His stomach immediately rumbled in anticipation. “Gutentag. That looks and smells delicious.”
Her smile also seemed to add to the warmth of the shop.
“I won’t keep you from your work, I just wanted to bring this out to you. I thought you might like some hot cocoa to go with your cookies today since it’s so cold out.” Phoebe set the saucer on the table and turned to hand him the mug. But somehow the handoff didn’t work out and the mug ended up on the floor. The cocoa splashed on his pant leg and shoe and the mug broke in four jagged pieces.
A gasp escaped her lips as her eyes widened and her expression was one of someone about to be ill. “I’m so sorry.”
Her reaction seemed a bit extreme, even given that she would naturally be embarrassed by the mishap. “Don’t worry, the mug is easily replaced. And it was just as much my fault for not getting a gut hold on it.”
Her tension seemed to ease slightly but she still looked pale. Did she really think he would have been angry?
She finally seemed to snap out of whatever had held her rooted to the floor. “I’ll get a broom and clean this up.”
“I have one over there in the corner that I sweep up the wood shavings with.” He stood. “I’ll get a bucket of water from the trough.”
By the time he returned she’d picked up the pieces of the mug and had swept the cocoa out the door. He poured the water over the cement floor where it was still stained by the cocoa and she used the bristles of the brush to scrub it further, attacking it with an energy that seemed born of equal parts embarrassment and frustration. She eventually swept the dirty liquid out the door and when she looked up from her work she appeared less shaken than she had earlier.
“I’m sorry for the mess and the interruption of your work. And also that you’ll have to eat your cookies without anything to wash them down with.” Then she lifted her head. “Although I could make you another cup of cocoa if you—”
His upheld palm interrupted her. “That won’t be necessary. And there’s no need to apologize. I appreciate you taking the time to come out here and bring me a snack in the first place. And if these cookies are as gut as the ones you brought me yesterday, they should be great all on their own.”
“If you’re sure.” She sounded doubtful. “I guess I’ll leave you to your cookies and your work before I make a mess of anything else.”
He frowned as he watched her leave. He could understand being embarrassed by having such an accident, but this seemed to be something more. He’d noticed it before when she’d had other incidents of this sort. Had something happened in her past to make her this way?
He had a sudden urge to discover what that hurt might be and fix it for her. Which was ridiculous, of course.
He took a bite of one of the cookies and savored the nutty vanilla flavor. She might be a bit accident-prone, but Phoebe could for sure and for certain bake.
By Friday, Phoebe had developed a routine of sorts. She got up, prepared breakfast, fixed lunches, cleaned the kitchen, swept all the floors, collected the eggs, and tackled any other household chores that needed her attention.
Her favorite moments of the day, though, were the times she spent playing chess with Seth after lunch and bringing him his snacks in the afternoon. It was the challenge provided by the chess games and the chance to indulge her fascination with his chess-making craftsmanship, of course.
She was also forming an attachment to each of the other Beilers. The brieder were all individuals in their own right, even the two youngest. She’d remarked on this being Kish’s last year of school and asked if he planned to work on the farm with Seth after he graduated or if he planned to apprentice somewhere as Mark had. Kish had immediately said he wanted to one day work as a farrier, something completely different from any of his brieder.
But all of the brieder shared one defining quality—they were loyal to one another. She was wonderful glad she’d gotten to know them and that Edna had invited her to work here.
Even though no one had to rush out to their job or school on Saturday morning, the Beiler household rose as early as usual. There were still chores to be done of course—livestock to be fed, cows to be milked, stalls to be mucked out.
Mark all but raced through his chores. His rumspringa youth group was spending most of the day together. They were meeting at the dairy farm owned by the familye of one of the group’s members. According to the teenager, there would be volleyball beginning around ten o’clock, then they would have lunch together. Afterward they’d play more games and, in the evening, have supper and a singing.
It reminded Phoebe of her own rumspringa days. She’d been an indifferent player when it came to sports like volleyball and baseball, but she’d always enjoyed the singings. While the hymnals had always been indecipherable to her, she’d memorized the more frequently sung ones and could follow along with the more obscure ones well enough to get by.
Seth had decided after the regular chores were done that he, Levi and Daniel would work on expanding the paddock. The two younger boys were assigned to cleaning out and freshening up the chickens’ nesting boxes.
After a morning of such work out in the cold Phoebe was certain they’d be ready for something warm and more filling than sandwiches. So she went to work cooking a hearty chicken vegetable soup. Looking for something to deepen the flavor, she settled on stirring in a generous tablespoon of peanut butter hoping it would add a special nutty flavor. It could simmer on the stove all morning while she went about her own chores.
Just before it was time to serve lunch she decided to fix grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it, because who didn’t like fresh-from-the-oven, ooey-gooey cheese, especially on a cold winter day?
They trooped in just as she pulled the toasted sandwiches from the oven. After they’d filled their bowls and settled down to eat, Phoebe asked a question she’d meant to ask sooner. “Is tomorrow a between Sunday or will there be a service?”
“It’s a church Sunday. We’re having it at the Gerbers’ place, which is about a fifteen-minute ride from here so we’ll need to plan our departure time accordingly.”
She nodded. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”
Edna spoke up from the other side of Levi. “I’ll have a chance to introduce you to my shveshtra and some of my other familye.”
“I look forward to it.” Though to be honest, she was nervous. As a newcomer to their community she knew she’d face some scrutiny. Being the center of attention always made her nervous. And when she was nervous, her klutzy tendencies came out in full force.
Levi gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, this is a welcoming community.”
Apparently she wasn’t as gut at hiding her thoughts as she thought she was.
“By the way,” Edna said, “it’s tradition in this community for several of the women to bring pies or cookies for dessert.”
Seth quickly interjected. “But since you’re new here you shouldn’t feel obligated. I’m sure no one will think anything of it since not every household does it anyway.”
“It won’t be a problem,” Phoebe assured him. “I’m sure I can find time this afternoon to bake something.”
After lunch, once the kitchen was cleaned, Phoebe was surprised when Seth brought out the chessboard. “I thought perhaps you’d want to do something with your brieder since they’re home today.”
He shrugged. “They’ll still be here after our match. I’m determined to figure out your gameplay strategy.”
As they began their match, a few of the other Beiler brieder drifted back into the kitchen.
