“Oh! T-shirts. I need to buy one while we’re here.”
Stig followed her as she rifled through the racks. She ignored the white and black ones, pausing when she came to the colored shirts. “This red one is perfect.” She showed him one with the head of a polar bear, then tucked it under her arm. “Look at these little carvings. The ones Josef makes are much better than these. Oh, they’re plastic.” She pulled a face and replaced the white bear figurine.
“Good morning,” she chirped to the woman behind the counter.
Stig inclined his head as he acknowledged the store owner, but he stood back to give the illusion of space.
“I’ll take the T-shirt please,” Fiona said and pulled her hot pink purse from the depths of her jacket. “I have a friend who carves small figurines out of wood. Would you be willing to view them with the object of selling the figurines in your shop?”
The tall blonde sized up Fiona before flicking a glance at him. “I only sell superior quality items in my store.”
“Of course,” Fiona said. “I can see that in this T-shirt. Josef’s work will appeal to tourists. He carves bears and they’re very cute.”
The woman nodded, a swathe of blonde hair caressing her cheek. “Bring them in next time you’re in town.”
“I’m Fiona McDonald. You are?”
“Penny Harrison,” the woman replied.
“Have you met Stig? It’s his brother Josef who carves the figurines in his spare time. Actually, that’s why we’re here. I’m sure you’ve heard about the ice road? We wondered if you wanted anything freighted from Gillam? We’re running an introductory offer and giving everyone who books ten percent off this week.”
They were?Stig frowned but remained silent. He forced a polite smile as the woman flicked a quick glance in his direction.
“I wanted to order furniture from a Winnipeg store. I haven’t because of the cost of the air freight.”
“Is it ready-made or kitset?” Stig asked.
“It comes in flat packs,” Penny replied.
“If you can get it to Gillam, we’ll bring it to Churchill,” Fiona stated. “Would you like to talk price?”
Penny wrinkled her brow, then her forehead cleared, and she gave a decisive nod. “Yes.”
“How many flat packs will you want to ship?”
“Five,” Penny replied, seeming more relaxed the longer they conversed.
“Perfect. The freight on that will be five hundred and fifty dollars.”
Stig held his breath and fought to stay impassive. Fiona had added on money rather than giving a discount.
“Done,” Penny said. “That is a third of the price of the air freight. How soon can you ship them?”
“We’re not doing another run until Monday,” Stig said. “That would mean you should have your delivery by the end of the week.”
“Where do I sign?”
Stig pulled out a contract and Fiona filled it out for Penny to add her signature.
“Thank you,” Fiona said when they concluded their business. “I’ll bring you a selection of figurines tomorrow.”
Penny smiled—a natural smile and one that Stig seldom saw from the humans. “Sounds great.”
Outside, Fiona beamed. “How did I do?”
“We concede,” Stig told Kirk. “Fiona gets to approach all the store owners. You go with her for the next round, and you’ll see what I mean.”
They took turns escorting Fiona into the stores, pubs and different tourist accommodations with their stack of orders growing. Not everyone wanted to ship with them, but a high percentage placed freight orders.
