“We have our moments. Moses prefers to work alone, which is why he trains dogs.”
“And Ezra?”
“He builds furniture. Sometimes, he works with Silas.”
“Managing your mountain?”
Matthew raised an eyebrow at her. “Silas didn’t tell you what he does for a living?”
“No.”
“Silas likes to enter competitions, or he used to. Lately, we’ve been keeping him busy helping us out. He’s the one who taught Ezra woodworking, so if Ezra gets a big order, he’ll pitch in to get the order out. They just completed a large bedroom set.”
“I envy your family’s talents. I don’t have a talented bone in my body.”
“What are your interests?”
“I’m afraid I don’t have any. I’m the most boring person you’ll ever meet.”
“What do you do in your free time? Watch television, read books, play video games?”
“No. I hadn’t read a book in years until I went to jail. That’s all there was to do there.”
“So, what do you do in your free time? I don’t believe you just sit and watch the walls.”
“No. I usually don’t have a lot of free time. When I’m not working, I babysit for a couple of mothers in my neighborhood who work the evening shifts, and when I’m not doing that, I online tutor children who are behind math and reading.”
“Children are your interest.”
“I guess. It isn’t much to brag about, though.”
“I bet it is to the mothers you help out. If you like working with children, why didn’t you become a teacher?”
“I have a degree in Education, but I moved to Ohio and wasn’t licensed there. I had already racked up enough in loans, and I didn’t want to add more to it by taking more classes to get licensed in Ohio. In case you didn’t know, teaching isn’t a very lucrative career. Real estate pays much better.”
“Does it make you feel as good?”
“No, it doesn’t.” She shrugged. “Unfortunately, my bills need to be paid. Eventually, I’ll go back and get the classes I need when I pay my loans down some more.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
Checking that the fire was out and the two side windows were closed, Matthew went to the cooler to grab a drink.
“What are your plans for the rest of the day?”
Alanna raised her hand with a wry twist of her lips. “Nothing. Silas and Ginny refuse to let me do anything until Monday.”
“Then I have a suggestion.”
“What?”
“Depends,” he teased, reaching for his shirt on a peg on the wall.
“On what?”
“Are you allergic to fish?”
Chapter Fifteen