While Love Stirs by Lorna Seilstad

with my suffrage sisters.” She glanced at the empty plates and cups on the coffee table. “It appears you’ve at least followed some of the good doctor’s prescriptive. Now, tell me about the competition. Is that your trophy?”
    Charlotte sat up and passed her the heavy silver cup. Aunt Sam grasped its heart-shaped handles. The trophy’s reflection caught the light of the afternoon sun drenching the room.
    “My, it’s lovely.” Aunt Sam rubbed a fingerprint from the cup’s surface with her sleeve. “I’m so proud of you I’m about to burst. Soon the restaurants will be fighting over you.”
    “I wish that were true.” Charlotte relayed the details of the day, from the burner being turned off by Kathleen, to the lack of mushrooms, to seeing Chef Boucher and fearing all was lost. She omitted the part about dropping the bowl and Dr. Brooks’s sudden appearance. To her relief, Tessa didn’t seem to notice the part she’d skipped in her retelling.
    Tessa poured a cup of tea. “And after she won, a newspaperman interviewed her.”
    Aunt Sam set the trophy on the mantel. “But how did you come to meet up with Dr. Brooks?”
    Tessa giggled. “He was there watching her the whole time.”
    Charlotte fired a glare at her sister. “He wasn’t there watching me . He was there watching the conclusion of the competition.”
    “He made a point to congratulate you afterward, and he carried the trophy and the sweeper to the automobile for you. Think about it. Would a man carry your sweeper if he wasn’t interested in you?”
    “Tessa, your imagination knows no bounds.” Aunt Sam pouredherself a cup of tea. “Did you grow faint on the way to the automobile?”
    “Heavens, no.” Charlotte felt heat creep up her neck. “Can we forget that even happened? It’s so embarrassing. I simply skipped breakfast in all my excitement, and then with the interview and all, it was well past lunch.”
    “Was your corset too tight?” A glint sparkled in Tessa’s eyes.
    “No!”
    Aunt Sam laughed. “Ignore her. Think about your victory.”
    Charlotte walked to the mantel. She laid her hand on the trophy. “But as wonderful as that is, I fear this win will not yield me a position.” She explained how Chef Reisen had dismissed her without seriously considering her request. “He knows I can cook, but he still turned me down.”
    “But surely there are other fine establishments.”
    “I’ve exhausted nearly every one in this city. I could start contacting those in Minneapolis. Of course, I would have to move there if I were to find a placement.” She turned toward Aunt Sam and forced a smile. “I’d hate to leave you, but I don’t know what else to do.”
    Aunt Sam shook her head. “Let’s not be too hasty. God may have another plan already in place.”
    “And Lottie . . .” Tessa giggled. “If you’re lucky, maybe it’ll involve Dr. Handsome.”

    After parking his Model T touring automobile, Joel removed his doctor’s bag from the back, opened the clasp, and smiled. The children would be thrilled by Anne of Green Gables and the two picture books he’d picked up for their meager library. If only he could do more for these kids. He knew all too well what it was like to have less than everyone else.
    He took the small orphanage’s steps two at a time and knocked on the door.
    Sweet, dimpled Alice Ann opened the door and wrapped her arms around his legs. “Dr. Joel!”
    “Don’t trip him, Alice. Let him in.” Mrs. Goodwin patted the girl’s blonde curls. “Your sister beat you today, Joel. She’s already in the parlor, helping the older girls with their arithmetic.”
    “Sorry, I got held up at the hospital.” He handed his bag to Mrs. Goodwin, who had been his mother’s best friend, and shrugged out of his coat. Mrs. Goodwin used to be their neighbor, but when she lost her husband, she took on the orphanage. It was a perfect fit for the godly woman, and somehow being with her made him miss his own