"This is hopeless!" It was all I could do to keep from wailing in frustration.
We were in town, trying - and failing - to get Jacob a job, and trying - and failing - to get me a job. Jacob had resisted this, but after a long argument that lasted the whole drive here, he had relented with little grace.
"Not really," Jacob said, trying - and failing - to look cheerful. "There's still a couple of places to try. The smithy, for example."
I bit back a groan. That was the last place I wanted to go. But we were already there.
Peering into the dimly-lit building, I couldn't see if Simon, the smith, was there. The embers in the forge were still red, and I seemed to hear a slight sizzling from the water trough. Then I saw a pair of pincers swinging a horseshoe through the air to come to rest with a bump against the anvil, and I knew he was there.
"Hello? Simon?" Jacob, I gathered, hadn't seen the horseshoes. "Are you here?"
There came a noise like a groaning from inside and I heard a clear voice call out from inside, "Come in, I'm busy."
Jacob took him at his word, and barged in. I followed more slowly. Simon, hard at work on the bellows, was most definitely there. He gave the bellows a couple more pumps, then released the leather strap that hung from the ceiling. He shook hands with Jacob, never noticing that I was there.
"Hi, Jacob. Come for a job for me to do?"
"Hi, Simon. But not quite." I could see that Jacob didn't want to do this. "I need a job, Simon. I came to offer my services."
Simon shrugged. "I'd like to, Jacob, but I don't know - "
"Simon, please. Patience just lost the teaching job, and now we don't have any income."
He bit his lip and looked at Jacob. "Where's Patience?"
"Right behind me." Jacob whipped around and nudged me forward. I blinked in the light flaring from the embers that Simon had just poked.
Simon gave me a cool look, then turned to Jacob. "Fine. Monday?"
"Monday." I didn't see the handshake. I was turned toward the door.
More nonsense!! Title ideas, anyone?
