“Jah. I added some brown sugar and a little bit of mustard to the pan when I cooked them.”
Mustard and brown sugar? Was that something her mamm had taught her as well?
“Despite what you just said,” Levi pointed a forkful of eggs her way, “you’re responsible for this meal.”
As the meal continued, Seth noticed how Levi focused more and more of his usual teasing and charming banter on Phoebe.
He should definitely have a word with his bruder this morning before he left for work.
To be honest, though, Phoebe wasn’t paying any more attention to Levi than she was to any of his other brieder. She chatted with all of them as she ate, even trying to draw out the normally quiet Jesse. And he was impressed that she didn’t make an issue of her burn, which must be painful if for no other reason than where it was. Edna had certainly done well in her selection of Phoebe to help them out.
As usual after breakfast his brieder scattered to their various jobs or schoolings. He tried to pull Levi aside for a talk but Levi said he had to get to his job early, so Seth had to let him go. He was determined to handle it this evening, though.
He didn’t immediately get back to his chores. Instead he helped Phoebe carry the last of the dishes from the table. “You shouldn’t get that bandage of yours wet,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’ll wash and you can dry.”
Her eyes widened slightly but she merely nodded.
A few moments later, as he handed her the first dish for drying, he said as casually as he could, “You know, you don’t have to go to so much trouble for our breakfast. Me and my brieder would be just as happy with a hearty bowl of oatmeal.”
“Oh.” The word was infused with disappointment.
Had he said something wrong?
“I can fix oatmeal occasionally, of course.” She seemed to be carefully picking her words. “But I think a little variety is a gut thing, so I’ll cook other things as well so no one gets bored with their meals.” She raised her chin as she accepted a clean platter from him. “Unless you object?”
“Nee, of course not. The menus are entirely up to you.” He’d only meant to save her some work, not insult her. Too bad he didn’t have Levi’s way with words.
She nodded, her expression one of satisfaction. Then she changed the subject, cutting him a sideways glance. “Speaking of menus, I take it copper pennies are not a favorite of yours.”
Seth tried not to grimace. “Nee. I had an unfortunate experience the first time I ate them and have not been able to make myself eat them ever since. I hope you’re not offended.”
“Of course not.” She gave him a mischievous grin as she took a plate from him. “I feel the same way about brussels sprouts so you won’t see any of those included in the meals I prepare while I’m here.”
He returned her grin. “I think I can live with that.”
“So tell me about your farm,” she said as she stacked the now-dry dish on the counter with the others. “What crops do you raise here?”
“Corn and soybeans.”
“My daed and younger bruder grow corn, but as I said last night, just a few acres’ worth. Their harness repair shop is their main business and keeps them pretty busy.”
Curious about her home life, he asked a few questions of his own. In the process he learned that she loved animals, she had a buggy horse named Primrose and she liked to sneak treats out to Scooter, the barn cat back home. He imagined that as the youngest of her siblings and the only girl she’d been the darling of her familye, though she didn’t show signs of having been spoiled. Her youngest bruder, Paul, was the only one still living at home and he was recently married.
Seth wondered if she knew how much of her feelings she revealed as she spoke. She loved her familye, for sure and for certain. But there was something about Paul’s new wife joining their home that bothered her. And when he mentioned Thanksgiving, she gave a vaguely worded response and quickly changed the subject.
Now, what had happened to generate that reaction? But he didn’t press.
When the dishes were done, he hung his rag on the hook over the sink and rolled his sleeves back down.
“By the way,” Phoebe said before he could move away, “I noticed your brieder were scrambling to get their lunches prepared before they headed out. I can take that on for them—have their lunches prepared and ready to go so it’s one less thing for them to worry about as they’re rushing to leave. I just need to find out what they like to have in their lunch pails.”
Seth leaned back against the counter. “I can tell you that. Everyone has sandwiches with either a piece of fruit or a chunk of cheese. Kish and Mark like peanut butter and jelly, Jesse likes just peanut butter. Levi and Daniel like ham, but Daniel likes just meat and Levi likes mustard on his.”
She put away the last of the dried dishes. “You know their likes well.”
He shrugged. “After Mamm passed I was the one in charge of preparing everyone’s lunch. At least until I married Dinah and she took over.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “When she passed, my brieder were old enough to take care of it themselves.” He gave her a pointed look. “And they can still take care of it themselves—you have enough other work to do.”
“I don’t mind. And it really won’t interfere with my other chores.”
He shrugged. “Then I will leave it to you to decide. I’ll write down what I just told you so you’ll have it handy.”
“That’s not necessary, I’ll remember.”
“It’ll be no trouble.” Then he changed the subject, waving a hand toward his aenti, who sat at the table sipping on a cup of coffee. “Did Edna go over the work schedule with you?”
“Work schedule?” Her gaze flew to Edna’s.
Edna merely shrugged.
Seth let out an exasperated sigh. It seemed Edna did whatever Edna wanted to do. “Here, let me show you.” He moved to the corkboard and pulled the pushpin from a neatly penned and stapled document. He moved to the table, waving Phoebe over to a spot on the opposite end from where Edna sat.
Why did Phoebe look so apprehensive? Surely she’d expected to have some assignments laid out for her.
Chapter 12
Phoebe took her seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as he set the daunting-looking list on the table between them. Would he expect her to read it?
“Dinah developed this when we were first married,” he began. “I’ve updated it a few times since.”
