Pete took a seat at her desk while she busied herself by helping the Amish ladies, then another ten or so people who also walked through her door. Never once did he seem annoyed that she didn’t have time for him. Instead, he seemed happy to watch her work.

  Then, when only a few minutes remained before it was time to prepare the bookmobile to hit the road again, she and Pete were alone.

  “As much as I like books and bookmobiles, we both know the reason I’m here isn’t for reading material. I mean, not anymore.” He looked at her intently. “Sarah Anne, I want to spend some time with you when you aren’t working. Come out with me.”

  Oh! She felt like she was back in high school or college. She hadn’t even been so flustered when she and Frank had been dating.

  He grinned. “What do you say?”

  “I… I…”

  His posture changed. It was subtle, a slight tightening of his shoulders. “Last I checked, it wasn’t a difficult decision. Either you still want to go out with me or you don’t.” Eyeing her intently, he said, “Have you changed your mind? Is that why you sounded so vague the last time we talked?”

  “I haven’t changed my mind.”

  “Okay…”

  “But dating again… Well, it’s not that easy.”

  His dark brown eyes were piercing. “How come?”

  “Because I’m sixty-one years old, Pete. I didn’t expect to—” She stopped herself before admitting that she feared she was on the verge of falling head over heels for him. “Can we talk about this later when I’m off the clock?”

  “When? Next time you stop here and I have time to drop everything to see you?”

  “You could text me.”

  “I’m not going to text you or have this conversation over the phone.”

  It was time she put on her big girl panties and stopped fussing around. “Pete, if you call me, I promise I’ll talk about everything with you.”

  “Promise?”

  It felt like he was asking her to promise so much more than just to talk on the phone. But her answer was still the same. “Yes.”

  He exhaled. “Thank you.” Just as she was about to say something witty, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I’ll call soon.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  * * *

  A few minutes after he left, Sarah Anne got on her way to the next stop. But for the next couple of hours, all she could do was doubt everything she’d said to him… and wonder if he was actually going to call her.

  When she found herself staring at her blank phone screen during a lull at her last stop, Sarah Anne groaned. Why, she was no better than some of her rudest customers.

  “What’s wrong, Miss Miller? Are you having phone trouble?”

  She smiled at Natalie, one of her English teenagers she’d grown close to. “Not unless you count wondering why someone hasn’t called when he said he would phone trouble.”

  The girl’s eyes widened. “He? Miss Miller, are you having boy trouble?”

  “No.” When Natalie raised an eyebrow, Sarah Anne shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Natalie was sixteen years old. Sarah Anne could have been her grandmother. They had nothing in common… Though there was a good chance that Natalie had dated more in the last year than she had. “I haven’t dated since well before cell phones were invented,” she confided. “And yes, I know that makes me sound like I grew up in the Stone Age. But do men call just any old time now that they can?”

  “I think it depends on the guy.”

  That did make sense. “I think you’re right.” She groaned. “Oh, Natalie, I’m sure everything makes total sense to you, but dating right now is really confusing. Back when my husband and I were dating, he’d call my home phone, and my parents would answer and take a message.”

  The teen gave her a look that said she’d rather eat liver than rely on her parents to screen her calls. “Whoa. I bet that was awful.”

  “Not really. I mean, it was what everyone did. We didn’t know any different.” But then, she remembered all the times her mother would accidentally forget to pass on the messages… all because she was upset with Sarah Anne about some chore she forgot to do or because she thought she’d been spending too much time away from home. “But, now that I think about it… yes, it was awful sometimes. So, should I be worried that he hasn’t called?”

  “Hmm. When did he say he was going to call?”

  “Later on today.”

  “He texted you that?”

  “No, he told me when I saw him earlier.”

  Natalie popped a hand on her hip. “Wait a sec. Are you saying you already saw this man today?”

  “Yes. And his name is Pete.” Noticing Natalie’s amused expression, Sarah Anne covered her face with a hand. “I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I?”

  “Well, it is kind of early to expect a call, Miss Miller.”

  “I think we should just forget I ever mentioned it. Now, do you need anything?”

  “Uh-huh. I think you’ve got some books reserved for me. The email I received said they came in.”

  Sure enough, Sarah Anne found Natalie’s stack wrapped up in a piece of butcher-block paper with her name neatly written on it. Those books had been sitting there waiting on Sarah Anne to get her act together. Grabbing them quickly, she handed them to Natalie.

  “Here you go, dear. I’m sorry you had to wait.”

  Natalie hugged them to her chest like they were long lost friends. “Oh, that’s okay. I’d much rather talk to you about Pete than grab my books and start walking home.”

  “You’re sweet. I appreciate the advice. I don’t want to make a fool of myself with him.”

  “You won’t. Just take your time.” She grinned. “Next time I’m here, you can tell me what happened!”

  “I will. Hopefully I’ll have good news. You have a good week, dear. Thanks again for the pep talk.”

  “No problem. I didn’t even realize people your age still dated. That’s cool.”

  Sarah Anne kept a composed expression on her face until Natalie raced out the door… and then she leaned her head back and laughed and laughed. Well, that put her in her place! She was old. Old and silly. In fact, she was beyond silly. Pete Canon had probably forgotten all about his promise to call already!

  * * *

  Five hours later, as she was watching an old movie on the couch, Sarah Anne was still telling herself the same thing.

  But then, just before nine o’clock, her phone lit up with his name on it.

  Nervously, she pressed Answer. “Hello?”

  “Sarah Anne, hey. Is this too late to talk?”

  He was giving her an out, but she wasn’t taking it. “Not at all. How are you?”

  “I’m good, but I really do feel terrible that I pushed you to say yes to a date… I feel like I keep messing things up between us.”

  “You haven’t messed up anything.”

  “Does that mean you’ll still give me a chance?”

  “Yes, I mean, if you want one. Not because I think you need another chance.”

  “What are you doing Saturday night?”

  She grinned. “I don’t know… Why?”

  “Because I want to get something on the calendar. There’s this great Italian place over in New Philly called Scarpetti’s. Have you heard of it?”

  She actually had. One of her old coworkers from her days as an accountant had asked if she wanted to join her for dinner there a couple of weeks ago. “I’ve heard of it, but I haven’t been.”

  “I haven’t, either. Want to be a guinea pig with me?”

  She chuckled. “Sure. That sounds like fun.”

  “Six thirty? Or is that too early? Late?”

  “Six thirty is good. I can do that.” She was smiling so big now her cheeks hurt.

  “Great.” She could almost envision him grinning, too. “Should I pick you up or meet you there?”

  She wasn’t quite ready to invite him to her house. “Would you mind if I met you there?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Not at all. I’ll see you on Saturday.”

  “Yep. See you then.”

  After she hung up, she took a deep breath. At last, it was time. Maybe even past time.

  thirteen

  • TIP #13 •

  If you do end up dating multiple people at the same time, it would be wise to be up front about it.

  Like a fool, Pete had arrived twenty minutes early. Now he was sitting in the parking lot, debating whether he would look less creepy waiting in his truck or at the table.

  Luckily, his phone rang. When he realized it was his daughter, Cassie, he wasn’t sure if it was lucky or not.

  Answering, he made sure to sound happy and upbeat. Cassie could hear worry in a heartbeat. “Hey, Cass. What’s up?”

  “I have some great news. Guess what? I’m just ten minutes away!”

  “From where?”

  “From you, silly. I decided to stop by and surprise you tonight. We can go grab dinner or something.”

  He felt terrible to do this to her, but it couldn’t be helped. “I’m glad you called because I’m not at home.”

  “Really? What are you doing? Are you at the grocery store?” she asked, once again barely taking a breath.

  “As a matter of fact, I’m not. I’m sitting in my truck in the parking lot of Scarpetti’s.”

  “Hold on, Dad.” He heard her park. “Scarpetti’s is that cute Italian restaurant in New Philly, right?”

  “It is.”

  “Why are you there? You’re not eating alone again, are you?”

  Pete paused, weighed the pros and cons of letting his daughter know about his plans, then decided to go ahead and share the truth. At the very least, it was easier to remember. “I have a date.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” She sounded so incredulous, he had to smile. After years and years of dodging his kids’ attempts at organizing blind dates and offers to set him up on dating websites, he was finally getting out. “Isn’t that something?”

  “It is.”

  “Hey, now. Don’t sound too excited. I thought you’d be thrilled.”

  “I am. I mean, I just worry about you out there in the dating world all alone.”

  She didn’t sound nearly as encouraging now as she had been the other day.

  “I’m sure she’s real nice, but it’s been a while and, I don’t know, Daddy. This woman could be a fortune hunter or something.”

  “I don’t think she’s a fortune hunter, Cass. She’s a librarian. And I don’t exactly have a fortune, anyway.”

  “Not all librarians are perfect, Dad.”

  “I don’t want perfection. I just want to go out to eat with her.” Glancing at his watch, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Now, I better get going. We’re supposed to meet in three minutes.”

  “Feel free to call me when you’re on your way home.”

  “I won’t be calling you, Cassie. Now, tell Danny hello, give my Aimee a big hug from PaPa, and be careful driving home,” he added before she said anything else he didn’t want to hear.

  “Wait! Hey, Daddy?”

  “Yes, Cass?” And yes, he sounded impatient.

  “Have fun. I’m sorry, I should’ve said that first thing, huh?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I love you.”

  Getting out of his truck, he figured that Cassie calling had been the best thing for him. Having to defend his date reminded him that he really did want to see Sarah Anne. He hadn’t just fallen into this moment. It had happened after weeks and weeks of conversations and gaining each other’s trust.

  Just as he approached the entrance, he spied Sarah Anne getting out of her car. When she saw him, she gave a little wave and smiled. He thought that was adorable.

  He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he watched her approach.

  She was wearing taupe linen slacks and a loose, light rose-colored sweater that kind of hung off her shoulders. Leather sandals were on her feet, and some bold gold hoop earrings were in her ears. She looked both younger and more attractive than she did in her usual librarian outfit—and he’d always thought she looked cute as a bug in that getup.

  As she got closer, Pete couldn’t help but think that, despite the change in clothes, her face looked the same it always did. Bright and happy. Those two things drew him to her like a shiny penny.

  “Oh, gosh. Have you been waiting long?” she asked.

  “Not at all. I just pulled in.” No way was he going to let her know he’d arrived so early.

  “Thank goodness. I thought I was going to be late,” she said as he held the restaurant’s door open and she walked right in. “Guess what I saw on my way over here?”

  “I have no idea,” he said before giving the hostess his name.

  As they were led through the mishmash of tables, Sarah Ann continued her story. “Oh, Pete. Two sets of geese and their goslings! They were all crossing the road. Everyone was stopped while they were ushered across.”

  He’d never been a real big fan of geese—or stopping for geese to cross the street. But the way she described it made him feel like he ought to start. “Tell me all about them,” he said as the hostess sat them at a table in the back of the dining room.

  When she beamed up at him, he knew this date, which had been so long in the making, was off to a real good start.

  fourteen

  • TIP #14 •

  Some men simply aren’t datable. It’s helpful to remember that.

  “I was so surprised when I saw your name on my schedule, Miriam. You could have blown me away,” Edna Wood said when she greeted her.

  “I thank you for keeping our appointment secret like I asked.” The usual way Amish women made appointments with Edna was calling her from the phone shanty and leaving a message about when she could come in. Then either Edna or her assistant, Lila, would call back and leave a message for the caller confirming the date.

  All that meant that one didn’t get a lot of privacy—at least until she was afforded the opportunity to speak to Edna alone. Lila was nice and helpful… but she had a tendency to gossip about others.

  Miriam had been so worried that her need for an urgent appointment with Edna was going to fall on the wrong ears, but thankfully that hadn’t been the case.

  Taking a seat on the chair in the exam room, Miriam told Edna about the broken glass, her cut foot, and the eventual pregnancy test.

  Edna clasped her hands in front of her. “So, you’re pregnant.”

  “Jah.”

  Edna pulled over the other simple-looking ladder-back chair and sat down. “How do you feel about that?”

  It was questions like that that made Miriam want Edna to be in charge of her pregnancy instead of one of the fancy fertility doctors she and Calvin had seen over the years. Edna, in her plain blue dress, white apron, white kaap, and simple black flats, was so approachable and easy to talk to. And she wasn’t even thirty-five yet, so her relatively young age and sweet personality made her even more desirable.

  Taking a deep breath, Miriam tried to find the words to describe just how she felt. Instead of one single word, a wealth of them came pouring out. “I feel excited and happy and nervous and scared.”

  Edna’s lips twitched. “Is that all?”

  “Nee. I maybe feel angry, too,” she admitted.

  Instead of looking shocked, Edna nodded like that made perfect sense. “Let’s take that one first. Why do you feel angry?”

  “Because this… this pregnancy caught me unawares. If it had been up to me, I wouldn’t have gone to the doctor in the first place. But there I was, having to get stitches and being forced to give a urine sample. It hardly makes sense.”

  “The Lord does work in mysterious ways.”

  “I know. But I’m mad because I had just about given up hope of ever being pregnant again. The news shocked the daylights out of me. I can tell ya that.”

  “I bet it did. Now, let’s tackle everything else. Anything you want to say about being excited, happy, scared, and nervous?”

  “Nee.” She already felt like she’d said too much. “Those are all normal emotions. Right? Or no?”

  “Everything you’re feeling is perfectly normal.” Edna smiled more broadly. “Now, what did Calvin do when you told him?”

  “I haven’t told him yet.”

  The midwife’s expression turned guarded. “And why is that?”

  “I couldn’t bear to do it.” Taking a deep breath, Miriam shared the awful news. “The fertility doctor told us it was unlikely I’d ever conceive again… and if I did, the chances were good that I would miscarry.”

  “What does that have to do with not telling Calvin?”

  “I don’t want to upset him.” Miriam shook her head. “Nee, that’s not true… I don’t want to have to see the look on his face when I disappoint him again.” When Edna just stared, Miriam added, “You know, because I’ll likely lose this baby.”

  The midwife shook her head. “You don’t know that. And, dear, if you did, you wouldn’t be disappointing Calvin. He’d be worried about you.”

  “I know, he’ll worry. Calvin is a kind man.” She took a deep breath. “To be honest, I just don’t know if I can handle hurting him again.”

  “You wouldn’t be hurting him.” Reaching for her hand, Edna squeezed it. “Miriam, if you miscarried, it wouldn’t be your fault.”

  “I know you are right, but I would still feel like it was.” When she could see that Edna was about to argue, she added, “Haven’t you ever felt something that didn’t make sense? Haven’t you ever wished you didn’t feel something, but no matter how hard you tried, you felt it, anyway?”

  “Well, jah. I suppose I have.”

  “Then you must understand.”

  “I understand what you’re saying, Miriam,” she said, after a hesitation. “I can even understand and appreciate why you feel the way you do. But I don’t agree. I don’t agree with keeping this a secret at all.”

  “Edna, if something happens, keeping it a secret from Calvin will be better in the long run.”

 

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