Pane and Suffering Read Free Page A

Savannah. He caught himself and the smirk disappeared behind an uncomfortable cough. He shifted his weight slightly foot to foot. “Look. I wanted to offer my sincere condolences. I think the loss of your father is one of life’s most devastating events.”
    â€œThat’s very kind, but who—”
    â€œMost of us along this street were at his funeral. I stayed behind to run the pub so most of my staff could attend. John made such a difference in standing up for the small businesses on this block. We’ll miss his advice and experience in negotiating with the mayor and city council.”
    â€œThank you so much. I appreciate it.”
    â€œI’ve got to get back to the pub.” He walked out, then turned to lean back through the front door. “If you need anything, I’m right next door or you can call. My number is on the list under Edward, Edward Morris. I own the Queen’s Head Pub. Welcome to the Grand Central District.” He quietly closed the door with a small click.
    Savannah smiled and let out a sigh of relief. She was glad he was right next door. It looked like she might have more on her plate than she originally expected, especially if Hugh made a habit of running late. She checked the list of contact numbers and there was Edward’s number standing out clearly on the smudged list. She plugged it into her cell.
    Checking her dad’s roster, the five registered class members had all arrived. She frowned. Where was the sixth and even more worrying, where was Hugh? She glanced at the large plain clock on the wall. It said 10:00 sharp as did her watch.
    I’m going to have to start teaching his class until he gets here. I haven’t taught beginning stained glass since I left for Seattle. Yikes, that’s over five years ago. I hope it’s like riding a bicycle.
    She softly stepped behind the instructor’s workstation and cleared her throat. “Good morning. I’m Savannah, Mr. Webb’s daughter.” Her voice shook at the mention of her dad. Ducking her head, she covered her mouth with her fist to clear her voice and stabilize it to a lower tone. “Welcome to Beginning Stained Glass. Each class will be structured roughly the same. First, a short lecture followed by a skill demonstration. Then you’ll practice on a small piece to reinforce the skill. Hugh Trevor will be your instructor. He’s a master glass craftsman who—”
    Amanda’s hand shot up into the air. “What’s the project?”
    â€œA small sun catcher panel.” Savannah picked up her little green turtle sun catcher and held it high. “It’s a simple design, but looks complicated. You will learn the skills of cutting glass, applying copper foil, soldering, and bending zinc came.”
    â€œWhat’s that zinc cane stuff? I thought we were learning to make proper leaded stained glass,” said Nancy.
    â€œGood question.” Savannah turned and wrote C A M E on the whiteboard. “Lead is a heavy metal that can, over time, leach into your skin. The new came is a preformed miniature U-shaped channel of zinc that can be bent to follow the edges of the panel. Modern knowledge sometimes overtakes tradition.”
    She looked at the door once again. Hugh better have a damn good excuse for not coming in today.
    â€œNow, for a quick history lesson. Honest, I do mean quick. As a material, stained glass is colored by adding metallic salts during its manufacture. In ancient time, the colored glass was crafted into windows held together by strips of lead and supported by a rigid frame. The oldest known—”
    A scraping shuffle and the jangle of the doorbell turned all heads to the front of the shop.
    Thank goodness. That must be Hugh.
    A gangly blue-jeaned young man with a black backpack over his shoulder rushed through the display room and into the classroom. He stopped cold in front of Savannah. “Sorry, I signed up for this