Free A Place of Peace by Amy Clipston Page B

driveway toward the main road.
    Miriam stared after the SUV, wishing she understood what Beth Anne meant by everyone having “a chance to heal.” Did she mean Timothy, or was she referring to the Henderson family?
    Miriam contemplated Timothy, wondering if he had any healing to do. He sure seemed to be over her by the way he behaved with the young woman at the funeral. Yet, there was something unnerving in his stare when he gazed at her. Did he have some unsettled feelings about her?
    Deep in thought, Miriam headed back into the cabin.
    “Miriam made all of them,” Beth Anne said, placing the desserts on the large counter in the center of the bakery’s kitchen. “She said she’s going to stay a couple of weeks to work things out with her family and to care for Edna.”
    “That’s very generous of her,” Elizabeth said, examining the chocolate cake. “It looks like she does good work.”
    “I’m surprised she remembers how to cook since she ran off to be a nurse,” Kathryn quipped, unwrapping the strawberry pie.
    “I think we should hire her,” Beth Anne blurted out, eyeing her mother for a reaction.
    “What?” Kathryn exclaimed. “You can’t be serious, Beth Anne. Why would you hire someone who hurt our brother?”
    Elizabeth’s expression was curious. “Why do you think we should hire her?”
    Beth Anne made a sweeping gesture over the desserts. “Look at her work. It’s
wunderbaar,
and we’re drowning here with the tourist boom this time of year. We could have Miriam back here, baking and restocking along with us. The girls are having a hard time keeping things straight up front. We could put Lindsay out with them all day. It makes sense.”
    Beth Anne ignored her sister’s glare and continued studying Elizabeth’s reflective expression. “Think about what I said the other day,” Beth Anne said. “Perhaps bringing Miriam in here would force her and Timothy to actually talk. I’m certain he avoided her at the funeral, and I can’t think of any other way to get them together. I feel like God is speaking to me about this and telling me to hire her. I know it sounds
narrisch,
but I feel like this is the right thing to do. It feels like God’s will, and I need you to believe me.”
    “You’re not crazy.” Elizabeth patted Beth Anne’s hand. “I happen to agree with you. We’ll hire her, and let God do as He sees fit with Miriam and Timothy. We’ll leave it in His hands.”
    “You’re both
narrisch!”
Kathryn exclaimed. “I can’t be a part of this. Timothy will explode when he hears about it. The last thing he needs is Miriam here in his face. She broke his heart, and you two seem to have forgotten that.” She grabbed the plates of peanut butter bars and pumpkin pie squares and stomped toward the front counter.
    Beth Anne raised an eyebrow. “She’s upset.”
    “She’ll have to let it go.” Elizabeth shrugged. “It’s my bakery. Therefore, I make the rules.”
    Beth Anne chuckled while cutting up the strawberry pie.
    “Monday morning you offer Miriam the job,” Elizabeth said, mixing up cookie dough. “Tell her I’m anxious to see her again and have her working with us while she’s here for two weeks.”
    Sunday afternoon, Miriam curled up on the sofa and read from the book of John in Edna’s Bible.
    The weekend had flown by quickly. She had a nice conversation with her boss on Friday afternoon. Lauren said she understood why Miriam wanted to spend a couple of weeks in Lancaster County to bring some closure to the issues with her family. Miriam had promised to call Lauren next week and give her an update on how things were going.
    Miriam had spent Saturday helping Edna clean before doing the grocery shopping. Then she’d baked all afternoon in preparation for Beth Anne’s visit Monday morning. She hoped her sand tarts, chocolate peanut butter cookies, and peanut blossoms were good enough to give to Beth Anne. Since baking was considered work, it wasn’t allowed on