Chapter Twenty-Nine
Grace
I stood in the kitchen trying to control the panic that was rising in my chest as I replayed the scene in my head. My uncle had threatened not just me, but my family, and I knew that it was about more than my presence in Corner Grove.
"Grace? Grace, are you okay?" Verity asked as she entered the kitchen with a worried look on her face. I nodded without saying anything, knowing that if I opened my mouth, I'd scream. "What's going on, Grace?"
I stood at the kitchen sink staring
out the window watching Adam talk with Honor and Danny. I could see that Danny was asking all kinds of questions, and that Adam was doing his best to smile and keep it light. I was going to have to come clean with Adam about my life.
"Verity, do you trust me?" I asked without looking at her.
"Of course, I do, Grace," she said moving closer. "You're my sister."
"But I mean, do you really trust me to do what's right and good for this family," I continued. "Even if it might feel wrong or scare you?"
"I do," Verity said as she took my hand and squeezed it tightly. "I know you'd never intentionally hurt us."
"I wouldn't," I said turning to look at her. "But what I'm going to do is probably going to create waves in the community and will change a lot of things. Are you sure that you and Levi are solid?"
"Levi loves me, and I love him," she said smiling. "We're solid in that respect, and we will withstand whatever waves you make. What are you going to do, Grace?"
"It's probably best that you don't know too much right now," I said thinking ahead to what would happen when I stirred up the nest of hornets that Uncle Amos was leading. "Just trust me. Less is better for you and for Levi. I'll tell you everything when the time is right."
"Okay, I'll trust you," she said solemnly. "In the meantime, what can I do to help?"
"You take care of Honor and Danny," I said as I turned my attention back to the trio standing in the drive. "And make sure the celery is healthy!"
"Oh, Grace, I don't know what you're doing, but I'm going to pray that you succeed," Verity said wrapping an arm around my waist and resting her head on my shoulder.
"That's perfect," I said slipping an arm around her waist and kissing the top of her head. "Because we're going not need all the prayers we can get."
Chapter Thirty
Adam
"Grace, what's going on?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen. Honor and Danny had explained the relationship between the bishop and their family, and I'd realized that whatever Grace had done was something major, but neither Honor nor Danny would tell me what it was. "Grace! Just tell me!"
"Fine," she sighed as Verity cast a nervous glance my way before leaving the room. "I'll tell you."
"What was your uncle going on about out there?" I asked.
"It's a long story, but it basically boils down to the fact that I'm what they call a jerked-over Amish person," she said.
"And that means what?"
"It means that I don't belong to this community," she replied. "I moved to Chicago to go to college ten years ago, and I haven't been a part of this community since then, so he's angry that I'm back and taking care of the business and family without actually being a part of the rest of the community."
"Wait, you live in Chicago?" I asked completely confused by her revelation. "But you're..."
"Plain and simple?" she said dryly.
"No, I wasn't going to say that."
"Yes, you were. You've been saying it since the night you came into the grocery store," she said. "You thought I was a simple country girl who'd never been outside of Corner Grove."
"But you didn't say anything!" I protested.