Thanks for getting back to me and agreeing to work with us, Mr. Alcott. Do you happen to have time to stop by Soi today to discuss contract details? We just want to get started as soon as possible.
Jasper Alcott
How does this afternoon work?
Iris
Works great for me!
My stomach drops—similar to the way it does when descending on a massive roller coaster. The nerves consume me. I haven’t felt this way in years, and I’d be fooling myself if I said I was mad about it.
Ten
Jasper
Acouple of sleepless nights later, I conclude it won't hurt to help Kai complete his mission. Shocking, I know.
I mean, I obviously have a lot to learn about Iris—for instance, I haven’t got the slightest clue about why she feels the way she does. But the idea of her fighting a silent battle seemingly alone gets to me, regardless of how well I know her. Primarily, for this reason, I choose to work with Soi. Working with Soi will help Aged Emporium in the process anyway; it’s a win-win. The shop will gain the funding it needs to excel, and I’ll get to help Kai help Iris. While sitting at the front counter of Aged Emporium, I take my wallet out to find her business card. I try to avoid emailingunless absolutely necessary at this point in my life, so I shoot her a text instead. She quickly replies. Of course, she is still calling me Mr. Alcott.
We settled on a time to meet at her office this afternoon. I haven’t had any uninvited guests visit me since my angelic encounter on Friday, which I find relieving. I assume Kai is serving his purpose at Iris’s side. Throughout the weekend, I thought about their dynamics. He cares a lot about Iris. Sure, he can chalk it up to it being their tethered bond or whatever, but he can’t deny how deeply he cares for her. Just as I’m getting sucked into that stupor of thought, the bells chime. We’ve been open for two hours already and we’re just now greeting our first customers of the day. I hope this fundraiser helps as much as Iris thinks it will.
I glance at the middle-aged couple wandering in, carefully taking in all of our shop’s belongings. The jewelry entrances her at the front while he sorts through the watches. They both pick different pieces for each other and chuckle like they’re sharing a secret only they know. For a moment, time halts, and I see my parents in them, but before the accident. If I can just get this shop back on its feet, maybe they’ll recover.
I stride in through Soi’s front doors, not knowing what to expect. From what I've gathered since moving back home, Soi is one of the newer establishments in town. A woman with black hair greets me. “You must be Mr. Alcott! Welcome! I’m Pen. Irisshould be finishing up with a meeting. If you’d like, I can take you back to wait closer to her office.”
“Sure, thanks.” I take note of Pen’s warm energy. Does everyone working at Soi eat rainbows and sunshine for breakfast?
“Not everyone, but a lot of them do,” a hoarse voice whispers into my ear, over my shoulder. Great. I guess I can officially add mind-reading to his bag of tricks I don’t care for.
“Dude, you can’t sneak up on me like that—it’s too much,” I mutter. As Pen leads me to Iris’s office, she turns her head ever so slightly over her shoulder to glance at me.
“Everything okay, Mr. Alcott?”
“Uh, yeah, sorry about that—I was replying to Siri, she has a mind of her own.” I hold up my phone. She nods in a friendly, reassuring but tentative way, then turns back around. I cringe, and to no one’s surprise, Kai snickers.
“Oh man, this is going to be fun. I love that you can see me, it’s my new favorite game.” Kai walks next to me. I grit my teeth and attempt to brush this off, accepting this is my life for the foreseeable future. The faster we can mend Iris, the better. I can’t acknowledge everything he says, otherwise people will think I’m a lunatic.
“Jasper!” a high-pitched voice shouts to my left. I gaze over to seeJoy?Just when I thought I couldn't possibly be more surprised than I already am.
“Joy? What are you doing here?” I approach her desk, grinning. “I haven’t seen you since high school.”
“I know, it’s crazy. Today is actually my first day at Soi as an Event Planner. I’m the one who pitched Aged Emporium to Iris as our fundraiser, and I can’t tell you how happy I am that you agreed. I knew you would, though,” she says, playfully punching my arm. It’s wild seeing her here. We spent time in the same crowd throughout schooling, but she was much younger.
As we’re catching up, I see movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn slightly to see an open office. Natural light pours in through a large window, illuminating her brunette waves cascading down her back. She’s vigorously taking notes in her planner while sitting at her desk with her legs crossed. Upon closer look, she appears flushed.Is she blushing?
“Before you get carried away, her cheeks are naturally pink. Don’t feel too special, buddy.” I jump, forgetting Kai had even been next to me. This is getting old fast.
“Whoa, are you okay?” Joy reaches over and gently grasps my arm. I pull away politely.
“Just peachy. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to meet with Iris. It was good talking with you.” I turn to walk toward Iris’s domain. Upon approaching, I thank Pen quietly, then lean on her door frame, taking in all the elements of Iris’s office that make it her. The scent reminds me of soft rain on a cloudy day. Her cozy office features several minimalist art pieces lining the walls, alongside an assortment of greenery—from faux plants to the chairs. How fitting it is for Iris Greene to fancy the color green. I find tuning out the faint music echoing throughout the space to be nearly impossible, not that I actually mind. When I worked in corporate, I never cared about decorating my office. I saw it as a means for work only, not taking time to make it my own. I never understood why people decorated their offices so intensely until now. Her office is an expression of herself.
“Hi,Ms. Greene.”
“Mr. Alcott.” She looks up from her planner, startled. Did she really not notice I was here? No wonder she needs a guardian. “I’m so glad you could stop by! I already heard back from Legal. They’ll send you a contract to review sometime today. That will cover any additional costs we may need you to cover, but your financial investment should be minimal. I was thinking we coulduse this time to discuss what exactly we want to do, when to do it, and where to focus our efforts.”
Not wasting a single second of time, she motions for me to take a seat. As I approach the chair, I gaze at her. Subtle, hardly noticeable purple shadows lie directly below her emerald eyes, and yet, her smile doesn’t falter.
“I’m all yours. Hit me with whatever you’ve got.” I pause. “Just know, I’ve never been a marketing guru—I worked in finance previously, so that’s my forte.”
