Suitor by Design

by Christine Johnson

  Minnie cringed at her full name. Mother only used it when angry or extremely serious. “I guess so.”

  “Humph,” Mother grunted, returning to the bread dough. “We’ll see what your father says. This will be an added burden on him.” She looked up. “And you’ll have to quit your cleaning jobs in order to manage the shop.”

  Minnie hadn’t thought of that. Though she’d longed to stop cleaning houses, quitting those jobs meant less money coming in. They would have to get even more frugal. No more cherry sodas or magazines. No frivolous purchases at all, unless she took the job that Peter had offered. Ruth couldn’t do it. Ten dollars would buy a lot of food. She would have to accept the offer—and pray that Vince found her so enchanting that he overlooked the poor workmanship.

  * * *

  Peter stepped away from Mr. Kensington’s Packard and scratched his head. His plan had gone wrong somehow. Now he was stuck working with Ruth instead of Minnie. Worse, Minnie had tittered and giggled at everything Vince said. It was disgusting. What could she see in Vince? He must be ten years older than her. Then again, she’d been fascinated by Reggie Landers, and he was years older than her, too. After that crush ended, he thought she would come to her senses. Apparently not. It seemed that anyone with a fancy suit caught her eye, but not a hardworking man.

  He tossed the wrench into his toolbox and wiped his forehead with a rag. Kensington wanted his car by the end of the day, but he couldn’t seem to concentrate. The morning’s efforts had amounted to removing two valves and picking up the wrong-size wrenches time after time. At this rate, he’d never finish the job on time.

  Concentrate. By fixing his attention on the tools, he managed to pick out the proper wrench this time. It slipped from his damp, greasy fingers and clattered to the floor. He wiped his hands on the rag and picked up the wrench.

  Just thinking about Minnie made him sweat. She’d twisted things around so much this morning that he’d plumb forgot he wanted to ask her to the church supper tonight. Now he’d have to sit alone with the rest of the family. Hendrick had Mariah. Anna had Brandon. Even Ma Simmons had memories of her beloved late husband. He could only dream of having a gal to love, but he wanted just one. Minnie. He’d fallen for her the moment he set eyes on her, but she’d never given him the time of day. One chance. That was all he wanted. Just one chance.

  “Peter?”

  The most precious voice in the whole world yanked him out of misery and into a firestorm of hope. “Minnie. What are you doing here?”

  She stood in the doorway between the office and the shop, looking so pretty he couldn’t rip his gaze from her. From the red plaid skirt to the matching hat, she could warm up the coldest heart. The snow dusting her shoulders and hat made her even more beautiful. He wiped his brow again.

  “You busy?” Her gaze dropped to the floor, her boots dripping with melting snow.

  “Not at all.”

  She looked up hopefully. “I was wondering if you might reconsider.”

  Peter quickly thought through what she might mean and came up empty. “Reconsider?”

  “Hiring me.” She shrugged and tilted her head in that way of hers that drove him crazy. “Instead of Ruth. She’s going to New York, you see, and can’t do the upholstering that you wanted. But, if you’d give me a chance, I’d like to try.”

  Peter’s heart nearly stopped. She wanted to work with him. His plan wasn’t dead at all.

  She dropped her gaze. “I understand. You want someone experienced to help out your friend. Here I went and said I didn’t know how to do it and would do a horrible job and all—”

  “All right.” He had to cut her off before she dug a bigger hole.

  Her wide-eyed wonder shot an arrow straight into his heart. “You mean it? I can help?”

  “Yeah.” Then a thought occurred to him. If she was willing to work with him, maybe she would agree to a little more. “Maybe you can come to the church supper with me.”

  She blinked. “Tonight?”

  “Yeah. We can, you know, talk things over.”

  “Oh. We can’t do that now?”

  Peter examined the wrench in his hands. “I suppose, but I’m pretty busy.”

  “Oh. But it’s Ruth’s last night home, and we all want to be together. Daddy can’t go out, especially not in this heavy snow.”

  Peter could have kicked himself. “I forgot.”

  “You couldn’t know.” Her quick smile dazzled him. “I’ll stop by later, then. Your friend is bringing the car on Saturday?”

  He nodded, unable to think of a word to say.

  “Saturday, then.” She gave him a little wave before waltzing through the office and out of the building.

  Peter watched her go, unable to move a muscle and not entirely sure what had just happened except that she wanted to work with him.

  He finally had a chance.

  Chapter Five

  The rest of the week flew by in a flurry of activity. Between Ruth and Sam leaving Thursday morning and two clients wanting last-minute alterations on their ball gowns for Friday night’s Valentine’s Day Ball, Minnie didn’t have time to think. She also forgot to notify Mrs. Neidecker that she was giving up her job while Ruth was gone and thus had to serve punch at the ball.

  By Saturday morning, she was exhausted.

  “Get up, get up,” an annoyingly cheerful Jen called out. “It’s another gorgeous day.”

  Minnie pulled the covers over her head. “It’s dark out.”

  “I can see the moon and the stars. That means sunshine. Mr. Hunter says that sunny days and cold nights make the airfield perfect for flying. He wants to test out the new cold-weather engine they’ve been designing over at the factory. It’s got a special cowling—”

  “Sorry I asked.” Minnie hadn’t understood a word her sister just said. Honestly, she couldn’t fathom how any woman could be the slightest bit interested in mechanical things. She had to practically hold her breath inside the motor garage.

  “Better get moving. You have to open the shop this morning.”

  “You can do it,” Minnie moaned. “Please?”

  “Not a chance. I want to be at the airfield at first light. That’s when the Hunters are testing the motor. If it works, they’re going to start planning for the run to the North Pole.” Jen whistled “Ain’t We Got Fun?” as she headed out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen.

  Peace at last. Minnie breathed in the quiet and relaxed. Just a few more minutes. She reveled in the warm blanket cocoon. If only she could stay here all day. If only she could rest a little bit longer.

  “Minnie!”

  At Mother’s command, Minnie shot up. “I’m coming.” She rubbed her eyes.

  Mother set a lit lamp on her dresser. “The Saturday after the ball is often busy, what with the guests and all the revelry the night before. Someone always needs a repair. Hems torn out, underarms ripped and who knows what. It’s different every year. And now that Ruth and Sam have added cleaning, it’s sure to be busy. Guests could come pouring in.”

  “Guests.” That woke her up. Saturday meant Vince would return. “What time is it?”

  “Eight o’clock. I let you sleep as late as I could.”

  “Eight o’clock?” Minnie scurried out of bed. She had less than an hour to dress and do her hair and eat breakfast. How could she ever look presentable in that amount of time, especially when she couldn’t put on the face powder and lipstick until she reached the shop?

  “The oatmeal is ready,” Mother said as she headed downstairs.

  Minnie squinted at her reflection in the wall mirror. She looked dreadful. Hair stuck out every which way, and blue half-moons circled under her puffy eyes.

  She splashed cold water on her face and pressed a damp cloth to her eyes.

 
Though Vince Galbini hadn’t exactly excited her at their first meeting, maybe this time would go better. He was older than she’d imagined, and that crooked, flattened nose made him look more like a prizefighter than a movie star, but he was definitely on his way up, and that had to be worth something. Though he didn’t wear a wedding band, she couldn’t be certain he was unmarried. Today, she’d unearth the truth on that subject.

  As she dressed, her energy returned. With Vince’s return came the start of her new job. She hadn’t exactly told Mother or Daddy yet, but they’d understand. They both liked Peter. They might not care that she would have to work evenings at the garage.

  She tugged a brush through her wavy hair. Maybe she wouldn’t have to tell Mother or Daddy about the job. She could simply present them with her wages after she finished. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful surprise? She tucked the face powder and lip color into her handbag and headed for the stairs.

  “Minnie?” Daddy’s soft voice drew her to a halt. He leaned on a cane in the doorway to his bedroom.

  “Daddy, you shouldn’t be up.”

  After the seizure last summer, which Doc Stevens attributed to his weak heart, he spent most of his time in his room. Mother brought his meals there, and Ruthie gave him the receipts at the end of each day so he could do the bookwork.

  He waved off her concern. “I’m fine.” But he leaned against the door frame.

  “Let me help you back to bed.”

  He managed a grin. “I’m not an invalid quite yet.”

  “Oh, Daddy. I didn’t mean that.”

  “I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you.” His blue eyes misted. “How quickly the years pass. I remember holding you shortly after you were born, and now you’ve grown into a fine, responsible woman.”

  Minnie clutched her handbag to her midsection and averted her gaze. The cosmetics secreted inside burned like hot coals.

  “How pretty you are,” he said softly. “I like your hair. It reminds me of the style worn by Mariah Simmons.”

  She pushed the unruly locks behind her left ear. “I suppose it is similar.”

  “She’s a fine woman. You could do worse than to emulate her.”

  Minnie kept her head down so he didn’t see the guilt. She wasn’t emulating Mariah or anyone else that Daddy would consider respectable.

  “Give me a hug before you go to work,” he said.

  She set down her handbag and held on to his thin shoulders as he squeezed her tight.

  He tapped a finger to her chin. “Do good work, my little princess, and don’t be in too much of a hurry to grow up.”

  “All right, Daddy.” He’d meant to encourage her, yet as she picked up her handbag, she felt terrible.

  * * *

  “I could use some advice,” Peter admitted to Hendrick once they were alone at the breakfast table.

  Mariah had left to get the children ready for a toboggan outing at the hill in the park. Ordinarily, Hendrick would help, but he was headed to the airfield for the test of the new engine. Instead, Pastor Gabe and his wife were joining Mariah for the sledding expedition. Judging from the disputes and shrieking already under way, the three adults would have their hands full, especially when Pastor Gabe’s two children were added to the mix.

  Hendrick eyed him solemnly. “Advice on what?”

  Peter squirmed. “Women.”

  “Ah, women.” Hendrick dug into his eggs with more fervor. “Mariah might be a better person to ask. Or Anna.”

  “No. I want a guy’s perspective.” Even though Peter had gotten closer to his foster brother over the years, he still felt awkward asking such a personal question.

  “All right, but I warn you I don’t have a lot of experience.”

  “You caught Mariah’s attention.”

  Hendrick shrugged. “That was more than likely God’s doing. I said a lot of dumb things around her.”

  “You did?” Peter was feeling better already.

  “Afraid so. I even left her.”

  “I remember that. You went to New York, right?”

  “Long Island. Dumbest thing I ever done.” Every once in a while Hendrick got his grammar wrong, just like Peter. “By the time I realized how much I missed her, I figured I’d blown my chances.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  Hendrick grinned. “She’s a forgiving woman. But enough of me. What’s your question?”

  Peter looked at his cold scrambled eggs and half-eaten slice of bread. “Just wondering how a guy can impress a gal.”

  “Anyone in particular?”

  That was the part that made Peter squirm. “Minnie Fox.”

  “I see.” Hendrick scooped up the last of his eggs, and Peter had to wait for him to finish. “She’s pretty young. What? Eighteen?”

  “Almost nineteen.”

  “Humph. Same age as you. Don’t worry. You’ve got plenty of time. I didn’t get married until I was twenty-eight. Wait it out.”

  That didn’t help, especially since Peter was a bit older than he’d claimed to be. “But she’s looking at every other guy.”

  Hendrick quirked an eyebrow. “Anyone in particular?”

  “Vince.” Peter’s shoulders drooped. “He’s your age at least. Why would she think he’s so great?”

  “Because he’s new. Give her time. The newness will wear off. Then you mosey up and show her who she really should be looking at.”

  Peter frowned. “How?”

  “Like I said, you should probably ask a lady.” He must have spotted Mariah, because he called out to her.

  She ducked a head into the kitchen, looking rather frazzled. “What is it?”

  “What do women want from a guy?” Hendrick said.

  Peter slumped down in his chair and shoveled the cold eggs into his mouth as fast as he could.

  “Hendrick,” she said, “what a time to ask something like that. I have children running around everywhere.”

  “Just thought you might shed a little light on the subject for Peter.”

  Why did Hendrick have to go and name him?

  “Peter? Oh,” Mariah said, “be yourself. You’re already a special young man. Any girl with half her wits can see that.” Then she hurried off to break up a row over mittens.

  “I see what you mean,” Hendrick said. “She wasn’t much help.”

  Peter shook his head, seeing as his mouth was jammed so full of eggs that he couldn’t even figure out how to swallow them. He reached for his cup of tea, now cooled to lukewarm.

  Hendrick leaned back and folded his hands across his chest, like a sage elder. “If you ask me, a woman likes a man to make her feel special. Tell her she’s beautiful.”

  Already tried it. With the tea, Peter managed to choke down part of the eggs.

  “You could dress nice,” Hendrick added.

  Peter gave him a look of disgust. How could he dress nice when his hands and arms were covered with grease most of the time? Today, Vince was going to show up. Knowing him, he’d have on that nice suit of his. Next to Vince, Peter looked like nothing, especially to a girl who dreamed of meeting a moving-picture actor. With his last swig of tea, he swallowed the rest of the eggs.

  It was hopeless. He’d never dazzle Minnie. Not in a million years.

  * * *

  Though Minnie kept a lookout from the dress shop all day, she never saw the Pierce-Arrow cruise through town. She had intended to walk down to the motor garage as soon as Jen showed up, but her sister never did arrive. Instead, the post-ball customers kept her busy with requests for repairs and cleaning.

  When she finally closed the shop at five o’clock, she headed directly for the garage with the envelope containing the day’s receipts and orders tucked in her coat pocket. Soon enough she saw the Pierce-Arrow
in the first bay. Vince and Peter hovered near the front end, discussing something.

  Minnie pinched her cheeks for color and pressed her lips together, hoping the lipstick hadn’t bled. Her pulse thrummed as she crossed the street and stepped into the garage office.

  “Got one that’ll fit?” Vince asked from the work area.

  Minnie wrinkled her nose at the pungent combination of grease and cigarette smoke. She instinctively opened her handbag to fetch a handkerchief to place over her nose and then changed her mind. It might muss her face powder, and it certainly wouldn’t impress anyone.

  So instead she forced a smile and stepped boldly through the door into the work area. “I’m here.”

  Both men stopped talking to look at her.

  Her jaw dropped. “What happened?” Their trousers were wet and muddy.

  “Flat tire,” Peter said.

  The front passenger’s side was balanced on a jack, and the punctured tire lay on the floor.

  “I see.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  Vince’s lips curved into a smile. “Well, hello, darlin’. You’re shore a sight for sore eyes.”

  For some reason, his attention made her feel awkward and, well, vulnerable. She looked to Peter. “I thought maybe you’d want to go over what I need to do.”

  His hazel eyes looked black in the low light. “Don’t know yet if I’ll need your help. If I do, I’ll talk to you later. You might as well go home.”

  She couldn’t leave now, not before she knew for certain that Vince wasn’t married. She looked around for an excuse to stay.

  “But I wanted to look at the car. I haven’t had a good chance to see it yet.”

  “Nice one, ain’t it?” Vince said. “Why don’t I show you around?” He tossed his cigarette butt to the floor and ground it out with the heel of his shoe.

  Everything about him made her cringe, and she clutched the handbag to her chest, uncertain if she should accept the offer or not.

  “I can do it.” Peter stepped in front of his friend and opened the rear door.

  What a relief! Minnie gave him a smile of gratitude and tried to listen as he explained what he planned to do with the rear seat.