she’d gone back to buy one.
The shop was busy. Andy, her husband and partner in the business, was helping a young woman, an outsider, choose a ski jacket. Flower, their employee, was ringing up a pair of gloves and woolen socks for a local.
A man examined snowshoes hanging on the back wall, and a young mother held her toddler up to see the display of nature and eco-adventure books. The child pointed to one; his mom took it off the shelf, and without checking the price, carried it to the counter. It was the 28th of December and, so far, they hadn’t had too many Christmas returns.
In years past the company had offered guided snowmobile tours and cross-country ski trips into the mountains, but as Andy got older and the children, Samwise and Moonlight, grew up and left home, they’d given up that part of the business and concentrated on the shop in the winter. The rest of the year, they offered guided hourly and multi-day hiking and kayaking trips.
The bell over the door tinkled as a group of vacationers came in. Laughing, they shook heads full of fresh snow and stamped slush-covered boots.
Lucky waved her fingers at Flower, and smiled good-bye to Andy. He gave her a wink so suggestive Lucky felt the color rising into her cheeks. Since Moonlight had moved out Andy’s libido seemed to have gone into overdrive. And Lucky didn’t mind one bit.
She wouldn’t be at all surprised if he told Flower he was going for coffee and hurried home after his wife. Even Flower might think an hour’s coffee break was a bit much. It had been easier when they were young and operated a shoe-string operation. Not having to worry about employees or inquisitive children, Andy would toss the sign on the door to closed and take Lucky into the broom closet.
Those had been good days for sure.
The glove-and-sock-purchasing local said hi to Lucky and left the store. She prepared to follow.
“Lucky,” Flower said. “Can I speak to you for a minute?” Her face was drawn into serious lines.
“Sure.” Lucky rounded the counter. “What’s the matter?”
Flower lowered her voice. Lucky leaned closer in order to hear. “I think we’ve been robbed.”
“What?”
“See those goggles over there? End of the table beside the helmets?”
Lucky looked. The table featured a display of ski accessories. Helmets, gloves, a pair of very expensive goggles.
“Half hour ago, there were two goggles.”
Lucky looked around the store. The outsider had decided that white wasn’t what she wanted and asked Andy to find her a colorful jacket in the same size. She carried a shoulder bag not large enough to conceal anything bigger than a deck of cards. The man looking at snowshoes took a pair down from the wall. Unless he’d stuffed them into his coat pocket he didn’t have the goggles.
The snow-covered group picked their way through the goods. Just browsing.
“Are you sure?” Lucky asked Flower. “Maybe Andy sold it.”
“I’ve been the only one on cash for the last couple of hours. It didn’t go through me, Lucky. There were three of them sitting there when I got back from lunch. Andy sold one about an hour ago. Half-hour or so ago, I noticed that the goggles—both of them—had been knocked askew. I was about to go and adjust them, when we got busy. Next time I looked up, one was left and no one around who might have picked them up while thinking about buying them.”
Andy escorted his customer to the check out. She’d chosen a tight-fitting pink ski jacket that, in Lucky’s opinion, did absolutely nothing for a woman in her fifties with hair dyed as red as a rotting tomato.
Flower smiled at her and accepted the garment. “I’ve had my eyes on this myself,” she said. “It looks fabulous on you.”
The woman beamed and pulled out a credit card.
Lucky drew Andy to the side and told him what Flower had told her.
He sighed heavily. “Can you do a quick search of the store? Look under tables and check the change room. If nothing,
The shop was busy. Andy, her husband and partner in the business, was helping a young woman, an outsider, choose a ski jacket. Flower, their employee, was ringing up a pair of gloves and woolen socks for a local.
A man examined snowshoes hanging on the back wall, and a young mother held her toddler up to see the display of nature and eco-adventure books. The child pointed to one; his mom took it off the shelf, and without checking the price, carried it to the counter. It was the 28th of December and, so far, they hadn’t had too many Christmas returns.
In years past the company had offered guided snowmobile tours and cross-country ski trips into the mountains, but as Andy got older and the children, Samwise and Moonlight, grew up and left home, they’d given up that part of the business and concentrated on the shop in the winter. The rest of the year, they offered guided hourly and multi-day hiking and kayaking trips.
The bell over the door tinkled as a group of vacationers came in. Laughing, they shook heads full of fresh snow and stamped slush-covered boots.
Lucky waved her fingers at Flower, and smiled good-bye to Andy. He gave her a wink so suggestive Lucky felt the color rising into her cheeks. Since Moonlight had moved out Andy’s libido seemed to have gone into overdrive. And Lucky didn’t mind one bit.
She wouldn’t be at all surprised if he told Flower he was going for coffee and hurried home after his wife. Even Flower might think an hour’s coffee break was a bit much. It had been easier when they were young and operated a shoe-string operation. Not having to worry about employees or inquisitive children, Andy would toss the sign on the door to closed and take Lucky into the broom closet.
Those had been good days for sure.
The glove-and-sock-purchasing local said hi to Lucky and left the store. She prepared to follow.
“Lucky,” Flower said. “Can I speak to you for a minute?” Her face was drawn into serious lines.
“Sure.” Lucky rounded the counter. “What’s the matter?”
Flower lowered her voice. Lucky leaned closer in order to hear. “I think we’ve been robbed.”
“What?”
“See those goggles over there? End of the table beside the helmets?”
Lucky looked. The table featured a display of ski accessories. Helmets, gloves, a pair of very expensive goggles.
“Half hour ago, there were two goggles.”
Lucky looked around the store. The outsider had decided that white wasn’t what she wanted and asked Andy to find her a colorful jacket in the same size. She carried a shoulder bag not large enough to conceal anything bigger than a deck of cards. The man looking at snowshoes took a pair down from the wall. Unless he’d stuffed them into his coat pocket he didn’t have the goggles.
The snow-covered group picked their way through the goods. Just browsing.
“Are you sure?” Lucky asked Flower. “Maybe Andy sold it.”
“I’ve been the only one on cash for the last couple of hours. It didn’t go through me, Lucky. There were three of them sitting there when I got back from lunch. Andy sold one about an hour ago. Half-hour or so ago, I noticed that the goggles—both of them—had been knocked askew. I was about to go and adjust them, when we got busy. Next time I looked up, one was left and no one around who might have picked them up while thinking about buying them.”
Andy escorted his customer to the check out. She’d chosen a tight-fitting pink ski jacket that, in Lucky’s opinion, did absolutely nothing for a woman in her fifties with hair dyed as red as a rotting tomato.
Flower smiled at her and accepted the garment. “I’ve had my eyes on this myself,” she said. “It looks fabulous on you.”
The woman beamed and pulled out a credit card.
Lucky drew Andy to the side and told him what Flower had told her.
He sighed heavily. “Can you do a quick search of the store? Look under tables and check the change room. If nothing,
Similar Books
