apartment and watch a movie there. Mary Katherine was fine with that. She was more interested in the company than the movie, anyway. But Jamie's mood had changed, and she didn't quite understand what had happened.
"You can pick one from the movie rental store on the way home," Jamie said.
"I don't know much about movies. I've only seen a few."
"Pick what looks interesting to you. If I've seen something and it's not good, I'll tell you."
The store was like a candy store to Mary Katherine. She'd never seen so many videos of so many types. There were rows marked with signs that said "Action Movies" and "Romantic Comedies" and "Mysteries" and "Horror"—the pizza she'd eaten nearly came up at the sight of some of the pictures on the video covers. She decided she liked the aisle marked "Romantic Comedies" the best.
And there was candy, too, big boxes like the kind Mary Katherine had bought when she went to a real movie theater sometime back. She bought a box each of the kind she liked— she remembered Jamie liked Raisinets—and picked up a box of microwave popcorn. It didn't taste as good to her as the kind her family popped in the fireplace, but Jamie didn't have a fireplace in her little apartment.
They settled in on the sofa to watch the movie, but Jamie seemed bored. She kept texting on her phone and seemed to get more and more tense. Mary Katherine tried to ask her what was wrong, but Jamie waved at her for quiet.
Actually, the reason Mary Katherine hadn't minded watching a movie at home was because she was hoping to talk to Jamie, something that wasn't allowed in theaters. In one, she'd heard people shushing others who were talking during the commercials for the new movies coming out.
"What a jerk," Jamie muttered and threw her cell phone on the coffee table.
"Something wrong?"
"Yeah, my boyfriend says someone texted him that he saw me out with another guy at the pizza joint."
"He was spying on you?"
Jamie glared at the movie. "I dunno about that. He could have just gotten lucky seeing me there. My boyfriend's friend, I mean. But Robert made it sound like you and I were out double-dating."
Mary Katherine stared at her, shocked. "We weren't double-dating!"
"I know that and you know that, but my boyfriend doesn't."
"Then I'll tell him."
Jamie stared at her. "Yeah, he might believe you. The Amish are known for being honest, aren't they?"
She shrugged. "We're not perfect. But I know that I don't lie."
Well, she always claimed she didn't care about dating. She wanted to get married one day. Far into the distance. Maybe a couple decades from now. When she felt like she'd know for sure not to marry someone as autocratic as her father—a man who wouldn't try to crush the creativity out of her. After all, her grossmudder had found one. Surely there had to be one that God had set aside for her. Someday. Somewhere.
Schur, said a cynical little inner voice.
Schur.
Double-dating. Jamie's boyfriend had thought they were double-dating. Mary Katherine found her attention wandering. She'd seen the way Jacob had been staring at her, and even while she seldom got those looks from the men she knew, she could tell he was interested in her in a way he'd never been before.
He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her hair. Or her body. Her face flamed as she remembered. She glanced at Jamie, afraid that she might have noticed the color in her cheeks. But Jamie was staring at the movie.
Her thoughts wandered again, down the path that led to Jacob. She wondered why he'd never married even though he was popular with the girls at their school. One of them was always hanging around him at singings or trying to get him to give her a ride home after the gathering.
He'd always been nice to her—quite a contrast to Daniel back in schul— but had never paid her any special attention. But she had to admit she didn't have the confidence to do what some of the other girls did, either. Oh, the Amish girls weren't as forward as
"You can pick one from the movie rental store on the way home," Jamie said.
"I don't know much about movies. I've only seen a few."
"Pick what looks interesting to you. If I've seen something and it's not good, I'll tell you."
The store was like a candy store to Mary Katherine. She'd never seen so many videos of so many types. There were rows marked with signs that said "Action Movies" and "Romantic Comedies" and "Mysteries" and "Horror"—the pizza she'd eaten nearly came up at the sight of some of the pictures on the video covers. She decided she liked the aisle marked "Romantic Comedies" the best.
And there was candy, too, big boxes like the kind Mary Katherine had bought when she went to a real movie theater sometime back. She bought a box each of the kind she liked— she remembered Jamie liked Raisinets—and picked up a box of microwave popcorn. It didn't taste as good to her as the kind her family popped in the fireplace, but Jamie didn't have a fireplace in her little apartment.
They settled in on the sofa to watch the movie, but Jamie seemed bored. She kept texting on her phone and seemed to get more and more tense. Mary Katherine tried to ask her what was wrong, but Jamie waved at her for quiet.
Actually, the reason Mary Katherine hadn't minded watching a movie at home was because she was hoping to talk to Jamie, something that wasn't allowed in theaters. In one, she'd heard people shushing others who were talking during the commercials for the new movies coming out.
"What a jerk," Jamie muttered and threw her cell phone on the coffee table.
"Something wrong?"
"Yeah, my boyfriend says someone texted him that he saw me out with another guy at the pizza joint."
"He was spying on you?"
Jamie glared at the movie. "I dunno about that. He could have just gotten lucky seeing me there. My boyfriend's friend, I mean. But Robert made it sound like you and I were out double-dating."
Mary Katherine stared at her, shocked. "We weren't double-dating!"
"I know that and you know that, but my boyfriend doesn't."
"Then I'll tell him."
Jamie stared at her. "Yeah, he might believe you. The Amish are known for being honest, aren't they?"
She shrugged. "We're not perfect. But I know that I don't lie."
Well, she always claimed she didn't care about dating. She wanted to get married one day. Far into the distance. Maybe a couple decades from now. When she felt like she'd know for sure not to marry someone as autocratic as her father—a man who wouldn't try to crush the creativity out of her. After all, her grossmudder had found one. Surely there had to be one that God had set aside for her. Someday. Somewhere.
Schur, said a cynical little inner voice.
Schur.
Double-dating. Jamie's boyfriend had thought they were double-dating. Mary Katherine found her attention wandering. She'd seen the way Jacob had been staring at her, and even while she seldom got those looks from the men she knew, she could tell he was interested in her in a way he'd never been before.
He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her hair. Or her body. Her face flamed as she remembered. She glanced at Jamie, afraid that she might have noticed the color in her cheeks. But Jamie was staring at the movie.
Her thoughts wandered again, down the path that led to Jacob. She wondered why he'd never married even though he was popular with the girls at their school. One of them was always hanging around him at singings or trying to get him to give her a ride home after the gathering.
He'd always been nice to her—quite a contrast to Daniel back in schul— but had never paid her any special attention. But she had to admit she didn't have the confidence to do what some of the other girls did, either. Oh, the Amish girls weren't as forward as
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