost void of friendliness. But he held out his hand and helped her down before he tethered the horse to the hitching post.

Two weeks ago when he’d come to Lester’s place looking for her, she did as Andy requested and walked with Glen, explaining about her mistake of thinking Andy was a widower and her forwardness in letting him know she cared. Glen was clearly disappointed, maybe even hurt, although he said little, perhaps because she immediately launched into explaining what Ray had done and how Yoder had taken advantage of the situation. That angered him, and her revelation about caring for Andy seemed to move into the background. When she mentioned Andy had an idea to right the Yoder situation that would require Glen’s help, he wasted no time crossing the lawn to talk to Andy.

Straightening her black apron, she gathered her thoughts. Glen followed her as she went to the back of the wagon and opened the pastry case. He held out his arms, and she loaded several boxes into them. Before she released the last one, she looked into his eyes. “I
appreciate what you’re doing, and I admire that you’re helping me even though you’re disappointed in me.”

Gentleness overshadowed his stoic face. “I should’ve been more understanding when you said what you did. But I’m not disappointed
in
you. It was reassuring that you confided in me and that you and Andy want me to come to the farm as often as I can and help with this plan. I just … Well, now that I’m ready to date, I thought, or maybe hoped, that you would feel differently toward me than you have other widowers.”

“I do!” She hadn’t meant to sound that enthusiastic, but, goodness, she’d had nothing in common with any widower thus far except the awkwardness between them. Glen was in a class all his own. That didn’t mean she cared for him as a girlfriend would. Yet Andy wanted her to try, and she would do exactly that. She cleared her throat. “We’re friends, Glen, and becoming better ones as we go along. We’ve known each other forever, but you didn’t have any desire to date me until you began to heal from losing your wife. Your life changed, and at some point after that, you began to see me differently. My life hasn’t changed, so I haven’t had the same aha moment.”

Thoughtful questioning lined his brows. “That’s really profound and quite helpful.” He smiled. “I feel better now. I suppose I should’ve known you would take some real wooing or you’d be snatched up by now, right?”

She hadn’t thought of it like that. Andy certainly hadn’t done any wooing. He simply showed up, and on day two,
bam
, her heart hoped it had found a home.

“So you meant it when you and Andy invited me to spend as much time at Lester’s farm this summer as possible?”

“Ya.”

He smiled before turning to go into the bakery. After they’d delivered the goods, they sat at a table in the bakeshop with a cup of coffee. Glen had a pastry, but as much as she enjoyed making pastries, she wasn’t one for eating them. She was more of a homemade ice cream kind of girl.

Glen pulled out his pocket notebook and flipped through the pages. “You have your lines memorized?”

“I know what needs to be said, so that’s enough. I just hope I can keep my cool. This may sound ridiculous, but I’m a mix of emotions. I’m angry at Yoder and want that money back, but I feel guilty because Ray and Van gave their word, and I’m not abiding by it.”

“Deceitful people often get away with stealing from others because good people don’t want to get dirty in the fight. The dirt in this instance is your guilt that you can’t be completely forthright. I don’t like it either, but I like giving the Yoders of the world the upper hand even less.”

“Basically that means my conscience is haunting me far more than Yoder’s is weighing on him.”

“I’m sure of it.” He tightened the lid on his to-go cup and took a sip of coffee. “How did your uncle end up with someone like Old Man Yoder as his second-in-command guy?”

“According to what my Daed told me when I was a little girl, Uncle Calvin and Old Man Yoder went into business together when they were young men, early twenties.”

“But Yoder doesn’t own any of the cabinetry shop, does he?”

“Not anymore. Daed said about seven years in, before you and I were born, the two had a falling-out, and they parted ways.”

“What happened?”

“According to my Daed and Lester, Uncle Calvin never said, so it’s only speculation.”

“Kumm on, Jolene. Tell me what the rumors were. It might help us pull off this plan.”

He might be right, but she couldn’t resist teasing him. “You just want in on the gossip.”

His eyes flashed with humor. “It’s one of the perks in the nonpaying position of having been chosen to be a minister. I know today’s gossip, and I have the power to learn what took place before I was born.”

“Lester once told me that Yoder was stealing from Uncle Calvin. Lester called it cooking the books. Once Uncle Calvin caught him, he paid Yoder for his share of the business, minus what he had stolen, and ended the partnership. Yoder left the church and moved away. He returned ten years later, repented, paid the price of being shunned, and got right with the church. Then he went to Uncle Calvin with his hat in hand, flat broke. Calvin hired him, but he doesn’t let him do any banking or bookkeeping.”

Glen nodded. “The bishop had told me Yoder once left for ten years. He said that no one felt he was even a decent Amish member, but to turn him out to the world when he came back repentant would have been too cruel.”

“I understand how they felt, but in hindsight I don’t think it was a wise decision.” She rose and tossed her cup into the trash. “Let’s try to set things right for Ray. I’ll go first. See you in ten?”

He pulled a pocket watch from his jacket. “In ten.”

Jolene stopped by her rig and took out a beige file folder. She
walked down the sidewalk and into her uncle’s cabinetry shop. But rather than pause at the door, she went to the first work station, appearing rather lost. It would be the best way to get the buzz started. A few of the men stopped cold.

Nate, a man from her district, walked toward her. “Hi, Jolene. Can I help you with something?”

She lifted her head, trying to speak loudly over the room while pretending to search for him. “I need to speak with my uncle. It’s official business.” Did she look as silly as she felt?

Yoder came from a back room, and on cue she dropped the folder, hitting the corner of a work station, which sent the contents flying farther across the floor than if she’d let the folder drop straight down. Several of the men helped gather the items, including Yoder. He barely glanced at one paper when she tugged on it. “Denki.” She eyed him, doing her best to look suspicious of him. “My uncle, please?”

“What’s this about?” Yoder asked.

She put the items in the folder. “It’s a private matter.” She looked around. “I haven’t been inside this shop since I was a girl. Where is my uncle’s office?”

“He’s really busy today. I don’t think—”

“Jolene.” Her uncle appeared from a door behind him. He grinned. “What a wonderful surprise this is.”

Yoder pulled his focus from the folder. “I was just telling her how busy you are. I’m sure I can help her with whatever—”

“That won’t be necessary.” Uncle Calvin embraced her, but when he backed up, he grew serious. “Something wrong?”

Her uncle couldn’t be doing a better job if he’d known what trick she was pulling.

She studied Old Man Yoder and then turned to her uncle. “Can we talk in private?”

Yoder looked desperate as she disappeared into her uncle’s office.

Calvin held a chair for her, and after she sat, he went behind his desk. “What’s going on?”

“Would you mind looking at these?” She wanted to tell him the truth, but the whole point of this charade was to keep the confidentiality Ray and Van had promised.

Calvin held out his hand for the folder. Once the items were spread out on his desk, he put on his glasses and then got out a magnifying glass. “I’m confused. At first glance these bank statements look official, but Yoder’s name has been added over someone else’s, so these are bogus papers.”

“Ya, I know.”

“Then—”

“Would you do me a favor and call the blacksmith shop and ask for Van Beiler to join us here?”

Her uncle frowned, but he did as asked without prying for information. It was one of the perks of having both the love and trust of her uncle. While he was still on the phone, someone tapped on the door.

Calvin lowered the mouthpiece. “Kumm.”

Preacher Glen entered and closed the door behind him.

Calvin’s eyebrows rose when he saw the preacher. Someone must’ve picked up, because Calvin asked that Van be sent to the cabinetry shop right away. “He’s on his way.” He put the receiver in its cradle. “I’m getting more confused by the moment.”

Preacher Glen took a seat. “Are you a deer hunter, Calvin?”

“Not much of one, why?”

“Back in my twenties I used to keep the family fed throughout the winter with deer meat. A good hunter prepares well, gets to his tree stand early, and waits.”

“You’re expecting a deer to enter my office?” Calvin’s dry wit took over. But they chatted about various things while waiting for Van. They immediately became silent when someone else entered the shop.

“I got a call at the blacksmith shop from Calvin Keim.” Van’s voice echoed throughout the shop, ensuring Yoder heard it wherever he was. “Anybody know where I can find him?”

A few moments later Van entered Calvin’s office and closed the door. They continued the casual talk of weather and such, keeping the conversation going for about ten more minutes. Why hadn’t a very curious, guilt-ridden Yoder come to the office by now? Jolene squirmed. “Is this going to work?”

Glen shifted. “He might be harder to flush out than we expected.”

Calvin tapped the folder. “The person is Yoder, right? What’s he done now?”

The three of them shrugged. Calvin stepped out of his office. “Yoder! My office, now!”

A red-faced, nervous Yoder stumbled into the office.

Calvin held up the file and used it to motion to Jolene, Preacher Glen, and Van. “You want to explain your side of this?”

Jolene bit her tongue as Yoder said horrid things about Ray. Then he launched into a denial of everything. She reached across the
thin armrest and poked Glen’s hand, prompting him to speak up. He grasped her fingers, keeping her hand still while barely shaking his head. As Yoder continued to justify his actions, she dug her fingers into Glen’s hand.

Calvin rocked back in his chair. “Interesting take on it, Yoder. By your denial you’ve just confessed to events that I knew nothing about.”

Yoder spouted more excuses and lies, but Calvin had experienced enough of the man over the years to decode all Yoder said and deduce the truth. Yoder ended up begging to pay the money back if Calvin wouldn’t call the police.

Calvin looked disgusted and furious. “After all these years and the second chances I’ve given you, we find ourselves in the same basic place we’ve been before.” Calvin bounced the end of his pen against his desk. “Write them a check for the money.”

“Sure. Just don’t call the police. But I don’t have all of it. I’m five thousand shy.”

“Imagine that.” Calvin sighed. “I’ll go with you to the bank, and you’ll write a check for all you have left of their money. I’ll turn over to my niece the pay you’re due later this week, your vacation pay, and your upcoming bonus.” He looked to Jolene. “If that doesn’t square things, we’ll figure out the rest later.” He returned his focus to Yoder. “While you clean out your locker, I’ll get the papers for you to sign, and you’re done here.”