challenging.”
“Sounds like it,” she said. “Are you enjoying your new line of work?”
“Yes, very much. Though it’s a whole different world
98 than all those prenups and divorces I used to handle.”
“I don’t know … divorce and murder both sound pretty violent to me.”
He chuckled.
Then she asked more seriously, “Have you been successful in dodging the media?”
“So far.” He handed her one of the menus. “And since I
really can’t talk about the case … let’s see what you’d like to eat.”
She opened the menu and scanned the choices. “I don’t see any apple butter on here,” she joked. “Or shoofly pie.”
He glanced over his menu at her. “I’ve heard of that pie. Sickeningly rich, right?”
“The mother of all rich desserts. The best is the wet bot
torn
kind, unique to Lancaster County.”
He closed his menu. “Louisa, look, I’m not here to discuss Amish desserts, as I’m sure you know.”
“Neither am I.” She looked over at him. “So why are we here, Michael?”
He was staring at her. “I’d like to see if there’s anything left of us,” he said, his voice noticeably ringing with expectation. “Is that so surprising?” He continued talking, rehashing their past all the things that had led Louisa to cancel their wedding last fall then voicing his frustration and anguish at her sudden leaving.
She let him talk, listening and wanting very much not to hurt him further. Even so, she was hesitant to let him think this luncheon date heralded the continuation of their
former relationship. Although the way she felt when he
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99 H
Brethren
smiled at her almost made her wish he’d never revealed her father’s matchmaking scheme.
“You must try ‘n’ eat,” Barbara Zook coaxed him.
Zeke shook his head in short jerks. He had been sitting in the same chair all day for more than a full day, he realized. He’d sat here to sleep, to read, to stare, and now he was sitting here telling the preacher’s wife to leave him be, in so many words.
“You’ll feel better if you have something, Zeke,” she said, standing in the doorway that led to the large front room of the main house.
She smiled. “You’re welcome to have your pick of pies. I’ve got apple, and there’s chocolate silk. Oh, and a few slices of banana cream from yesterday. Which would you like?”
He knew she was hoping he’d bite. And the banana cream did sound mighty tasty, but it reminded him of Esther, and that put him right back under the mist in his mind. The haze of tormented thoughts and his grief over the news of his mother’s death all of it overwhelmed him. Even
though he saw that Barbara’s mouth was still moving, he heard not a word.
Some time later, Preacher Jesse came over to see him, bringing a tall glass of water. “Here, best be drinkin’ this… . Small swallows to start.” He was telling Zeke what to do, and Zeke didn’t like it not one bit. “You’ll dry out on us and we can’t have that.”
100 “Might land me in a hospital somewhere,” Zeke whispered.
“Which might not be such a bad idea, really.”
Zeke
“Sounds like it,” she said. “Are you enjoying your new line of work?”
“Yes, very much. Though it’s a whole different world
98 than all those prenups and divorces I used to handle.”
“I don’t know … divorce and murder both sound pretty violent to me.”
He chuckled.
Then she asked more seriously, “Have you been successful in dodging the media?”
“So far.” He handed her one of the menus. “And since I
really can’t talk about the case … let’s see what you’d like to eat.”
She opened the menu and scanned the choices. “I don’t see any apple butter on here,” she joked. “Or shoofly pie.”
He glanced over his menu at her. “I’ve heard of that pie. Sickeningly rich, right?”
“The mother of all rich desserts. The best is the wet bot
torn
kind, unique to Lancaster County.”
He closed his menu. “Louisa, look, I’m not here to discuss Amish desserts, as I’m sure you know.”
“Neither am I.” She looked over at him. “So why are we here, Michael?”
He was staring at her. “I’d like to see if there’s anything left of us,” he said, his voice noticeably ringing with expectation. “Is that so surprising?” He continued talking, rehashing their past all the things that had led Louisa to cancel their wedding last fall then voicing his frustration and anguish at her sudden leaving.
She let him talk, listening and wanting very much not to hurt him further. Even so, she was hesitant to let him think this luncheon date heralded the continuation of their
former relationship. Although the way she felt when he
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99 H
Brethren
smiled at her almost made her wish he’d never revealed her father’s matchmaking scheme.
“You must try ‘n’ eat,” Barbara Zook coaxed him.
Zeke shook his head in short jerks. He had been sitting in the same chair all day for more than a full day, he realized. He’d sat here to sleep, to read, to stare, and now he was sitting here telling the preacher’s wife to leave him be, in so many words.
“You’ll feel better if you have something, Zeke,” she said, standing in the doorway that led to the large front room of the main house.
She smiled. “You’re welcome to have your pick of pies. I’ve got apple, and there’s chocolate silk. Oh, and a few slices of banana cream from yesterday. Which would you like?”
He knew she was hoping he’d bite. And the banana cream did sound mighty tasty, but it reminded him of Esther, and that put him right back under the mist in his mind. The haze of tormented thoughts and his grief over the news of his mother’s death all of it overwhelmed him. Even
though he saw that Barbara’s mouth was still moving, he heard not a word.
Some time later, Preacher Jesse came over to see him, bringing a tall glass of water. “Here, best be drinkin’ this… . Small swallows to start.” He was telling Zeke what to do, and Zeke didn’t like it not one bit. “You’ll dry out on us and we can’t have that.”
100 “Might land me in a hospital somewhere,” Zeke whispered.
“Which might not be such a bad idea, really.”
Zeke
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