Free The PIECES of SUMMER by Wanda E. Brunstetter

arm again. “What do you think? Should
     we let Eddie stay with us—at least until he gets his memory back and is able to move
     out on his own?”
    Henry sat quietly for several more seconds then finally nodded. “If it doesn’t work
     out, though, we’ll have to find him a place at the homeless shelter.”

CHAPTER 8
Bird-in-Hand
    M eredith shifted on the backless wooden bench where she’d taken a seat almost three
     hours ago in Deacon Raber’s barn. Her back hurt something awful, and no matter how
     hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to find a comfortable position. She glanced over
     at Laurie, sitting straight on the bench beside her, with her hands clasped in her
     lap. She didn’t look uncomfortable at all.
    I wonder how many more times I’ll get to sit beside my sister like this in church?
Meredith wondered.
If Laurie marries Kevin Byler and they move to some foreign country, I may never see
     her again
.
    A cramping sensation gripped Meredith’s stomach, causing her thoughts to redirect.
Maybe I should have stayed home from church this morning
. Due to the back pain and a few stomach cramps that had finally gone away last night,
     she hadn’t slept well. She’d had another dream about Luke, too, which had woken her
     around four o’clock this morning. It was hard to believe he’d been gone nearly six
     months already, yet there were times when it seemed like only yesterday that they’d
     said their goodbyes on the porch.
    Will the pain of losing Luke lessen or increase after the boppli is born?
Meredith asked herself as she reached around and placed her hands on the lower part
     of her back. One thing for sure: she’d be glad when the baby arrived, for the heat
     and humidity of summer was really getting to her. That, coupled with her top-heavy
     stomach and inability to do many things, made her feel cross at times.
    When Mom had dropped by for a visit the other day, she had told Meredith that she’d
     felt irritable and unproductive with each of her pregnancies that had occurred during
     the heat of summer. While Mom was there, she’d also lectured Meredith on the importance
     of getting plenty of rest and staying hydrated. Meredith was drinking lots of water,
     but it was hard to rest when she felt so miserable and couldn’t find a comfortable
     position. If this unrelenting backache didn’t ease by evening, she might have to consider
     sleeping in one of the recliners in her living room.
    Meredith shifted on the bench once more and glanced across the room to where the men
     and boys sat. She spotted Jonah and noticed that he seemed to be staring at her. Hoping
     no one else had seen, she gave him a brief nod then quickly looked away. It was one
     thing for Jonah to drop by her house on occasion, to do a few chores, but she didn’t
     want anyone here to get the idea that she might be interested in him.
    Am I interested?
she asked herself.
If Jonah were to ask me to marry him after my year of mourning is up, what would I
     say? I enjoy his company, and I’m sure he’d be a good daed to my boppli, but is that
     enough? Could I ever feel the kind of love in my heart for Jonah that I’ve felt for
     Luke ever since we first became serious about each other and got engaged? Down the
     road things might change, but right now
,
I’m thinking probably not
.

    When their church service concluded, Jonah was tempted to seek Meredith out but thought
     better of it. From the way she looked during the service, she didn’t feel very well.
     She appeared to be tired and seemed fidgety, like she couldn’t find a comfortable
     position on the bench. A couple of times he’d noticed Meredith placing her hands against
     her lower back, as if to support it. He could only imagine how uncomfortable that
     hard wooden bench must be for a woman so far along in her pregnancy—especially sitting
     there for three whole hours.
    If he saw a chance to speak to her when nobody else was around, he would take it.