Englisch ones, but the Amish girls knew how to get attention in their own way.
One of them was to do the usual things like flirt and put themselves in a position of needing a ride and things like that. And one of them was to use that old wile of getting a man through his stomach.
She frowned. That hadn't worked with Jacob. His mother and sisters were always taking him food. She'd observed their buggies parked in his drive and seen them carrying in baking dishes and pie carriers and baskets covered with checked cloths.
Jamie glanced over. "You watching this?"
"Yes. Why?"
She shrugged. "You just seemed to be someplace else."
"You, too."
"Yeah, well, I've seen it about a dozen times."
Mary Katherine sat up straighter. "Why did you let me pick it if you'd seen it?"
"It's good, and besides, you hadn't gotten to see it. Might never get to." She picked up the remote and paused the movie. "We don't have to watch it if you're bored."
"I'm hardly ever bored," Mary Katherine told her. "Is there something else you'd rather do?"
The cell phone vibrated on the coffee table. "Yeah, get Robert off my back."
But instead of ignoring the call, she picked it up. "Yeah? Listen, I texted you about this. Enough already."
She glanced at Mary Katherine and then got up. "Wait a minute. No, not for me to tell a guy to be quiet," she snapped. "I want to turn the movie back on for Mary Katherine, who is not, and I repeat, not sitting here with me and any guys, for your information. Not that it's any of your business." She picked up the remote, pressed the button to resume the movie, then stalked off to the kitchen, where Mary Katherine could hear her arguing with him.
Boyfriend. Mary Katherine could admit some envy when girls she knew had boyfriends, but lately she felt a little uneasy at how the man who was seeing her cousin Naomi seemed . . . possessive. And Jamie's boyfriend. She didn't know him— hadn't met him—but all she'd seen was that he had upset her tonight with his texts and now the phone call that was obviously not pleasant.
She glanced back into the kitchen and saw Jamie pacing, angrily punctuating the air with a cigarette in her hand. And her words . . . well, Mary Katherine had never heard some of them before. When the noise level increased, she studied the remote in her hands and wished she knew how to make the movie louder.
Jamie came out of the kitchen and threw herself on the sofa. "Jerks. Guys are jerks." She looked at Mary Katherine.
She lifted her shoulders and let them fall. "I wouldn't know."
"You don't have a boyfriend?"
Mary Katherine shook her head.
"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"
"No."
"Well, that guy who joined us tonight? Jacob? He sure couldn't take his eyes off you."
"He's just a friend."
"You sure he doesn't want to be more than a friend? He just about jumped into the booth when we asked if he and Ben wanted to join us."
"Do you want to watch the movie?" Mary Katherine asked her, uncomfortable with where Jamie's questions were going.
"Nah." Jamie slid down on the sofa, put her legs on the back, and stared at the ceiling. "Guys are so hard to understand." She twirled a lock of hair around her finger.
"Is your father a jerk?" she asked suddenly, looking over at Mary Katherine. "Mine is. I'm repeating the pattern of my parents."
"Pattern?"
"Mom said she liked the way Dad was this take-charge guy. Trouble was, later all he wanted to do was tell her what to do."
"My father is like that," Mary Katherine said slowly. "I think his favorite thing to do is tell other people what to do. And my mother always does what he wants."
Jamie studied the ceiling. "My mom's always saying, 'Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.' D'you know they say one in two marriages ends in divorce in this country?"
"No, really?"
"No. It's actually not true. It's like one in eight. I found out in one of my classes."
"We don't believe in divorce."
Jamie stared at her, shocked. "No way. No divorce?"
She shook her
One of them was to do the usual things like flirt and put themselves in a position of needing a ride and things like that. And one of them was to use that old wile of getting a man through his stomach.
She frowned. That hadn't worked with Jacob. His mother and sisters were always taking him food. She'd observed their buggies parked in his drive and seen them carrying in baking dishes and pie carriers and baskets covered with checked cloths.
Jamie glanced over. "You watching this?"
"Yes. Why?"
She shrugged. "You just seemed to be someplace else."
"You, too."
"Yeah, well, I've seen it about a dozen times."
Mary Katherine sat up straighter. "Why did you let me pick it if you'd seen it?"
"It's good, and besides, you hadn't gotten to see it. Might never get to." She picked up the remote and paused the movie. "We don't have to watch it if you're bored."
"I'm hardly ever bored," Mary Katherine told her. "Is there something else you'd rather do?"
The cell phone vibrated on the coffee table. "Yeah, get Robert off my back."
But instead of ignoring the call, she picked it up. "Yeah? Listen, I texted you about this. Enough already."
She glanced at Mary Katherine and then got up. "Wait a minute. No, not for me to tell a guy to be quiet," she snapped. "I want to turn the movie back on for Mary Katherine, who is not, and I repeat, not sitting here with me and any guys, for your information. Not that it's any of your business." She picked up the remote, pressed the button to resume the movie, then stalked off to the kitchen, where Mary Katherine could hear her arguing with him.
Boyfriend. Mary Katherine could admit some envy when girls she knew had boyfriends, but lately she felt a little uneasy at how the man who was seeing her cousin Naomi seemed . . . possessive. And Jamie's boyfriend. She didn't know him— hadn't met him—but all she'd seen was that he had upset her tonight with his texts and now the phone call that was obviously not pleasant.
She glanced back into the kitchen and saw Jamie pacing, angrily punctuating the air with a cigarette in her hand. And her words . . . well, Mary Katherine had never heard some of them before. When the noise level increased, she studied the remote in her hands and wished she knew how to make the movie louder.
Jamie came out of the kitchen and threw herself on the sofa. "Jerks. Guys are jerks." She looked at Mary Katherine.
She lifted her shoulders and let them fall. "I wouldn't know."
"You don't have a boyfriend?"
Mary Katherine shook her head.
"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"
"No."
"Well, that guy who joined us tonight? Jacob? He sure couldn't take his eyes off you."
"He's just a friend."
"You sure he doesn't want to be more than a friend? He just about jumped into the booth when we asked if he and Ben wanted to join us."
"Do you want to watch the movie?" Mary Katherine asked her, uncomfortable with where Jamie's questions were going.
"Nah." Jamie slid down on the sofa, put her legs on the back, and stared at the ceiling. "Guys are so hard to understand." She twirled a lock of hair around her finger.
"Is your father a jerk?" she asked suddenly, looking over at Mary Katherine. "Mine is. I'm repeating the pattern of my parents."
"Pattern?"
"Mom said she liked the way Dad was this take-charge guy. Trouble was, later all he wanted to do was tell her what to do."
"My father is like that," Mary Katherine said slowly. "I think his favorite thing to do is tell other people what to do. And my mother always does what he wants."
Jamie studied the ceiling. "My mom's always saying, 'Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.' D'you know they say one in two marriages ends in divorce in this country?"
"No, really?"
"No. It's actually not true. It's like one in eight. I found out in one of my classes."
"We don't believe in divorce."
Jamie stared at her, shocked. "No way. No divorce?"
She shook her
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