She roamed the workshop for a little while, impressed by the variety of tools and machines he had. Then she came across several bolts of velvet fabric. Most of them were red but there was a little royal blue and grass green thrown in as well. “Is this what you use to line the drawer and cushion the pieces with?”
“It is.” Then he grimaced. “It’s my least favorite part of the whole process.”
“I could do it for you, at least while I’m here.”
He looked surprised at that. “I wasn’t trying to make you feel as if you needed to help out.”
“Of course not, but I really don’t mind. You’d have to show me how, of course, but then I could do it. Truthfully, I’d enjoy feeling that I contributed to the creation of such a lovely set, even if it’s just in a small way.”
“Danke, I’ll think about your offer when it’s time for me to line another drawer. I have several orders to fill before Christmas and have to admit that I feel as if I’m falling behind.”
She straightened and moved to retrieve her basket. “Then I’ll get out of your way and let you get back to your work while I go put away these eggs.”
She headed back to the house with a bounce in her step.
When Seth stepped into the mudroom at lunchtime and shrugged out of his coat, he found himself wondering what kind of side dish she’d prepared to go with his sandwich.
Sure enough, Phoebe was at the stove frying something when he entered.
She turned and gave him a welcoming smile. “You’re just in time. These are almost ready to come out of the skillet.”
He moved to the end of the counter and thumbed through the mail. “And what might ‘these’ be?”
“Fried pickle slices.”
He wrinkled his nose, but she ignored his expression and smiled. “If you don’t mind, please step in the living room and let Edna know we’re ready to eat. These are best eaten when they’re still warm.”
“Of course.” He was getting used to her assigning tasks to him and his brieder.
By the time he and Edna had taken their seats, she was carrying the paper-towel-lined shallow bowl of fried pickles to the table.
And when he tasted the side dish with his sandwich he had to admit the pickles were a satisfyingly tasty accompaniment.
Later, as he carried his dishes to the counter, he met her gaze. “Are you up for another chess match today?”
“Jah, I’ve been looking forward to it all morning.”
As had he, truth to tell. “Then I’ll wipe down the table and set up the board while you take care of the dishes.”
Five minutes later they were sitting across the table from each other with the board between them. She insisted he take the light-colored pieces and the first move since she had that position yesterday. Knowing it was useless to argue with her, he opened by moving his queen’s pawn forward two spaces.
She countered by moving the queen’s rook’s pawn.
And the match was on.
One of the things Seth had learned when playing against her yesterday was that Phoebe didn’t believe in keeping chatter to a minimum when playing. Today was no different.
“I’ve noticed that Jesse is quieter than the rest of you and that he’s not as quick to join in when the games come out,” she commented as he thought through his third move.
“He’s always been that way,” Seth responded absently. “Comes with being the youngest I suppose.”
She raised a brow at that. “I’m the youngest of my siblings and I’m not sure quiet and thoughtful are words you’d use to describe me.”
He completed his move and looked up with a wry grin. “I suppose that’s true. But you’re the only girl so that’s probably where the difference comes in.”
“Maybe.” She studied the board and quickly made her move. “Have you ever tried to draw him out?”
Seth frowned as he tried to figure out why she’d moved her bishop. “I told you, that’s just the way he is. Some people are more quiet than others by nature. Not everyone can be as outgoing as Levi.” Now, why had he said that?
She grinned. “The world would be livelier, for sure and for certain.”
Livelier? Did that mean she found Levi’s approach to life attractive?
She grimaced good-naturedly. “Of course lively could become very tiresome after a while.”
Feeling unaccountably lighter after that, Seth made his next move on the board.
She quickly countered, seeming to give her move very little thought.
He won their match again, but again she didn’t make it easy on him. And at the end of the match, he still hadn’t been able to follow her strategy.
If she had one.
Chapter 16
Seth looked up from his work to see Phoebe entering the workshop with a saucer of cookies just as she had yesterday. But instead of a glass of milk, she was carrying a mug of something warm from the looks of the pot holder she was carrying it with.
