Way Out West (18 page)
Authors: Blanche Marriott
“Sir?” If nothing else, Tony was persistent.
“I know, Tony. I'll be there in a minute. Why don't you wait
in the car with Gerald?” He leaned on the glass case and watched the lovely
woman at the front of the store as she rang up the ladies' purchases. Her
suspicious eyes followed Tony as he resumed his post outside the door rather
than in the limo. When she returned to Georgios he couldn't help a broad smile.
“So, do you think she would like one of these?” she asked.
“Who?”
“Your fiancée. Isn't that who you're buying a gift for?”
“Oh, yes.”
Get that stupid look off your face, Georgios.
“I wouldn't know which one to choose though.”
He thought he saw disappointment on her face. After all, she
was trying to make a sale and from what he'd overheard of her phone
conversation, a good-sized sale was what she needed.
“Do you think she'd like the 'Aristocrat'?” she asked.
He leaned his elbows on the counter, leveling his eyes with
hers. “Don't get me wrong. They're all wonderful, but I think I'd like
something really special, a one-of-a-kind.”
She blinked rapidly. He saw tiny brown flecks in the blue of
her eyes, lending them warmth and openness. He felt himself inching forward to
see further into their depths, which reminded him of the deep complexities and
colors of the kaleidoscopes.
Unmoving and patient, she said, “We have many one-of-a-kind
items. Could you be a little more specific?” Her gaze darted to the door for a
split second.
Georgios liked this all-business lady. A refreshing change
to the falling-all-over-him women he usually had to fend off. The seed of an
idea began forming, a plan that would allow him to see her again, and often.
“Do you do custom orders?”
“Uh, of course.” She moved back a step, breaking his
intentional stare.
He leaned closer and said in a deep, even tone, “I'd like
you to make one for me.”
“A kaleidoscope?” she asked, unsure of his meaning.
“Yes, I'd like you to design one for me.”
“You mean for your fiancée.”
“Yes...that's right.” Catching a glimpse of Tony pacing in
front of the door, Georgios straightened up. He towered over the woman who
appeared not to believe him.
He looked at his watch again.
Another five minutes and
Tony will have my head.
“When do you think you can have it ready?”
She thought a moment. “It's hard to say. I'll need some
details about size, colors, shapes. Could you tell me a little about your
fiancée so I know the person I'm designing for?”
He liked the way her eyelashes fluttered nervously when she
spoke. An image of those soft lashes brushing against his cheeks told him it
was time to go.
He cleared his throat. “I'm afraid I don't have time right
now, I have a plane to catch. I'll just have to trust your judgment to design
something meaningful and...unique.” He sounded like his manager, telling
someone how to be creative.
Georgios reached into his breast pocket for his checkbook
and pen. “When is Mother's Day?”
She frowned. “The second Sunday in May, I think.”
“I'll need it by then.”
The woman's face paled, no longer the blushing rose it had
been when she'd talked fondly about her kaleidoscopes. He bent to check the
prices of the kaleidoscopes in the display case. Not that he cared about the cost,
but if he was to make an impression, he had to do it right.
“That's only four weeks away! It could take that long just
to produce it, never mind design it and get your approval.” She nervously wrung
her hands.
“Like I said, I trust your judgment. Just follow your
creative whim.” He opened the checkbook and twisted the pen barrel. “I'll leave
you a deposit to cover materials and incidentals. Who should I make it out to?”
When she didn't respond, he looked up to see her worried
expression. What was wrong? Had she lied? Did she in fact have nothing to do
with designing the scopes?
No. He didn't believe that. She'd been too sincere, too
proud. Four weeks sounded like plenty of time to him. He'd done his second CD
in less time than that. He'd just have to sweeten the pot. Experience had
taught him that people do amazing things for the right price and she was
apparently in no position to turn down money.
Looking around, he noticed a stack of blue business cards to
the right with bold, black script. “Chatter Box?”
She blinked a few times, as though trying to shake the daze
and her frozen expression. “I'm sorry, what?”
“Chatter Box. Is that what I make the check out to, the
store? Or is it...” He looked closer at the business card. “Janeen Warner?” She
blushed at the sound of her name. The color turned her radiant under the
fluorescent lights.
“Chatter Box will be fine,” she answered, distracted.
“And how much do you require?” he asked as he wrote. When
again she didn't answer he looked up, tipping his head with anticipation.
Janeen squinted; painful indecision seemed to play over her features.
“Maybe we shouldn't bother with a deposit. I'm just not sure
I can meet your time frame,” she said apologetically.
Ignoring her apprehension, he asked, “Is three hundred enough?”
Resigned to defeat, she sighed, “Yes, that will be fine.”
“Five hundred?” He amused himself by bargaining up.
“Three hundred is fine, really.” Her face softened.
Georgios searched her eyes for the look that assured him his
offer was more than satisfactory. The kind of look he got when he tipped a
waitress or a porter a hundred dollars. When Janeen gave him a small, tentative
smile, he filled in the check and signed it with a flourish. Quickly tearing it
off, he pulled out a business card and dropped both on the counter.
“I'll be out of town for a few days and unavailable for most
of the time, but you can call my cell phone and leave a message when you have
something for me to look at.”
He lifted her card and held it up to his forehead as though
doffing his hat. “Thank you, Ms. Warner. You have been a great help. I hope to
hear from you soon.”
He hurried out the door to an anxiously awaiting Tony.
Janeen stood transfixed for a moment. So much had happened
so quickly, her head felt like it had been in a wind tunnel. The current of air
that sailed in the door as he exited served to stir up the scent of his
lingering cologne. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed something dark on
the counter.
His gloves!
She scooped up the leather accessories and rushed out the
door, up the cement steps. Clinging to the railing at the top, she panned to
the right, then left. At the end of the marketplace, amongst the milling
shoppers, she saw two dark figures climb into a long black limousine. The
waiting driver immediately pulled out into the busy street.
Returning to her store, Janeen plopped the gloves back on
the counter causing the check to blow onto the floor. It punctuated how quickly
the one month he'd given her would fly by. With all the extra hours she worked to
make up for personnel cutbacks, there was little enough time left for herself,
never mind another job. Why had she agreed to take on a three-month project to
be completed in one?
She stooped to pick up the check. This was why she'd said
yes. Money. Everything in her life revolved around it: the rent, the bills, the
kaleidoscope designs. If she truly expected to get her own line off the ground,
how could she say no to three hundred--
She stopped in mid-thought after glancing at the check, her
heartbeat quickening as she digested the figure.
“Two thousand dollars!”
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KALEIDOSCOPE
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