"Really?" he prompted.
"Yeah. She's in a pretty bad way. She had the transmission go out in her car right in front of my house, and I know that God sent her here for a reason."
Noah couldn't argue that was sometimes the way the Lord worked.
"But I can't afford to replace her transmission, and neither can she. So I guess I was wondering if I could borrow five grand from you. I promise I'll pay it back. But I just want to do a good deed for her. She's got two little kids, and... She could really use the help."
All of his extra cash had been tapped out for Secret Saint things, and the only thing he had was his emergency fund, which is where the roof repair and the furnace replacement was going to come from. If there was enough in there to cover that. But he had about $500 more than his brother was asking. And it wasn't even a debate in his mind.
"I'll write you out a check and send it to you, unless you want to come pick it up."
"I don't want to take off work. There's some overtime I've been picking up, and if I'm gonna be paying this back, I'm definitely gonna need it. The garage has agreed to fix it, and it's going to take a week. So if you drop it in the mail today, I should have it in plenty of time."
"I'll do it."
"You're the literal best, Noah. Thanks. I know that no matter what happens, I can depend on you."
"Hey, that's what brothers are for," he said, even though he never felt like Jake's brother. He’d always felt like his dad, or at least, since his parents had died, he'd felt that way. Even beforehand, he had been the responsible older brother, always looking out for his siblings.
He hung up the phone after saying a few more words to his brother and stepped out into the shop, which was empty. Not unusual for this time of the morning. Although, sometimes at Christmas, it got a little busier as parents bought guitars and cases and music for their children to put under the tree.
It happened less and less every year. He sold less and less every year, but he still considered this season his best, and the rest of the year was based on what he made now.
But sales were down, he had the repairs looming over his head, now his emergency fund was wiped out, and it felt like the noose was tightening around his neck. Still, he did not hesitate, but grabbed the checkbook to his emergency fund and started writing out the check, grabbing an envelope and addressing it to his brother.
Maybe he should take that buyout. Maybe that was the best thing to do. He didn't really feel like he was letting his parents down exactly. He was sure—as sure as he could be—that his dad would say that if it was no longer making money, he should sell it. It hadn't gotten to quite that point, but definitely profits were down, and he wanted to get out before he was in the red and ended up upside down. But, this was where he and his siblings had grown up. It was where he had the most precious memories of his family, both the ones that were with his parents and the ones after they passed. Therewas so much laughter, so much shared music and fun and song. They used to have variety shows after the store closed at night in the summer. Just him and his siblings, putting on things to make each other laugh or to impress each other with their abilities. He couldn't imagine not getting up and standing behind this desk, facing the town. And that was another thing. The town. The people, his neighbors and friends. He loved it here. He really didn't want to move to the big city anymore.
He stopped for a moment. Was that true? He had been thinking about restarting his career, but... His dreams had changed. He no longer wanted to be a famous musician. He just wanted to serve the people of his town, the children who needed a concert director, the kids who came for lessons, the parents who came to him for advice on what guitar was the best one and what music should they buy and what piano course did he recommend, plus he played for church, and he had the Secret Saint.
He didn't want the buyout. He didn't want a lot of money that promised to make his life easier but would just take away the things that he loved.
At least he didn't think he did, he thought as he heard the water dripping above his head and the furnace kicked off with a clang and a bang.
One of these days, it was going to kick on and no heat was going to come out. And then he was going to be in a pickle, because... He looked at the check in his hand. There went the money to repair it.
He shoved it in the envelope, grabbed the stamp from the drawer, and set it on the counter to give to the mailman when he arrived.
Yeah, his life had problems, but whose didn't? And sure, money would solve the problems he had, but then he would end up leaving everything he loved.
Lord? What should I do?
Chapter 15
Grace walked slowly beside Aunt Vivian to the community center building, where the emergency Christmas festival meeting was taking place.
"I sure hope someone has come up with an idea," Aunt Vivian said, sounding worried. It wasn't like Aunt Vivian to sound worried, and that made Grace's stomach twist.
"I can't think of a single thing," Grace said honestly.
Aunt Vivian gave her a look. "You mean you don't know anyone who could provide music for the town festival?" Her brows were raised, and her tone said that everyone knew that she knew someone.
"Me?" she said.
Aunt Vivian just arched her brows.
"You know why I’m here," she said softly, looking around in case anyone was watching. But no one was paying them any attention. Most people on the sidewalk were going the same place they were and weren't close enough to hear what they were talking about.
"Your name would bring people from all over. Not just thislocality. It would be a nationwide thing. They would be overrun with guests. So many they probably couldn't handle them all."
