by Annie Boone
Hope remembered praying when she was a child and it was more a ritual and habit than what she did to feel God’s presence. This hadn’t changed for her as she’d gotten older. She didn’t doubt the power of the Lord, she just wasn’t sure how to grow in Him like her sisters had done. She also didn’t really know how to learn. Since it had been difficult for her to grasp the concept of spiritual growth, she ignored it. Maybe it would happen some day for her.
Hope snapped out of her far away thoughts as a very smartly dressed woman entered the room. “Hello there. Welcome to our home. I’m Nannette Marcum.”
She didn’t come all the way into the room but Faith and Hope both stood when she entered. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Marcum,” replied Hope.
Nannette waved her hand and gestured for them to sit back down.
“Oh, please,” she chuckled. “Call me Nannette. No formalities here. Make yourselves at home. My husband will be with you shortly. Would you like some tea?”
“No, but thank you. We’re fine,” said Hope.
She nodded politely, turned, and left the room. Faith looked at Hope and raised her eyebrows with wide eyes. “Oh, my,” she mouthed soundlessly.
They sat back down and continued to wait. Hope’s toe started tapping on the floor again, quieter this time. Faith gently laid a hand on Hope’s arm and the tapping abruptly stopped.
After a few minutes had passed on the clock and a few more insecurities floated through Hope’s head, they heard footsteps in the hallway. They looked to the door and it was soon filled by a tall, handsome man. Immediately Hope noticed his clothes and what high quality they were. She was impressed.
He had an air of confidence that was instantly recognizable. His dark blond hair was neatly combed with pomade and his shoulders were squared. He possessed all of the makings of a city man. Hope liked that. A lot. Then she was reminded that she was here to do business with him, not court him. He was married, anyway!
Nannette Marcum had done well for herself. Quite well, in fact, thought Hope.
He stopped short when he realized the room wasn’t empty. He looked over the women as though he wasn’t expecting them to be there. “Oh. Hello.” He smiled at them a little awkwardly as if he was waiting for them to explain their presence in his home. His eyes were dark blue, or were they gray? It was difficult to tell their exact color from across the room. No matter their color, they were beautiful and bright.
“Hello,” Hope replied as she stood and walked over to him before she lost her nerve. “Mr. Marcum? I’m Hope Barnesdale. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My brother-in-law, Aaron Chapman, sends his regards.” She smiled, hoping that she was making a good first impression.
She knew that her whole future didn’t depend on this meeting, but it would be a big part of how quickly she could get up and running. Women in business weren’t very common and she didn’t want to make this man reluctant to do business with her because she was weak and inexperienced on top of the fact that she was a woman.
The man opened his mouth to speak just as another man entered the room. He turned and dipped his head at the older, distinguished looking man who had walked in behind him.
“My dear ladies! I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
This man had a touch of gray at his temples. He was shorter than the other man and just as finely dressed. This man fit the idea much more closely to what Hope had expected for the man she was here to talk business with. Fleetingly she was thankful that the younger man wasn’t the married businessman she was here to see. He was quite appealing.
What’s the matter with me? She thought. I’m here for a business meeting!
She smiled between the two of them, hoping that her embarrassment didn’t show thought too much. “Oh.” She looked to the younger man and said, “I am so sorry. I mistook you for Mr. Marcum.”
“It’s all right!” he responded. “Happens all the time. Doesn’t it, Frank?”
“Indeed, it does. Indeed, it does!” replied the man. He appeared to be a jovial sort. This wasn’t the demeanor Hope expected out of the proprietor of a flourishing business.
Hope and Faith stood mutely, watching the interaction between the two men in front of them. Hope thought it best to wait until the two men finished their banter before she tried to speak again. Her first attempt had left her needing to get her bearings.
“Yes, I’m Frank Marcum,” the older gentleman extended his hand first to both Hope and then to Faith. “It is a pleasure to meet you both. So which one is Hope Barnesdale?”
“I’m Hope, sir. I appreciate your time today.”
“If I understand correctly, you’re Aaron Chapman’s sister-in-law.” Turning to Faith, her continued. “And you must be Mrs. Chapman. A fine man, your husband.”
“Yes, Mr. Marcum. I’m Faith Chapman. And thank you for your kind words. My husband sends his best regards.”
“Please, no formalities here. Call me Frank.”
As the two women and Frank finished their pleasantries, they all looked at the other man who had cleared his throat loudly.
“Oh, of course. Forgive my rudeness, Andrew. Ladies, I see you have already met my cousin, Andrew Fenton. He is a lawyer, newly arrived from Chicago. He has been kind enough to help me with my hopes of expanding.”
“That is very kind of you, Mr. Fenton,” Hope said. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear subconsciously and hoped she looked presentable.
“Please, call me Andrew. I think we’re all on a first name basis around here. I’m quite happy to be here in California. The weather in Chicago is ghastly!” He almost whispered the words about Chicago weather as if he was sharing some secret. “And anyway, we all do anything we can for family, right?”
Hope was shaken with the impact Andrew Fenton had made on her in the span of about ten minutes. “Yes, family. Always.” She smiled sincerely and wondered what he thought of her.
Hope and Andrew locked eyes and she instinctively reached out her hand. Instead of merely shaking it, he grasped it in his own and brought it up to his lips. Bowing slightly, he kissed her hand. His lips were soft and delicate against her skin and the kiss tickled just a bit. This made her giggle.
As soon as she realized what she was giggling like an inexperienced schoolgirl, she stopped abruptly. She managed to control the naïve response and hoped that her face wasn’t flushed too much.
After another long gaze, Andrew answered, “Well, it was a pleasure to meet you ladies. I hope to make your acquaintance again soon, but for now, I shall let you get back to your business with my cousin.” He turned and clapped a hand on Frank’s shoulder before he turned and hurried out the door.
Hope could not help but to keep her eyes on him until he was well on his way out the door and even still, it took a slight nudge from her sister to get her focus back at the business at hand.
“He’s a lifesaver, that man,” Mr. Marcum spoke as Hope turned her attention back to him. “Fresh out of law school and he wants to be here, to help us.” He shook his head in apparent awe. “I’m thankful the good Lord sent him, but I have no idea why he agreed to it.”
“Well, family is a powerful motivation. It’s very important to us, as well,” Hope answered, getting right back into the groove of their business conversation.
“When the right family members are involved, a family business is a very good thing. It appears that you are starting out on the right foot with your choice of family to include in your venture,” added Frank, nodding to Hope.
“He’s a strong supporter and motivator. I’m pleased to have him on my side,” Hope nodded in return.
“My business has been around for quite some time. My grandfather started the business some fifty years ago. Of course it was a much smaller operation back then. My father grew the business to what it is today and I plan to continue what he started. I’ve recently taken the lead role, and so in a way, I’m starting on a new path just as you are, Miss Barnesdale,” Frank continued.
“Your story is inspiring as I prepare to start a small shop. I will likely be starting out much as your grandfather did. A small operation that I hope will grow. I’m a seamstress. The store I intend to open will be for made to order dresses – at least that’s how I’ll start. I’ll need fabrics and notions to produce the designs I create.”
“And I’m assuming you’d like my help to procure those materials?”
“Indeed, Frank. Aaron says you’ve got the best connections and sources for all sorts of goods. Imports from Europe and the East? Isn’t that correct?”
“It is. We also act as a distributor for American goods produced regionally. And I’m quite happy to find exactly what you want and bring it to you,” he smiled brightly. “Let’s talk about exactly what you’ll need.”
The meeting went better than Hope could have ever imagined. She hadn’t known what to expect, but she took it one step at a time and was honest with Frank. That seemed to be exactly what she needed to do. He gave her good advice on getting started and worked with her to set up her account with him.
Faith was with her as moral support only, even though it did help to have the wife of her business partner with her. She felt much more confident with Faith there, and she was happy to have navigated the whole thing by herself.
Joseph and Sally met them on the porch, clearly happy they were home. It’s nice to be missed, Hope thought. She watched in amazement as the two children ran and jumped off the porch out into the vast yard.
“They’re back! They’re back! What did you bring us?” Joseph yelled, as he jumped up and down.
“Will you make me a pretty new dress from your shop, Auntie Hope?” Sally asked.
“Joseph!” exclaimed Faith. “That’s not the way to greet us. Why would you think we’re always going to bring you something from town? We’ve only been gone since breakfast.” She walked over to him and tousled his hair.
The little boy shrugged his shoulders unfazed by his step-mother’s admonishment. “Just thought I’d ask,” he smiled.
“Will you make me a pretty new dress from your shop, Auntie Hope?” Sally asked again.
“I heard you the first time, sweetie,” said Hope. “And yes, I’ll make you another pretty dress even though you have a closet full of pretty new dresses.”
Aaron came outside just in time to catch the antics of his children. “They’re turning into materialistic little nippers, aren’t they?” he said. Shaking his head, he stepped over to Faith and gave her a sweet kiss to welcome her home.
She smiled back at him and cocked an eyebrow. “So, Hope had a good day today.”
“I figured so. Hope, tell me about it,” Aaron asked, turning to face his radiant sister-in-law.
“Well, the basics are that I’ve set up an account with Marcum Products and I’ve given him a list of what I need him to get for me. He’s also going to get me a set of samples I can keep in the store for those who want to special order fabric. He suggested that as I was unsure about how we would handle those requests. He has many answers and I think he’s going to be a great asset. Thank you for putting me in touch with him. And for everything.”
Aaron smiled and furrowed his brow when he heard his daughter talking to his son. He guessed they didn’t know the adults were listening.
“Auntie Hope is getting me a new dress. I think it may come from France. She makes some she said but some of it comes from France. Where is France?” asked Sally.
“Where did you hear that?” asked Joseph.
“I just heard it one time. That’s all. Faith and Hope were talking.” Her round cheeks grew slightly red as she realized that she had given too much away.
“Sally, you know you are not supposed to listen in!” Joseph scolded.
Immediately, the little girl turned on her brother as her face grew increasingly red, now from anger as she answered, “No, Joseph! I wasn’t listening in! I just heard somebody say something about dresses from France and I was happy, so I remembered.”
Joseph shook his head before he answered, “France is too far away. No one can get dresses from France. They cost a bunch of money. And those kinds of dresses are for ladies, not little girls like you!”
“France is far? Are you sure? I think Hope can do it. If she makes it, I think it can still be from France. Don’t you?”
Hope was amused listening to her niece and nephew discuss dresses from France. She was about to speak up when Faith intervened.
“Alright, you two. Settle down. That’s enough. Joseph, it’s not your job to discipline your sister.”
“Yes, Joseph. Not your job,” Sally smiled in a slightly jeering manner that only she could get away with.
Joseph opened his mouth to respond to Sally’s comment, but when he looked up at his father he changed his mind. Aaron was having a difficult time keeping a straight face, but Joseph was oblivious to the endeavor. Finally, he turned and started back toward the house, shaking his head slightly as he walked.
When he was gone, Sally smiled innocently and looked around at the three adults. Hope laughed. “Sally, when I am able to get some fabrics from France, I will surely make you a dress out of the prettiest pieces. Then you will be the best dressed and the most beautiful lady in all of the town.”
The little girl beamed at this and spun around before she answered, “Yes, I am a lady. No matter what Joseph says! He’s a boy! He doesn’t know anything!” She smiled and started to run back to the house. She stopped and turned around and bobbed her head as she looked at her aunt. “Thank you, Hope!” And with that, she began to bounce and jump her way back into the house.
“I guess she got what she wanted,” murmured Hope as she turned back to Aaron and Faith. She realized that Faith and Aaron weren’t laughing, but each of them had a wry smile on their face. Hope shrugged her shoulders and met Faith’s shaking head. “What?”
“You shouldn’t do that,” Faith answered, “They need to learn that even though we are blessed with the means to get them what they want, they can’t have everything they ask for. We’re trying really hard to teach them to be satisfied with what they have and be grateful.”
“And I’m their aunt. I don’t mean to spoil them, well, not too much. I know that isn’t best for them. How can I resist those big blue eyes looking up at me? It’s no big deal for me to make her a dress. I’ve already made several for her.”
“True,” said Faith. Aaron finally shook his head and walked into the house chuckling.
“I have time to do it, and I love making dresses for her. She’s a good advertisement for me, anyway. People will see her pretty little dresses and you can tell everyone that your sister, the wonderful dress designer and shop owner, made it.” Hope laughed.
“Good point! I do think your free time is going to become scarce before too much longer. In fact, now that you have an investor and a supplier you’d better get busy!”
“I know. I guess the next thing is to find storefront space. I’m going to start on that tomorrow. Do you want to go with me?”
“I have to teach tomorrow, so I can’t. You’ll be fine on your own, won’t you? I’d really just be going along to keep you company. You know what you need and what you want.”
“Well, I don’t know about that, but I know you have to do your thing. I’m going to see an agent that Aaron recommended. I’m sure he’ll steer me toward the best options when I meet with him. I don’t have an appointment, but I’m going to stop in tomorrow and see if I can at least start the conversation.”
“Good idea. You can set up a formal appointment then,” replied Faith.
“Yes, I’ll do that,” Hope said as the women started to the house to join the others. “I’m sort of in shock about all this. I can’t believe it’s really happening. One minute I was dreaming about the possibilities, and now I’m trying to make them happen. It’s very exciting. And stressful!”
“Maybe you’ll have a chance to work with Andrew Fenton. Wouldn’t that be nice?” asked Faith, her eyes wide w
ith a sly smile.
“What do you mean? Frank is my contact for materials,” Hope said with a tinge of alarm. Was her attraction to Andrew so obvious? Oh my, I’ve got to be more careful, she thought.
“Well, he’s definitely a handsome man. He seems to be eligible, too,” smiled Faith.
“He is a nice looking man, no doubt. I imagine he’s betrothed or something, though. I’ve given him no thought since we left.”
“Oh, well I’m sure there are plenty of women after him, but he seemed quite interested in getting to know you. I saw him looking at you more than once,” replied Faith. “I wouldn’t think he’s betrothed if he’s looking at you that way.”
“I need to focus on my new shop, Faith. I don’t have time to worry about a man.”
Faith nodded and linked her arm with her sister’s and the two went inside.
“Good morning, Hope! So glad you could come by today,” said Frank when he opened the door. “I’ve got a few things for you to look at with me.”
“Hi, Frank. It’s good to see you,” replied Hope. “And, I’m so excited to see what you’ve found!”
The two walked down the hallway to the back of the house. Frank had converted two of the bedrooms in the back of the house to one large office. It held two desks and many cabinets of documents and shelves of merchandise samples.
“Excuse the mess. I’d planned to get it tidied up before you arrived, but as you can see,” he gestured to the piles of papers on his desk, “I didn’t get it done.” He chuckled lightly and pulled out a chair for her at a table in the middle of the room.
“I love this big area to work. I think it’s perfect,” Hope laughed. “It makes me feel at home.”
“Good, good. So, these new samples just came this week. I thought you’d like to see them. We’ve already got a nice variety ordered, but let’s look at these and see what you think.”
Hope ran her fingers over the fine pieces Frank spread across the table. Pink, yellow, blue, turquoise. Solids and small floral patterns. Silk, taffeta, and cotton. So much to choose from.
