Jake was nearly beside himself with joy. Being heroic seemed in line with what his gut thought he should do. On top of that, he’d been delighted to stick up for Beryl.
The hateful woman accosting her in front of his store had stomped off angrily after Beryl entered his shop. Good riddance.The look of gratitude Beryl gave him was payment enough and made him glad he’d stepped in.
He eagerly watched for her first impression of Black Matter Metal & Leather. He wasn’t disappointed. She liked it. He could tell.
“I love your shop, Jake,” she said, her gaze darting around the retail space, her smile growing wider with each display space or item she saw.
“Thanks.”
Jake saw Frederick—across the room behind the checkout counter—take note of both Beryl and Jake’s reaction to her when she entered his shop. His smile could have lit up the evening skies to a noon-time radiance.
“Welcome to Dark Matter Metal & Leather,” Frederick said, as he did to all customers.
Beryl slid her gaze in the manager’s direction as she walked further into the store. “Thank you.”
Jake followed at an arm’s length, fearful that if he got too close, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from trying to touch her arm.
Be cool, he said to himself.Once the transaction is complete, you can ask her out.
Frederick circled around from behind the counter, offering his hand to Beryl as she approached. “My name is Frederick Khang. I manage all the wonderful artistic creations Jake produces.”
Beryl glanced around the room again before taking his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Frederick. I’m Beryl Ashcraft. And, clearly, he is very talented.” She looked over one shoulder and winked at Jake.
Jake was so besotted his mouth almost fell open in surprise.
“Indeed, he is,” Frederick said. “I’m so delighted to make your acquaintance, Beryl because now there’ll be two of us who can convince Jake of how clever and artistic he really is.”
Jake cocked his head to one side, pretending he’d just figured out they were talking about him and his artistic abilities. “I’m glad the two of you have found common ground, even if it is at my expense.”
Frederick returned to his spot behind the counter. “I have your package ready for you, Beryl. Jake worked into the night to finish it for you.”
Beryl smiled at Jake. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to. That noise from your ice machine was exceptionally atrocious yesterday. I needed to do my part to make it stop. And if you need help installing it, I’d be happy to aid you.”
She reached out a hand that he took in his. “Thank you, Jake. I truly appreciate it, but I can put the bracket back in place. I was the one who ripped the old noisy one out.”
“If you’re sure, but if you change your mind, let me know.” She nodded and released his hand to pay for the bracket he had lovingly crafted for her. Truthfully, he would have stayed up all night and into the morning to ensure it was perfect.
Frederick took care of the payment quickly, handing her the package Jake had so carefully wrapped up for her.
With the package cradled in one arm, Beryl turned with a pensive expression on her face. Jake told himself to get it together. Now that the transaction was complete, he could ask her out.
“What are you doing for lunch?” Beryl asked.
He paused only a breath before responding, “Hopefully, eating with you.” The grin that lit up her face was like a flash from an old-timey camera going off, lighting up the room.
“Good. What would you think about a picnic in the park?”
“A picnic?”
Beryl said, “I can pick up everything we need from the Supernova Supermarket and then it’s just a short walk to the park in downtown Alienn. I can meet you halfway between our businesses and we can walk the rest of the way together. What you think?”
“It sounds perfect. I can’t wait. What time would you like to meet?”
“One o’clock would be best for me, after the lunch-time rush we always seem to have at the grocery store.”
Jake nodded, hoping his expression didn’t look as happily goofy as he felt on the inside. “Perfect.” Frederick always took his lunch from eleven to noon so he would be in the shop to deal with the same lunch-time rush they always seemed to have from noon to one.
