Chapter 1
Jamie
Another day, another grueling part-time job.
I wiped the sweat off my brow as I worked on mopping a stubborn stain on the floor. I kept telling Jimmy to clean it properly, but the kid just wouldn’t listen! I had to come in early every morning just to re-mop the floors, or else the old man would yell at me again. And that was another thing too—why was I the one being yelled at? It wasn’t even my job in the first place!
I clutched at the handle of the mop tightly while I gritted my teeth. “When I see that little brat again, I’m gonna—,”
“Oh, excuse me for intruding. Were you still closed?”
I snapped out of my anger-induced haze, and looked over the front door where a severe-looking woman with spectacles was standing, complete with a leather-bound folding file tucked into her bosom. I was too worked up that I didn’t even hear the bell-ringing.
I flashed my best “happy-to-serve” smile while I hid the mop behind my back, and casually pushed the bucket of dirty water with my foot. “No, it’s fine! I was just …” Make something up, quick! “Inventory checking, that’s all.”
She just stared at me without a word, and I couldn’t tell if she bought my excuse or not. I wiped my hands with the sides of my pants before walking over to the counter. “Can I help you with something?”
“Yes, I would like to take a look at your list of wares, if I may?” she replied politely, and I nodded, my hands reaching down automatically for the catalogues.
“Sure!” I said, my voice sounding unnaturally chipper. I didn’t know why, but there’s something about this woman that unnerves me. “What would you like to—,”
“I’d like to see your current selection of paintings, particularly the portraits, please,” she said, cutting me off. I blinked at her in surprise.
This was new. Usually, our female clientele went straight for the jewelry. Then again, she didn’t exactly look like the type who liked gaudy baubles made all the way from the 16th century, so she’s probably here for someone else.
…Meh. It’s not part of my job description to dig deep into customer’s lives.
I took out the file containing our paintings, and handed them over to her, watching and waiting as she opened it up and glanced at the selection, page after page, barely giving each painting a proper browse. I relaxed a little as I realized she was looking for a specific item, and I knew the chances of her discovering it here were close to nil.
Not one person who came here looking for something specifically ever found what they wanted, and I doubt this lady would be the one to turn the tide. I did feel sorry for her though when, as expected, she didn’t find what she was looking for. She let out a pretty heavy sigh while closing her eyes at the same time, the expression on her face cluing me in she’d probably been looking for whatever it was for a while.
“Is this all you have?” she asked, but the look in her eyes said she already knew what I was going to say. I smiled sadly and shook my head.
“I’m really sorry you couldn’t find it.” Her eyebrows shot up a couple of inches into her forehead at my outburst.
“…Odd,” she said, tilting her head at me. I frowned, not understanding.
“What is odd?” I asked her.
“Never mind,” she said softly, shaking her head. I shrugged. “It’s not like I wasn’t expecting it. But I will admit this kind of thing gets a little tiring after a while,” she added. Her mouth formed into a small reluctant smile.
She thanked me for my help, and walked towards the exit, her business complete. I chewed on my bottom lip as I felt this tingling sensation at the back of my mind that I was forgetting something, and then I remembered.
The bell above the door rang as the woman closed the door behind her. I ran around the counter to chase after her, flipping the closed sign on my way out just in case someone tried to come in.
“Jesus, that broad could walk fast,” I muttered, looking around for any sign of her. My eyes lit up as I spotted her at the corner of the street, standing next to a shiny black limousine. She opened the passenger seat, and I called out to her, making her look up.
I skipped over to her and tried to control my breathing as she waited patiently, watching me with a curious expression on her face. I straightened up and smiled.
“I remembered my boss telling me about a big auction he’ll be participating in, along with a few other auction houses in the state. You might be able to find what you’re looking for then,” I told her.
Her curiosity peaked; she then closed the door and faced me fully.
“That is quite a possibility,” she murmured. “But such a huge event must require a large place for hosting. Where will it be held?”
“Well, most of the details are all hush-hush to the general public since the wares are supposed to be extremely rare and pricey, but since you look like you could put the information into good use…,” I trailed off.
I rattled off the name of the hotel the event was going to be, as well as the call time before the bidding, and she thanked me before getting inside the car.
I waved goodbye as the car peeled off and drove away, my heart feeling ten times lighter for helping someone out, even though she didn’t exactly look very grateful. I rubbed my palms together and walked back to the shop.
“I hope she finds whatever she’s looking for,” I muttered to myself.