Suitor by Design. Christine Johnson

I say a thing?”

      “You don’t have to,” she muttered low enough so no one could hear. “Between you and Ruth, you practically have us married. Stop it.”

      “All right, all right. The subject’s closed.” Jen stood. “Are you ready yet?”

      As Minnie drank the last of her soda, Kate snickered and whispered something to her group of friends. The giggling girls were all watching Peter, who had asked for a bottle of Lydia Pinkham’s tonic from the druggist. At their laughter, embarrassment bled up his face clear to the roots of his tousled brown hair.

      Minnie felt sorry for him. Peter was a decent guy. It wasn’t his fault he’d lost his parents and got sent to Pearlman by that New York orphan society. He’d gotten a good home with Mrs. Simmons, but then she lost her house and had to move in with her daughter. That meant Peter had to stay with his foster brother’s family at Constance House, the local orphanage. That must have reminded him every day that he was an orphan, too. Poor guy! He could act like an idiot sometimes, but he didn’t deserve Kate’s ridicule.

      “It’s for Mariah,” Peter explained while he waited for the druggist to fetch the tonic. “She’s not feeling well.”

      Peter’s sister-in-law had her hands full running the orphanage. Peter helped out when he wasn’t working at the family’s motor garage. He was good with his hands. He’d built the shelving and counter at the bookstore, helped out in Sunday school, and was the first guy to set up tables and chairs for any church function. He deserved Kate’s respect.

      Instead, the girl laughed at him.

      With every passing second, Minnie got angrier until she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Mariah’s lucky to have a brother like Peter helping her out.”

      If anything, his face got redder, but it did draw Kate’s attention away from him.

      The girl’s mouth curved into a smirk. “Minnie’s sweet on Peter.”

      Her girlfriends seconded the proclamation.

      Minnie felt her cheeks heat. “Am not!”

      The girls giggled harder.

      “Then why are you blushing?” Kate asked.

      “Am not!” But that wasn’t true. Her face burned and was probably as red as Peter’s. Her gaze dropped to the magazine cover. If only she looked like Clara Bow, she could command respect. The fashionable guys would notice her. All it would take was a new hairstyle. She jutted out her chin. “For your information, I’m going to marry a sheik.”

      Kate snorted. “A sheik? You? What a laugh. No sheik would look twice at someone like you. If you want my advice, you had better settle for a local guy.” She inclined her head toward Peter, making her point perfectly clear. “Come along, girls. We wouldn’t want to interfere with Minnie’s romance.”

      The girls headed for the door, singing, “Peter and Minnie, sweet as can be...”

      Minnie wanted to throw her soda at them, but the Bible said to turn the other cheek. It didn’t mention how hard that was to do. She slurped up the melted ice that tasted faintly of cherry soda. It was hopeless. She had only a hint of flavor, while girls like Kate sparkled.

      “Forget them,” Jen said. “They only care about themselves.”

      “I know.” And deep down she did know that, but would it really be such a terrible thing to be attractive and important for once? Just one day, Lord. One little day.

      “They should get their mouths washed out with soap,” Jen added. “Let’s go.”

      Minnie dug around in her pocket for the nickel to pay for her soda but came up with nothing. She frowned and hunted in her other pocket before a sudden thought distracted her. She could look like Clara Bow. Oh, she couldn’t afford a real hairstylist, but Jen had cut her own hair. It didn’t look that great, but then it had to be easier to cut someone else’s hair than your own. “Will you cut my hair?”

      “Me?” Jen’s eyebrows lifted with surprise. “Mother always cuts your hair.”

      “She won’t give me a bob. I want my hair to look like this.” She pointed to the Photoplay cover. “It shouldn’t be too difficult. Easier than cutting your own hair, and you did a pretty good job on that.”

      “After Ruth straightened out all my mistakes. Why don’t you ask her?”

      “Because she’d take Mother’s side. Will you do it? Please?”

      “All right, then, but no promises you’ll look like that cover.”

      “Good!” Minnie clapped her hands together.

      “And you have to take the blame when Mother sees it.”

      Minnie had no choice but to agree. Mother would throw a conniption fit. She loved Minnie’s long hair. Well, times were changing, and Minnie intended to change along with them. She was going to become a modern woman, and modern women wore both their hair and their skirts short. Modern women had guys, not beaus. They dated instead of being courted.

      She sneaked a glimpse at the register. Peter had finished and was headed their way, tonic safely hidden in a paper sack.

      “That’ll be five cents, miss.” The soda clerk tapped the counter.

      Minnie dug around in her other coat pocket. Where had she put that nickel? “Just a minute.” She tried her skirt pocket. Nothing there, either. “I had a nickel in my coat pocket.” She reached in again and found a hole. “Oh, no! It must have fallen out. Jen?”

      Her sister shook her head. “I don’t have any money with me.”

      Minnie bit her lower lip. At least Kate wasn’t here to witness this embarrassing moment. She turned to the soda clerk. “May I pay you later?”

      “You don’t have five cents?” He looked shocked.

      “Here.” Peter stepped up and placed a dime on the counter. “Keep the change.”

      The soda clerk snatched it up and went to the cash register.

      Peter Simmons paid her bill? If Kate ever found out, she’d hound Minnie to death. “I’ll pay you back.”

      He shuffled his feet, halfway looking down and half of the time peeking up at her. “Don’t need to.”

      “Yes, I do.” She took a deep breath and remembered her manners. “Thank you.” She even managed a smile. “I found a hole in my pocket. It must have fallen out on the way here.”

      “That happens.” Still, he stood there.

      “I guess we should be going,” she suggested.

      “Yeah, I suppose.” He stuffed the tonic into his coat pocket. “Look, Minnie, I was wondering—” He stopped abruptly, and his face got red.

      She panicked. He was going to ask her to go with him to something. Not now. Not when she had discovered the means to interest a real man—one who could both help her family get out of debt and fulfill her dreams. “I need to get going.” She backed away. “Ruth is waiting for us.”

      “Yeah. I should go, too. Mariah needs the medicine.”

      “See you later, then. And thanks again.” She edged behind her grinning sister.

      “Anytime.” He glanced at Jen before striding to the door. He yanked it open and let it slam shut before hurrying off toward the orphanage.

      Only then could Minnie take a breath.

      Jen was still grinning. “He is sweet on you.”

      “No, he’s not.” Minnie felt the unwelcome flush of heat coupled with an odd slushy feeling inside. “He was just helping me out, like a brother would help a sister.”

      Jen laughed.