Risky Business (5 page)

“I went with a long-sleeved white tee for underneath. I chose this chunky red jewelry to bring some color into the outfit.” She lifted the necklace. “Again, not knowing her exact size, I chose a long necklace because sometimes a chunkier, tighter choker can shorten the neck, but these long lines will make her seem taller.”

Donna looked startled.

Knowing she had made an impact, Molly tried to hide her growing excitement. “I gave her a fun coordinating bag to carry and these killer high heels, which I’m going to have to buy for myself. Our customer is all ready for her party.”

Donna stared openmouthed. “Molly, if I didn’t know better, I’d think that you were a highly trained retail professional. You explained your choices like a seasoned trainer, definitely not like a trainee.” Donna shook her head as she looked back to the mannequin.

Molly mumbled her thanks and lookeddown, embarrassed. Had she gone too far?

Stepping back into the moment, Donna said, “Well, I don’t have much to add, girls. You both made wise choices and had good reasons for what you picked. You also listened to your customer and focused on what she needed, not just on what you like. That’s great.” She paused for a moment before continuing, choosing her next words carefully.

“Again, though, Molly, you were focused on creating a whole look, not just on selling an item or two. Your customer would have left happy with either of these outfits. But she would have left feeling like a million bucks with Molly’s. Can you see the difference?” She waited for them to nod in agreement. “Okay, great job, girls. That wraps up our training session for the evening. You can clock out like I showed you and take off for the evening.”

“Thanks so much, Donna.” Molly stood to leave but looked at the mannequin. Should she put the clothes away?
Well, if I don’t do it, Donna will have to—probably shouldn’t cause my new boss extra work
. Molly unbuttoned the top button of the sweater.

Halfway to the back room door, Amber stopped in her tracks and looked back at Molly. She sighed heavily and then came back to get her clothes to put away. “I can see you’re going to make this job a lot more work for me than it has to be—just to keep up with you.”

Mmm. Hot chocolate
. The smell greeted Molly as soon as she walked into the house. It hadn’t even turned cold enough for a jacket yet, but anytime was a good time for her mom’s special brew made with homemade fudge sauce and real cream. Molly selected one of the two steaming mugs waiting at the kitchen table and blew on the frothy foam.

“I want to hear all about your first day at work.” Molly’s mom picked up the other mug.

Settling into her familiar seat at the kitchen dinette, Molly let the steam envelop her face before taking a sip.
Hmm. Where to start?
She told her mom all about her night and everything that Donna had said to her from their first encounter before the training began to the story of the last training session with the mannequin. “Mom, I really wasn’t trying to show Amber up. I just did what I thought would make Donna happy and what seemed logical to me. I’m afraid

I really made Amber mad, though. Do you think I went too far?”

Molly heard her dad’s favorite chair squeak in the living room around the corner. Until then she hadn’t realized that he’d been listening from the other room. “Sweetie, as someone who has had employees for years and years, let me give you a piece of insight.” He walked into the kitchen and took a sip of hot cocoa from his wife’s cup.

Molly looked up at her dad with wide eyes. If anyone knew about the subject of business, he did.

“Workers come and go. Employees are a dime a dozen. But associates, true business partners, are like gold. You were a partner in that business tonight. It sounds to me like the other girl is an employee like most good workers are. She’ll probably do fine, but she’ll never love it like it seems you do. Donna knows the difference.” He squinted and rubbed his chin. “You know, though, it takes all kinds of people to have a successful business. Just like worker bees are necessary to the hive. But one thing you never want to do is hide your work ethic or passion, Moll, just to make a worker bee feel better about her job. Business is business.”

Molly nodded. “You’re right. I’m there to do a job and to do it well. It would be foolish to skip a good idea or act dumb just to fit in with the others. That’s what you’re saying, right?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

Mom jumped in. “But, Molly dear, maybe you can find other ways to make Amber and the rest of the girls feel special in their jobs, too. I mean, you don’t want to climb to the top on the backs of other people. Just acknowledge their efforts now and then. If you have a question that they might know the answer to, humble yourself and ask them—give them a chance.”

Dad nodded in agreement and squeezed his wife’s shoulder.

“More great advice. What would I do without you guys?” Molly’s chair skipped along the tile as she pushed it with the back of her legs and hugged them both. “Now, I have homework to do. I need to learn how to invest all of my vast riches so I can be a retail mogul one day.”

Dad shook his head and chuckled as Molly turned to leave.

She barely got through the door before she stopped in her tracks, darted back into the kitchen, grabbed her mug of hot chocolate, and then hurried up the stairs to her room.

I’m a lucky girl…. No, not lucky—blessed
.

Molly groaned and covered her head with her comforter. Was she dreaming?

“Molly, you have a phone call!”

Ugh. Eight o’clock on Saturday morning? Who could be calling? What a long week—midterms, homework, extra shifts for training
…

“Molly!” Her mom grew more insistent.

“I’m coming. I’m coming,” Molly mumbled as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and padded down the stairs, rubbing her eyes.

“It’s Donna,” Mrs. Jacobs whispered, covering the receiver with her hand.

Molly cleared her throat and hoped she’d sound awake. “Hello, this is Molly.”

“Molly? Oh, thank God!” Donna sounded frantic. “I’m sorry to bother you on your day off. But Heather, one of the girls you haven’t met, just quit on me. She was supposed to work from ten to three today, and she just called to say that she isn’t coming back. I’m really in a bind. I know that you’ve had a long week, but is there any way you could pick up Heather’s shift today?”

Molly chewed her bottom lip. “Um … can you hold on for a second while I talk to my mom? In fact, how about if I give you a call back in just a few minutes. I need to work a few things out. Just a few minutes, okay?”

“Perfect! Thanks so much, Molly. I’ll be waiting to hear from you—I’ll need to know as soon as possible, though.”

Molly plopped down on the couch and grabbed an afghan to pull over her body for just one more minute. Did she even want to work? But Donna would be mad if she said no.
Okay, I’m already up, have no homework, Donna’s in a bind—but there’s the swim party tonight. That’s okay—I’ll do both. Now to clear it with Mom
.

“Molls, I just don’t want this to be a regular occurrence. Okay? Go ahead and do it because it doesn’t interfere with anything else, and I’m available to give you a ride. But if you had homework or your youth group party wasduring the day, I’d say no. Understood?”

“Yep. I get it, Mom. I’m going to call Donna back, and then I’ve got to get ready.”

Ahh
. The shower perked her up. It would be her first real sales shift. Now she wouldn’t have to hold herself back from helping customers like she had to do when she shadowed Amy. Molly dressed in a hurry.
This is going to be so cool!

Right before she left, she e-mailed Sara and Jess—no way would she call them before ten o’clock on a Saturday morning—to let them know that they were still on for the pool party they planned to attend that afternoon. Molly wished they’d come with her to church sometimes. But at least they were going to the party, and they came to other fun things sometimes. They’d come around in time—Molly was sure of it.

“Thanks so much for helping me out today, Molly,” Donna gushed as soon as she saw Molly walk into the store. “You obviously aren’t trained to ring up customers, so it will be Amy and me behind the registers for the next couple of hours. That means you and Amber are out on the sales floor alone until Edie gets here at noon. Do you think you can handle it?” She flitted around trying to get the store opened.

“Everything will be fine.” Molly clocked in. “I’m looking forward to getting out there with the customers.” She rubbed her hands together. “Let me at ‘em.”

Donna laughed and opened the heavy gate. “Well, I’m here for anything you need. Please don’t hesitate to ask me any–”

Molly cut Donna off midsentence when a customer walked in under the rising gate.

“Hi. Welcome to Magna. What are you shopping for today?” Molly got off to the right start. From the corner of her eye she saw Donna exhale deeply and relax her tense shoulders by rotating her head. She must have been worried.

Amber busied herself keeping the racks straightened, putting clothes away when customers left them in the fitting rooms, and helping customers when they sought her attention.

Donna took a break from ringing customers. “So Molly, what do you have going on right now?”

Molly looked around the store and pointed to the fitting rooms. “I have a mom and daughter in the first dressing room. The daughter wants to try on the white sweateron the mannequin in the window. So I’m about to go get that for her.” She looked toward the front. “Let’s see. That family over there is shopping for a gift for their cousin’s birthday. See the two girls in back? The tall one is a bride-to-be, and she’s looking for honeymoon clothes. I have fitting rooms started for all of them … gotta go.” She walked away before Donna could ask anything else.
I hope that wasn’t rude. Customers first
.

Molly pulled the mannequin out of the window display and took the sweater off. As she backed up, she almost tripped over a girl digging through a stack of T-shirts with her three friends standing beside her. “Oops! Sorry!” Molly’s jaw dropped when she realized who it was. She stood face-to-face with the three most popular girls in her grade and one very popular junior.

“I … um … I … Can I …,” she stammered and stuttered.
Get it together, Molly
. She had a job to do. “I have a customer in the fitting room who’s waiting for this.” She held up the white sweater that she had retrieved from the window display. “I’ll take it to her and then be right back to help you find what you need. Okay?”

“Great! Thanks, Molly.” Kim, the junior,spoke for all of them.

Molly stepped away for just a moment, but the four girls left before she got back.
Phew
. Time passed quickly and three o’clock came much faster than she expected.

Donna peered over her shoulder at the clock-in screen and said, “Your break’s not listed. You must have forgotten to sign out for it. I’ll take care of that for you. What time did you … Wait a second. Did you even get a break at all today?” Donna looked horrified.

“Oh, it’s no big deal.” Molly waved her hand. “I was enjoying myself and didn’t even notice. I know it’s my responsibility to make sure I get one. I’ll remember next time.”

“Okay. Let’s not make it a habit, though. I can’t have you burning out on me.” Donna walked Molly toward the front of the store. “You were amazing today. I think you’re the best hiring decision I’ve ever made. You really seem to enjoy yourself with the customers, and you stay so organized, even in the face of pressure. Just keep up the good work!” She started to walk away but had one more thing to add. “But don’t be a hero, okay? Speak up.”

Molly grinned. “Thank you so much, Donna. I promise to take care of myself.”

“All right. Now get on out of here. I heard you have a pool party to go to!”