Read Online Plain Jayne by Hillary Manton Lodge - Free Book Online

There needs to be seam allowances.”
    â€œSeam allowances?”
    â€œAbout half an inch, since they’ll be sewn together.”
    â€œI get it.” No, I didn’t.
    â€œAfter Levi left he went to school and got himself a fancy education on scholarship money. Worked for a big company in California before he came back here and opened his shop. He’s been here ever since.”
    â€œWhy do you think he came back?”
    Ida arched an eyebrow. “To be close. To be available.”
    â€œAvailable in case…” I followed Ida’s gaze to where Sara stood, overseeing one of the frames and examining the seams.
    Of course.
    He wanted to be close to help his siblings get out, if they wanted.
    I looked around at the Amish women filling the room. They weren’t highly educated, but these women appeared happy. Industrious. Savvy in their craft. Aside from the overzealous watchdog community, why would anyone ever leave?
    I asked Ida as much.
    â€œI left because my husband left, and I didn’t want to be apart from him. Not everyone is cut out to be Amish. Still…”
    I waited.
    â€œWell, I was a little surprised about Levi’s leaving, at least concerning Rachel.”
    Rachel?
    Ida pointed to another woman.
    This woman looked around my age, and resembled what the rest of the world would consider the ideal paragon of Amish beauty.
    There wasn’t a trace of makeup on her face, but she didn’t need it. Her skin was clear, her cheeks, rosy. Her teeth were white and straight, her hair a rich chestnut. She looked like the sort of woman who followed the rules and always did the right thing.
    â€œWere she and Levi…”
    â€œThey were never engaged, though everyone thought they would be.” Ida shook her head. “But I don’t know that Rachel would have been able to leave.”
    My chest tightened as I looked at Rachel and realized she was everything I wasn’t.

Chapter 7
    T he buzz of my phone interrupted my jealousy of Rachel. “Excuse me,” I said to Ida. I disentangled myself from the pile of squares before picking up the phone.
    The caller ID read “Shane Colvin.”
    About time. I snapped the phone open, even though I couldn’t hear a thing. “Let me get outside,” I said, hoping he could at least hear me, even if I couldn’t hear him.
    Come to think of it, the last time we talked he couldn’t hear me because he was in some kind of club. This time, I couldn’t hear him because I was off quilting.
    Oh, the irony.
    â€œHi,” I said, then stalled. “Um, how are you?” Why haven’t you called me? What have you been doing?
    â€œFine,” he answered, as if he hadn’t been putting off calling me at all. “How’s the story?”
    â€œInteresting, very interesting.”
    â€œDid you find someone to stay with?”
    â€œI did, actually.”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œYeah.”
    Ladies and Gentlemen, the world’s stupidest conversation.
    â€œWho with?”
    I sighed. “An Amish family outside of town. I found them through a contact.”
    â€œThe Mennonite lady?”
    â€œYou know, call me old-fashioned, but I always thought that ‘I’ll call you back tonight’ meant that the caller would call back that same night. Maybeit’s supposed to be a different night. Maybe that’s what all the cool kids are doing now. Or is it code? Because I left my secret agent decoder ring back at my apartment, thank you.”
    â€œI’m sorry I didn’t call you back…”
    â€œYou’re calling me back now, and it’s not even sunset. Not at all nighttime, so now I’m really confused.”
    â€œJayne…”
    â€œThe cool kids must really hate you.”
    â€œI’m sorry. I went to a talk at the university with my brother; you caught me just as it let out. Then Jordan wanted to go out for a drink, and I got