“No worries.” Anna scooched over to let Vanessa in. “Buck said he’d take me to buy a Christmas tree one day. Isn’t that great?”
“That’s very nice of you, Buck.” Vanessa studied the gentleman.
“My pleasure,” Buck said.
“I’m going to walk down to the office and work on a few things.”
“I can take Anna back.” Buck insisted on putting the meal on his tab, and then the three of them walked outside. Thesnow had been cleared from the sidewalks, but all of the grass still glistened white.
“You sure we can’t talk you into coming with us?” Buck asked.
“No, thank you. I’ll see you tonight, Anna.”
She watched as they pulled out of the parking space in Buck’s truck; then she turned and walked to Porter’s. She wanted to observe the retail outlet and meet the manager and the rest of the staff.
She walked inside. Business was brisk. Misty, who had given her the card with the key to the apartment, was working the register again.
“Hello, Misty. Remember me?”
“I do.” The young girl’s eyes danced. “How are you enjoying your stay in Fraser Hills?”
“It’s been very nice.”
“I’ve always dreamed about how cool it would be stay in the city. New York City, maybe. Not live there, but, you know, visit for a while.”
“Chicago is so much prettier than New York City. I’ve lived in both, but I prefer Chicago.”
“I’ve never been to any big city. Do you travel lots of places for work?”
“Yes.”
“That is the coolest thing ever.”
Vanessa let her gush. Business travel looked like all fun and games from the outside. The truth was, Vanessa rarely got to enjoy the places she visited, usually stuck in office buildings or huge windowless run-down factories that had seen better days. “I’ll tell you about it one day.”
“I’d love that so much.” Misty’s eyes were wide in anticipation.
“I’ll make you a deal. I’d like to understand how things are working here in the retail area, before I make any recommendations. Do you think you could walk me through the processes?”
“Sure.”
“Great. I’ll get Lilene to bring someone in to fill in for you.”
“We actually have a couple of people extra working today. I think they can handle it without me. Should I punch out?”
“No. You’ll get paid to do this. Who do I need to clear you leaving your shift with?”
Misty introduced her to the store manager, who knew exactly who Vanessa was and why she was there. “You do whatever you need to do, Ms. Larkin. We can handle things here today.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
Vanessa and Misty turned and walked toward the front of the store. “Let’s start at the beginning.”
“Because profitability and customer satisfaction always start and ends with the voice of the customer,” Misty said.
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Vanessa relaxed, enjoying this day already. “When we’re done, we’ll do dinner and not talk shop at all. You pick the place.”
“Really?”
