Read Online A Clean Break (Gay Amish Romance Book 2) by Keira Andrews - Free Book Online
Authors: Keira Andrews
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Those kids love Mr. B.” Jen spun spaghetti onto her fork using a big spoon as a base, smiling proudly. “I think it’s because he knows how hard it can be to learn new things.”
David picked up his spoon from his place mat and copied her motions. He’d wondered what the spoon was for, and had hoped there was more ice cream coming. The spaghetti formed a neat circle when he spun it, with only one strand hanging down. He felt foolishly pleased.
Aaron shrugged, but a smile played on his lips. “Anyway, back to the hospital. There I was in the ER, which was packed. I was on a stretcher beside an agitated old man who kept trying to get up and leave. The nurses were so fed up with him, but then this doctor comes along and sits with him. My first thought was that she was beautiful. I mean, look at that face.”
With his stomach full now, David sat back and sipped his wine, listening contentedly. Under the table, he and Isaac idly rubbed their feet together. Isaac smiled, keeping his gaze on his brother.
Aaron went on. “I was listening to her talk to this poor old man, and she was so patient. It was chaos all around us, but she was like the eye of a storm. Totally calm. In turn, that calmed him down. She didn’t raise her voice once, and by the time he agreed to treatment, I knew I had to know everything there was about Dr. Paculba. Not that she made it easy.”
Jen laughed as she pushed back her chair a few inches to cross her legs. She was still wearing her pajamas and Frak me shirt, and she dabbed at a splash of wine on the green cotton. “In my defense, I wasn’t in the habit of picking up dates at work. I wasn’t really in the habit of picking up many dates at all, much to my parents’ chagrin. Once I got the cast on his wrist and discharged him, he would not stop asking for my number. Finally I wrote it on his cast, and told him he could call once it was off.”
“I thought that bone would never heal.” Aaron scowled.
Isaac laughed. “So you called her right after it did?”
“Yep. She was all, ‘Who is this? What do you want?’ I reminded her that she said I could call, and she agreed to meet me for coffee.”
David swirled his wine the way Jen and Aaron had. He wasn’t sure what it did, but it seemed like the wine tasted better and better with each sip. “Then what happened?”
“I met him at a coffee shop by the wharf,” Jen answered. “I set an alarm on my phone so I could fake a page from the hospital, because I couldn’t imagine I’d have anything to talk about with this kid. I was thirty, and according to my mom, I should have been looking for a husband. Little did I know I’d found him. When the alarm pinged, I shut my phone off.”
“What was it about him?” David asked.
She ran her finger around the rim of her glass thoughtfully. “He’d been through so much. He was the oldest twenty-three-year-old I’d ever met. He wasn’t hanging at the frat house playing beer pong, you know?”
David was pretty sure he knew what a frat was, but beer pong was a mystery. Still, he nodded.
“I couldn’t imagine leaving my whole family and everything I knew behind to start over. Just to get into college was a huge accomplishment considering he stopped school in the eighth grade. And I knew what it was like to grow up in a weird religion.” She made a face. “I shouldn’t say weird, sorry.”
Isaac shifted in his chair. “I guess it must seem strange to English people even if it doesn’t to us. Although sometimes it does to us too. I don’t know how to feel about it.”
David could well imagine how weird it all must seem to outsiders. As a child, any questions of why were answered by quoting the Ordnung, or a simple: Because it’s our way . He’d once asked Father why God cared about the width of their hat brims, and had persisted until Father gave him a lash with the buggy whip. He’d never questioned out loud at home again.
Jen said, “No, that was disrespectful, and I’m
David picked up his spoon from his place mat and copied her motions. He’d wondered what the spoon was for, and had hoped there was more ice cream coming. The spaghetti formed a neat circle when he spun it, with only one strand hanging down. He felt foolishly pleased.
Aaron shrugged, but a smile played on his lips. “Anyway, back to the hospital. There I was in the ER, which was packed. I was on a stretcher beside an agitated old man who kept trying to get up and leave. The nurses were so fed up with him, but then this doctor comes along and sits with him. My first thought was that she was beautiful. I mean, look at that face.”
With his stomach full now, David sat back and sipped his wine, listening contentedly. Under the table, he and Isaac idly rubbed their feet together. Isaac smiled, keeping his gaze on his brother.
Aaron went on. “I was listening to her talk to this poor old man, and she was so patient. It was chaos all around us, but she was like the eye of a storm. Totally calm. In turn, that calmed him down. She didn’t raise her voice once, and by the time he agreed to treatment, I knew I had to know everything there was about Dr. Paculba. Not that she made it easy.”
Jen laughed as she pushed back her chair a few inches to cross her legs. She was still wearing her pajamas and Frak me shirt, and she dabbed at a splash of wine on the green cotton. “In my defense, I wasn’t in the habit of picking up dates at work. I wasn’t really in the habit of picking up many dates at all, much to my parents’ chagrin. Once I got the cast on his wrist and discharged him, he would not stop asking for my number. Finally I wrote it on his cast, and told him he could call once it was off.”
“I thought that bone would never heal.” Aaron scowled.
Isaac laughed. “So you called her right after it did?”
“Yep. She was all, ‘Who is this? What do you want?’ I reminded her that she said I could call, and she agreed to meet me for coffee.”
David swirled his wine the way Jen and Aaron had. He wasn’t sure what it did, but it seemed like the wine tasted better and better with each sip. “Then what happened?”
“I met him at a coffee shop by the wharf,” Jen answered. “I set an alarm on my phone so I could fake a page from the hospital, because I couldn’t imagine I’d have anything to talk about with this kid. I was thirty, and according to my mom, I should have been looking for a husband. Little did I know I’d found him. When the alarm pinged, I shut my phone off.”
“What was it about him?” David asked.
She ran her finger around the rim of her glass thoughtfully. “He’d been through so much. He was the oldest twenty-three-year-old I’d ever met. He wasn’t hanging at the frat house playing beer pong, you know?”
David was pretty sure he knew what a frat was, but beer pong was a mystery. Still, he nodded.
“I couldn’t imagine leaving my whole family and everything I knew behind to start over. Just to get into college was a huge accomplishment considering he stopped school in the eighth grade. And I knew what it was like to grow up in a weird religion.” She made a face. “I shouldn’t say weird, sorry.”
Isaac shifted in his chair. “I guess it must seem strange to English people even if it doesn’t to us. Although sometimes it does to us too. I don’t know how to feel about it.”
David could well imagine how weird it all must seem to outsiders. As a child, any questions of why were answered by quoting the Ordnung, or a simple: Because it’s our way . He’d once asked Father why God cared about the width of their hat brims, and had persisted until Father gave him a lash with the buggy whip. He’d never questioned out loud at home again.
Jen said, “No, that was disrespectful, and I’m
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