“Will ya write me a birthday note and put it in the wall for me to find?”

At that, she smiled. “I could do that, jah. What day’s your birthday?”

“A week from today, Wednesday, July twenty-first.”

It was so quickly decided that it seemed easy compared to her repeated deliberation of the past few days about replying to his note.

“Are ya all right with that?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t do it otherwise.”

Eb chuckled. “Do ya get your Schpank from your Dat or your Mamma?”

“Both.”

He asked if her siblings were as spunky as she was.

“A couple of them are, but Mamma always said the Good Lord must’ve thought I needed more pluck than the others.”

“I like that.” Eb looked up at the sky just then, his head back for a moment. “A real nice evening, ain’t?”

She agreed and told him she really shouldn’t be out too late.

“Doesn’t your aunt retire early, though?” he asked, a seeming urgency now in his words.

“Jah, but if she wakes up and needs something, and I’m not home . . .”

“So, we’ll have to talk fast,” he said, looking at her. “Make as much of our time together as possible.”

“As friends.”

“Friends,” he repeated.

She asked what kind of cake he was hoping for on his birthday, and he immediately said German chocolate. “The darker the chocolate, the better,” he said, and she made a note of that for no particular reason.

“Will all of your siblings and their families come to celebrate?” She tried to imagine the gathering.

“I’m sure they will. And Mamm will want to have it outside in the evening, after the sun drops in the sky a bit. Prob’ly a picnic supper with fried chicken and all the fixings she’s so gut at makin’.”

“Sounds wunnerbaar. I’m real happy for ya.” Eliza got up and brushed the grass off her dress, saying she’d best be going.

Eb rose quickly, too. “Seems like we just got here.”

“I’m not sure why we’re doin’ this, Eb,” she blurted without thinking. “Meetin’ like this . . .”

“Maybe ’cause we’re s’posed to be friends,” Eb said, moving toward her.

She stepped back. “But only friends, remember.”

He pushed his hands into his trouser pockets. “Jah.” Then he insisted on walking her partway back to her aunt’s place.

“Well, if you’re sure,” she said, secretly glad he wanted to see her home for at least a little ways. But she did not want to think too far ahead, when she and Eb might see each other again.

Chapter 37