A Secret Encounter (Amish Secrets--Book 2) Page 11

  “Don’t mind me. I’ll be fine here,” Harvey insisted.

  “If it begins snowing, you come to the store,” Linda said. “I have a small back storage room the two of you can share when the weather is foul. It’s not much, but at least it’ll be shelter.”

  Joe touched Linda’s arm. “Thank you, Linda. You truly are a kind person.”

  Her concerned eyes met his. “Anna is too.”

  Joe nodded, then followed after Linda to Threads of Beauty. She led him to the backroom and detailed what she wanted done after hours. He also had extra time to finish up the project Linda had commissioned this morning, several hours prior to Anna’s arrival.

  “Is it working now?’ Linda asked hopefully.

  “Yep. Should be working like a charm.”

  “I want to pay you for the work you’ve been doing for me.” Linda opened her wallet and handed Joseph a few bills.

  “Thank you.” Joe took one of the bills and stuffed it in his pocket. He handed the others back to her. “Will you add the extra to Anna’s check, please?”

  Linda’s eyes showed empathy. “Of course.”

  “But please, don’t let her know.”

  Linda nodded in understanding. The front bell rang, alerting her to a customer’s presence. She and Joseph walked to the front store and she glanced down at her watch. “It’s already ten minutes after one and Anna’s not back yet. Where could she be?” A group of patrons poured in at once when Linda noticed a tour bus outside. “Oh boy. Joe, will you please stay and help me? I can’t possibly assist all these customers myself.”

  “Sure. What would you have me do?”

  “Just run the cash register.”

  Joe took his place behind the counter and began ringing up a customer’s purchase, while Linda met the other customers’ needs. Where is Anna? Joe glanced at the clock on the wall which revealed it was now twenty minutes after one.

  Five minutes later, a smiling Anna waltzed through the door with Aaron in tow. She glanced at Joe and frowned, then looked up at the clock. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth, most likely realizing her tardiness. Fortunately, the store had cleared out by now.

  Good. Now that she’d returned, Joe could go. He summoned Linda to the cash register and told her of his intentions.

  “Will you hold on just a little bit? I’d like to have a chat with Anna in the back before you leave,” Linda requested.

  “Sure.”

  <><><>

  Linda turned to Anna, who’d been showing one of Mammi’s quilts to Aaron. The fact that they’d sold three over the last few days hadn’t surprised Joseph at all. Linda realized the man knew what he was doing. He was very good at what he did. It’s too bad Anna couldn’t see Joe’s worth.

  “Anna, I’d like to have a word with you in the back, please,” Linda requested.

  Anna nodded sheepishly and sent Aaron a fleeting glance. Aaron nodded back. Anna followed her employer to the back room.

  “I don’t think I have to tell you that you’re nearly a half-hour late.”

  “I’m sorry, Linda. We lost track of time.” Anna explained further, “Aaron took me to his home for lunch and it took longer than I’d thought.”

  “I’ve decided to hire Joe as a second employee,” Linda stated. “He’s proved valuable many times and he’s a good worker.”

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Anna frowned. “Since they’ve been gone, other things have come up missing at our place too.”

  “Nevertheless, he’s now an employee of Threads of Beauty.” Linda just hoped that Joe would agree to it now. With the extra money they’d been bringing in of late, she could afford to hire him at least part-time. Linda walked to the door and beckoned Joseph.

  Apparently, Joe and Aaron had been in some sort of discussion, because Joe’s arms were crossed over his chest and his countenance reflected frustration. He walked to the door, leaving Aaron standing near the counter alone. Linda wished Anna’s fiancé would leave, but she wouldn’t be rude by asking him to.

  Joseph walked in with the door clicking shut behind him. “You wanted to see me?” He kept his gaze steady on Linda and she knew it was to avoid eye contact with Anna. Linda thought Joe and Anna had made a cute couple.

  “Yes. I just informed Anna that I hired you part-time,” Linda stated.

  Joe glanced nervously at Anna. “Uh, you did?”

  Linda nodded in affirmation. “I’d like you to stay until closing today, if you can.”

  “If you think you need me.”

  “There’s always stuff to do back here if there aren’t any customers up front,” Linda explained. She turned to Anna. “You may go back up front.”

  Anna nodded and walked back to the main store, with not so much as a glance at Joe.

  Linda hoped she was doing the right thing. After Anna disappeared, she turned back to Joe. “I haven’t said anything to Anna about your private activities. She doesn’t need to know anything about that.”

  “I appreciate that, Linda.”

  “Why don’t you work on getting that back storage room cleaned out so you and Harvey will have some shelter?”

  Joe nodded.

  “I’m just sorry I can’t offer you more.”

  “Oh no, Linda. You’ve been a great help to me and Harv. We’ll never forget it.”

  “Well, you’ve more than earned it. You’ve really helped Threads of Beauty get on its feet.” Linda smiled at Joe, but his reciprocating grin was nothing like it had been when he and Anna were dating. It seemed as though a dark cloud hovered over him. Seeing Anna with Aaron must be difficult for Joseph, she realized. Perhaps the two of them working together would change that.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  No, no, no! Anna’s heart cried out when she heard that she’d be working with Joe. How was she ever going to get over him if she had to see him every day? She yearned to forget the electrified feeling the air took on when they were in the same room, or what it felt like to be enveloped in his loving embrace, or how his soft lips moved on hers. How would her heart ever mend?

  But he’s a liar and a thief, she reminded herself. The reason they weren’t together anymore. She’d since replayed every conversation they’d had in her mind, questioning the validity of each one. Had he made those stories up? Did he truly save Harvey from alcoholism? Was there really ever a Mary?

  She glanced out the window watching as Joe now lit up a cigarette. Jah, she was better off without a man like that. Aaron was right, she didn’t want to find herself a couple of years down the road married to a lazy drunk. He’d also pointed out that Joe was prone to violence, citing his busted lip as an example. Not that she’d ever seen Joe drink, nor did he appear slothful.

  The worst part about the whole thing, though, was Joe wouldn’t even look her in the eye. Every time she glanced his way, he’d abruptly look away. She supposed it was embarrassment, or perhaps shame that caused him to do so. It wasn’t as though she hated him or anything. No, she just couldn’t trust him is all. And wasn’t trust the foundation of any healthy relationship?

  “Miss?”

  Anna had been staring out the window at Joe so long, she hadn’t even realized a customer had been in the store. She shook her head in an attempt to dispel her thoughts. If she didn’t pull herself together, Linda was going to end up firing her. And there was no way she could afford for that to happen.

  <><><>

  It felt good to somewhat get back on his feet, Joseph realized. With a part-time job, at least he was able to buy some food for him and Harv. Who knows? Maybe he’d even be able to save up enough to rent a place of their own by next year. But as long as Anna was still living alone with Mammi, he resolved to have Linda keep a portion of his paycheck for Anna. She needed it more than he did.

  When the other businesses in town noticed the recent success of Threads of Beauty, they began asking Linda questions. She’d shared with them the secret of her success: she’d hired a marketing consultant. She hadn�
��t given out Joe’s name, but she had asked his permission to do so. He was certain he could make a good living as a professional marketing consultant. But he’d declined.

  The problem was, he wasn’t ready for Anna to find out. Not that it would make a difference in their non-existent relationship. Despite Anna’s poor choice of a partner, Joe still cared for her deeply. Perhaps he was a fool to ever think he’d had chance with her in the first place. Anna had just seemed so different than everybody else. Hadn’t she exhibited her kindheartedness when she’d brought food to him and Harv in the alley? Why, then, did she seem so callous toward him now? It just wasn’t like her, at least not the Anna he’d known.

  “Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Harvey popped up from his little cot in the small storage room they were sharing.

  “What else?” Joe rolled his eyes.

  “Ah…Miss Anna.” Harv nodded. A strand of gray hair stuck up from his head, reminding Joe that they should both be asleep by now.

  “Is the light bothering you?”

  “No. You know me, I can sleep through anything. But don’t you think you should get some sleep? It’s after two. Before you know it you’ll need to get up for work.”

  Joseph sighed. “I know. I’m trying to figure out what to do.”

  “’Bout what?”

  “Everything.” Joe hung his head. “I’m contemplating leaving.”

  Harv’s mouth hung open like the flap on a mailbox. “Leaving? But Joe…” Harvey sighed. “I guess you gotta do what ya gotta do, but I sure will miss you if ya go. Where ya goin’?”

  “Don’t know. I don’t think I can stay here, though. Maybe I’ll go to Paradise and see my friend Samuel. He was always real nice.” Joe shrugged his shoulders non-committedly. “Probably has a wife and kinner by now like Jake.”

  “Why don’t you go talk to your friend Jacob?”

  “And chance running into Anna or Aaron? No, thank you.”

  “You only work part-time. You could go while she’s still working.” Harv glanced at Joseph who was shaking his head. “Why not? Oh, I get it. Your pride, right?”

  “I feel like such a failure, Harv. It seems other guys my age have everything. And here I am, with no place of my own, in a tiny little room, living off the good graces of a woman. Oh yeah, but I do have a job! In a fabric shop,” he said with a more than a hint of cynicism.

  “That’s nothin’ to be ashamed of. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere.” Harvey’s sympathetic gaze rested on Joe’s distraught countenance. “Listen to me, Joseph. A true friend is not going to care about all that. You are a good person.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, I do. And I think somewhere deep inside Anna knows it too.”

  Joseph reached over and turned out the light. “I’m going to sleep now.”

  “Will ya think on it, Joe?” Harvey’s voice sounded in the darkness.

  “Yeah, I’ll think on it.”

  <><><>

  Aaron considered himself lucky…or perhaps a better term would be smart. He’d wanted Anna back, but he didn’t think she’d be accepting his proposal right off the bat. Nor did he believe she’d ever agree to marry him this wedding season – January, to be exact – but she had.

  But one problem still existed.

  Joseph Bender.

  He thought for sure that after he’d been kicked off the Smuckers’ property, he’d be rid of him for good. Now Anna’s boss had hired Joseph to work with Anna. Why any man would agree to working in a fabric shop was beyond his comprehension. Unless, of course, it was so he could gander at Anna all day. Aaron did not like that one bit.

  Something had to be done, but what?

  As long as Joseph Bender was around, Aaron considered him a threat. Anna still hadn’t gazed at him with the same loving adoration he’d seen while she was in Joe’s arms. And she certainly hadn’t kissed him the way she had Joe. That fact alone irked him to no end.

  He must find a way to get rid of Bender for good.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The more Anna worked with Joseph, the more she realized he was the Joe she’d always known. The fact that he was a thief still baffled her. He seemed so…so…normal. Honest. Not like someone who would take advantage of others. The one thing she’d loved about Joe in the first place was that he’d always been genuine. And respectful. And kind.

  But he’s a thief, she reminded herself. You saw the money in his room, the missing quilts under his bed. Anna sighed. Why couldn’t she reconcile the two images of Joe? Probably because they were such a stark contrast. Ach, I hate this! She desired to believe the best about Joe. She wanted him to be good.

  She glanced up from the cash register and studied Joe as he showed a customer one of the quilts. His eyes sparkled and his laugh carried across the store. She’d missed seeing that. She knew she would always remember with fondness the times she’d shared lunch with Joe and Harv in the alley. An ache crept across her heart once again. She’d lost two good friends.

  The attractive young woman smiled back at Joseph and placed her hand on his forearm. Does he know her? Joe walked up to the sales counter with the woman and handed the quilt to Anna. Anna rang up the customer’s purchase and placed it into a large bag.

  Joe glanced up at the clock, then back at Anna. “Please let Linda know I’m taking an early lunch. I should be back in an hour.” He smiled at the woman beside him and she slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. “Ready?” he asked.

  The woman nodded happily.

  Anna’s mouth hung open as she watched Joseph walk out of the store. It seemed her body temperature had risen ten degrees in the space of sixty seconds. She never considered the possibility of Joe moving on to someone else. Jealousy coursed through her veins at the thought of him with another woman.

  You are betrothed to Aaron, she reminded herself.

  Why didn’t the thought bring the comfort she desired?

  <><><>

  “They make a nice couple, don’t you think?” Harv’s voice from behind caused Anna to jump.

  Anna placed a hand over her heart in an attempt to still its beat. “Harv, what are you doing here? I’ve never seen you in the shop before.”

  “Thought I’d check it out. Unless, of course, you don’t want me in here.”

  Anna’s heart lurched. “Why would you think that, Harv?” Anna asked the question, but she already knew the answer. Because Anna hadn’t spoken to Harv or Joe, barring instances when they’d worked together and had to communicate, since they’d left her home.

  “Seems to me you’d know the answer to that already. But I can clarify. You’ve changed, Miss Anna. The sweet woman who faithfully brought two lonely men lunch every day has been hiding somewhere. Either that or perhaps she doesn’t want to associate with the likes of two certain vagabonds. I wonder if she’s ashamed of us now.” Harvey’s honest eyes displayed his disappointment. “It’s not the lunches that we miss, though. The lunches were mighty good, mind you. But it’s that perty little angel with the sweet smile that brought ‘em every day. That’s what we’ve been missing. Have you seen her anywhere?”

  Tears filled Anna’s eyes. Harvey was right. The kindness she’d shown toward them – and the love – had been conditional. Selfish even. The moment she found out something negative, that there was nothing in it for her, she’d turned her back on both of them. She’d sent them back out into the cold. It shamed her to think of what a poor example of Christ’s love she’d been.

  “I’m sorry, Harv,” Anna said as tears spilled onto her cheeks.

  Harvey motioned toward the door where Aaron just walked in. “I’ll go now,” he dismissed himself to the back room.

  Anna turned and quickly brushed her tears away before turning to greet Aaron.

  Aaron raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Ready to go?”

  “I need to stay here until Joe gets back. He took an early lunch,” she explained.

  Aaron frowned. “Right. Joe.” He nodded. “When will he
be back?”

  “About forty-five minutes.”

  “Didn’t he know that you usually take lunch at twelve?” he asked incredulously.

  “It’s okay, Aaron. I wanted –”

  “No, it’s not okay. He deliberately left early because he knew I would be taking you out.” Aaron’s frustration was quite evident. “Does he not have any respect for other peoples’ time? Linda needs to fire him.”

  “What? No. That’s not necessary.”

  “Where’s your boss? I want to speak with her,” he demanded.

  Anna placed her hand over his in an attempt to calm him. “Aaron, leave it alone. Please.” She reached up and turned his face toward hers.

  Aaron released a slow breath when she caught his gaze. He nodded in compliance.

  “Why don’t you join us for dinner tonight instead?” Anna presented her peace offering. “I have some snacks in the fridge. I’ll just eat my lunch in the break room today, okay?”

  Reluctantly, Aaron agreed. He pecked her cheek, then grumbled when customers walked in the door. “I guess I better let you work. I’ll see you tonight.”

  Anna moaned as she watched Aaron walk out the door, but quickly pasted on a happy face for the approaching customers.

  <><><>

  After saying a quick hello to Linda, Joseph walked into the break room to don the apron she liked the workers to wear. Whistling, he walked to the peg that held the apron, quite aware that Anna sat at the small table eating her lunch.

  Harv walked in from the back room. “How was your lunch date?”

  Joe’s eyes briefly moved to Anna’s and quickly back to Harv’s. He cleared his throat. “Uh…it was fine.”

  “That sure was one perty woman ya had there,” Harv commented.

  Joseph knew he was speaking this way to provoke Anna to jealousy, but he didn’t appreciate it. “Jah, uh. We can talk about it later.” Joe nodded toward Anna, his way of kindly telling Harvey to shut up.