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“It’s in here somewhere, right?” I ask Annika.
She nods. “If it’s marked ‘for sale’.”
“Well then,” I say, rolling up my shirtsleeves. “Tell me where it was, and where it’s supposed to be, and we’ll figure it out from there.”
“Charlie…” Grace protests.
“Tick tock,” I tell her. “Are you going to stand there and tell me it can’t be done, or are you going to help?”
She breaks into a smile that makes something in my chest clench. “Let’s do this,” she says, and heads for the first shelf.
But as much as this is a Hail Mary play, I still figure there’s some method to the madness, so I hone in on the aisle where the perfume boxes are supposed to be, figuring it’s more likely they got shoved in with something else than lost completely. Grace joins me, and even Annika pitches in, rifling through cartons and crates, balancing up on a trundle ladder to reach the top shelves.
“Ooh, I love these vintage necklaces,” Grace chatters to Annika as they search. “Do you do costume stuff, too?”
“Who do you think has been hooking me up with our wedding outfits?” I call over.
“Let me put you in my little black book,” Grace says. “A great costume source is hard to find. And are those Tiffany lamps?”
“Focus,” I remind her, and Grace grins.
“I know, I know!”
I get back to rifling through cartons, looking for perfume bottles, wondering if I’ve led her on a wild goose chase. Should I have tried something else, instead of wasting our time here? I wanted to be the white knight, and save the day, but it’s looking more like I’m dooming her to failure as the time ticks past with no results.
I’m just about to give up and accept the blame when—
“Got it!”
Grace’s triumphant cry echoes through the warehouse. She races towards me, holding a fancy embossed box up in triumph. “I found it!” she squeals, celebrating. “Look!”
She shoves it at me—so fast, I almost drop the damn thing.
Almost.
“Woah,” I laugh, caught up in her enthusiasm. “Precious cargo.”
“I know, I know.” Grace beams, so happy, I know that the day is more than worth it. She smothers me with a kiss, bouncing on the spot. “Wrap the damn thing in cotton wool and bubble wrap.”
Grace thanks Annika, and pays for the perfume, then checks the time. After five p.m. She gulps. “Do you think we’ll make it?”
“We will. Come on, let’s get this back to the city before the clock runs out!”
Back to the city. In rush hour.
“This was an impossible task,” I assure Grace, as we crawl through traffic and she anxiously watches the clock. “There’s no way Katherine really expected it to happen. If you show up three minutes late, she’s still going to be impressed.”
Grace sighs, bouncing her legs nervously. “Does Katherine Vanderberg seem like the type of person who gives partial credit on assignments?”
A fair point.
The universe must be on our side, though, because it’s nothing but green lights for the ride back, and Katherine’s building comes into sight at exactly six o’ clock.
The woman herself is strolling out the front doors, beneath the building’s dark green awning. Her car is waiting, driver holding open the door. I screech to a halt, and Grace jumps out. I’m right behind her, illegal parking be damned.
“Ms. Vanderberg!” Grace calls, sprinting over. “Wait!”
Katherine looks up, surprised. She’s made up, ready for her evening out, and I don’t think she had any expectation of seeing Grace. An impressed smile grows as she turns over the perfume in her hand. “Well, well. That was close, wasn’t it?”
