“We just closed on a beach house a few miles out of town,” the man explained. “We hope to be in by Christmas—and she hopes to have it all furnished by then.” He shook his head at his wife like this was doubtful.
“I don’t expect it to be completely furnished,” his wife told him. “But I would like it to be comfortable for when the family comes.” She turned to Wendy. “I just haven’t been able to find the perfect dining table yet.”
“Caleb is working on a beautiful dining table right now,” Wendy told them. Okay, she could barely remember seeing it the other day when she’d been in his woodshop, but she had no doubt it would be beautiful. “But I do believe it’s a commissioned piece. Right, Caleb?”
“Yes, it’s a whole dining set that I hope to finish in the next few days.”
“How long does it take to make a dining table?” the woman asked.
“Depends.” He rubbed his chin. “On my schedule ... and what sort of table you’re wanting ... and whether I have the right products on hand.” As the woman described what she hoped to find, Caleb flipped through a notebook of photos, showing her various tables he’d made in the past.
“This is it!” The woman pointed to a live-edge maple table with black metal legs. “I need it long enough to seat ten people. Can you do that?”
Caleb nodded. “Let me look into my wood supply and get back to you on it.” They were just exchanging business cards when Crystal returned to the shop. Wendy couldn’t help but wonder what she’d been doing all this time, but had no intention of asking.
“Crystal will write up today’s purchase for you,” Caleb told the couple. “And she’ll arrange for delivery.” He shook their hands. “And hopefully we’ll come up with a plan to get you folks a dining table in time for Christmas.”
As they thanked him, Caleb led Wendy to the back room, and after closing the door behind him, he picked up an envelope with her name on it. “Is this what you came for?”
“Yes, but I feel bad for interrupting your work,” she said quickly. “I know your time is precious and you need to get this finished.” She ran her hand over the smooth tabletop. “It’s beautiful.”
“Uh-huh.” Suddenly he tore the envelope into pieces and dropped it into a trash can of shavings.
“Oh.” Wendy didn’t know what to say. “I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds just now ... I didn’t know what—”
Caleb just laughed as he pulled open a drawer and, removing a checkbook, started to write. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. But my salespeople work on commission. And that means I owe you for the walnut table and—”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to—”
“I probably should include you on the commissioned table too. After all, you were the one to mention that to her.” His blue eyes twinkled. “Nicely done.”
“But I didn’t expect to—”
“It’s only fair.” He tore off the check. “I just thought it’d be easier to simply write one check—with both the shells and commission. Here you go.”
“Well, thank you.” She had to stop herself from spilling the truth—just how badly she needed this right now. “I appreciate it.”
“I appreciate your salesmanship.” He grinned. “Maybe you’ll consider working here ... well, once the season really starts in the late spring. In the meantime, I’ve got an agreement with my sister and mom to share employees during the off-season. Crystal kind of floats between shops.” He grimaced.
“That makes sense. And now I’ll let you get back to your work. I know you don’t want any distractions.”
“Hey, some distractions are most welcome.” His smile sent a happy rush through her.
“Well, I, uh, I left Jackson home alone.” She felt her face growing warm as she explained about Oliver. “And I need to get dog food and more paint and some other things—and I have to be home in an hour and ... well, I better go.” She knew she sounded foolish, but couldn’t help herself.
“And how about tomorrow?” Caleb picked up a wood plane, blowing a curly shaving out of it. “Jackson still planning to help me hang lights at three?”
She nodded. “He’s counting on it.”
Caleb grinned. “See you then.”
As she went back into the store, Wendy suppressed the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl, but when she saw Crystal’s icy glare, her giddiness evaporated.
“Did you know that those people actually assumed you worked here?” Crystal demanded. “Were you trying to pass yourself off as—”
“I wasn’t trying to pass as anything,” Wendy responded firmly. “I only wanted to help—to make sure Caleb didn’t lose a customer.”
“Caleb’s customers aremyresponsibility. You could’ve gotten me.”
