Asher answered without hesitation. “Soft things. She’s got a lot of soft sweaters and blankets. She also likes purple. It’s her favorite color.”
Was there really a woman in Asher’s life? How interesting!
Willow nodded at Asher’s words, obviously relieved he might have a legitimate reason to be in her shop.
“I have these,” Willow said, leading him over to a display of pashminas.
Asher ended up picking out a purple and blue pashmina and asked Willow to gift wrap it for him. She ignored his questions or answered them with noncommittal comments. The moment he left, her shoulders sagged a little, and she dug something out from behind the register. I watched her tug on my hoodie.
Asher made her cold, and she sought warmth from my hoodie!
That, more than anything, gave me the courage I needed to approach her. I’d wait until it was near closing, then see if she would talk to me.
I flowed back through the vent, rematerialized behind the strip mall, then jogged around to find Asher waiting for me against the wall.
“She’s pretty,” he said when I approached.
“She’s perfect,” I countered. How dare he use the same word for Willow as someone might use for a painting?
Asher dipped his head. “I understand why you think so. Call me if you need any help with her. Words have never been your strength.”
My lips curved. “She didn’t like you or your words.”
“Perhaps not,” Asher snapped. I’d hit him in a vulnerable spot, his ego. “But it’ll be interesting to see if you can control yourself long enough to garner her interest or if you’ll end up scaring her away.”
Then he disappeared.
“Enjoy your scarf!” I yelled into the air with a laugh. “It’ll look good with your navy-blue suit.”
I could feel his annoyance and then I didn’t feel his presence anymore. He’d left, and I won.
I settled in to watch the shop again. I didn’t need Asher’s help with Willow. The fact that she was in there right now wearing my hoodie was proof of that!
It was later in the afternoon, and Willow’s shop had a steady stream of customers all day. I sighed and slipped my hand into my pocket and rubbed the button I’d found between thumb and finger. Her scent had worn off the plastic disk, but it had become a comforting talisman to me.
Asher had left hours ago, and I was struggling to remain at the far end of the parking lot.
“Checking on her one more time won’t hurt anything,” I reasoned. I walked the familiar path to the area behind the strip mall and took my mist form. I heard an angry voice before I even finished traveling through the vent and into the shop.
“I can’t believe you,” a woman said. She was holding several items in her arms.
Willow was behind the counter and trying hard to keep a pleasant expression on her face, but I could see the tension in her body. She wasn’t wearing my hoodie anymore. That made me sad.
“I can’t afford to give anything away,” Willow said. “This is a small shop, and we’ve only been open a year.”
“If you give me these things, I’ll do a review. After I talk about you, everyone will want to come here,” the woman said, shaking the clothes in the air between them. “I have a hundred thousand followers.”
“That’s a lot of followers,” Willow said. “But that doesn’t change anything. I can give you a ten percent discount, but that’s it.”
The woman leaned over the counter, her expression aggressive. “I don’t think you get it. I can ruin you too. If I give you a bad review, this place is over!”
Willow crossed her arms. “Let me get this straight. You want me to give you several hundred dollars’ worth of free stuff or you’re going to make sure my entire livelihood is destroyed?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way,” the woman said. “You’re not giving anything away, you're paying for promotion. You can look me up, my handle is TommyandTeddysMom. You’ll see, people follow my advice on where to shop and what to buy.”
Willow’s eyes narrowed. “Nice to meet you, TommyandTeddysMom, but the answer is still no. How would you like to pay?”
“How dare you?” the woman gasped and tossed the items at Willow. I almost dropped on her right then and ate her, but I remembered how scared Willow was when I’d done it to those men. No, I would try very hard not to eat in front of her ever again.
