He handed her a small slip of paper and she tried to hide her smile. “Uhm, Pastor, it’s going to take a miracle to do everything this office needs for $12,000.”
He started laughing. “Let me explain.” She sat down. “A friend of mine is giving me the furniture and accessories. So I believe that figure will be sufficient.”
“Let me guess, is your friend by chance Sean Prescott?”
“Yes. Do you know Sean?”
“Yes. I do quite a bit of business with him and I remember him saying he attends church here.”
“Small world. He and I go way back. He said once I was ready to do something with this…space, he’d donate the furniture and accessories.”
“That will help a lot.”
“That doesn’t sound too promising.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to discourage you. But…let me ask you, what did you see for your…office?”
“I want it to be comfortable and a place where people will feel relaxed. It should be a reflection of me and not some stereotype of what people think a minister is.”
“And who is Pastor Matthews?”
“Not as complicated and intimidating as people think.” They laughed. “Just kidding. I like what you did to Ralph’s office and I want something similar.”
She nodded. “Okay, when can you go to Sean’s showroom?”
He picked up his iPhone, looked at the screen and replied, “Next Tuesday at noon. Does that work for you?”
“It’s fine for me. I’ll check with Sean and let you know.”
“Good.” He stood up. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have about ten minutes to get over to the seniors’ Bible class.” She stood up and shook his hand. “Miss James, it was a pleasure meeting you and I look forward to working with you.”
“Same here Pastor.”
“Mike, call me Mike.”
“Mike. I’m going to take some measurements before leaving.”
“If you need anything, ask Trina.” He picked up his Bible and started toward the door. He turned around and continued. “I’m sorry. I forgot, I’ll have DeeDee call you.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out another slip of paper and handed it to her. “Here’s the budget for our apartment.” She looked at the paper. “Will that be enough?”
“Mike, you are very thorough. Based on the number of rooms, it’s doable, but…”
He looked at his watch. “Meet with my wife first and then we’ll talk.”
“Okay.”
“Good. I’ll see you next week. Thank you.” He walked out. Kyla reached into her bag and took out a pad, her measuring tape and camera.
Trina walked in smiling. “So, you and Sean will be working together.”
“It appears that way.” She continued taking measurements and noticed Trina’s hair. “Your hair looks good.”
Smiling, Trina touched her hair. “Thank you. Calvin’s assistant did it.”
“He did a great job.” She continued taking measurements. “Trina, please…”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to say anything to Sean.”
“Thank you, but…”