Free Beginnings by Kim Vogel Sawyer

on the tabletop. “Before we get into the contract, would you mind telling me how you got involved in stained-glass art?” Jerking his thumb toward the outside, he commented, “Seems a rather unusual business for this area. Stained glass is pretty ostentatious. You sure won’t have customers from the community.”
    Beth’s light laugh made Sean smile. “Oh, no, I’m certain the Sommerfeld residents won’t purchase my goods. But we get quite a bit of traffic through here. The café brings in customers, and we also get an unbelievable number of gawkers.”
    Sean raised his brows.
    Another laugh rang. “Curiosity satisfiers. People interested in the simpler lifestyle of the Mennonites and Amish who live around here.”
    “And that’s why you built your studio here? To capture the business of the gawking curiosity satisfiers?”
    “Partly.” She took a deep breath, as if seeking fortification. “You see, my mom grew up in Sommerfeld, on a farm east of town. She left the community to marry my dad, and we lived in Wyoming until about a year and a half ago. Mom’s favorite aunt passed away and left the café and her house to me.”
    “Why you?” Sean was genuinely intrigued.
    A slight shrug accompanied her reply. “Mom named me Lisbeth after her aunt. I guess since Great-Aunt Lisbeth never had children of her own, she chose me to be her inheritor.”
    Sean got the impression there was more to the story than Beth was sharing. He waited a few beats to see if she would continue, but when she didn’t, he said, “That was nice.”
    “Nice...” Beth licked her lips. “And unexpected. So, Mom and I found ourselves in Sommerfeld. I had land to build on and, with the sale of the café, funds to put up the building. Mom says it was God’s way of meeting my need before I knew I had one.”
    Again Sean suspected he was getting the Reader’s Digest version, but he didn’t push her to give more details. For whatever reason, she was guarding herself. There would be time to get the full story when their relationship had developed further. “I see. So you always planned to have a studio?” He was puzzled by the pain that flashed through her blue eyes.
    “No. Stained-glass art is something I learned when I came to Sommerfeld. But it grew on me quickly.”
    Her light tone made him wonder if he’d imagined the earlier signs of discomfort. He smiled. “I’m glad it did. My company can certainly benefit from your newly acquired ability.”
    She swallowed, her gaze jerking away for a moment before lighting on the contract. Her fingers trembled slightly as she gently flipped the corners of the pages. “Yes, well, let’s hope this will be mutually beneficial.”
    “There’s no doubt,” Sean said, leaning forward. “My biggest concern at this point is whether you truly have the space to create the kinds of windows we’d need.” He patted the top of the four-foot square worktable. “This won’t be big enough.”
    She lifted her gaze to meet his. “I know. But my stepfather and Andrew could build a work surface in that open area—a platform to get the design up off the floor a bit but low to the ground to make it easier to work on larger designs.”
    Sean chuckled. “You’ve been doing your homework.”
    Her smile turned timid, making his heart skip a beat. “Eventually, I’d need a larger studio if I plan to construct more than one window at a time and especially if I add more equipment so I can stain and fire my own glass and have more than one cutter going, but I don’t want to go to too much expense until I know for sure things will work out.”
    Sean smoothed his mustache with one finger, nodding with approval. Her caution impressed him. She had business savvy. From his conversation with her yesterday, he already knew she had the desire to expand her business. All necessary elements for success were in place: the drive, the talent, and the means. She was the perfect choice.
    “So do you have any concerns