Page 225 of Share with Me

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Ivan was stockingthe media shelves in Matt’s thrift shop when he spotted Ned Brooks walking toward him with security in tow. Ivan put the VHS cassette on the bottom rack right next to the row of vinyls he’d arranged earlier with his right hand.

His future father-in-law had called him a week before to ask him to meet him for lunch, and what could he have said? At first Ivan wasn’t sure about talking to Brinley’s dad at all, but then a man had to eat. Who’d turn down a free lunch? It wasn’t going to cost that much at Barbara Jean’s. So he said okay.

“Who views that stuff anymore?” Ned pointed to the VHS shelves with his polished walking stick.

“You’d be surprised. Ninety-nine cents each if you’re looking for one.” Ivan stood up and shook Ned’s hand. “You’re early, Mr. Brooks.”

“Ned.”

“Ned.” Ivan wasn’t sure he wanted to be on a first-name basis with Brinley’s dad, Ned Brooks, only the richest man he knew.

Okay, just on earth. God in heaven is the richest of all. I get it, Lord. Thank you for the reminder.

“You finish up. I can wait.” Ned looked around.

“Have you been here before?” Ivan asked, lining up more VHS cassettes.

“Not this store,” Ned said. “But I’ve been to thrift shops in my lifetime, yes.”

“You have?” Ivan didn’t believe him.

Ned seemed to study him up and down. Ivan felt uncomfortable to be so scrutinized, but the green employee vest hid most of the faded secondhand T-shirt he had on, so he knew he looked somewhat decent. And yes, the twill cargo shorts he had on cost only four dollars on the deep discount rack, but it was Eddie Bauer. It would have cost him at least fifty bucks at the mall.

He had shaven this morning and trimmed his sideburns, so Ivan was confident he passed the test.

“There’s a lot about me you don’t know, Ivan.”

I bet.Ivan pushed the empty shopping cart to the side. A shopper passed by with an armful of clothes on hangers. “You can have this cart, ma’am.”

She thanked him and dumped her finds into the cart and took off.

Ivan glanced at the clock on the wall. He was a bit embarrassed he didn’t have his own watch. But he held his head up.I’m rich in Christ.

He chided himself for comparing statuses. That hadn’t been what Grandma Yun had taught him. What was that verse again? The one about each person minding his or her own business? He’d look it up later on his iPad.

Oh. He’d sold his iPad.

Never mind.

“Looks like it’s almost twelve o’clock,” Ivan said. “Let me clock out and we can go.”

“Sounds good, son.”

Son.

Ivan tried not to read too much into it, but that three-letter word warmed his heart. It didn’t help his concern about the reason for the lunch. It was too soon after the prenuptial agreement that a lawyer from church had helped him draw up pro bono.

He had to do it. Had to prove to Brinley that he wasn’t marrying her for her money. They might struggle a bit in the first year of their marriage, but he was confident that Brinley would eventually see that love was all they needed.

As he hung his store vest onto the rolling coat rack, he wondered whether Brinley would mind living in a trailer park if that was all they could afford. Maybe it was a dumb idea to do the fifty-fifty expense agreement. Too late now. He’d signed it and he was waiting for Brinley to return the agreement as is.

When he came out to the floor, Ned was examining the wheels of a nineteenth-century curricle in the shop window by some wrought-iron fences and bistro chairs.

“That actually belongs to Matt’s antique store next door, but he didn’t have room.” Ivan went up to Ned.

“Matt Garnett?”

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