Free Sweet as Honey by Jennifer Beckstrand

and fierce flared inside his chest. He stepped away from the plates. “You should see the way he treats her, Mamm, as if she was his property instead of his girlfriend.”
    Mamm shook her head. “I’d ask why she lets him do that, but I already know the answer. A girl starts to believe she doesn’t deserve any better. It’s the way with Martha Glick, Paul’s mater . Since the day they married, Paul’s dat wore her down until she doesn’t even know she’s a daughter of Christ anymore.”
    â€œBut why would Lily be friends with Paul in the first place?”
    â€œLily has a kind heart. Maybe Paul needed a friend. Maybe Lily needed a friend.”
    Dan frowned. “Lily has plenty of friends. Everybody likes Lily.”
    â€œMaybe she wanted a boy to pay attention to her.”
    He threw up his hands. “I paid attention to her. I did a lot of stupid things to try to get her to notice me.”
    Mamm’s lips twitched. “Maybe she thought you were stupid.”
    Dan chuckled in spite of himself. “I’m sure she did.” To keep his frustrated hands busy, he picked up a dish towel and started drying. Carefully. “I don’t want to be stupid now.”
    Mamm sighed, a gruff, it’s-a-lost-cause sigh from deep in her throat. “Mostly, it would be better if you just let her alone. I’d rather not see you hurt.”
    Dan bowed his head. “I’d rather not see me hurt either, but it will hurt worse if I don’t try.”
    Mamm gave him a firm pat on the arm. “Then give it a try. And try not to break anything.”

Chapter Seven
    Lily unhitched Queenie from the buggy and made a beeline for the house. She was famished. A doughnut and half of the roll Paul didn’t want hadn’t even made a dent in her hunger. She deeply regretted giving a doughnut to Dan, mostly because she thought she might die of malnutrition, but partly because he had said such ugly things about her in school. He hadn’t deserved that doughnut.
    Upon thinking of Dan, a lump of coal settled in the pit of her stomach and her feet felt as heavy as if she were wading through a meadow of honey. She’d never make it to lifesaving food if her feet were stuck fast.
    The smell of something substantial and delicious wafted from the house, giving her the determination to make it up the porch steps. She practically threw open the door and stumbled into the kitchen. Home. Nothing felt as good as home.
    With spoon in hand, Aunt B stood at the stove stirring something in a large sauce pot. Poppy kneaded dough at the island. Nothing soothed a bad day like Poppy’s homemade honey wheat bread. Rose stood next to Poppy, cutting out heart-shaped sugar cookies, no doubt to give to one of the neighbors. Rose was thoughtful like that. It was said that people in town scheduled unnecessary surgeries just so they’d get a plate of Rose Christner’s treats. Aunt Bitsy had taught them how to cook, and all three of the Honeybee Sisters enjoyed making goodies in the kitchen, especially if they could be together.
    Aunt B turned when she heard the door open and gave Lily an affectionate lift of her eyebrows, which said “I love you” better than any words could convey.
    Lily took one look at Aunt B and forgot why she’d been so depressed. She giggled under her breath. Gawdy gold earrings hung from Aunt B’s ears. They were so long, they brushed against her shoulders when she turned her head and tinkled softly with every movement. They looked oddly out of place next to her plain white kapp and drab gray dress, and they were altogether out of place in an Amish home, but Aunt B loved her earrings. She’d amassed quite a collection when she’d lived as an Englischer, and she’d told her girls that she couldn’t bear to throw them away.
    â€œI like your earrings, Aunt B,” Lily said. If they made Aunt B happy, they made Lily