Free An Amish Gift by Cynthia Keller Page B

meal playing games on his cell phone, while Kimberly pushed her food around on her plate, complaining that the turkey wasn’t the way she liked it and the vegetables were “icky.” Jennie knew her own children were far from perfect, but at least they had been polite guests when they were little. Even as cell phone–obsessed teenagers, they knew better than to bring a phone to the table. She shuddered to imagine what kind of teens Kimberly and Evan would become.
    If there had been any chance Shep might have opened up to his brother about their difficulties in adjusting to their new life, it was gone by the time they got to dessert. He refused the cake, ice cream, and cookie assortment, preferring to sit with yet another newly opened can of beer. When the younger childrenhad finished their sweets, they told their mother they wanted to go back to the hotel to play video games.
    “They’re tired,” Lydia said with an apologetic look to Shep and Jennie. “We’d better get back.”
    How sad, Jennie thought, that no one bothered to protest. Coats and boots were retrieved, kisses were exchanged among the four adults, and the other Davis family headed out the door. Michael was the last to leave, deliberately, Jennie realized, because he stuffed a heavy cream-colored envelope in her hand as he leaned in for an extra good-bye kiss on her cheek.
    “What’s this?” Jennie asked.
    “Christmas card,” he said. “We never got around to sending them out. But this one is for your eyes only.”
    He winked at her and left, pulling the door shut behind him. Jennie turned to see Shep retreating into the living room, knowing he would spend the rest of the evening sitting on the couch watching television, beer can in hand. Willa and Tim had disappeared upstairs. She would have to argue with them to get some help cleaning up. Before she did that, though, she wanted to see why Michael would have given her a separate holiday card.
    She pried open the envelope with her thumb as she walked toward the dining room table to start clearing dishes. Instead of a card, she found a piece of stationery folded over. As she opened it, she caught her breath. Inside were hundred-dollar bills. She counted them. Twenty all together. Two thousand dollars. She read what Michael had written on the monogrammed paper.
    Dear Jennie,
    We both know my brother is stupidly stubborn and won’t accept anything from anybody. So won’t you do me the kindness of accepting this as our present to you? It’s a combination housewarming (a little late, I know) and Christmas gift, and I hope it makes up for other gifts we’ve missed giving over the years. Of course, Shep is incalculably rich—he’s got you and the wonderful family the two of you have created.
    Love you always,
Michael
    Stunned, she sank down onto one of the dining room chairs. This was the Michael she knew, the kind and loving one she now realized she missed terribly. Maybe he couldn’t help showing off his newfound wealth, but underneath he knew his brother was hurting. Tears stung her eyes. She was ashamed that they needed this help, and ashamed that she didn’t dare return the money because they were in such dire financial straits. Yet she couldn’t help feeling a flood of relief that they had received another respite from disaster. Overshadowing everything else was the saddest thought: that she already knew she was going to follow Michael’s unspoken advice and keep it a secret from Shep. More secrets, more walls between them. She folded the money back into the note and slipped it into the envelope, which she set down on the food-stained tablecloth. Then she covered her face with both hands and cried.

Chapter 7

    Jennie put the paint roller in its tray and straightened up, rubbing her lower back. She had been painting Willa’s bedroom for the past two hours. Thanks to Shep’s prepping over the weekend, she was able to apply the off-white paint to smooth walls, and they were already looking