The Proposal at Siesta Key (20 page)

M
ichael's decision to leave Pinecraft had been a very good thing, Penny decided as she dipped a cloth in hot soapy water before running it along the insides of another kitchen cabinet.

It had been a very good thing, indeed.

After noticing that her mother was quietly humming to herself as she organized the silverware, Penny let herself dwell on all the changes that had taken place in the last month.

Watching Michael push himself to do what he felt was right had encouraged her to do the same. She knew God had given her all the tools she needed to come out of her shell and become even more independent. Penny simply wasn't sure that she would have tried as hard if she'd had Michael's comforting presence to rely on.

Since he'd left, she'd made a pact with herself to talk to one new person every day. She was getting the hang of looking people in the eye when she shopped now and of chatting with people at the Orange Blossom Inn. She'd also spent time with Violet and her family. Actually, she was gathering a whole group of friends right here in Pinecraft.

Her friendship with Tricia had grown as well. As Penny learned more about Tricia's past, she realized how pretty much everyone had something in their lives to overcome. It made Penny feel as if she and Tricia had a lot in common besides working for Beverly and trying to do a good job at the inn.

Her relationship with her parents was better than ever, too. They'd stopped asking her to account for each minute of her day. Instead, they asked her opinion about things. They were interested in hearing about her new friends and seemed to love her stories about things that happened at the inn. Her parents were reaching out more, too. They had even made friends with some other folks who loved pizza as much as they did and often went out with their new friends.

But above all, the three of them had at last moved forward. Though Lissy's memory was always present, none of them felt the need to dwell on the pain and heartache any longer.

These small steps forward made Penny feel like her family was much like flowers opening to the sun: growing and prospering because they were finally getting what they needed.

In the end, she'd never been happier.

Except when she went to sleep at night. Only then did she let her mind dwell on the one person who would have made her life even better.

Every time she closed her eyes, she thought about Michael. She'd remember snippets of their past conversations, which would lead her to pulling out his letters and reading each one again and again. That would lead her, unfortunately, to staying up far too late and reliving the one time he'd enfolded her in his arms. It had been bliss.

“Penny, do you think Michael will be calling you today?” her mother asked while Penny scrubbed the inside of another
kitchen cabinet. Nearby, her mother was carefully wiping down everything that had been inside.

“Maybe. It's been two days.”

Glancing at the shiny white telephone now mounted on the wall, her mother said, “I'm glad your father installed that phone.”

“I still can't believe it.” Even though they were New Order Amish, and therefore allowed to have a single landline in their home, her parents had always elected to shun as many outside methods of communication as possible. But now that her parents were getting out and making more plans, they seemed to appreciate the convenience the way a pair of giddy teenagers would.

Or, as much as Penny herself did.

“It's been so nice to not worry about Michael finding time to call me while I have a break at work.”

“It's a small thing. I'm glad you have the phone so you can receive his calls.”

“I can't believe how differently you feel about him now.”

“I've seen how he's treated you, dear. He obviously cares about you a great deal. And he's been nice to me on the phone whenever he calls,” she added with a smile.

Yes, it was true. Michael had gone out of his way to get to know her parents when he called. They appreciated his efforts. And, Penny secretly thought, they enjoyed knowing a celebrity, too.

“When will you see him again?”

“I don't know. He hasn't mentioned when he might get a break. But, of course, it's only been a few weeks since he left.”

“But he wants to take a break and come back to Pinecraft?”

“
Jah
. We miss each other,” she said.

“Do you regret not accepting his offer?”

“Not at all, Mamm. You know I wasn't ready for that.”

“I'm glad to hear you feel that way.” She inhaled, obviously gearing up to say something more, when, as if on cue, the phone rang. “You'd better get that, Penny,” her mother said as she jumped to her feet. “I think we both know who it is.”

As the phone rang again, Penny teased, “Are you sure you don't want to say hello to Michael first?”

Tossing her dishrag on the counter, she made a shooing motion at Penny. “Hurry, child. Get it before he hangs up.”

Thinking her mother made a very good suggestion, Penny rushed across the room and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

“Penny, hey,” Michael said.

Smiling at her mother, she said, “Hey to you, too. My
mamm
and I were just saying that we thought it was you calling.”

“I need to talk to you about something important. Are you alone?”

“
Nee
. My
mamm
is in the kitchen.” She shared a look with her mother, who widened her eyes before sneaking out of the room. “Now I'm alone.”

“Gut.”

All sorts of terrible situations started forming in her head. “What's going on? Are you hurt again?”

“Not at all. Oh, Penny, you wouldn't believe it. Yesterday I met a former soldier after one of our appearances, and something he said made everything so clear. Last night my family and I talked about touring.”

“Oh?”

“I told them my feelings.” After a pause, he said, “Penny, I told them I didn't want to tour anymore.”

If she wasn't leaning up against the wall, Penny thought she might have fallen down. “Really?”

“I said that I loved God and them but I thought it was time for me to have a normal life. I told them how I wanted to stay in one place. And guess what? Molly was tired of it, too.”

She could practically feel his happiness over the phone. It mixed with her own feelings of euphoria and lifted her heart. “You sound happy.”

“I am. Because guess what?”

“What?” She was smiling so hard now she was sure she looked like a crazy person.

“Listen, we have to uphold our commitments, but then my family is going to take a long break. Maybe even scale back so we only tour a couple of weeks a year.”

“What would you do instead?”

“My father said he thinks I should write about my experiences. I think I am going to give it a try.”

“Oh, Michael. Yay.”

“Yeah, yay,” he said around a chuckle. “Penny, you know I care for you, right?”

She nodded, then made her lips move. “Right. I care for you, too.”

“
Verra
much.”

“Me, too.” Grabbing the telephone cord, she twirled it around her finger. Her pulse was racing so fast, she needed to do something to try to settle herself!

“When I know more I'll tell you, but right now, just know that I'm planning to come see you as soon as possible. We've got a couple more appearances scheduled over the next few weeks, but once those are done, I'll be on a plane to you.”

She loved how that sounded. “I can't wait.”

“Me, neither. I'm going to get off the phone now, but I'll write you later.”

“I'll write you, too.”

“Bye, Penny.”

“Good-bye.”

When she hung up the phone, she hugged herself tightly. She wasn't sure what the Lord had in store for her but she was starting to believe that it was going to be very, very good.

Wunderbaar.

I
t was only eleven in the morning, but already the early July sun was beating down on everyone in Sarasota, Florida. Penny was hardly aware of it, however. There was only one thing she was able to concentrate on, and that was the man holding her hand right there in the middle of Pinecraft.

Ever since he'd arrived at the Orange Blossom Inn two days ago, Michael had been a man on a secret mission. He'd spent at least four hours with Eric before Eric had left to catch a plane back to Pennsylvania. Later, Michael had been on the phone with his family, and Penny had even seen him and Tricia going over a bunch of notes last night before she'd headed home. To make matters worse, every time she asked him what, exactly, he was so busy doing, he simply smiled and asked her to be patient.

Now, as she struggled to keep up with him on the sidewalk, she was simply hoping he would let her catch her breath.

“Wait a minute, Michael,” Penny gasped. “Slow down, why don'tcha?” When he continued as if the ground would burn his toes if he slowed, she added another word for good measure. “Please?”

But instead of bowing to her wishes, he continued, unabated.

It seemed that “please”
wasn't
the golden word in this instance. Perhaps it was time to use some sweet words and gentle reminders.

“Michael, I'd like us to slow down. I'm worried about your leg, you see.”

“My leg is fine. Don't worry.”

“I know it feels fine now, but what if something happens?” she asked, practically panting as he increased their pace. “I mean, you did just get on your, uh, feet.”

“My foot is good, and my prosthesis is, too. That isn't an issue anymore.”

“I know that.” Well, she kind of knew that. “But since we're not in a hurry to go anywhere—”

“We
are
in a hurry,” he interrupted as they came to a sudden and abrupt halt at the SCAT stop. “We've got a shuttle to catch.”

“To where?” She wasn't even sure how he knew the SCAT schedule.

“You know.”

“We're going to Siesta Key?”

“Absolutely.” Looking down, he grinned.

Absolutely
. Her body warmed at his use of that now familiar word. The way he loved to say it and how she loved to hear it. That one definitive word symbolized everything that he was: confident and sure. Positive. Maybe even seductive. That one word encompassed everything that was Michael Knoxx, and everything she'd ever hoped would happen between the two of them.

“Ah, here we go,” he said as the shuttle approached. “Right on time.”

She followed him onto the shuttle, took a seat next to him,
and decided to keep the rest of her thoughts to herself as the bus zipped down Bahia Vista and continued past Conrad Avenue. Less than fifteen minutes later, they stopped at Siesta Key.

Michael carefully escorted her from the bus and across the parking lot as if she were a fragile thing.

“Hey, are you going to be okay out here, Pen?” he asked. “I wanted to surprise you, you see. But now I'm thinking that I should have brought sunscreen.”

“I'll be just fine.” She put sunscreen on her face every morning.

“Do you want something to drink?” With a frown, he said, “I should have thought about water, too.”

“I'm not thirsty,” she replied, bemused.

Looking satisfied, they continued their way toward the beach. His confident stride was in direct contrast to their previous walk, when he had been in pain and she'd been scared their trip to the beach was going to injure him further.

Now, as Penny eyed Michael, she was still slightly in awe of him. Oh, not the famous celebrity—rather, she was in awe of the tender, compassionate man she knew him to be. The private man who put his family before his own needs. The strong Michael, who never complained about his pain or discomfort, or even the hand the Lord had dealt him. Instead, he'd simply shouldered his burdens and continued on with his life.

But most of all, she admired the man she'd grown to love, the man who cared so much about her that he'd come back to Pinecraft.

Now, all she needed was for him to finally share what was on his mind. “Michael, I think we need to talk about your plans sometime today.”

He flashed her a smile. “Sure we do. But not yet.” With hardly the smallest of hesitations, he climbed down the steps
from the parking lot toward the wide expanse of beach, taking her with him. Then, as she slipped off her rubber flipflops and picked them up, he rolled up one pant leg, then the other, and pulled his one loafer off.

She looked down and saw that his prosthesis had its own kind of shoe. “Will your leg be okay in the sand?”

“It's good on any kind of surface.”

“But if it gets sand in it . . .”

“If it gets sand in it, I'll wash it off.”

Of course. He made it all sound so simple. And maybe it was. Maybe she was the one making things complicated. Maybe she needed to simply enjoy his company instead of wondering why he'd come back, when he was going to leave, and if he was in pain or feeling any discomfort.

After they walked a bit on the warm sand, the sun nearly over their heads now, he grinned. “What? You're not going to say a word now?”

She shrugged. “How can I? You seem to have all the answers.”

“Not all the answers, Penny. Sometimes I have questions, too.”

Well, that sounded very cryptic, indeed. Sharing an awkward smile with him, she stayed by his side as they reached the water's edge. With pleasure, she dipped her toes in, squealing under her breath at the water's temperature.

“I would have thought it would be warmer by now,” he said.

“It is warmer, to be sure. But it's also only the beginning of July, Michael. Give it time.”

He nodded, then reached out and linked her hand in his. “Let's go sit down,” he said as he led her to a sand dune. It was a little off to the side, well away from the rest of the crowd. When she sat down next to him, enjoying the feel of the warm sand on her legs and toes, he turned to her.

“So,” he began. “I guess you're wondering why I dragged you out here.”

“I'm wondering a lot of things. I've been wondering what you've been doing for two days.” Before he could reply, she added, “We've hardly even talked about your last night with your family. You all were in Mississippi, right?”

“
Jah
. We were there.” For the first time that afternoon, he looked uncertain about how to respond. He paused, then blurted, “It went all right.”

“That's it? What about your family? Were they sad to see you go? Were you sad that it was your last event for six months?”

“It was hard,” he admitted. “As eager as I was to see you and move forward, it was bittersweet, too. I love my family but I genuinely like them, too. Even though I am looking forward to doing my own thing, I'm going to miss seeing them all the time.”

“That makes sense. Maybe you can still see them from time to time, but the way others see their parents and siblings—for fun.”

“Fun, hmm?” He smiled. “
Jah
, that does have a nice ring to it.” He paused, then continued. “Anyway, our last performance went just fine. Better than most, I think. My sister's voice sounded beautiful, my parents' testimonies were moving, and when I got up and told my story—the story I must have told a hundred times—I got tears in my eyes.”

“You ended on a high note.”

He blinked, then the faint cloud of worry that had settled over his expression slowly faded away. “That's right. We did.”

Gazing out over the horizon, above the spot where the waves crashed against the shore, he seemed to weigh his words. Finally, he said, “But here's the thing, Penny. For the first time in years,
I felt as if Got was pleased with me. As if He knew that I was finally going to follow His will and do something more with myself.”

“What do you think that something is?”

“I think it's to write that book I told you about. I think when I start this new project, I'm going to at last be doing what I'm supposed to do—living my life
while
sharing my story.”

“I like that.” She was so proud of him. She knew he was giving up a lot to take this leap of faith, but she also felt that this leap was the right thing for him to do.

He grinned. “I'm glad you approve. I'm really glad I've made these decisions and am moving forward at last.”

“Just like me,” she murmured, thinking of the many times she'd wished she could break away from her parents' confines in order to actually live—something that Lissy had never had the chance to do. Now that she'd gotten the courage to do just that, the possibilities for her future seemed endless.

“Yes,” he said with a small smile. “I want to be just like you. Penny, ever since we visited this beach, I've been taking our proposal to heart. I've tried my best to live each day. I've tried my best to enjoy each moment we have on this earth. I've committed myself to appreciating this life and this body—and all its imperfections—and my heart, and all its needs. And because of that, everything that's happened has been nothing short of miraculous.”

His words meant so much to her. So much that she merely nodded and attempted to keep her tears at bay.

Michael noticed. Leaning closer, he gently brushed a tear away. “I've fallen in love with you, Penny. I want to be with you. I want to start each morning by your side and end each day giving thanks for the blessings that you bring to me.”

As she gazed at him, Penny wished she could think of even half as many beautiful words to express herself. But all she could do was speak from her heart. “I've fallen in love with you, too.”

His eyes lit with happiness. “I'd get on one knee if I could. But since that is beyond even this fancy, new prosthesis, I hope you'll know that I'm laying myself at your mercy. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you be mine?”

She felt like she was on the verge of laughing and crying at the same time. Wasn't that just like Michael? He could say the sweetest things even while somehow still managing to make her grin.

“Oh, Michael, yes,” she replied, not even caring about the tears that were falling down her cheeks far too quickly to be brushed away. “Yes, of course. I love you, too.”

His grin widened so much, his dimple appeared.

She smiled back, then held out her other hand and linked hers with his. And then there they sat. Linked by hands. Linked by hearts.

It was the happiest moment of her life.

It was the happiest moment of her dreams, and the best part was that she knew there were so many more of those happy moments to come.