It wouldn't require her to play anything. She would just be helping kids, which would be a good thing. She thought about the kids that had been in and out of the shop that week. Children who could possibly be professional musicians one day, if someone took an interest in them. Her childhood might not have been perfect, but at least she had been given the opportunities that she had. If these kids didn't have someone come and continue to teach them, they might not have those opportunities.
"I've got to be honest, the shop will benefit some, if the kids continue to rent the instruments from me. But that said, I charge such a tiny amount that it really doesn't cover much of anything other than the instrument purchase and the insurance I have to pay in case they break it."
"Of course. I would want your shop to benefit in some way, if at all possible. I know that making a living as a musician, and I would assume as a music store owner, is not the most lucrative, nor the easiest job in the world."
"It's not. But somehow I managed to raise all my siblings on it, and my parents had been doing it before I took over. I would say that's more God than any kind of economics."
"God is good. That's for sure."
He nodded in agreement.
"What do you say?" he asked, and there was hope on his face.
She thought about the kids she'd seen through the kitchen window, eagerly practicing their music, struggling with a scale, and Noah's calm and patient attitude with them. She thought about how people had helped her and how much she had enjoyed her career until it had been cut short. Maybe doing this would help her get back on track too. And, working with Noah might help. He made her feel calm and grounded in a way that she didn't with anyone else.
"Let me think about it," she finally said.
He nodded. "That's fair. Let me know when you make a decision, please. No pressure, but we are running out of time."
"You're right. I won't take very long." Realizing that a ton of time had passed, and she had intended to be back before her aunt was done with her shower, she turned and started toward the door.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take up so much of your time. I better head back."
"No bother. Come back anytime. I mean that."
She stopped and turned. Everyone in town had been exceptionally kind to her, but there was just something about Noah. His offers were sincere, and she knew that when he said he didn't mind, it was true. Plus, she felt drawn to him. And, to be honest, she didn't want to leave.
"I know you do. Thanks." Before her feet could do something different, she forced them to turn around and head toward the door. She did not look back as the bell rang above her and then the door closed. Somehow, as much as she would like to work with the kids and knew that that was good, and as much as she thought that it might be helpful to her in getting over her stage fright, the draw of working with Noah was more than any of those things.
Lord, I want to do what you want me to do. Please give me wisdom to know what that is.
Chapter 14
Noah pushed the pan sitting on the floor in the hall over just a bit, so the water leaking from the roof would hit the center of it. He had emptied it when he had gotten up that morning, and it was currently only a quarter full. It would probably be fine until the rain stopped later that day.
As he got up to move away, he heard the furnace kick on, doing some kind of rattle and bang that had gotten worse in the last two weeks. A new roof, a new furnace. What else?
That six-figure buyout from Rick Hastings of Moondoes was looking better and better.
He sighed, going back down the stairs and heading out to the shop. He'd already opened it, but had wanted to run upstairs and check the pan to make sure it wasn't overflowing. There wasn't much point in catching the water if the pan overflowed.
He had his phone out to check to see when the rain was going to quit, or to see if it was going to turn to ice and snow, when it rang in his hand.
His brother Jake came up on the caller ID.
Maybe he'd changed his mind about Christmas. Noah answered more eagerly than he expected to.
"Hello?" It wasn't that Jake never called. He did. But, he supposed anytime his siblings called, he worried that something had happened.
"Bro, how are you?"
"I'm good," he said, a little uncertain. Jake sounded rather chipper. Like he wanted something and was buttering Noah up.
But rather than ask "what do you want," like he might've done back when Jake lived with him, he decided to take a slightly more diplomatic route and instead he responded with, "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing great, but I met this girl."
Noah's heart leapt. He was eager for his siblings to get married, to have children, for them to bring them around and visit more. Maybe that wouldn't happen if they got married, but he was hoping.
