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fine.”
    â€œBeverly and Claire haven’t come around too much, either.” Looking at his plate, he said, “Junior, Beverly, and Claire seem to be more concerned with their new spouses than keeping their siblings fed.”
    â€œHmm.” She was surprised by that. Everyone in Sugarcreek knew the Beilers were an especially close family. She, for one, had always been more than a little envious of the way the eight siblings looked out for one another. Being an only child, the idea of having so much help and support sounded like a dream.
    Getting up, she brought over the pitcher and refilled Levi’s glass. “Where are they living? I’m pretty sure I saw Beverly and Joe walking downtown the other day.”
    â€œBeverly and Joe are living on his family’s farm. Joe and his daed are already adding on a new wing to their haus .”
    â€œAh. And Claire?”
    â€œShe and her husband moved to Charm ’cause Jim already had his own place.”
    â€œI’m sorry, I should’ve known all that. I guess I’ve been too busy with things here.” Observing his expression, she realized that he wasn’t staring at her like a boy with a crush. Instead, he was looking like he needed a friend.
    Suddenly, Levi Beiler looked exactly like what he was—a teenager who still needed someone to mother him every now and then.
    â€œIt sounds like you all have had to make a lot of changes around your house lately,” she commented. “That must be kind of hard.”
    â€œUh-huh.” He grimaced. “Now there’s only me and Micah, Neil and Randall and Kaylene. We’ve got a lot more room, but things aren’t going all that good at the moment.”
    â€œOh?” Levi’s comment surprised her. Every time she’d been at the Beiler house, it had been a bustling place. But more than that, it had been as if every member of the house worked together to make things run like clockwork. Junior, being the eldest boy, was their unofficial leader with Claire and Beverly his second and third in command. The girls had also shared the kitchen duties.
    Thinking about how happy the slice of pie had made Levi, she asked curiously, “Who is doing the cooking now?”
    â€œRandall.”
    With effort, she schooled her shocked expression. “I have to say I’m surprised. I didn’t think he could cook well.”
    â€œHe can’t. Well, he can cook chicken and potatoes and heat up beans.” Levi eyed his empty plate with what could only be described as a look of pure longing. “I’m really sick of canned beans.”
    Without another word, she brought over the pie plate, sliced another generous portion, and slid it onto his dish. Levi grabbed the carton of whipped topping, heaped another generous spoonful on top of the pie, then ate some more. “ Danke , Elizabeth,” he said around his second bite.
    â€œAnytime.” Watching him eat, she knew it was time to get to the point of his visit. “So, care to tell me why you are here? As much as I’m happy to feed you, I have a feeling you had a different reason in mind. What did you want to talk about? Did Randall ask you to come over?”
    â€œNee.” For the first time, he averted his eyes. “Randall doesn’t know I’m here.”
    Thoroughly confused now, she made her tone a little firmer. “Why did you come over, Levi? Please, just spit it out.”
    With a look of deliberation, he set his fork down. “Elizabeth, I came over to see if you’d come to work for us,” he said in a rush. “Please.”
    Surely she had misunderstood him. “What did you say?”
    â€œI want to hire you.”
    â€œYou want to hire me?”
    â€œ Jah . I mean, no.”
    â€œNow I’m even more confused.”
    He shook his head, obviously aggravated with himself. “I mean, yes, me and my siblings want to hire you.