Still Life in Shadows Read Online Free PDF Page B

an Allen wrench, she turned the spring adjusters for the front brake. With the handle of a screwdriver, she tapped the wheel and then tried the brake. “No more squeaking!” Delight filled her face.
     
    As though on cue, Ormond and Luke clapped.
     
    She approached Gideon. “Did you see me? Did you see me? Can I have a job here?”
     
    Gideon sucked in air. Amos would need work to pay off his rent, and the shop already had Luke, Ormond, and him on payroll. The shop did not get enough business for another employee.
     
    Her dark eyes were pleading.
     
    He looked away. Walking to the tools scattered around her, he picked them up. “There is a place for everything, and everything has a place.”
     
    “I know that!”
     
    “You have to pick up the tools after every job.”
     
    She took the wrenches and the Phillips head from him, raced them back to his rolling tool chest, opened the top drawer, and placed them inside. With a flourish, she pushed the drawer, watching it shut tightly. “All done!”
     
    Luke applauded.
     
    “She does good work,” Ormond said.
     
    A silence followed. Gideon realized all eyes were on him, waiting. “Come back tomorrow,” he heard a voice say, then realized he’d just spoken.
     
    “Really, Mr. Miller?” Kiki’s face glowed like a harvest moon over the farmlands of Carlisle. “Are you being serious?”
     
    “Yes.”
     
    “Seriously?” Her voice had a funny singsong quality. “Cross your heart and all that stuff?”
     
    “Yes.”
     
    She threw herself against him, wrapping her thin arms around his waist, burying her face into his chest. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Then she came up for air and hopped on her bike, steering it carefully out of the garage.
     
    Gideon shook his head. “Strange kid.”
     
    “Ain’t she something? I do like her persistence.” Ormond stretched his arms high above his head and grinned. “Do you recall when you first stepped foot in here fifteen years ago?”
     
    “No.” Gideon did not care to hear Ormond repeat that anecdote.
     
    “You were so green, still breathing Amish air,” Ormond said. “But you begged me to teach you how to fix automobiles.” He let out a long laugh. “Automobiles, you said, as though you hardly knew how to pronounce the word. I never told you this in all these years, but I believe a part of you might have died that day if I had sent you away.”
     
    Gideon sat at his desk, pretending to be occupied with a memo pad and pen.
     
    “What if I had said no to you?”
     
    “Do we need to order any more brake fluid?” Gideon called to Luke, who was washing his hands in the small sink by the fridge.
     
    “Last time I checked, we had three quarts of the full synthetic left.”
     
    “Well?” Ormond persisted, standing in front of his desk. “What if I had told you no?”
     
    Gideon looked at his watch. “Seems like it’s nearly time to go home.” He turned to Luke. “Will you close up the shop today? The new kid is in 2F, upstairs from you. I’ve invited him over to dinner tonight, and you’re welcome to join us.” Gideon knew that Luke lived on ramen, Campbell’s soup, and TV dinners. He never turned down a home-cooked meal.
     
    “I’ll be there.” His eyes flashed with appreciation. “I’ll stop by and pick up the new guy.”
     
    “Well?” Ormond awaited his answer.
     
    Gideon slipped past Ormond, avoiding his eyes. “See you tomorrow,” he called over his shoulder.
     
    He walked back to his apartment, admiring the persimmon-and-marigold-colored leaves as they floated to the pavement from a cluster of trees. He heard Ormond’s question every step of the way. He knew the value of giving people a chance—his people. This girl, this Kiki, was not one of his.
     
    But he had not been one of Ormond’s people. Ormond had never met an Amish brother before. He had only seen a buggy in a photograph, and he had never tasted apple butter or shoofly pie. Ormond had chuckled