"So what do you think about our new neighbour, Jeremy?" asked Barbara
"What? Oh her...well....she's...erm....rather striking, wouldn't you say?" Jeremy replied.
"Striking?" said Barbara, raising her eyebrow quizzically.
"Well, you know her attire was...erm...designed in a way...help me out here" he stammererd.
"Designed in a way to get attention? Yes, I can see that. Those were amazing boots she was wearing: I've not seen anything like them before...going above the knee. I wonder where she got them from?"
"I'm sure we'll be seeing her again now she's part of our community so you can ask her the next time."
"Yes...I could go over to her place now and..."
"Barbara...it's 7:50am: What if she's still asleep or just got out of the shower or something like that? Wait until later"
"I know...I'm just impatient, that's all. I've got to start thinking about getting in stock for the Fall season"
"But's it's still July!"
"Silly. In the fashion business you have to be thinking one season ahead. Yes, we have the Summer stock for sale now but I've got to plan our Fall line sooner rather than later. When it gets wetter and cooler boots like Joanna's might be the next big thing. Stocking something like them could give Pack's Clothing the edge!"
"My business acumen is rubbing off on you" said Jeremy. "Hey, did you find out what Joanna does for a job?"
"No...every time that came up in the conversation suddenly something happened and she got distracted. I never did find out." said Barbara, recalling what was said yesterday when they'd met her.
"Well, it's time to head off to work soon, shall we travel into town together?" asked Jeremy.
"Sounds good...if you have a little bit of time..." she replied.
"You need my help with the shop, don't you?"
"Just a few items to shift. I need a man's strength for the job"
"And when he wasn't available, you've asked me instead?"
"Silly!" she said, slapping him lightly on the arm.
They left the house and headed on over to Pack's Clothing, which was only about a mile away, in time for Jeremy to help Barbara out with a few chores before he had to go to work.
"What do you need me to do?" he asked.
"Shift that mannequin...that female one...over to this window display and then put that dress on her. The red patterned one." Barbara replied.
Jeremy picked up the surprisingly heavy shop dummy and shifted it into position, then he attempted to put the dress Barbara had indicated on to it.
"I don't know..." he began "...it feels weird and creepy dressing a shop mannequin"
"That's because they're actually alive and cursed to live as mannequins because they've angered an old, evil witch. At night, they come alive..." said Barbara, playfully making horror faces at him.
"Sounds like the plot of a bad comedy movie" he replied, drolly. "Right, well she's done and mighty fine does she look as well...listen to me, calling a mannequin 'she', tsch"
"Her name's Kim, by the way" said Barbara, equally as drole.
"Nice to meet you, Kim. OK, is that all? Anything else you want my manly muscles to shift?"
"That's all, thanks. I'm going to start going through all the fashion house catalogues to see if I can find those boots"
"You're really determined, aren't you?"
"I can see the possibility of selling something that no one else in this city has got and I predict thigh boots are going to be the next big thing in women's fashion." said Barbara, eyeing up the trade catalogues.
"Why would anyone buy boots that long? I mean, you won't notice how long they are under a dress or skirt" said Jeremy, shrugging his shoulders.
"Hello? Hemlines are getting shorter and pretty soon they're going to be very short. You may have noticed."
"Living with you I can't help but notice" said Jeremy, looking at Barbara's legs.
"It's that tantalising glimpse of thigh that makes the look so exciting" said Barbara, with an excited gleam in her eyes.
"Keep talking like that and I'm going to have palpitations"
"You love it when I talk dirty!" replied Barbara.
Jeremy didn't have a zinger to respond with so he checked his watch. "Well, I need to be heading into the office now. Good luck with finding those boots."
"Good luck with all your...businessy type things you do. Thanks for the help this morning, mwah!" Barbara replied, kissing Jeremy before he went.
In the few minutes before the shop opened, Barbara gathered up all the wholesale catalogues from the various fashion houses and suppliers had sent her. She thumbed through one before the alarm clock went off signalling that it was opening time.
Throughout the day it was a mixture of serving customers and trying to order more stock...and search for the boots. Barbara was rushed off her feet but there was a thrill and buzz about running a fashion boutique. Especially when two customers met one another, hit if off and started to flirt with each other. There was something about Pack's that stirred romance in some customers.
Barbara couldn't sit back and enjoy the conversations between people as there was so much to do around the shop. Today there was a massive surge of customers just after lunch and she had to run between customers, trying to help them, guiding them to changing rooms and answering questions about price and range. Some items were flying off the shelves and she had to be quick restocking empty shelves. It was a lot to do for one shopkeeper.
The time flew so fast she almost didn't notice Jeremy enter the shop.
"Hey, darling how's it going?" he asked her.
"Jeremy! Did you only have a half day at work today?"
"It's 5:30pm"
"Really? Gosh! I didn't know it was that late. I've still got two customers to ring up before we shut. Help me out!" she said, flustered.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked, eagerly.
"Serve that lady over there...the blonde in the aquamarine top"
"What's 'aquamarine'?"
*sigh* "I'm going to have to teach you about colour...it's very pale blue with a tiny hint of light green" Barbara answered.
"What does she want?"
"CLOTHES, obviously. Ask her."
"D'uh OK TC" he said in the voice of Choo Choo from the cartoon series Top Cat.
Jeremy scuttled off to where the woman Barbara indicated was standing.
"Hello, my name is Jeremy and I'm here to serve you" he said, slightly obsequiously as he thought that's how shop assistants spoke.
"You are?" said the lady, looking him up and down and not at all sure he was.
"Yes, I am co-owner of this establishment. So what is it that you'd like to purchase?"
"This entire outfit" said the woman. "The dress in orange and teal..."
"Teal?" he asked.
"Yes, this particular shade of blue. With the floral print."
"Oh blue. Yes, certainly...we have that in stock...*I think*" he said under his breath.
"I'd like it in a size 8, and I take a size 8 shoe as well"
"OK...I'm on it" he said, trotting off. He scooted past Barbara and asked "That dress in size 8?"
"The rack over there and the shoes are out the back. They're part of the 'Serenity' line" she called after him.
Jeremy scuttled around the shop gathering up the items and then presenting them to the woman. "Are these to your liking?" he asked.
"Let me try them on and I'll see" she said, calmly. "Oh, and I require a pair of fishnets in the gold colour to complete the outfit." she added.
"Fishnets, as in stockings?" asked Jeremy, trying to get his head around the terminology.
"Let me see how short this dress is on my first: I might need tights instead" she replied.
"That shelf over there" said Barbara, eavesdropping.
"How do you remember where everything is?" asked Jeremy, incredulously.
Whereas Barbara dealt with the last few customers with ease, Jeremy was exhausted by the time of the last ringing of the cash register. Then, in the peace of the nearly empty shop, they sat down in the little kitchenette area, had a snack and reflected on today's business.
"In the end I made a pretty good salesman" said Jeremy, pleased with himself.
"Fancy giving up your day job to come and work here?" asked Barbara.
"I wouldn't go that far...my salary is helping with this business."
"Business is improving as more people know about this shop. I looked at the accounts and they're healthy."
"They are, just tipping into the black now. But I don't think it's wise right now for both of us to work here...I need to stay on at Landgraab's for a while longer. For various reasons."
"But as business is booming, I'm getting more rushed off my feet. You've seen how it gets in there; there's only me and about half a dozen customers to deal with at once. Can the budget stretch to hiring a shop assistant?" she asked.
Jeremy drew in a deep breath. "OK, let's see the accounts ledger and I'll do some calculations." he said. Barbara handed him the ledger and he pulled a pen from his pocket and started to do the math.
"Monthly earnings...subtract stock, rental and utilities...project for the next quarter...carry the 2...subtract the first number I thought of....well, yeah, just about but as long as sales are as good as they have been this last quarter I'd say you can afford a shop assistant."
"Well, that's great news! I'll place an advert in the local newspaper" said an excited Barbara.
"Oh, add that into the cost..." said Jeremy.
"What would I do without you, lover?" said Barbara, throwing her arms around him and giving him a kiss.
