A Life of Joy Read Online Free PDF Page B

in.”
    “Danki,” Rebecca said with a warm smile.
    Daniel touched her shoulder, and Lindsay hoped that someday she would find a true love similar to the one her aunt and uncle shared.

3
    J essica drummed her fingers on the steering wheel of her dark blue Jeep Cherokee while driving up Route 340 in Bird-in-Hand Friday afternoon. After packing up everything she’d need for her summer in New York City, she’d set out from her apartment in Richmond, Virginia, and began her trek north to Pennsylvania.
    Although she’d visited during spring break, it felt as if she hadn’t been here in ages. It seemed as if so much had changed in her life since she’d come by the last time. Since that visit, Jessica had finished her sophomore year with a 3.8 grade point average, she and her best friend Kim had moved into their own apartment off campus, and she had accepted an internship at one of the most prestigious accounting firms in New York City. She grinned at her last thought.
    Mom and Dad would be so proud .
    When she and Lindsay moved to Bird-in-Hand to live with their aunt Rebecca, Jessica was certain that things would never be normal for her again. While her younger sister had taken quickly to the Amish way of life, Jessica had felt as if she were suffocating.
    Jessica had failed miserably when she struggled to fit in with Rebecca’s community. Yet, she managed to rebuild her life again after moving back to Virginia to live with her parents’best friends, Frank and Trisha McCabe. She graduated from high school and then enrolled in college to pursue her dream of becoming an accountant. Jessica still missed her parents so much that her heart ached, but she truly believed that she was going to be okay.
    However, she still worried about Lindsay.
    Jessica’s stomach tightened with anticipation as she slowed in front of a building displaying a sign that read “Kauffman & Yoder Amish Furniture,” where her uncle and her good friend Jake worked. She’d spoken to Jake last Saturday when he called at their usual weekly time to check in with her. She suspected he would be very unhappy when he found out that she was going to spend the summer in New York City instead of working with him in the furniture store. She hoped he’d understand what this job could mean for her future.
    Jessica parked her SUV next to the single-story white building. She then followed the stone path to the steps leading up to the store and wrenched open the front door. A bell rang, announcing her presence.
    Large windows lined the front of the shop, and the walls were covered in crisp, fresh white paint. Memories of the previous summers she’d spent working in the store filled her mind as she glanced around the open area, taking in the sample pieces, including mirrored dressers, hope chests, entertainment centers, dining room sets, bed frames, end tables, and coffee tables. The familiar aroma of wood and stain permeated her nostrils.
    A long counter covered with piles of papers and catalogs sat at the far end of the room, blocking a doorway beyond which hammers, saws, and nail guns blasted while voices boomed in Pennsylvania Dutch.
    She crossed the room with her flip-flops slapping on the concrete floor, and a smile spread on her lips when she spotted Jake sitting at the desk and talking on the phone.
    While she watched him, her hand flew to her neck and thecross necklace Jake had given her as a gift two years ago. She cherished their close friendship. She knew that he dreamt of being more than friends, but she wasn’t ready to make that kind of commitment. Being more than friends would be nothing short of complicated since he was Mennonite, and she wasn’t. Their hopes and dreams were worlds apart: she wanted a career, and he was happy working in an Amish furniture store.
    Yet, as different as they were, the attraction was still alive, just like the first time she’d met him. She’d met a lot of young men at college, but no one held a candle to Jake