Miss Beverly cleared her throat. "Penny, there's no easy way to say this."

"Yes?" She inhaled, preparing herself for the worst.

"I made a terrible mistake yesterday."

All the air in her lungs flew out in a rush. Penny knew she was gaping, but she couldn't help herself. "I'm sorry?"

"When I walked into Michael's room, I completely misunderstood what was happening." Twin spots of color appeared on her cheeks. "Furthermore, I completely overreacted. I knew that you and Michael had become friends, that there was nothing untoward happening between the two of you." She bit her bottom lip. "I'm ashamed to say that I let some things in my past color what I saw. I hope you will forgive me."

Penny glanced at Eric. When he met her gaze, he nodded in an encouraging way, letting her know that he was on her side. Perhaps another day she would wonder why and how she came to trust him so easily. But at that moment, she was simply grateful for his support.

"You are not here to fire me?"

Beverly's green eyes darkened with obvious remorse. "Nee, Penny. I am here to ask your forgiveness."

"Of course I forgive you," she blurted. How could Miss Beverly even imagine that Penny wouldn't?

But instead of looking eased, Miss Beverly still seemed hesitant. "If I promise to not accuse you of such things again . . . Will . . . will you come back to work?"

"Jah, if that is what you would like me to do."

"That is what I would love for you to do." She smiled brightly. "While you haven't been working at the inn very long, you've already shown a lot of initiative and promise. You're dependable, have a great disposition, and a calm way about you."

"Danke."

"You're welcome. Though it's not so much a compliment as it is the truth. I'm grateful for you." She smiled again.

Penny couldn't help but smile back. "Do you still want me to come in today?"

"I do. I've come to depend on you, you see."

"And there's also a certain young man who would likely create quite a stir if you don't come back," Eric added with a ghost of a smile.

"Michael?"

Eric nodded. "I sat with him for a while last night. Almost the whole time, he was fretting about you."

"Truly?"

This time it was Beverly who answered. "Yes. See, after you left, he told me what he thought of my treatment of you but he wasn't exactly thrilled with how my words reflected on his character, either. He was right, of course. I really messed up yesterday."

Penny knew it would take her quite some time to process everything that Beverly and Eric had told her. However, two things were already shining through. The first was that she'd done a good job at the inn; she was mighty pleased about that. The second bit of news, however, left her fairly breathless.

Michael Knoxx had come to her defense.

She had no idea what was going to happen next. All she knew was that she wasn't about to go backward.

That was enough for now. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Eric looked at his watch. "Why don't you take your time? I'm sure this has been a difficult morning and you probably want to visit with your parents."

"Or would you rather I speak to them for you?" Beverly asked. "I'll be glad to let them know that what happened was my fault and my fault alone."

Penny wasn't entirely sure that was the case. Beverly had rushed to some conclusions, but Penny had let herself get too attached to Michael. She couldn't deny that. She should have remained a bit more distant with him. It wasn't like they would ever have a future together. "There's no need to talk to them. I will."

"All right then," Eric said. "How about we see you in an hour or two? Just come back whenever you are ready."

"I can do that. I'll talk with my parents, have some breakfast, then head over. Thank you again."

"You're very welcome," Eric said before he and Beverly walked out.

As Penny closed the door after them, she knew she needed to talk to her parents. No doubt they'd be on pins and needles, wondering what she, Mr. Eric, and Miss Beverly had all been saying to one another.

But instead of being mad at Penny, her parents had been concerned. And that, she realized, was something that had made it all worthwhile. She and her parents were making progress. After living in limbo for twelve years, they were all moving forward. At last.

CHAPTER 21.

When Tricia walked into the inn's small upstairs sitting area the next morning, she was brought up short. There, on one of the couches, just as if he hung out there all the time, was none other than Michael Knoxx.

Though she knew he was in the house, of course, she hadn't seen him since he'd returned from the hospital on Sat.u.r.day. She'd kept track of her aunt's reports about his surgery and recovery, though. After all, he was pretty much the main topic of conversation around the inn. Eric seemed to enjoy his company but Aunt Beverly continually fretted that she wasn't doing enough for him. And Penny, of course, seemed completely smitten with him.

But then, there had been all the commotion she'd heard last night. Tricia hadn't been brave enough to ask her aunt what had happened between Michael and Penny, but she figured it must've been something pretty awful to send the whole place into a state of turmoil.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked. The last Tricia had heard, Michael was still basically bedridden.

His eyebrows rose. "h.e.l.lo to you, too."

She rolled her eyes. "Dwell on good manners if you must, but you and I both know that you aren't supposed to be out of bed."

"Tricia, don't be a worrywart," he said in a breezy way, which was strangely appealing. "I'm feeling much better. And since you're neither my nurse nor my mother, I have no concerns about where you think I am supposed to be."

"You know, it's no wonder you speak on stage," she said sarcastically. "You certainly like to make your point."

He grinned. "Loud and clear."

She walked closer. "Michael, your recuperation has the whole household tied up in knots. My aunt has been worried sick."

For the first time in their acquaintance, she thought he looked a bit unsure. "I'm sorry to hear that. I've been trying to not be too difficult a patient."

"She didn't say you were and I'm not telling you this to worry you. I'm telling you this so you will understand why you shouldn't be out of bed."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I couldn't stay in that room another minute."

"What's wrong with it?" Maybe she needed to freshen his sheets or something?

"You know why. Sitting in one room for days is tedious. I was bored." He scowled. "Not that it is any of your business."

He sounded so irritated and saddened, Tricia felt guilty. "Sorry I lectured you."

His eyes lit up. "Don't be. It's kind of fun sparring with another person for a change. You remind me of my sister."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should. Molly is great. She keeps me in line. I never thought I needed that, but maybe I do. Penny is far too patient and kind. Sometimes I really have to watch myself or I'll mow her over."

"Penny is patient and kind." She was also adorable in that girl-next-door way, shy, and had that lovely, curly hair. She was everything Tricia had hoped to be. However, the Lord had given her a gregarious nature, a temper, and a rather tomboyish figure. No matter how hard she'd attempt to mind her manners and watch her tongue, she'd never be able to adopt Penny Troyer's purely feminine demeanor.

He smiled. "She is."

"I haven't seen Penny yet today. I guess she has a day off."

As if she'd flipped a switch, the light left his eyes. "I hope that is the case."

Knowing he was referring to the big fight, she didn't respond. "Since I'm here and Penny is not, may I get you anything? Kaffi? Iced tea?"

"Maybe in a minute. Why did you come up here anyway?"

She pointed to a book on the table. "I left my library book here." She'd had to stop in the middle of a really good section and was eager to read the next couple of chapters.

"What are you reading?"

"Oh, it's, um, just a romance." When he smirked at the Amish woman on the cover, she felt her insides bristle. "It's a good one, though."

Still staring at the book, he asked, "Aren't all romances good?"

"Are you speaking of books or real life?"

Lifting his gaze, he met her eyes. "Both."

Again, she was struck by how his personality seemed to fill the room-even a small sitting room like this. "I'm not sure about that," she said slowly. "I've never been in love."

"No?"

"Nee."

He leaned back against the cushions and shifted. "Tricia, come sit down. My neck is starting to get an awful crick in it."

The light in his eyes told her he wasn't above using sympathy to get his way. "I doubt that." But still, she took a seat.

Once she was sitting primly next to him, wondering if the bright pink fabric of her dress might be a bit too bright, he asked, "So what's your story?"

It was a bit disconcerting to receive his complete, undivided attention. "I don't have one," she sputtered.

"Sure you do," he said impatiently. "Where are you from? Why are you here?"

"I'm from Sugarcreek, Ohio, and I'm here to visit my aunt."

He looked at her so intently, she could swear he was trying to read her mind. Then he shook his head. "No, that's not it."

"That is exactly it," she lied.

"That is the bare bones of the story. Come on, Tricia, give a guy something to think about besides missing part of a leg."

She gaped at him. "I can't believe you said that!"

He didn't look the least bit shamefaced. "Tricia, it's not a secret."

"But still . . ."

He chuckled. "See, this is why you need to talk to me. If we leave the subjects up to me, we'll venture into all sorts of awkward areas."

"Obviously."

"So. Why are you here, really?"

Maybe it was the way he listened so carefully. Maybe it was because she was more afraid to talk about his injury than her past. Or maybe, just maybe, she needed to tell someone who could be objective. Whatever the reason, finally, Tricia said, "Something happened back in Sugarcreek that I thought was important."

"You don't think it is important anymore?"

"I'm not sure," she said honestly. "Now that I have some distance and some time has gone by, I'm starting to wonder if everything that I thought was so important was minor after all."

"If it matters to you, it's important."

His comment, so sure and simply stated, startled a laugh from her. "You don't even know what I'm referring to!"

"Maybe I don't need to know."

"You are beyond frustrating. If you didn't need to know, why did you even ask?"

"I asked before I realized your reason was such a closely guarded secret."

"I had some trouble with my friends," she blurted. "A rumor had been started about me, and I was getting teased." Almost against her will, she felt her gaze drift toward his injured leg. Pretty much everyone knew his story. He'd survived a terrible accident. Even now, he was recovering from injuries sustained in it. Her problems seemed minuscule in comparison.

Embarra.s.sed, she stood up. "You know what, I have to go."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry you were being teased. I know that's hard."

She was about to brush off his apology when his words-and his tone-hit her hard. "You know about being teased?"

"Of course I do."