Calling All Customers (Calling All... Book 3)

by Tara Ford

  Jenny and Aaron looked at each other and burst into laughter. “Marj, I’ve already said that he is not my husband. This kind man helped to pull you out of the freezer. He’s a customer, like you.”

  “Oh yes, of course. Well maybe you two should stop beating about the bush and just get married.”

  Aaron’s embarrassment was quite apparent but endearing too, Jenny noted, admiringly.

  “Maybe we should,” Aaron mocked and then winked at Jenny. “Anyway, it’s been nice to meet you Marj,” he said, leaning in through the door. He stretched out a hand towards hers.

  Peering up sharply at Aaron, Marj did not take his hand but shrugged her small shoulders and climbed down from the stool. “I’d better be off. My birds will be waiting for their tea,” she said, pushing past him and into the shop.

  “Did you want these,” Aaron called after her, “toilet rolls?”

  Marj turned and snatched the packet from Aaron’s hand.

  Jenny peered round the door and could hear the till ringing as Dayna scanned one item after another. The two young Mums were by the counter, chatting and laughing. “The toilet rolls are on the house Marj, like I said before, a token gesture to express my apologies.”

  “Pardon?” said Marj.

  “Never mind – have the toilet rolls Marj, they’re free.”

  “Oh, yes, thank you very much.”

  Hugging the turquoise toilet rolls close to her chest, Marj tottered off down the aisle and straight out of the shop.

  Aaron and Jenny both stared at each other in amazement and then quickly averted their gaze. “Right, I’d better go and pay for those chocolates,” said Aaron. “Good luck with your shop.”

  “Huh, think I’m going to need some good luck. I’ve only been open two days and already a customer has had an accident.”

  “I don’t think you need to worry too much, she didn’t hurt herself.”

  “No thankfully, but if we hadn’t seen her, I could have been removing a frozen, dead customer from my freezer unit.”

  Aaron burst into laughter again. “Sorry, it’s not funny really,” he managed to say, “I’ve never seen anything like it before though. Maybe you should put a sign up.”

  “Good idea.”

  “It could say something like, ‘Please do not get inside the freezer, due to the risk of freezing to death and turning into a stiffy’.”

  Feeling guilty momentarily about her pending reaction, Jenny just couldn’t stop herself and burst into a loud roar.

  The two Mums left the shop and Dayna walked down to the end, to see what all the noise was about. Outside the staff room, Jenny and the tall man were bent over in fits of hysterical laughter. “Don’t know if Marj paid you for her toilet rolls,” said Dayna, slightly disgruntled that she may have missed out on something highly entertaining.

  “I told her she could have them,” said Jenny, before bursting into laughter again.

  “She seemed ok when she left,” replied Dayna, huffily.

  Jenny nodded and looked at Aaron who then began to laugh again whilst shaking his head and looking up to the ceiling.

  “Those chocolates are on the counter if you still want them.” Dayna stared despairingly at the two guffawing clowns. Irritated by the fact that she didn’t really know what was so funny, Dayna puffed out her cheeks and walked back to the counter.

  “Right, I’d better go and pay for them,” said Aaron. “It’s been great to meet you, Jenny.”

  “You too.” Jenny couldn’t help feeling forlorn as she began to walk up the aisle towards the counter with him. “You can have the choccies. No need to pay for them. I don’t know what I would have done without you here.”

  “Well, I suppose you may not have realised, for a while, that you had a customer hanging out of your freezer.” Aaron laughed. “Your customer service wouldn’t have looked very good when those other two women came in with their kids.”

  With that, both Jenny and Aaron burst into laughter again, just as they reached the counter.

  Dayna stared at the two of them in puzzlement.

  As Jenny walked behind the counter, she placed a hand on Dayna’s back, “I’ll explain all… in a minute,” she said.

  Aaron took his wallet from the inside of his jacket, “I want to pay for these,” he said. “Maybe I’ll come in another time for some of your free turquoise toilet rolls.”

  Again, both Jenny and Aaron guffawed but Dayna just stared unknowingly.

  “Sorry Day, this is Aaron. He sells EPOS systems.”

  “Oh, hi Aaron. Nice to meet you, although I have no idea what a he-pos system is.”

  Aaron and Jenny’s eyes met once more and there wasn’t a hope in hell that they wouldn’t start the cachinnation again. So they did.

  “I’m sorry, Day,” said Jenny again. “I’ve got a fit of the giggles today.”

  Dayna shrugged, “Nice to see you happy again.”

  Jenny stopped giggling abruptly as Dayna’s words made it sound like she hadn’t been happy for a long time.

  “What do you mean – happy again?”

  “Well, you could do with someone in your life, who makes you laugh a lot like this.”

  Jenny frowned at her dear friend and poked her in the side.

  “Right, I really must go,” said Aaron, sensing the awkwardness. Passing his payment card to Dayna, he smiled warmly at Jenny. “I’ll drop that card in to you, as soon as I can.”

  “Ooh, chocolates. I bet there is one lucky lady going to receive these,” Dayna said as she began to process the card.

  Aaron grinned before looking down, embarrassedly. “Yes, my mum… I forgot her birthday.”

  “Oh dear, that’s not good. You’ll need to buy her more than a box of chocolates,” said Dayna.

  “Oh don’t worry, I have.” Aaron smiled, “I’ve got a boot full of garden gnomes – she loves gnomes.”

  “Ooh, one happy Mama!” said Dayna, laughing exaggeratedly. “Give me the creeps – I’m sure they walk around the gardens at night.”

  “Maybe they do… but she still likes them.” Aaron met Jenny’s eye. “Thanks… and… err… nice to meet you. I’ll pop the card in as soon as I can. Bye.”

  Jenny gave an acknowledging smile and watched him walk out of the shop as tingly, flutters flipped around inside her. There was no mistaking it. She most definitely fancied him.

  Chapter 11

  “Day, I don’t get it. Why did you say that I wasn’t happy? That well embarrassed me in front of Aaron.”

  “Ah, you’re not getting my motive are you, Jen?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “I was trying to give him subliminal messages.”

  “What do you mean, subliminal messages – about what?” Jenny huffed as she watched three lone and potential customers walk straight into the shop and down the first aisle, one after another.

  “That you’re single and up for grabs.”

  “What?” Jenny gawped at her friend and colleague. “I thought you fancied him.”

  “He’s all right. You do though – most definitely.”

  “He’s really nice, Day. I’m not ready for that kind of stuff again though. I’ve got a shop to run now. And besides, he’s probably already spoken for.”

  “Nah, I reckon he’s single too. No ring – I looked.” Dayna slurped her cooling tea. “You need to have a life too though, Jen.”

  “I’ve got a life. I’m devoted to making this shop in to a successful business. I don’t need men… well, not at the moment anyway.”

  Dayna cleared her throat. “Huh, well it’s nice to have the option.”

  The three customers were spread around the shop now, perusing the well-stocked shelves. Jenny watched as they picked up items, placed them back and then moved along the aisle to something else. She hadn’t seen these people before, which was great news for the shop’s footfall. Jenny suspected that no amount of advertising would bring her customers quicker than ‘word of mouth’.

  “You li
ked him too. Why don’t you go for him? Well, that’s if we ever see him again.” Jenny sighed and really hoped her words would not be true.

  “No point,” said Dayna, just as one of the people approached the counter…

  “Blimey, news travels quickly around here, doesn’t it?” Dayna checked the details she’d written in the note book and then placed it back under the counter.

  “Yes, at this rate I’ll need to hire a paperboy.”

  The second person, of the three people who had walked into the shop, one after the other, had been told by ‘a friend’ that J’s Convenience Store provided a newspaper delivery service.

  “Or girl,” corrected Dayna.

  “Yes, or girl. I’ve got no problem with delivering two newspapers in the mornings but if we get any more, I’ll have to consider it.”

  “So you’re going to leave Tasha here on her own, on the mornings that she works?”

  “Ah, well I hadn’t actually thought about that,” said Jenny, placing a thoughtful finger to her lips.

  “I’ve got no problem with you going off to deliver a couple of papers, Jen, but Tasha is very young. I’m not sure that you should be leaving her alone to manage the shop at all.”

  “Hmm…” Jenny pondered over Dayna’s statement for a moment. “I could ask her if she would drop them off, I suppose.”

  “Well yes, you could but she’d have to walk wouldn’t she? I don’t think she’d be too happy to do it if it was chucking it down though.” Dayna left the counter and went round to the front of it, to tidy the chocolate bars. “You’ll have to ask her Jen – see what she thinks.”

  “Yes… I wonder whether she’s got a bike.”

  “Still get soaked if it’s peeing down,” said Dayna, fiddling with the chocolates needlessly.

  “Well I’ll just have to leave her in the shop then. How long can it take to deliver two newspapers?”

  Dayna shrugged. “Dunno,” she said, before walking off to the magazine rack to do some more unnecessary tidying.

  “Anyway,” said Jenny, joining Dayna by the magazines, “why did you say ‘no point’ earlier, when I said about you going for that man, Aaron?”

  “Oh Jen, it’s so obvious that he fancied you.”

  “Really?” Jenny felt a bubbly sensation in the pit of her stomach. “How do you know that?”

  “The way he looked at you. Didn’t you notice?” Dayna turned to face her best friend. “No, you probably didn’t – you were laughing your head off too much.”

  “Well, we may never see him again,” said Jenny, pulling her bottom lip down and staring wide-eyed.

  “We will – I know it… even if you can’t see it.”

  Dead on seven o’clock, Dad arrived, beaming as usual. “You’re right love,” he said to Jenny, “it doesn’t look like you’re open from outside.”

  “Thought so. The light from the street lamp on the corner seems to wash out the lights inside here. I’d better get something sorted out, pretty soon.”

  “Never fear – Father is here,” said Dad. “Jaycob picked some outdoor strip lights up for you.”

  “Oh, bless his little cotton socks,” said Jenny. “Dare I ask how much?”

  “No, you dare not. Call them a complimentary gift from both of us, for pulling off your dream.”

  “Ah, thank you Dad.” Jenny leant over and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Well before you start shouting my praises…” Dad wiped a hardened, builder’s hand across his face, “…we can’t fit them until Friday. We’ve got too much on at the moment.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll stand outside the shop in the evenings, with a torch, if I have to.” Jenny laughed and kissed her dad’s cheek again.

  “I could have asked Calvin to give Jacob a hand, they could have got it done tomorrow afternoon… but you know your brother… he screwed his nose up when I suggested it and said, ‘No thanks, Jen can wait’.”

  “Well you are the only one that seems to like Calvin, Dad. I’m well and truly over him and Jacob never really liked him from the start,” said Jenny, defensively.

  “I always say you could do worse, love.”

  “Yes, I know. Dayna tells me that all the time as well.” Jenny shuffled uncomfortably. “It doesn’t matter what anyone says, Dad – I’m prepared to give ‘worse’ a chance.”

  “You’ve got to do what is right for you, love. Now make me a nice cup of tea, while I get the stuff from the van.”

  “Ok… oh, and Dad, did you get the ring thing?”

  “All in hand, love,” said Dad as he headed back towards the door. “You can tie an elephant to the front of your shop, when I’ve finished.”

  Both Jenny and Dayna, who had been busy filling up the savoury snacks and crisps, laughed.

  “I’ll make the tea, Jen,” said Dayna, getting up from her knelt position and dusting off her trousers. “I’m all done with this lot,” she said, picking up two boxes of crisps and waddling off towards the store room.

  Dad returned with two lengthy boxes and a carrier bag of bits and pieces. “I’ll get the elephant-rings fitted now, shouldn’t take too long,” he said, as he rummaged around in the carrier bag. “How’s it gone today?”

  “Blimey, where do I start?” said Jenny, raising her eyebrows. “I can’t believe I’ve only been open two days – feels like a lifetime.”

  “Oh dear, why’s that?” Dad found what he was looking for and pulled the rings and their attachments from the carrier bag.

  “You won’t believe what has gone on today.” As Jenny proceeded to tell her dad about the day’s events, he listened intently to her remarkable tale.

  After 20 minutes of drilling, screwing and banging, Dad poked his head round the front door. “All done, love.”

  “Coming,” shouted Jenny, from behind the counter, where she was jotting down the two addresses for the newspaper deliveries. She had to double-check the whereabouts of her customers’ homes on the computer, in order to ensure a quick delivery in the morning.

  “Ooh, they look good. Bigger than I thought. I see what you mean – you could definitely tie a horse to that,” said Jenny, pointing to one of the rings.

  “Elephant,” said Dad.

  “And an elephant!”

  Another day was drawing to an end. Dayna had been very helpful in removing coins from the till and bagging them into their correct bags, before the shop closed – they were ready for tomorrow’s float. It would save Jenny the job of doing it later and hopefully allow her to go home a bit sooner, once she’d cashed up.

  “I’m getting off now, Jen,” said Dayna, glancing up at the clock on the wall. “Got to go and pick up the little rat-bag.”

  Dayna’s mum was babysitting once again, although the task was proving to be tetchy and tedious, as far as everyone was concerned. Dayna’s mum didn’t approve of Xaylan’s late-night game playing and the distinct lack of homework, and rightly so. Xaylan didn’t agree that he should ever have to do any homework as he did enough at school and as he was going to be a game-maker when he grew up. So there was no need to do anything else, apart from play games. Dayna was on the fence and not in any position to preach about the benefits of doing homework. Having played truant for most of her school years and certainly never considered doing any school work at home, she wanted to keep her mum sweet, hence the reason for the constant arguing between Dayna and her pre-hormonal son.

  “Is there anything else, before I go?”

  “No, that’s fine, thanks, Day. It’s ten past eight already – you get yourself home. I’ve nearly finished here, thanks to you. I think we should get the next day’s float ready every night.”

  “As long as we’re not too busy,” replied Dayna, grabbing her coat from the hook in the staff room.

  “Well, I hope we will get busier, once Dad and Jacob have put the lights up outside. We might look open in the evenings then.”

  Jenny was praying that this was indeed the case. She needed to have more than four customers in t
he evenings if staying open, keeping lights on and paying staff was going to be financially viable. The last two days had not paid for themselves in the slightest, but Jenny had allowed for a slow start in her financial forecasts. Things would have to pick up quite sharply though, if her targets were going to be met by the end of month one.

  “See you in the morning, Jen,” said Dayna, waving the back of her hand as she went out of the door.

  Jenny left the paper bundles for a moment and went to lock the door behind her friend. She felt safer knowing the front door was locked as she sat out the back in her little office, counting out the day’s takings, checking the cash and card slips against the till report and then inputting the information into her spreadsheets.

  She finished five minutes earlier than the previous evening. Shrugging her shoulders, Jenny made a mental note to get much quicker at the cashing-up. By the weekend (when she would be open much later), she needed to get home as soon as possible. She wanted to feel like she at least had a tiny, even microscopic, bit of life at home, especially at the weekends. Only two days had passed and already Jenny felt like she lived in the shop… and she practically would be by the weekend.

  Wrenched from her muse, Jenny’s heart thumped as she listened with bated breath. She had heard a knock at the far end of the shop and assumed it came from the door.

  Who could be there?

  For some unknown reason, she felt uneasy. If there was a stranger at the door, what would she do?

  Open it?

  Would it be a customer?

  Surely not. The front sets of lights were turned off. Realising, potentially, just how vulnerable she was, Jenny made the decision to go to the door and call out to anyone there, that the shop was closed and of course, she would also say sorry.

  Nervously, she pulled herself up from the chair and headed down the semi-dark shop, as the knocking came again.

  “Bloody hell, you scared the life out of me – you idiot,” said Jenny as she pulled the door open wide. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was passing. Thought I’d drop in to see how you’re doing.”