It wasn’t the farewell I wanted, but I prided myself on our excellent service, apart from the foul-up with the coffee table.
“How can I help you?”
The guy slammed his fist on the credenza we’ve moved in only yesterday. “I paid top dollar to have a piece of furniture made, and I’ve been waiting all week.” He thankfully moved away from the credenza, but his face was no less angry, and that anger was directed right at me.
“Could I have your name, sir?” I didn’t need it because I suspected this was Mr. Radisson.
“Coffee table. That was what I ordered, and I was in your workshop and chose the wood and the finish.” He pointed at me. “But it wasn’t you I dealt with. It was a bald guy. Are you the hired help?”
He was referring to Jackson, and he’d placed the order when I was on vacation. I couldn’t give excuses or push the blame on an employee. That was unprofessional and unforgivable. So I apologized and said the coffee table could be delivered today.
“Did you lose it?”
“Would you like to see it?”
The frustration vanished from his expression and body, and he followed me into the workshop. I rambled on about us making all our furniture here and how my grandfather had started thebusiness. When I reached the covered coffee table, I asked Mr. Radisson if he wanted to do the honors.
He flung off the tarp and ahhed. “Oh, it is beautiful.” He ran his hands over it as most of our customers did when they saw their furniture. But he did something clients rarely did. He sniffed the wood. “I love it.”
“You know I have two side tables that would look perfect beside a couch in a room with the coffee table.”
Mr. Radisson put up his hands. “Your hard sell won’t work on me. Just the coffee table.”
“Gratis, because of the inconvenience.”
I waved to Callum, and he brought out one of the tables. We’d made them for an upmarket boutique which went bust having only paid the deposit.
“Oh. Now that’s an offer I won’t refuse.”
“We will deliver the coffee and side tables today, if you can confirm your address.” I walked a much-less-agitated Mr. Radisson back to my office.
After getting his correct address, phone number, and email, he said he was heading home now.
“The furniture will be there within the hour.”
“You know I’m impressed. When a business makes a mistake, I judge them, not because of the mishap itself but how they handle it. And you earned yourself ten out of ten.”
I gave a slight nod because gushing my appreciation wasn’t the right response. It might be for some business owners, but I accepted his compliment and didn’t prolong the conversation.My actions spoke for themselves. Besides, he was done with talking and wanted to get home and enjoy his new furniture.
But as I waved a now-very-satisfied customer out the door, my mind returned to Remy. I had his phone number, and I could call because our conversation had been cut short. But we’d said all we had to. How I wished he was in need of custom-built furniture. I’d deliver it personally and install it. I’d ramble for hours on how to take care of it.
But it wasn’t to be, and I sighed and walked into my office.
4
REMY
I woke up, once again, exhausted, wishing I could go back to sleep but knowing, even if I had the time, it wouldn’t happen. My stupid koala was being a freaking butt. He didn’t allow me to relax, to sleep, or to concentrate on my work… nothing. He was pushy as fuck, and he would not settle. I wasn’t sure what to do about it. He’d never been this bad. Not even close.
I gave him an entire bag of eucalyptus candy yesterday and he was still in a mood the entire time. I took him for a shift. All he did was refuse to let me take my skin again for an extra hour and a half. I’d drunk enough tea that I was probably going to turn into a tea bag soon. It might as well have been water. I made up a new batch of shower bombs after going through all of the ones I currently had, and all I had to show for all my showers was dry skin.
Nothing was working.
At first, I thought it was the exhaustion from the trip. Then I thought maybe it was being pissed about the airplanes or not having fresh eucalyptus. I went so far as to have some overnighted, which cost more than my mortgage payment. Fine,that was an exaggeration, but it was a few hundred dollars for what was not a few hundred dollars’ worth of eucalyptus. Nothing helped, and it was impacting all aspects of my daily life at this point.
And to make matters even better, and by better, I mean a whole lot worse, I woke to a message from my boss saying I was needed in the office today. I knew he hadn’t been happy with me using my comp time, but I didn’t think he was “drag me into the office” unhappy. I reached into the back of my closet to get my office-appropriate clothing, already uncomfortable, and it wasn’t even on my body yet. It was going to be a long day, especially if Kevin was there with all of his stinky cologne.
At least I didn’t have to be at work at my normal time, so I didn’t have to rush out the door. The first thing I smelled when I walked in was Kevin’s cologne. An omega had told him he smelled good once, and that was all there was to that. I suspected he had stock in it.
