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He ignored me and turned to the owner. “We’ve got buyers lined up all the way to Orlando eager to pick up the stuff.”
No we don’t, I thought, but I kept my mouth shut.
“Probably get into a bidding war,” Jack mused, tucking his thumbs behind his belt. “We might set up an auction for it. We’ll let you know, in case you’re interested, although the price will probably end up a lot higher than what you got all of this for. Oh well. Let’s get out of their hair, Alyssa.”
He put a hand on my back and led me away. “What are you doing?” I whispered to him.
“Negotiating.”
“You know nothing about fabric!”
“I sure don’t,” he agreed. “But I know she’s playing hard ball. The shipping area in the back is nearly empty. All the rolls of fabric are real thin, down to the last few feet. Or however fabric is measured. Like you said, I don’t know much about it.”
Before we reached his truck, the woman called out: “Wait!”
We turned around. Jack looked puzzled.
“I suppose I could move some money around,” the owner said slowly. But there was a hungry look in her eyes, now. “Another eight bolts? At the same price?”
I started to agree, but Jack said, “Same price? Ehh, I think we’ll just wait until these other stores come down to look at what we have.”
“I’ll pay ten percent more than I did for this batch,” the woman said. She was eager now, like a dog eyeing a new toy. “And I’ll send my boys to pick it up. Today, if you have the time.”
“I’m just the muscle,” Jack replied. “It’s up to Alyssa.”
I nodded slowly. “Make it ten bolts and you’ve got a deal. Always happy to support a fellow local businesswoman.”
“I’ll get my checkbook.”
While she went inside, Jack gave me the same smug smile that had taunted me since we were children. Except this time, I smiled right back in earnest.
17
Alyssa
“That was nicely done,” I said when we were at the dog park. “We’re desperate to get rid of our inventory, but you made her seem like the desperate one.”
Smoke dropped the red rubber Frisbee at our feet. Jack picked it up and hurled it across the open field. “Like I said, I don’t know much about fabric or upholstery or anything like that. But I’m observant. You have to be in my line of work. Immediately assessing a situation in a few seconds. Her store was busy, but inventory inside was light. Lots of bare shelves, especially compared to your store. And the rolls in the back were almost tapped out.”
“You knew to negotiate with her just from that little bit of info?”
A tiny smile crept onto his lips. “And one of the other workers told me how lucky they were to get your delivery. Apparently, their primary supplier is backed up due to logistics issues.”
“Ahh.” I chuckled to myself. “Thanks for jumping in. I really appreciate it.”
“Even though you insisted you had it covered?”
I clenched my jaw. “It’s possible I was being stubborn.”
“Glad it worked out.” He glanced over at me. “Hey. I heard about your mom. I guess that’s why you came back into town?”
I felt myself tense. “Yes.”
“I would say I’m sorry… but I’m not. I bet you’re relieved.”
I turned toward him, surprised. “Wow.”
“Too harsh?”
