Once we’re out of earshot, I joke, “Do you need to scout the floor before I’m allowed to explore?”
“No. I checked out the lay of the land last week. I wanted to bring you here as a surprise. Today just seemed like the right time.”
The fact that Art knows I’d like scavenging through items other people may consider to be junk sends my heart into a flutter. “How did you discover the shop?”
“By chance. Angela and I have been tasked with putting together some reports and maps for the office about your new neighborhood. Once I discovered this boutique, I immediately knew I had to bring you here.”
“Well, you’re right. We’ll probably be makingmultipletrips here in the near future if their stock is any good.”
“I don’t know what to look for, ma’am, but if you ask me, I think their stuff is pretty decent.”
“Oh, it’s more than decent. You may never get me out of here.”
Art glances at his watch. “You have about three hours until they close.”
“Only three hours? That’s barely enough time to scratch the surface,” I whine.
“Then you’d better crack on with it.” He smirks.
Similar in layout to the ground level, items are sorted by type. My eyes are darting every which way. I’m overwhelmed with how many things there are. I decide the best way to tackle this conundrum is to take a lap around the room and see what calls to me.
I glance over my shoulder at Art. “I’m right behind you. Don’t worry about me,” he says.
Taking his words to heart, I rub my hands together and begin my treasure hunt.
Art’sa good sport about it all. I end up spending the entire three hours meticulously taking photos and recording the tag numbers of every single door, chandelier, lamp, electrical socket cover, and other items I’m interested in. I decide to hold off on making any impulsive purchases until I’ve had some time to have a think over how I want the interior to look, and the first phase of construction is complete. I’ll pop some of the photos from today into Photoshop and play around with a few different renderings.
As much as I want to buy everything I saw today, that’s not realistic. Idohave a budget. I’d originally set aside ten thousand pounds, but I’m hoping my parentsmightbe willing to chip in a few extra pounds to my loan. Either way, I know I can’t have everything I want all at once. This is a long-term project. I’ll buy things over time. The kitchen and sitting rooms are my top priorities since those are where I’ll be spending most of my time.
“Do you think she hates me?” I mutter to Art on the walk back to the car park.
“Who?”
“The sales associate. She kept the shop open an extra half hour for us and we walked out of there without making a purchase.”
“We told her when we arrived, we were browsing.” He shrugs.
“I know that’s what you said, but to me, that implies that we’d buy something. Especially being in there that long.” I rub the back of my neck. “They’re a small business. I feel like I’m cheating them.”
“Ma’am, I wouldn’t worry two bits what she thinks or about not making any purchases. The shop has been in business for over a hundred years, and I’m sure it’ll last another hundred just fine. Besides, if they were in a dire situation, their prices wouldn’t be so premium.”
He clicks the key fob and the doors unlock. I place my hands on my hips. “How do you know that?”
“While you were busy making a spreadsheet, I had plenty of time to google the prices of similar pieces of furniture.” He’s smug. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t being taken advantage of.”
“And?”
“Considering we’re in London, everything I saw looked to be comparable to items in other UK shops. They’re at the upper end, but within range.”
A sudden thought hits me. “Do you think they’d raise them even more because of who I am?”
“There’s always that probability.” His lips thin. “But if they decided to pull a trick like that, you have photographic evidence you could use to call them out on it.”
Climbing into the car, he turns over the engine and exits the car park. “Where would you like to go, ma’am?”
“It’s Alice. We’re alone,” I remind him.
His eyes soften as he glances at me in the mirror. “Where to, Alice?”
