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It didn’t seem the most practical way to run a business. “How long have you had this garage?”
“Coming up on twenty years,” Stan said, then lifted his brows, bringing wrinkles to his forehead. “Are you worried that the way I do business isn’t profitable?”
“It did cross my mind,” Blake admitted, deciding that the man would probably prefer honesty.
“I understand that.” Stan smiled. “But while this is definitely a business, it’s also always been a ministry, and I feel that God has blessed us operating the business this way.”
“I don’t have a problem with the way you choose to run your business. Working on vehicles is my passion, so if you offer me that opportunity, I’ll do things however you want.”
Stan gave a nod. “Oh yes. One more thing. There are times I take on apprentices from the high school. Do you think you’d be able to work with them?”
Blake wasn’t a stranger to training people, especially over the past three years. Some of the people he’d trained had been… difficult, at times. He thought he’d be able to work with teenagers.
“I believe I could manage teaching,” Blake told him, then shared his experience with that in the army.
“You said you have a daughter?” At Blake’s nod, he said, “Is she in school?”
“Yes. Grade three.”
“Will you need to work within the school hours?”
“If possible.” His aunt had offered to pick Amelia up and watch her, and while Blake appreciated that, he didn’t want her to have to do it every day.
After a brief discussion about the hours at the school, Stan said, “I can work with that if you can.”
“You’re offering me the job?”
“I am,” Stan said with a nod. “You’ll have a three-month probation period.”
“I am fine with that.”
Stan pulled out a file and handed a thin stack of papers to him. “We’re not a big company or anything, but I like to make sure you have all the information on how things work here, so there are no misunderstandings. But if you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to ask. My door is always open for anything. Work related or not.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” And he really did. Having everything laid out was a bonus, and it made him feel confident that this could work out well.
“How soon can you start?”
“Monday?”
“Perfect. You can work alongside Frank, the guy who’s leaving. He’ll teach you how we do the repair side of things here.”
Blake felt a keen sense of relief that this job had fallen into place. If nothing else, he’d be able to pay his bills without having to dip into his savings too much more. He’d be making less than he had in the army, but such was life.
He wouldn’t be able to add a lot to his savings, but there would be a roof over their heads, food on their table, and clothes for Amelia, who seemed to grow out of stuff on a regular basis.
“Let me introduce you to the guys who are here already,” Stan said as he got to his feet.
Blake followed him out of the office and through another doorway that led to the garage. There were a couple of cars up on lifts, and three men in coveralls were working on them.
One man looked to be in his mid-forties, while the other two looked to be closer to Blake’s age. They were friendly, and Blake felt like he could work with them.
After a quick tour of the garage, he and Stan went back to the waiting room.
“I’ll see you Monday morning,” Stan said, holding out his hand.
“Yes, sir,” Blake said as he shook it.
“I was going to ask who your family is here.”
