A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn(26)

“Hello?”

“It took you three rings this morning,” Eric teased. “You must have had your hands in soapy water.”

She laughed. “My fingers were in something far better than that. Flour! I had to wipe them off so I wouldn’t get dough all over the phone. That wouldn’t do.”

“Makes sense. What are you making today?”

She could practically hear the smile in his voice. “Caramel-pecan rolls.”

“Oh, Bev,” he said with a groan. “You’re killing me. I haven’t had anything that good to eat in days.”

“Oh? What have you been eating?”

“Hmm. I had two slices of leftover pizza this morning.”

He sounded so grumpy about it, she laughed. And because she knew him to be extremely capable, she said, “Eric, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I do believe they have milk, fruit, toast, and eggs in Pennsylvania, too. You need to take advantage of your markets instead of just the pizza delivery service.”

“Having a bowl of cereal and a banana while standing at the kitchen counter isn’t the same as enjoying a plate of your caramel rolls, Beverly.”

“This is true. But look on the bright side. If you ate homemade caramel rolls every morning you wouldn’t think they were special anymore.”

“I doubt that. Your baking is that good.”

She smiled at his compliment. He wasn’t the first person to compliment her baked goods, but for some reason, his enthusiasm for her cooking made her feel especially good inside. Like she could do something pretty special.

Feeling a little flustered about the direction of her thoughts, she moved the conversation forward. “It’s your turn. Tell me how things are going. Have you had any showings this week?”

“Two.”

He didn’t sound very happy about that. “Two is gut, jah?”

“Well, two is better than none.”

“Tell me what they said. Is anyone coming back?”

“Maybe one of them.”

As Eric told her about the showings and then described the Realtor’s reports, she tucked the phone under her chin, sprinkled the nut-and-cinnamon-sugar mixture on the dough, then easily rolled it into a loaf. It would rest for another forty minutes, then she’d slice it and place it into some prepared baking dishes.

She found conversation with Eric so easy. She liked how she could do something simple while speaking to him on the phone. It seemed to make every task in her kitchen go faster.

“Do you have any more showings scheduled?”

“Not yet.” He paused. When he spoke again, it was with a new thread of apprehension. “I wish I knew what was going to happen. I hate not being able to make plans. I hate not knowing when we’re going to see each other again. Bev, I’m afraid it really is out of my hands.”

“Of course it is. ‘This God is our God forever and ever. He will guide us from now on,’” she quoted from Psalms.

“Those words are so true.”

“Always,” she said, looking around her cozy, bright kitchen that smelled of fresh bread and coffee and caramel. Who would have thought three years ago, when her heart had been broken from a failed engagement, that she was to have so many blessings in her life?

“I guess I need to keep remembering that my future is ultimately in the Lord’s hands.”

“It would be a good idea, I think.” And just so he wouldn’t think that she was too full of herself, she added, “Don’t forget, I had to learn this lesson, too.”

“I’ll try my best. Though it is hard. I am really getting tired of waiting.”

She walked to the window and looked out into the backyard, thinking how pretty the flowers and shrubs looked after she’d weeded and trimmed everything the afternoon before. She also couldn’t help but remember how content Eric had looked when he’d sat next to those beds and read his paper in the early-morning hours.

And how much she’d enjoyed seeing him there.

After a short pause, Eric spoke again, his voice sounding slightly thick with emotion. “Now, tell me about Tricia. Is she still seeing that young man?”

“Boy, is she.” Turning away from the window, Beverly quickly peeked through the kitchen’s doorway. “I’m starting to worry about her.”

“Why?” Sounding more agitated, he added, “What’s wrong with the guy? I thought you said he seemed nice.”

“Ben is nice. Well, so far, he has been. It’s just that, well . . . this relationship of hers is moving kind of fast.”

“I didn’t think you saw anything wrong with that.”

“I didn’t . . . when I thought they weren’t too serious. But the other day, I was sure I heard Tricia talking to a friend about marriage.”