Suitor by Design Read online

  “Yes, it does.” She walked slowly across the room and settled into the other chair. “It’ll take a few minutes to cook. Time enough for you to tell me what’s bothering you.”

  “How do you know something’s bothering me?”

  “You’ve never been good at hiding your feelings.”

  Peter had never thought about that, but he supposed she was right.

  “So what is it?” she asked again. “Let’s lay it at the Lord’s feet and ask His help.”

  “I don’t think He’s going to care if I get a gal or not.”

  Ma smiled ever so slightly. “Of course He does. He has already chosen someone for you.”

  “He has?” Peter found Ma’s faith shocking at times. She was so certain. Even now she affirmed her statement with a confident nod. He couldn’t quite get past the doubts. “But how do I know who it is?”

  “You’ll know, deep inside.” She pressed a hand to her heart.

  Peter sighed. “That doesn’t help. I thought I knew, but she’s not interested.”

  “Ah, so that’s the trouble. Sometimes two people don’t realize at the same time that they’re meant for each other.” She patted his hand. “You need to be patient.”

  “Don’t know if I can. She turns me down every time. She won’t even sit with me in church.”

  “Would this happen to be Minnie Fox?”

  Peter ducked his head. “Hendrick said I should dress nice and compliment her.”

  “That always helps, but the ways to a woman’s heart are unique to her. She must also be ready. Have you considered that Minnie might not want a beau quite yet?”

  “She carries on after every swell that shows up in town.” That was the part that stung.

  “Do any of them show interest in return?”

  “I don’t know.” Vince called her darling, but then Vince said that to every pretty gal. “I’m not sure. Besides, if she liked me, it wouldn’t matter.”

  Ma patted his hand. “Don’t give up, son. If she’s the one for you, God will make sure you have the opportunity you need. Pray and wait for that chance to win her trust and affection.”

  Peter had tried to be patient. He had. Most guys wouldn’t wait half as long as he had, but it was the last part of her statement that got to him. “I gotta win her trust?” He hadn’t heard that one. The fact that he’d fibbed about his real age years ago, not to mention the bad things he’d done while living on the streets, didn’t give him much hope he’d ever succeed in that area.

  “Of course. Trust is essential. You’re building a life together. Love isn’t about the heady early days of getting to know each other. It’s about working through life’s ups and downs.”

  “Oh.” Peter studied his fingernails, but Ma seemed to see right through him.

  “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  Peter shook his head. If he could ever tell anyone, it would probably be Ma Simmons. She was the most understanding person he’d ever known. She might forgive him, but a little doubt crept in. Ma held firm to God’s commands. She wouldn’t look kindly on what he’d done, especially since he hadn’t seen fit to confess in the pretty near four years since she took him in. Peter couldn’t bear to lose her and the only family he had left in this world.

  So instead of telling her the truth, he said, “I think the bacon’s burning.”

  She hurried over to the stove, and, just as he’d anticipated, the subject was soon forgotten.

  * * *

  Minnie didn’t hear a word of the sermon that morning. She spent the entire service calculating how to scoot across the church after the closing hymn so she could reach Peter before he dashed out into the snow and cold.

  At first light she had retraced her steps. Jen had even joined her. They’d ransacked the department store’s trash can and shoveled aside a mountain of snow. They’d even checked all over the dress shop. No envelope. Her last hope was the garage. It had been closed last night by the time she began searching, and it was closed today. She’d pressed her face to the office window, hoping to spot it, but the frost was so thick on the inside that she couldn’t make out a thing.

  The envelope had to be there. It just had to. Maybe it was lying on the office floor. Or maybe inside the car. Or underneath it on the dirty garage floor. She wouldn’t even mind a little grease if she could just have the envelope back. Maybe Peter had already found it. That was probably wishful thinking. If he had, he would have sought her out right away. He might even have come to her house. Neither had happened. Nor did he so much as look her way. No, he couldn’t have found it.

  What if Mr. Galbini picked it up? That thought made her nauseous. Something told her that despite his fine suits and willingness to spend his boss’s funds, he wouldn’t hesitate to keep any money he happened to find. She would never get it back.

  She tried to concentrate on the sermon. Daddy would want a full report. But before she could figure out the theme, her mind had drifted back to the missing envelope.

  Dear Lord, if You care at all for this family... Minnie couldn’t quite bring herself to finish the plea. She wasn’t supposed to bargain with God, but couldn’t He fix things just this once?

  Beside her, Mother sat ramrod straight, her gloved hands folded atop her handbag and her gaze riveted on Pastor Gabe, who was finishing up. Jen sat on the other side, her expression unreadable. Minnie tried to recall something from the sermon so she could discuss it with Daddy.

  Jen glared at her. Oh, dear, she was still angry. After this financial setback, Jen would have to give all of her wages to the family instead of saving for flight lessons.

  Yet another dream lost, and it was all Minnie’s fault. Why did she always bungle things?

  The congregation rose for the closing hymn. As Minnie stood, a thought came to mind. Maybe she should give up the upholstery job entirely. Though it paid well, since she had to manage the dress shop, she would lose house-cleaning clients. Housekeeping was safe. It guaranteed a small income. It wouldn’t hurt anyone.

  But it was dull.

  For almost nineteen years Minnie had done the safe thing. Others stretched and grew. Beattie had married into the most prominent family in Pearlman. Ruthie was following her dream in New York City. If she and Sam found a buyer for her dress designs, hundreds—no, thousands—of women would be wearing her dresses. Even Jen dreamed big. She worked at the airfield, where the Hunters planned to try for a world-record flight. Jen intended to be part of it. That was exciting.

  Minnie, on the other hand, was still cleaning houses and filling in at the dress shop. Mr. Galbini had brought the first excitement into her life in a long time. Never mind that he hadn’t proven a romantic option. He knew people. Celebrities, no doubt. This was her one chance. Another might never appear.

  As the last strains of the closing hymn faded away, Jen edged out of the pew. Minnie followed, doing her best to keep Peter in sight. Thankfully, he was tall. Though Minnie was the shortest of the Fox sisters, she could spot his shock of brown hair, combed into submission for church.

  He was heading for the far aisle.

  Mrs. Grattan stepped in front of her, blocking her view and her path.

  “He’s getting away,” Minnie cried with frustration.

  “Who?” Jen whipped her head around, and her brown felt hat slipped off.

  “Peter.” Minnie bent to pick up Jen’s hat. By the time she stood, he was gone. “I need to ask if he found the envelope in the garage.”

  Jen caught her meaning at once. “Follow me.”

  She darted behind Mrs. Grattan and ahead of Mrs. Evans. The women took offense to the sudden interruption, and Minnie murmured an apology before dashing after her sister. Once through the crush, Jen slipped into an empty pew, and they crossed the remainder of the sanctuary unhindered.

 
Peter waited behind his foster mother, who was greeting everyone with either a hug or a handshake. Each person had something to tell her, and she listened intently. Peter, on the other hand, fidgeted, turning his hat around and around in his hands.

  “Peter!” Jen bellowed as they drew near.

  Several heads turned. A few shushes and fingers to the lips communicated the unwritten rule that they were supposed to be quiet in church, despite the fact that nearly everyone was chattering away.

  Minnie shrank under the withering glares. Why did she say anything to her sister? She should have known Jen would act like this.

  “He’s waiting for us.” Jen grabbed her arm and tugged her forward.

  Seconds later, Jen pushed her into the pew next to Peter. That crazy stomach dance started again and wouldn’t go away, even when she looked elsewhere or bit her lip.

  “What is it?” He looked from Jen to Minnie and back again.

  Minnie noticed Hendrick was looking at them while Mariah talked to her brother and his wife.

  Jen elbowed her. “Go ahead. You explain.”

  Minnie swallowed. The back of her throat was dry. Peter was looking at her, and she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. Those hazel eyes would steal every thought from her head. So she looked at her hands, her boots, the pew, anything but him. “Wondered if you found an envelope.”

  “What’s that?” Peter asked. “I can’t hear you over everyone else.”

  She inwardly growled. Now she’d have to repeat herself loud enough for the whole congregation to hear. “Did you find an envelope at the garage?”

  His brow pinched. “What kind of envelope?”

  “A regular one. Full of papers and such.” She didn’t exactly want to admit that she’d lost actual money, not when some of their customers were standing within hearing distance.

  “No.”

  Her hopes died. “Oh. I’d hoped...” Her voice trembled, so she stopped.

  His expression softened. “I didn’t look around, though. Wanna go check?”

  “Can we?” In her excitement, she made the deadly mistake of looking into his eyes.

  They twinkled. “Sure.” He held out an arm. “Let’s go now.”

  Warmth came back to her fingers and toes. She told herself it must be due to her renewed hope that they’d find the money, but deep down she knew it was something else. Or rather someone who just so happened to have twinkling hazel eyes.

  Chapter Seven

  Peter never set foot in the garage on Sundays. When he’d lived on the streets, he’d lost respect for the Sabbath. The orphanage and Ma Simmons had revived moral stability. Now he wouldn’t dream of working on a Sunday. The dinners hosted by Hendrick or Anna were the highlight of the week. For the first time since his parents died, he felt part of a family.

  Today, he would arrive a little late. Ma and Anna understood. His foster sister, Anna, who wasn’t all that much older than him, had even pushed him toward Minnie with a smile.

  Now, as he unlocked the door to the garage, Minnie and Jen stomped their feet and complained about the icy wind.

  “Wish I was wearing trousers,” Jen grumbled.

  Minnie had pulled her coat collar up to shield her ears. “I just hope we find the envelope.”

  Peter would have preferred that only Minnie had come with him, even though that wouldn’t be proper.

  “Ladies first.” Peter pulled open the door, scraping aside the fluffy snow.

  Minnie hurried in with Jen right behind her.

  “I’ll search the office,” Jen said. “You two check the work area.”

  Peter opened the door to the work bay. “Let’s look around the car first. You crawled in and out of it so much that it’s the most logical place for the envelope to fall out.” He turned on the electrical lights that Hendrick had installed last fall. They hummed something fierce but lit the place up like daylight.

  Minnie looked up as the lights warmed and brightened. “I wish we had these in the dress shop.”

  “Why don’t you?”

  At her crestfallen expression, Peter bit his tongue. They didn’t have the money.

  “Sorry,” he murmured. “Stupid thing to say. Why don’t you look inside the car? I’ll check underneath. But be careful. The car is still up on a jack. I don’t want to get crushed.” At her horrified expression, he laughed. “Just don’t crawl inside, and we’ll all be safe.”

  “All right.” She peeked into the car, taking care not to touch it.

  He stifled a grin. At least she liked him enough not to want him dead. Meanwhile, he scanned the floor from the office to the car and then knelt to look under the car. No envelope. Hopefully, she’d find it. Any money lost would hurt the family. The image of the hundred dollars flashed through his head. Maybe he could help.

  “I oughta give you something to buy the felt and stuff you need for the project.”

  She pulled her head out of the car. “What did you say?”

  He repeated the offer.

  A strange expression crossed her face. “We already have what I need. Did you find anything?”

  “No.” He stuck his hands into his coat pockets and looked around the floor near the workbench, even though she’d never gone there.

  She stuck her head back into the car and rummaged around. “Where is it?”

  Her anguished cry hit him hard. “We’ll find it.” He hoped.

  “No, we won’t. I can’t find it anywhere.” She stood up and buried her face in her hands. “It’s hopeless.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  Her shoulders heaved, and he struggled with wanting to hold her yet knowing he shouldn’t. “We’ll keep searching until we find it.”

  “Where?” she cried.

  “Let’s think back to everywhere you went.”

  “I already did that. It’s nowhere.”

  “And everything you did.” Peter wasn’t about to give up. He strode to the office doorway. Jen shot down to look under the desk, but he suspected she’d been watching and listening to him and Minnie. He refocused. “You came in through the office and walked to the car.” He retraced her steps.

  She looked up, her eyes a little teary.

  “Vince and I were talking over here.” He stood on the spot. “You were standing there.” He pointed a little to her right.

  “I don’t see how this is going to help. You already checked the floor. I checked the car. It’s not here.”

  Peter continued as if she hadn’t said a thing. “I opened the door for you on this side and then went to the other side of the car.” He rounded the vehicle and opened the door on the other side. “You crawled into the car.”

  She didn’t move.

  He could see the floorboards were empty. “Then you asked me if the seat cushion lifted up.”

  Her eyes lit with hope, and she ducked into the car. “I did. And you opened it for me.”

  Together they lifted the seat cushion.

  She squealed. “There it is.” She snatched it up and then, before he quite knew what was happening, raced around the car and threw her arms around him. “You found it. You found it.”

  Peter instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist. Touching her made him feel jittery and happy and worried all at once. He’d dreamed of holding her for so long, but she’d always pushed him away. Now she’d come to him, and he didn’t quite know what to do.

  She pressed her face into his shoulder and...what was that? A sob?

  “Why are you crying? We found the envelope.”

  “I know.” Pulling back, she swiped at her eyes. “I’m just so happy.”

  “Oh.” He didn’t understand any of this except that the moment she stepped away, his head stopped spinning. “You cry when you’re happy?”<
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  “When I’m really, really happy. You can’t know how much this means to me.” She clutched the envelope to her chest. “To my whole family.”

  He looked at his feet, unsure what to say. The girl he’d liked for ages was smiling at him as if he was some kinda hero.

  “Thank you,” she breathed, placing her small, gloved hand atop his large, callused one.

  How pretty and dainty and perfect it was. He turned his hand over and grasped hers, raising it to his lips like he’d seen Hendrick do with Mariah. After kissing it, he murmured, “You’re so pretty.”

  Her eyes widened, and she yanked her hand away. Before he could think of a thing to say, she ran to the office, where she told her sister that she’d found the envelope. They squealed and hugged and danced. They were happy. Ecstatic.

  Then why did Peter feel as if he’d just been hit with a sledgehammer?

  * * *

  Minnie waited several days before returning to the motor garage. Every time she got near Peter, he acted peculiar. Kissing her hand? He wasn’t some English noble. He was an orphan. A mechanic. A carpenter. Four months younger than her. Just friends. She shouldn’t have felt a thing. Trouble was, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. What did he think when she threw her arms around him? Was he mad at her for pulling her hand away? Would he take back the job offer?

  That was the real problem. Minnie stared out the dress-shop window instead of basting the hem on Mrs. Evans’s dress. Dull work, but even Minnie could handle it.

  The car, on the other hand, would present challenges. She’d never worked with leather. That idea of hers to pad the luggage compartment had seemed brilliant at the time. Now she wasn’t sure how to attach the felt or even if Peter would want her to help out anymore.

  “You’re going to have to talk to him,” Jen said from behind her.

  Minnie jumped. She hadn’t heard Jen enter the shop. She must have come in through the rear entrance. “Stop sneaking up on me.” She rethreaded the needle.

  “I made enough noise to wake up the dead.” Jen plunked onto the stool across from her, blocking the view out the window. “So? Are you going to go see him?”