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“Is this Silas Powers?”
“It is.”
“This is James Mannon, and I have...what might seem like an odd question.”
“All right. Shoot.” If Silas recognized his name, he didn’t give any indication.
“I have an old truck out here beside the barn at the house I own outside of Sweet Water. Maybe you know my Aunt Carol. She moved in last year.”
“I’ve heard of her. Actually, my wife’s sister just moved in with her, and she seems like a nice lady from what people say in town.”
“Good to know she has a good reputation.” Hopefully that helped the family name around Sweet Water. Or at least in Silas’s estimation, because he needed Silas’s help.
“She does. In fact, I think the ladies at the community center were hoping she would join them for their crafting times.”
“She hadn’t said anything about that.” James cleared his throat. They hadn’t talked about much of anything other than Mabel. “Anyway, about this old truck.”
“Is it the 1967 model Ford that’s parked beside the barn?” Silas asked.
“Yes, I think. If that one is blue. How did you know?”
“I helped your aunt move in. She stored a bunch of stuff in the shed at the other end of the barnyard. I was helping the people who were carrying it in. I noticed the truck, of course. It’s a classic.”
“Well, that’s exactly what I was calling about. I was wondering what it would take to restore it.” He thought those were the right words. Restore?
There was a short silence. “Wow. I didn’t look under the hood or anything, but the body would need some work. Parts would be hard to find. Might have to improvise.” Silas seemed to be talking to himself, as though calculating in his head what all he would need to do. “I can’t give you any guarantees, but I can come look at it if you want me to.”
“I’d love it if you would.” He’d much rather talk to him face-to-face. He could judge a reaction better from his body language and his facial expressions, the same way he did in the boardroom, which made him able to figure out which people needed a little extra convincing to get them to do what he wanted them to.
It wasn’t something he did consciously, but it was something he picked up. His dad said it had made him a good businessman, but he hadn’t wanted to use it against people, just for the right reasons.
Unfortunately, he’d seen too many people use manipulation as a legitimate tool to get what they wanted.
It had soured him on so much of what happened in business.
Shaking that thought away, he agreed with Silas when Silas suggested that he come out later today, and they hung up.
His hand dropped, and he stared at the pickup that somehow was his link to Mabel.
He didn’t have much interest in old vehicles, and the idea of restoring an old pickup hadn’t ever been something on his radar.
But if it would help him with Mabel... He supposed he could learn to be interested in pretty much anything.
