Suitor by Design

by Christine Johnson

  “It’ll have to come out while I make the compartment,” Peter said.

  “What are you going to use?” Minnie asked. “Metal?”

  “Wood,” Vince interjected. “Wood is quieter than metal.”

  Minnie stuck her head in the car and looked around the spacious rear area until she could visualize the project. The seat cushion was covered in leather, just like Peter said.

  “How does the cushion come out?” she asked.

  Peter crawled in the other side and showed her how to lift it off the wooden pegs securing it in place. His hands brushed hers, and that crazy flip-flop happened again in her stomach. She looked at him, and his gaze met hers.

  “You sure look pretty tonight,” he said, kind of low, as if he didn’t want his friend to hear. “Want to sit with me at church tomorrow?”

  Sit with him? Why did he always have to turn friendship into something more? She jerked away from him and hit her head on the door frame. “Ouch!”

  “Careful there, darlin’,” Vince said.

  His hands gripped her shoulders, but his touch didn’t have the same effect as Peter’s. It felt wrong. Just plain wrong.

  “I’m fine.” She shook him off and stuck her head back in the car. Everything was spinning a little, and she had to hold on to the seat to get her balance.

  “You sure you’re all right?” Peter looked concerned.

  “I said I’m fine.” She ran her hands over the leather upholstery. Anything to not think about what had just happened. The plan was to find a beau who could help out her family. Peter Simmons didn’t fit that plan, so why was she reacting like this? That was what made her head spin, not clunking into the door frame. She took a deep breath and concentrated on the seat.

  An idea had started to wiggle into her head until Peter mucked it up by asking her to sit with him at church. It had to do with the seat. She stared at it until the idea returned. “That’s it.”

  “That’s what?” Peter asked.

  She gave him a grin of triumph. “If Mr. Galbini’s boss doesn’t want the luggage to make noise, we need to cushion the compartment.”

  “How?”

  She got out of the car, her mind racing over the details. “We could pad it, like the seats. That would make it extra quiet.”

  “But you’d lose space,” Peter countered.

  “Not if I keep the padding thin, like a layer of felt.”

  Galbini nodded. “Good idea, doll.”

  The endearments grated on her nerves, but extra work would mean extra pay. She could start at once, if Galbini agreed to the proposal and Peter went along with it. She didn’t dare look at Peter, though, or her emotions would overtake sense again. This was a business deal she didn’t want to lose. “It would cost more.”

  Galbini laughed. “Cost ain’t a problem. Quality’s what the boss wants.”

  “Your boss must be rich,” she said, impressed.

  Galbini grinned. “Rich don’t come close ta the truth.”

  “Really?” Maybe if Mr. Galbini wasn’t the one for her, his boss was. She closed her eyes and imagined the celebrities and posh nightclubs she’d read about in the magazines.

  “Honest.” Galbini put a hand over his heart.

  “Wow. Wonder if I’ll ever meet him.”

  “Why would you meet him?” Peter snapped. “I’m sure he’s too busy with his business and family to come to Pearlman.”

  “True,” Galbini said.

  Oh, dear. Naturally Mr. Galbini’s boss was married and had children. What had she been thinking?

  Peter wasn’t done. “Besides, money doesn’t make the man. Look at Hendrick. Your pa. They’re the best.”

  The joy of the moment vanished as Minnie remembered her father’s words to her this morning and how heavily he’d leaned on his cane. She bit her lip to stop any tears, but nothing could prevent the lump from forming in her throat. Daddy. He’d asked her to act her age, yet she’d gone and put cosmetics on her face and pursued an older man that she didn’t even like. What would Daddy think of her if he knew? He’d be so disappointed. So terribly disappointed.

  “Minnie?” Peter was looking at her strangely. “Is something wrong?”

  She backed away, unable to bring a word to her lips.

  “Don’t get shy on me, doll.” Galbini’s grin mocked her.

  In that moment, she felt small and weak and foolish. Nothing like a motion-picture star. She turned and ran. Tears blurred her vision before she’d cleared the office.

  The icy air slapped her. Snow drifted down from the deep blue sky. Not wanting to meet up with anyone, she headed down the alley. A trash can stood behind the department store. Already, two inches of snow blanketed its cover. Minnie brushed off the fluffy snow and lifted the lid. She then opened her handbag and threw the face powder and lipstick away. Taking her handkerchief from her coat pocket, she rubbed the cosmetics off her face. She’d made such a fool of herself. Such a fool.

  She let the cold air calm her. Melting snowflakes blended with the tears, washing her cheeks clean. Already the kitchen window glowed, illuminating the swirling snow. Mother would have supper ready. Minnie blew her nose and took a deep breath, finally ready to go home.

  The snow crunched underfoot as she crossed the alley and navigated the backyard in the near darkness. As she stepped inside, her mother raced toward her and enveloped her in a hug.

  “I’m so relieved you’re all right.”

  “Of course I’m all right.” Minnie extricated herself from the hug. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “When Jen went to help you close the shop and found you gone, we thought you’d be here any minute. Do you realize how late it is?”

  Minnie looked at the clock. “After six? How could it be that late?”

  “At first we wondered if you forgot it was Saturday and tried to take the receipts to the bank. When you still didn’t return, I sent Jen to the drugstore, in case you went for a soda....”

  Minnie didn’t hear anything past receipts. She patted her coat pocket. The envelope wasn’t there. “The receipts!”

  Her mind tumbled over all the places she’d been. Main Street, the garage, the alley. Had she accidentally lost the envelope when she got out her handkerchief?

  “What about the receipts, dear?”

  Minnie couldn’t explain. Bad enough she’d gone against her parents’ wishes by wearing cosmetics, but to lose the day’s orders and receipts? That was unforgivable. Her first week on the job, and she’d failed. There must have been fifty dollars in that envelope. The family needed that money badly. Daddy needed it.

  Her throat swelled nearly shut. “I need to go back.”

  “Did you forget them? It’ll wait until morning.”

  Mother didn’t understand. Minnie had failed. Failed. And the whole family would suffer.

  “No, it won’t.”

  Choking back a sob, Minnie flung open the door and raced outside, but darkness had fallen and the snow fell even thicker. It now reached to her ankles. How on earth would she ever find the envelope now?

  Chapter Six

  Once Minnie’s eye adjusted to the dark, she searched around the trash can and looked inside. She retraced her steps to the garage, which was now closed, and along Main Street. She kicked aside the snow in key areas. No envelope. By the time she returned to the house, she’d gone numb—but not from the cold.

  What would she tell Daddy? What would Mother say? They had trusted her. Ruth trusted her. She’d let them down. Once again, she’d failed in the crucial moment.

  Past failures replayed in her mind. From dropping the coffee service in the parsonage on Christmas Eve to declaring her affection to an uninterested Reggie Landers, each defeat had chipped away at her confidence. Those gaffes, embarrassing as they were,
hadn’t impacted her family. Pastor Gabe and Felicity didn’t fire her for spilling coffee all over their parlor floor. The hopeless crush on Reggie had only inspired eye-rolling and warnings from her sisters. This was entirely different. For the first time, she’d let her family down.

  Minnie sat on the back stoop, letting the snow gather on her hat and coat. Oh, that it could bury her. If only she could run off to a place where money didn’t matter and where others didn’t suffer for your mistakes, but even storybook characters faced consequences.

  She sighed and propped her head in her hands, elbows on knees.

  The door cracked open.

  “Why are you sitting out in the cold, dearest?” Mother asked.

  Minnie couldn’t look her mother in the eye. “I’m sorry.” Fear strangled her words. This was the moment of judgment. She whispered, “I—I lost the receipts.”

  “What did you say, dear? I can’t hear you. Do come inside.” Mother opened the door wide.

  Minnie couldn’t keep mumbling at the ground. She looked at her mother—dear, loving Mother—and her throat swelled shut. “I—” It came out in a croak.

  “Come now,” Mother insisted. “We’re letting the warm air out.”

  Minnie had to spit this out. A grown woman admitted her mistakes. She took responsibility, no matter the outcome. Minnie squared her shoulders, though she didn’t feel brave at all. “I lost the receipts. I put them in an envelope with the orders and stuck it in my coat pocket, but now it’s not there. I retraced my steps, but with the snow I can’t find it. Oh, Mother.” She started to cry.

  Mother stood there a moment before stepping outside and descending the steps.

  Minnie braced for the punishment she deserved.

  Instead, Mother wrapped her arms around her. “My poor child. My poor, poor baby. These things happen.”

  The sobs came. Slow at first and then harder and faster.

  Mother rubbed her back. “Come inside, dear. You need to get warmed up.”

  Minnie let her mother guide her up the steps and into the kitchen, where the snow slid off her shoulders.

  Jen stopped halfway across the kitchen, plates in hand. “You’re making a mess.”

  “Hush, now, Genevieve,” Mother said. “Finish setting the table while your sister dries off and goes to see your father.”

  “Daddy?” Minnie gasped. “Do I have to?” Mother was bad enough, but the memory of Daddy’s confidence in her this morning was still fresh. She couldn’t bear to see his disappointment.

  “Yes, dear. He is not only your father—he also owns the business. You must tell him what you told me.”

  “Will he...? That is, what if this upsets him? He’s not supposed to have any stress.”

  Mother could not be swayed. “Your father is stronger than you think. Go.”

  Minnie numbly removed her coat and boots. As the youngest, she’d watched her sisters shoulder a heavy load of responsibility while she daydreamed. Years ago, her oldest sister, Beatrice, had married. Now Ruthie was married, too. Minnie had wanted that. She’d longed to grow older, but with age came responsibility. Responsibility wasn’t fun, as she was about to find out.

  The staircase never seemed so steep, the hallway so long. At the end, the door to Daddy’s room stood ajar. Light streamed onto the hallway floor.

  This news could kill him. Or her.

  Minnie dragged her feet. Her room beckoned. She could slip inside until things calmed down. No, eventually Mother would come upstairs. Then she’d learn that Minnie hadn’t confessed. If Mother told Daddy what had happened, the punishment would be far worse. Better to get it over with now.

  Her legs threatened to collapse as she drew near. She paused outside his bedroom, lifted her hand to knock and let it drop. What would he say? What could she say? There was no excuse. Her heart pounded in her ears. She couldn’t hear anything else. Maybe he was sleeping.

  The bed creaked.

  Not sleeping. She lifted her hand again, but it shook so badly that she let it fall again.

  “Come in, Minnie.”

  “How did you know it was me?” Now that she’d been discovered, she edged into the doorway.

  He wore his spectacles and, judging from the papers spread over the rolling table Peter had made, was working on the bookkeeping. “Your footsteps give you away, little princess.”

  “Oh.” She stood in the doorway, feeling like a four-year-old who had to tell her daddy what she’d done wrong while he was away at work. Her knees trembled. How could she admit she’d lost the day’s receipts?

  He took off the spectacles and set them aside. “What happened?” His grim expression didn’t make this any easier.

  She took a deep breath. “Oh, Daddy, I’m so sorry. I should have come straight home. I shouldn’t have gone to the garage after work.”

  He frowned. “Why would you go to the garage?”

  There was no sense holding anything back now. “Peter offered me some work repairing upholstery. I thought it would help out the family, but I ended up making things worse.”

  He patted the bed. “Sit down here and tell me everything.”

  Something about his expression told her it would be all right. She hurried across the room and threw herself upon his mercy. “Oh, Daddy.”

  He patted her back before holding her an arm’s length away. “Now, then, let’s have the whole story.”

  She spilled everything, from her foolish hopes that Mr. Galbini would be rich and important, to losing the money and searching everywhere for the envelope. “I even looked in the trash can, but it wasn’t there. It must be lost under the snow. We’ll never find it.”

  He leaned against the pillows and scratched his chin. “Well, now, there’s no use crying after spilled milk. Look again in the morning, but if you can’t find it, the money’s gone.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, blotting her tears on her sleeve.

  “Now, now. Not all is lost. Can you remember the orders?”

  “I—I can’t remember anything.”

  “Calm down, now. Take a deep breath. The mind is a wondrous thing. Even when we think we can’t remember, it has cataloged every moment of the day.”

  After two or three deep breaths, which did nothing to settle her nerves, she blurted out her greatest fear, “You’re not going to punish me?”

  “I think you realize how much losing that money will hurt your family. How do you propose to repay it?”

  Minnie could think of only one possibility. “From the wages I earn elsewhere. Once Ruth returns, I’ll go back to work cleaning houses, and I’ll give you everything I earn from the upholstery job.” The little bit of regret that she couldn’t buy magazines or sodas vanished under the peace of knowing she would help her family.

  “That sounds reasonable,” Daddy said. “Now to the day’s customers. Try to recall who came into the shop and why.”

  Now that Minnie had calmed down, she found it easy to picture each customer who’d arrived that day. Soon they had a list of every order placed.

  “Leave me now, princess. I need to rest.”

  Minnie hugged her father and rejoined her mother and sister downstairs. Jen glared at her from the kitchen table, where she was eating supper, but didn’t say anything.

  “Did you settle everything?” Mother asked.

  “Daddy and I worked out a way for me to repay the money,” Minnie replied.

  Mother nodded, as if she’d expected nothing less, but Jen’s expression didn’t change. The loss of that much money meant no meat and less to eat at mealtime. The peace Minnie had felt upstairs departed. There would be no forgiveness until she earned back the lost money. That would take months. Five months, to be precise, if she could get five upholstering jobs that paid ten dollars each.

  “Ma
ybe I’ll find the envelope in the morning,” she said hopefully.

  Jen communicated her doubt without words.

  * * *

  Snowfall meant getting up early to shovel out the orphanage and Ma Simmons’s cottage so everyone could get to church. Peter accomplished the first task before Hendrick and Mariah arose. After a cup of coffee, he went to Ma’s place. She would have breakfast ready and insist he join her. Ma was the finest woman he’d ever met outside his real ma, who’d died when he was eight. Ma Simmons loved him like her own. She also understood things.

  After scraping her short walkway free of snow and ice, he rapped on the cottage door. Ma lived in the guesthouse on her son-in-law’s estate. The cozy stone building had only two rooms—compared to the dozens in the large house—but Ma preferred having her own place. Anna and Brandon had installed a little oil cookstove for her over the summer, giving her independence.

  She opened the door before he’d finished knocking. “Come, now, son, and give your old ma a hug.”

  He had to bend way over to embrace her, but it was worth the effort. Her wide arms took him in like the grandmother he’d never known.

  “Now get out of your coat and sit a spell. I’ll fry you up some eggs and bacon. How does that sound?”

  “Better’n oatmeal.” He grinned as he settled on one of the two chairs at the little table.

  Ma bustled at the stove, humming hymns as she laid bacon in the frying pan. Once finished, she wiped her hands. “How are things going for you, Peter?”

  He shrugged. “Fine, I suppose.”

  “Hendrick said you have a new customer.”

  “Yeah.” He didn’t want to talk about Vince. For some reason, the man had attracted Minnie’s attention. Maybe he should return Vince’s money and refuse the job. His friend was still in town until the morning train. Maybe then things would go back to normal. Vince would leave town, and Minnie wouldn’t have any swells to chase after. Leastways not until some other man showed up. He sighed.

  “Is that a problem?” she asked.

  Peter shrugged. He wasn’t about to admit that he was a little jealous. The meat had started to sizzle and pop. “Bacon smells good.”