“You are also a gut friend.”
She smiled. “Does that mean what I think it does? Are you going to listen?”
Making a decision, Emma nodded. “All right. I’m going to do it. I’m going to wait a couple of days, and then I’m going to take Jay and his boys a cherry pie.”
“Wunderbaar!”
“But if everything falls apart and my family makes me feel like a Jezebel, I’m going to blame you.”
“Nothing is going to fall apart.” Reaching out, Dorrie grasped her hand. “See how gut our Lord is? He gave you a new friend this week. A friend who knows only too well the burdens and pain you have been facing. This is a blessing.”
“You are such a blessing to me, Dorrie. I walked in here feeling completely confused. And now I feel like everything is going to be all right again.”
Dorrie looked delighted. “Glad I could help.” Then, in her usual efficient manner, she pulled out her notebook. “Now, let’s get our real reason for being here taken care of. What should we make for our booth?”
“I was thinking socks.”
“Socks?”
“Socks are something you can make easily. You might not be able to bake an edible batch of cookies but you can knit as well as anyone.”
“This is true.”
“You and I can each knit a pair of socks in two days. If we get some other women involved, we’ll have a couple of dozen socks to sell, and the money will go to a good cause.”
“Socks it is.”
“You’re not going to argue?”
“Nope. You might trust me where pie is concerned, but you are the one with the best ideas for the fund-raiser.”
“We’re a good pair, Dorrie. Danke for today.”
“Anytime, dear. Anytime at all.”
Chapter 4
For some reason, even though they’d spent the entire day together, Tricia was pretty sure that Ben was still trying to think of ways to delay their return to the Orange Blossom Inn. First, he’d insisted they go for an extra long walk on the beach at Siesta Key. Then he’d taken her to a charming restaurant for fried shrimp instead of merely grabbing a quick bite at one of the many shacks offering snacks and hot dogs. Now, as they were walking back to the inn, he’d slowed their pace even more. She didn’t mind since she wasn’t in any hurry to return, either.
But she was becoming a little curious as to why he was practically jumping at any chance to delay their walk back.
“Would you like to go get an ice cream?” He pointed over at Olaf’s.
Tricia hugged her stomach and frowned. “I can’t eat another thing.”
“Oh.”
“It was a gut idea, though.” Smiling, she tilted her head up to meet his gaze. “I’d say yes if I hadn’t already had a hot fudge sundae today. And a plate of fried shrimp.”
“Those shrimp were good.”
“They were great,” she corrected. Suddenly concerned that she hadn’t conveyed just how much she’d enjoyed their time together, she reached out and squeezed his forearm. “Everything today has been wonderful-gut, Ben. I promise.”
“Jah, it was.” He smiled back at her, but she noticed that it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Would you like to walk around Pinecraft?” she asked. “There’s a couple of benches over in front of the Palm Grove church.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all. I’m not ready to go back yet.”
“I’m not, either. I don’t want today to end.”
“Me, neither,” she said and pointed to a group of little Amish girls, all four of them holding hands as they skipped behind their mothers. “Look, Ben. Aren’t they cute?”
He chuckled. “Jah. They remind me of Emma and her trio of little ones.”
Tricia sighed contentedly. Their conversation came so easily, it was just the kind of thing she’d always wished and dreamed she would have. It was nice to relax and talk about nothing in particular.
As they crossed the street, dodging a man on a bright red bicycle, Ben added, “I’m really looking forward to having my own room once we move into our new house, but it’s going to be hard to not see you all the time.”
“I was just thinking that I was going to miss seeing you around the inn. I was going to mention it earlier, but I didn’t want to sound too forward,” she admitted as they continued their journey down Bahia Vista before turning right on Orchard.
“You shouldn’t worry. I’m not going to think you are too forward. I like your honesty.”
“I’m glad.” She pressed her lips together so she wouldn’t start telling him how most people found her to be a bit too blunt and outspoken.