"I'm in heaven," he said groggily.
"No, no you are most definitely not," I said pushing his hand away. "You passed out on my kitchen floor."
"Mmmm," he nodded as he closed his eyes and drifted off again.
I got up and walked to the kitchen to find Verity and see what she remembered about the accident. She and Danny were standing at the sink, one washing while the other dried. Verity was humming a tune I recognized from Sunday night singing.
It was Verity's voice that had attracted Levi, and her gentle nature and kind heart that had prompted him to propose to her after Christmas the year before. Like most Amish couples, Levi and Verity had kept their engagement a secret, but Mamm wrote and told me that when she began planting the celery that would be used to make the traditional casseroles and decorate the reception tables, neighbors started talking.
"You'll make such a good wife," I said as I stepped up beside her and grabbed a towel. "Much better than I ever would have."
"Oh, Grace, you're not giving up are you?" she asked as she rinsed the last of the plates. "You're still young, and you can still come back and be baptized, you know. Mamm and Dat always hoped you would."
"I think it's safe to say that I'm not going to find a husband in Corner Grove," I said grimly. "I'm just happy that you're happy and that you've found someone who will be good to you."
"And I to him," Verity said smiling. We stood next to one another silently lost in our memories of Mamm and Dat until Danny nudged me and signed that he was going outside to tend to the garden.
"Okay, but don't go too far!" I called as he ran out the back door. Too late, I yelled, "And don't let the door slam!"
The noise of the screen door slamming into the frame echoed through the kitchen and out into the backyard.
"Too late," Verity laughed. "He never remembers to close it quietly. It drove Mamm to the edge of madness. You know, she'd asked Dat to find a way to make him remember, but Dat just told her that boys will be boys and to let him be."
"I miss them," I said softly.
"I know; I do, too," Verity said taking my hand and squeezing it tightly.
"What would Mamm have done with this English man?" I asked knowing full well what she would have done before I asked.
"I think you know," she replied. "We're doing it."
"I'm worried that he's really hurt, Verity," I said pulling my hand away and folding the towel that hung over my shoulder. "Hitting his head on the kitchen floor did not help things."
"I think he's okay," she said trying to project the confidence I wasn't feeling. "Yesterday, after the accident, he was conscious and talking to us as we pulled him out, and then he walked across the road to the house. I didn't think he'd suffered anything very severe."
"But what's wrong with him now?" I asked. "He's groggy and talking like he's drunk."
"Maybe he's got a concussion?" she said. "I don't know if those show up right away, but it might be what's ailing him."
"We can't keep him here," I said. "He's an outsider, and he's obviously made Uncle Amos upset."
"I think he's kind of nice," Verity said. "And he's very handsome."
"Verity, you know as well as I do that this is going to cause gossip," I said in the sternest voice I could muster.
"Oh Grace, why are you so worried about what everyone else says if you know in your heart you're doing the right thing?" she asked, leaving me looking for the words to break the news to her.
"Because we can't afford it right now," I finally said. "Verity, the store is in big trouble and I'm not sure I can save it."
My sister turned and looked at me for a long time before she reached out and took my hands in hers and said, "It's God's will, Gracie."
"No, it's not," I replied shaking my head. "It's bad business and we're going to have to find a way to turn it around or we're going to lose the farm, too."
"I have faith in you, Grace," she said squeezing my hands as she looked at me. "Mamm and Dat trusted you, and so do I. You'll find a way to make it work."
I nodded, but said nothing. Verity's calm faith in God was not going to soothe me, and I could feel the fear beginning to solidify in the pit of my stomach as I wondered whether I could find a way to fix everything.
Chapter Sixteen