“Sounds good to me. I’m not saying you should do this, just that you could do it if you were looking for something to do to fill your time.”
“Maybe…why don’t you ask around today, see who would be interested? I’ll make a steaming hot bowl of chicken and dumplings, fresh bread, dessert, and a vegetable. A cup of coffee is free with their meal. Let’s put a limit of twelve, and they have to reserve a thirty-minute slot. I’ll feed three rounds of hungry men, and I’ll be done for the day. I love the idea!”
He stared at her for a moment, shaking his head. “You’re not ever going to let any grass grow under your feet, are you?”
“Of course not! I cannot stand sitting around with nothing to do. I love to cook, so why not make a little money off it? If that doesn’t pan out, maybe I’ll make scarves or gloves. I could make work shirts for the local men who don’t have wives, and you could sell them in your store. There are so many things I could do that would help you, and also keep me from sitting around twiddling my thumbs.”
“What about John? If he wants lunch, does he have to reserve a spot?” Mortimer asked.
“Of course not. You and John eat for free. Other men have to pay. Let’s do an eleven-thirty lunch slot, a noon slot, and a twelve-thirty. You and John can eat at eleven and at one. You two fight it out between the times which you’d prefer.” Toria’s eyes danced with excitement. She had a way to make a little money, and she wouldn’t be bored. She wanted nothing more. Well…maybe for her husband to fall in love with her. Looking at Mortimer, she noticed that he was smiling.
“That works. I’ll make a sign and post it today. Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Mind? I’m excited to do it!”
“We really don’t need the money, you know.” He didn’t want her to think that they needed her to work to make ends meet, because that was far from the truth.
Toria shrugged. “But more never hurts, and I love the idea of being able to do it. It will keep me busy.”
“All right. We’ll see what happens after I post the sign and we talk about it.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin she’d put on the table and got to his feet. “John asked me to bring some lunch to him. He’s going to eat in the back room today.”
She rushed to the stove, serving a big bowl of soup, then slicing three pieces of bread and buttering them. She put it all on a tray and handed it to her husband, who grinned. “If he’s still hungry after that, there’s plenty more. I want him to get his fill.”
“My John isn’t shy about food. He told me that he enjoyed supper with us so much last night that he didn’t bother going to the saloon. Thank you for helping me get him away from that place.”
“Maybe the whisky doesn’t have a firm hold on him yet. If not, then we’ll have a better chance of keeping him out of the saloon. Make sure he knows that he’s welcome to come for supper tonight.”
“What are you serving?”
She shrugged. “No idea yet, but I do know it will be delicious.”
Mortimer laughed, shaking his head as he headed for the stairs that led back to the store. His sweet wife was a wonderful cook, and it sounded like she knew it.
When Mortimer poked his head into the house that evening, John was right behind him. “John decided to bless us with his presence for supper again.”
“Wonderful!” Toria turned from the stove where she was ladling two bowls of a thick, hearty beef stew. She reached for another bowl and filled it as well, setting them all on the table. She put a loaf of bread in the middle with a ball of butter beside it. She was glad she had a cake for dessert, because she knew it would please both men.
Once she was seated, they prayed together. As the men dug into their stew, she asked, “Did you talk to anyone about my Monday lunch idea?”
Mortimer nodding, taking a sip of water. “I did. You have twelve men signed up for Monday.” He’d even been surprised by how many had signed up so quickly.
“That was fast.”
“I think it helped that John was eating your soup while I was talking to people about your cooking, and they could smell it.”
Toria laughed. “Good marketing plan!”
John shrugged. “I was just eating my lunch. No plan involved other than dealing with my hunger.”
“Well, I’m excited. I’ll make sure to have the supplies on hand Monday morning, and we’ll see how it goes. Have they already paid you? Or will they pay me on Monday?”
“I wasn’t sure which you’d prefer, so I went ahead and took payment. If you want to do it differently next time, you just let me know.” Mortimer buttered his bread, taking a big bite. His favorite thing she’d made so far was her bread. There was just something special about it, though he didn’t know what it was. “Just make sure to remember John and me at lunch time. There has to be enough food for fifteen, not just twelve.”
Toria laughed. “I will never forget that stomach of yours.” She was sure it was the only way she’d ever get him to love her. By feeding him well. She knew it was silly that she even wanted love, but every day she wanted it a little more. She’d read one too many fairy tales, and she was ready for her happily ever after now. Why hadn’t she realized that she would feel the need for his love so soon?
“Good thing.” Mortimer continued eating steadily as did John. They both had three bowls of stew and several pieces of buttered bread. “Are you going to help in the store tomorrow? It’s inventory night, and we need all the hands we can get.”
“I’m happy to. Do you want me all day? Or should I just come in after close?”
“I’d like to start showing you how we do things, so coming in the morning would be my preference. I’ll give you an idea of the costs of different items and teach you to use our cash register. The more you know, the better for all three of us.” Mortimer studied her, trying to guess how she’d respond.
“That sounds good to me! I’m excited to learn it.”
John nodded. “It’ll give me more time for my deliveries if you’re helping Dad out in the store. That’s what I’m supposed to do, but I don’t always have the time.” John reached for another piece of bread as he spoke.
“Do you get all the deliveries made?”
John shook his head. “The way we do it is we schedule me for four hours of deliveries per day. I could easily do a full eight, and some people just have to find another way to get their purchases home.”
“I wish someone had told me that sooner! Do you charge for your deliveries?”
Mortimer nodded. “We charge twenty-five cents in town and fifty cents out of town. He stays booked up.”
“I think those are fair prices for us and the customers.” Toria thought for a moment. “It sounds like if you had help for four hours a day, John could spend his entire day on deliveries. Is that right?”
John nodded. “I think that would cover it. Don’t you, Dad?”