Annie's Recipe Read online

  With a quick motion, Levi flipped off the car’s heater and the quiet sound of air flowing from the vents ceased. As he made his way down aisle after aisle, Annie took in the license plates from different states. Her jaw dropped in surprise. “Apparently we’re not the only ones who came a long way.”

  “Obviously not.”

  Annie pointed to an open space and Levi carefully made his way in between the two solid lines, pushing out an exaggerated sigh of relief. He darted her a satisfied glance before checking the rearview mirror.

  “Good thing I have a small car. I was starting to wonder if we would see more than this lot today. By the looks of it, everyone in America came here.” He turned off the ignition and smiled. “Soon we’ll know if it was worth the wait. It took ten years to get here, but that may not be all bad.”

  She waited for him to continue as she slipped her arms into her coat.

  “You’ve heard what they say about appreciating things more the longer you hold out for them?”

  She nodded. “Remember when we used to imagine this? When we talked about the different rides we’d heard about from our English friends?”

  “Yup.”

  She pressed her palms on her thighs, sat up a little, and checked her pockets to make sure the money she’d brought from selling fresh vegetables last summer was still intact.

  He chuckled. “Now we’ll know if they exaggerated.” Levi stuffed his keys into his back pocket and stepped out of the car. The moment Annie fastened the top of her coat, her door was opened.

  She smiled her appreciation. “Denke.”

  Stepping toward the park, she loosened her neck scarf. “Nice day. Maybe I didn’t need this after all.”

  “And the perfect company,” he added. “I think God planned it this way. In fact, He’s probably rewarding us for our long wait. But before we go any farther . . .”

  They stopped at the same time and she looked up at him expectantly.

  He rocked back and forth once on his heels. “You’ve got to promise me one thing.” His eyes sparkled with amusement. In the bright light, they took on a deeper shade of green than hazel. Jade even. She couldn’t take her eyes off the beautiful hue.

  “What?”

  He took her shoulders. “That today you’ll have the best time in your entire life.”

  Doing a tiptoe dance, she responded with a big, agreeable nod. “You’ve got my word!”

  As the sun brightened in the sky, Annie blinked to adjust her vision. Levi motioned to the structures in the distance. Even far away, shouts and screams filled the air. Tall, fast rides loomed before them. She pushed her hair back over her ears. It felt good to wear it loose.

  The expression on Levi’s face took on an appreciative look. There was a long silence between them before he spoke. “Your hair looks great down.” He paused. “I always wondered how long it was. In fact, Annie, you’re beautiful. From head to toe.”

  Slightly embarrassed by his approval, she changed the subject. She wasn’t used to compliments on her looks and wasn’t sure how to react. “You think it will still be exciting now that we’re all grown up?”

  He eyed her with a combination of amusement and protest. “Who says we’re grown up?”

  She widened her smile.

  “And even if we are, what does it matter?” He threw up his hands. “We’re here.” He breathed in a deep, satisfied sigh.

  They stepped around a mother pushing two kids in a stroller. As they passed, Annie wondered if that would be her someday. Children were a huge responsibility. Right now she only baked sponge cakes. As a mamma, she’d have to expand her talent as a cook. By the look of it, that mamma had her hands full. The little boy and little girl were practically hanging out of the stroller, pointing and chattering, while the out-of-breath woman pushed them, warning them to sit down.

  As they made their way around, Annie gave a small wave. “Hello.”

  The young mom smiled and returned the gesture, while the youngsters squirmed.

  When the family had gone on their way Annie realized Levi was waiting for a response to his last comment. “Advantages? What do you mean?” She quickened her pace to catch up with him.

  He darted her a wry smile. “We’re older.”

  She glanced at him as he took her arm to pull her away from a dip in the ground. When he released his gentle hold on her, she pressed him to continue. “Of course.”

  “That means, my friend, that we should appreciate what’s right in front of us. Just think what we can do now that we couldn’t ten years ago. Look at the advantages of coming right now instead of then.”

  She tried to see his point. After a few thoughtful moments, she nodded. “First of all, you wouldn’t have been able to drive us here.”

  “My feet wouldn’t have reached the accelerator or the brake.”

  They both laughed.

  “True.”

  “And now we can be independent.” He turned to better see her face. “I mean, just think how lucky we are not to have adults watching over us and telling us where to be and what time to meet. We can go on whatever rides we want without asking. That’s got to count for something.”

  “You’ve got a point. And just think how fortunate we are that I can run around!” She motioned to her jeans and tennis shoes. “I can’t imagine walking so far in my dress and hard black shoes. So that’s another blessing.”

  “And in your jeans you seem . . .”

  She waited for him to go on.

  “English.”

  She giggled with excitement.

  “On the outside, you’re English, but on the inside, you’re still my Amish girl.”

  She pointed a finger to establish her agreement. “You’ve got a point, Mr. Miller.”

  He rolled his eyes in amusement. “I don’t look forward to the day when people call me ‘Mr. Miller.’”

  She frowned. “Why not? Miller’s a nice enough name. And it’s not hard to spell.” She shrugged as an afterthought. “In fact, I like it.”

  “I suppose it’s not bad.”

  “But wouldn’t you rather be called by your first name? I mean . . .”

  He harrumphed. “When people start referring to you with titles, it seems so formal. Like you’re . . .” He hesitated. “Old.”

  “It does not!”

  He lowered his voice. “Oh, but it does.”

  “Levi, that’s all in your head. And you’ve got to get over it. What people call you really doesn’t matter.”

  He raised a defensive hand. “I disagree. How people address you says everything. I don’t know how you can think otherwise.”

  She stopped, planted both feet firmly together, and crossed her arms over her chest. He did the same and faced her.

  “I know it doesn’t matter.”

  “There goes my Annie, speaking her mind.”

  A short silence ensued while they stared at each other. Several moments later, they broke into laughter. “Such a serious discussion we’re having.”

  The pitch of Annie’s voice lifted to a more determined tone. “Levi, how you feel is all about how you act. I don’t care if you’re older than me.”

  Stepping quickly to keep up with him, she waved a hand to make her point. “If you do young things, you’ll feel young. On the other hand, if you act like you’re eighty, you’ll feel ancient. It makes sense, right?”

  He eyed her with skepticism. The flecks in his eyes did a doubtful dance.

  “Okay, so I didn’t convince you.” She considered what she’d just said and contemplated how to substantiate it. With the snap of her fingers, her tone took on new enthusiasm. “Take Old Sam, for example. Do you consider him old?”

  Levi pressed his lips together thoughtfully and darted her an undecided glance. Interestingly, she noticed the brown rims around his pupils had darkened again. It happens every time he gets serious about something.

  Finally, he conceded, “No. You’ve got me there. I hate to let you win this one, but you have a p
oint.”

  She gave a firm nod. “I’ve read that age is all a state of mind and I agree.”

  “Let’s get something clear: I’m not admitting I agree with you. Just because Sam is in his eighties and I don’t consider him old doesn’t mean acting a certain age applies to everyone else. Old Sam is different. You agree, right?”

  “Jah.”

  “Everyone else his age who doesn’t act the way he does still seems old.” When she started to protest, he held up a hand to stop her. “What I’m sure of is this: Anyone can have fun. If . . .” He hesitated.

  “What?” From the side of her eye, Annie noted the careless roll of his eyes.

  “Oh, it’s nothing.”

  “Then tell me.”

  His cheeks had turned a light shade of pink. Then the color deepened.

  “You’re blushing!”

  He wiped at his face, as if trying to rid the shade that had now spread to his ears. “No, I’m not.”

  She giggled. “Jah. You are. And now I have to know what you were about to say.” She wagged a finger at him. “There’s no way out of this one, so don’t even try.”

  He took an irritated breath. “You know what I don’t like about you, Ms. Annie?”

  The corners of Annie’s lips suddenly dropped.

  He didn’t give her a chance to respond. “That you can read my mind.”

  She sighed her relief and touched her hand to her chest. For a moment, she closed her eyes to regain her composure.

  “I couldn’t hide anything from you, even if I wanted to. Not only are you the most straightforward person I’ve ever met but, interestingly, you’re also the most intuitive.” He shook his head in defeat. “What I was about to say was that you can have fun anytime in your life . . .” His voice cracked with emotion. “As long as you’re with your favorite person.” He slowed his pace to gaze into her eyes.

  Salty tears of joy immediately sprang to her eyes as she considered his touching words. She blinked in reaction to the sting. His honest confession nearly took her breath away and she had to stop to catch it.

  He faced her so their eyes were locked together. His tone softened. “You’re crying.”

  “I . . . I’m sorry.”

  Annie scolded herself silently. What was wrong with her? Before she had time to decide, he pulled her to his chest. Struggling to calm her chaotic emotions, she relished in the comforting hardness of his upper body. Even with her coat on, his forearms were as hard as boards. She breathed in the woodsy scent of his coat. The smell reminded her of a forest full of tall, strong oaks and large pines. Of leaves dropping from the trees and piling on the ground. She was fully aware that being close to him like this wasn’t proper. But again, it felt right. She wouldn’t be able to express her feelings to him once he was gone.

  For blissful moments she closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy how protected he made her feel. The sensation was of pure comfort. Of not thinking about anything besides their unique relationship. No doubt Levi would make sure she was never harmed. When they were so close, she knew with each breath she took that he had her back. As a youngster, she’d experienced the same reassurance.

  She sniffed back tears and wiped moisture from her face. Suddenly realizing how ridiculous she’d acted, she smiled a little and offered an embarrassed shrug. “I didn’t mean to act like that.”

  The brown around his pupils was the darkest she’d ever seen it.

  Feeling the need to explain her crazy, uncalled-for behavior, she went on, trying to look at him, “At first, when you said there was something you didn’t like about me . . .”

  “You’re sensitive. But you know I’d never say anything to hurt you.”

  A nervous laugh escaped her. “The impact that statement had on me . . . I don’t know how to explain it. But then, when you said you could have fun as long as you were with me . . .” She exhaled on a happy breath of relief. “It makes me feel gut.”

  “But you must have known that.”

  She nodded. “But hearing the words means so much. Just listen to me rattle on.” As if on cue, they made their way inside the fence and joined the long ticket line.

  The noise level was high. Between the screams echoing from the rides to the shoulder-to-shoulder people hustling from one place to another to kids and adults talking and laughing, serious conversation was difficult.

  But reality had brought a strange sensation to Annie. The impact of Levi’s favorite-person admission had taken her breath away. Inside, she’d always known how much she meant to him, hadn’t she? So what on earth was the matter now? And why had she reacted with such great emotion? What he’d just told her would always be in her heart.

  As they moved forward in the ticket queue, a kid ran past her, almost knocking her over.

  “Whoa!” With a quick reaction, Levi steadied her. “You okay?”

  “Jah.”

  As they waited, Annie heard the couple in front of them excitedly talking about which ride to go on first. When they would eat. Where. To her amusement, the girl pulled a list from her pocket with their schedule.

  People behind them complained about the wait. To the side, a teenager ran after a group of kids, shouting as he did so.

  The sun beat down on Annie’s back; finally, she succumbed to the unusually warm October day and removed her scarf. She rolled it up as tightly as she could and stuffed it into her coat pocket.

  Without thinking, she compared the wild, loud feeling of this amusement park to her country home. She smiled, wondering what her sister would think of this place. Arthur had never experienced such loud noise, even when the town got lots of visitors every Labor Day at the Cheese Festival. But the thrill rides made for a different kind of ambience. One she would want to visit but not live near.

  The air was filled with a mélange of delicious smells. People walked shoulder-to-shoulder eating treats like oversize pretzels.

  When Annie eyed Levi, her heart warmed. His special words had etched themselves into her heart: As long as you’re with your favorite person. That meant she was his. A combination of emotions floated through her chest until she thought she would burst with happiness. She was Levi’s number one. He must know that he was definitely hers.

  As they stepped forward, Levi glanced at her blue jeans. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had worn them your whole life. How do they feel?”

  She pointed to the legs. “These?”

  When he nodded, the corners of his lips lifted with amusement. She tried not to grin, fully aware that he was playing with her. He liked to hear her admit things she appreciated about the English.

  She shrugged and acted as if she couldn’t decide. She could tease, too. And she enjoyed his struggles. Finally, she nodded. “I like them. They’re different. I thought they wouldn’t be comfy. But turns out . . .” She threw up her hands in a helpless gesture. “I actually prefer them to dresses.”

  Levi lifted a confident chin. “That’s music to my ears. The girl has some English taste in her.”

  They laughed.

  Suddenly self-conscious, she lowered her eyes.

  He glanced at her denim-covered legs again and narrowed his brows. He pressed his lips together and put his finger to his chin. Finally, he grinned mischievously. “Actually, you look fit. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you exercised.”

  She smiled wider and ran her hands over the comfortable fabric that outlined her legs. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone say that.” A giggle escaped her.

  “You’re a bundle of positive energy with beautiful, honey-blond hair.”

  “I get why you enjoy a lot of the English perks.”

  He looked at her.

  Trying to read the expression in his eyes, she swallowed a knot in her throat as she guessed what he was feeling. In a tone that was a combination of happiness and surprise, she lowered her voice. “You miss being Amish, don’t you?”

  He turned so she couldn’t glimpse his expression. Be
fore he could respond, they were admitted into the park and the guy operating the Ferris wheel motioned them forward and opened the bar for them to step inside an orange seat. Beside him, Annie looked at Levi and furrowed her brows. “You ready for this?”

  She shivered in delight. “I’ll find out if I’m afraid of heights!”

  With a jolt, their seat moved upward in a circular motion. Levi’s hand clasped hers in a tight, reassuring grip. Behind them, kids were screaming.

  Above, an airplane left a trail of white in the sky. For a moment, the sun disappeared behind a fluffy white cloud before reappearing in all its glory. Annie held her breath as the wheel stopped for a couple to get off and another to come on.

  “We’ve got the best seats in the house!” He motioned. “Just look.”

  The view in front of them prompted Annie to draw in a surprised breath. “There are enough folks here to fill the state of Illinois.” In silence, she took in the whirlwind of activity beneath them. She was so taken in by all the activity, she temporarily forgot her initial fear.

  When they stopped again, their metal seat swung back and forth. Annie held onto the bar that locked them in with her right hand while Levi held her left. After another slight jolt, the wheel moved again.

  Squeaking noises floated through the air as they moved up in a slow pace. Annie looked at Levi from her peripheral vision. A warm appreciation filled her heart as she recalled their long-ago dream. However, her instincts told her that he was doing this for her. After all, he could come to amusement parks any day he wanted. He had access to a vehicle. And a driver’s license.

  The Ferris wheel made a full, continuous circle. The second time around, their seat stopped at the very top. Annie drew in a deep, uncertain breath. She had never been up this high. But she was okay with it, though at this point she was sure she didn’t like heights. But something inside her whispered for her to enjoy it.

  She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer for safety. When she opened them, a new sense of security swept through her, where the comforting sensation lingered.

  When the wheel moved again, she smiled at Levi. “Aren’t we lucky?”

  “Because we’re here?”