23
Evie wasn’t sure what to expect from Wren when she returned to Windmill Farm that afternoon. Dok had sent Charlie and Evie out to deliver insulin to a patient when, according to Hank Lapp, Wren had stormed out of the office in a snit.
Not a huge surprise. All day, Wren had acted like her knickers were in a twist.
As Evie walked into the farmhouse, she was surprised to be met with utter silence. She found a note from Fern on the kitchen table:Forgot to tell you.Helping out at a Haystack fundraiser this evening for afamily whose baby is in the hospital. Leftovers in thefridge.
Evie had been around the Plain people long enough to know that a Haystack was a favorite meal. It was really just a pile of toppings—kind of like nachos, or french fries with everything you could think of heaped on top.
“Wren? Are you upstairs?”
When there was no answer, Evie assumed Wren was over at the buggy shop, complaining to Charlie about Dok, about the residency, about the Amish, about Evie. Since she had the house to herself, she decided to take a shower and wash her hair.
She climbed the stairs, a satisfied smile tugging at her lips as she thought about how the visit to Dan Hostetler’s house had wrapped up. She hadn’t been particularly happy to have been paired with Charlie for the insulin delivery to Dan—but it was nice to get out of the office and even nicer to get away from Wren.
Just a week ago, Evie would’ve been jumping for joy to be alone with Charlie. Not today. The drive to Dan Hostetler’s had been quiet. She and Charlie were cordial, but the warmth and companionship they’d shared was gone. Evie just couldn’t pretend that everything was okay between them when it wasn’t, and although Charlie did sense things had changed, he didn’t seem to have a clue why.
Despitethatundercurrent, it ended up being one of those visits where everything just clicked. Dan Hostetler needed a lot more help than he’d let on to Dok—the screws on his crutches kept loosening and he’d just been using one to hop around the house. Charlie was able to fix his crutches and then give Dan some tips on how to get around on them. Turned out that Charlie had broken his ankle in high school playing football, and as soon as it healed, he promptly broke the other playing basketball—so he’d had a full school year on crutches and considered himself something of an expert.
Evie showed Dan how to better monitor his blood sugar levels, as the diabetes diagnosis was a recent one. She explained diabetes to him in a way that he hadn’t previously understood, and she could see the tension ease from his shoulders. They shared a cup of tea afterward, talked about Dan’s huge flower garden, and by the time Evie and Charlie left, it felt more like a visit with an old friend than a house call. The ride back to the office felt like a completely different experience than the trip out to Dan Hostetler’s. Most of it, anyway.
“That went well,” she said as she buckled her seat belt. “I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed going on house calls with Dok.”
“Pretty cool,” Charlie said. “Are they all like that?”
“Yes. Different, but the same. It’s why I love being a rural nurse. You get to really connect with people, be there when they need more than medical treatment. A lot of people need someone to listen and make them feel cared for.”
Charlie slowed at a red light and turned to her. “So why would you want to leave Dok’s practice?”
Ugh. She’d forgotten she was supposed to be giving Charlie the silent treatment.
“Dok wants you to stay. Annie does. Fern does.” He faced the windshield again, clearing his throat. “I do.”
Evie stared out the window. “Wren doesn’t.”
Charlie shot her a sharp look. “Wren? What does she have to do with anything?”
Everything!Evie wanted to shout.You’ve let her mold you,shape you,claimyou,and plan your whole life.
But she didn’t say any of that. What would be the point?
“Evie, I know Wren can be ... a little much. But you shouldn’t let her get to you. You shouldn’t let her boss you around.”
Evie let out a deep, long sigh ... meant to convey that she considered that remark to be the pot calling the kettle black. Even his man bun was Wren’s doing.
Charlie probably didn’t pick up on what the sigh was meant to say, but he did seem to catch on that she wasn’t interested in talking about Wren or about anything else. The rest of the ride to the office was in silence.
Oh well.
In the bathroom, Evie started the tap on the shower to give the water time to get hot. Fern’s water took a long time to warm up, so while she waited, she went to the bedroom to get a fresh set of clothes. As she opened the bedroom door, she stopped. Something seemed funny.
All Wren’s clothes were off the wall pegs. Her shoes, usually lined up meticulously along the wall, were gone.
Evie went to the bathroom and pulled open drawers. Everything of Wren’s was gone. All her makeup, hair products, combs and brushes, soaps and shampoo.
A cold sense of urgency seized Evie. She turned off the shower faucet, hurried back down the stairs, almost tripping in her haste, and dashed out the door toward the buggy shop. The door was wide open, and even before she got within a few yards of it, she could hear Wren’s voice, loud, raised in anger.
“We had a deal, Charlie. Before we got here, we made a deal. I only came because you agreed to that. You promised me.”
