“Don’t hesitate to call if you notice anything else that needs to be fixed,” Leroy said as they left the couple’s house.
Mrs. Wilson walked them to the door. “Thank you so much for coming,” she said, almost whispering so that Mr. Wilson wouldn’t hear her. “I didn’t think it was anything to worry about, but Bert insisted that it had to be perfect.”
“I understand wanting our loved ones to have the best.” Leroy bent his head so he was level with Mrs. Wilson. “Is he very ill?”
“It’s cancer.” The older woman’s eyes filled. “Some days he seems quite healthy, but on days like today the pain is terrible.”
“I will remember to ask the Good Lord to sustain both of you through this time.”
“Bless you.” Mrs. Wilson squeezed his arm, then waved to Matthias to come close. She tugged at his arm until he bent down next to her, and then she gave his cheek a quick kiss. “Both of you. God bless you.”
“Have a wonderful Christmas,” Leroy said, opening the door.
“We will.” Mrs. Wilson stood in the doorway, waving as they walked to the buggy. “We will.”
As they drove away, Matthias realized his eyes were misty. “They were a nice couple.”
Leroy nodded. “They have a hard few months ahead of them, but their faith will help.”
“We could have taken the clock back to the workshop to fix it.” Matthias watched the fields as the horse trotted along.
“We could have. But I heard something in Mr. Wilson’s voice when he called this morning. Maybe it was his illness, or maybe it was loneliness. I felt like they needed us to make a house call.”
When they reached the state highway, Leroy turned right instead of left.
“This isn’t the way to Shipshewana,” Matthias said.
“It’s time for lunch, and one of my favorite restaurants is down here in Topeka.”
Matthias grinned. “Do you mean Tiffany’s?”
“It’s the place to go for pie, and their salad bar is the best around.” Leroy jabbed him with his elbow. “And I’m buying.”
The restaurant was busy since it was a favorite eating spot for both the Plain people and the Englisch, but Leroy and Matthias were able to find a seat at one of the long center tables. After they filled their plates at the salad bar and had taken a moment for a silent prayer, Matthias started in on his selections, taking a bite of the pickled beets.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Leroy said, slicing his red-beet egg. “The Wilsons brought up a subject that Franny and I have been discussing. You know we don’t have any sons, but I want our furniture business to continue after I’m too old to run it.”
“Aren’t either of your daughters’ husbands interested?”
Leroy shook his head as he spread some tuna salad on a cracker. “They both work on their families’ farms. The young man Rose is interested in has a factory job, but I don’t think he has what it takes to run a business.” He rested his forearms on the edge of the table and looked at Matthias. “Working in a business and running one are two different things. I’m sure you’ve noticed that.”
Matthias nodded, taking the last bite of his salad as the waitress brought their meals. He turned to his plate of roast beef and mashed potatoes and waited for Leroy to get to the point.
“Neither Vernon or Amos are capable of managing a business, either. You can tell a lot about a man’s character by watching him work. They do their tasks well, most of the time. I’m disappointed by their carelessness with that clock, and they’ll be reprimanded for it.”
“You won’t fire them, will you?”
Leroy sighed, staring at his plate. “Amos is the one who is responsible. Vernon just follows along with whatever others are doing. And it’s the first time Amos has been this careless. I’ll talk to him but give him another chance.” He looked at Matthias again. “I don’t think he’ll last much longer at the shop, though. His heart isn’t in the business. He doesn’t have a love for woodworking the way you do.” Leroy breathed in the aroma of his chicken and noodles. “I don’t want my opinion of them to go beyond this conversation.” He raised his eyebrows.
“I wouldn’t think of saying anything you don’t want me to.”
Leroy paused, staring at him as if he was sizing him up, or waiting for a signal before going ahead.
“I want to offer you a partnership in Heritage Amish Furniture.”
Matthias choked, then took a drink of water. “What? Me? I’m your newest employee. I don’t have the skills you need, or the experience.”
“I can teach you how to run a business. But I can’t teach anyone how to connect with customers the way you did with the Wilsons today, or how to handle wood with that special touch. You have skills that our business needs.”
Matthias stirred the gravy into his mashed potatoes, his thoughts whirling. “You aren’t doing this because you, well, feel sorry for me and Mamm, are you?”
Leroy grinned. “Not at all. I’m doing this because I’ve been looking for a partner for a few years now. I would have offered it to your Dat, but I didn’t think of it until your family had already moved to Wisconsin. You’ve shown that you have the same skills as Ervin, and not only in woodworking.”
“Can I have some time to think about it?”
Leroy nodded. “Take all the time you need.”
Saturday morning was even busier than the previous week had been. While Ada helped the customers who were waiting to purchase items in the store, Rose took two more orders for furniture. When the last of the current group of customers left the store, Rose grabbed her lunch bag from under the counter.
“I’m going to eat my lunch before anyone else comes. Call if you need me.”
As Rose disappeared down the hall to the workshop, Ada went around the store, straightening
