Old Maid's Puzzle Read Online Free PDF Page B

emergency." Vangie laughed. "Lark looks pissed."
    "Probably because she couldn't reshoot. But the point is, everyone's going to see Kym trimming Lark's clothing with those very sharp, very small ... very expensive scissors."
    Light came on in Vangie's eyes. "You're thinking our customers are going to want those scissors."
    I nodded. "Bingo. It always happens. Lark demonstrates something on the show and we get calls." The best way to make a profit was to have merchandise come in and go out again quickly. The specialty scissors was the perfect scenario. The TV show would create the desire. The scissors were unique; no other store would have them in stock. All I needed was to outlay the cash to buy the inventory.
    "I want to order us at least a hundred pair and sell them this weekend."
    Vangie whistled. "They were expensive. We had a half dozen in stock last summer. Took us six months to get rid of them. If I remember, they retailed at seventy bucks apiece."
    Vangie was protesting, but her fingers were moving around, pulling up a browser and searching. "I don't remember the name of the company that makes them. It was a small scissor company back East, wasn't it?"
    I said, "I don't know. But here's a challenge for you. You find them, get me a gross here by Saturday, and I will buy you lunch for a month."
    "Deal"

    I stuffed down the thought that I didn't have time for this. Opportunity never came at a convenient time. Retail was all about having the right inventory in stock when the fickle customer wanted it. I was betting these scissors were going to be the hottest sellers this weekend.
    I only hoped I was right.

FOUR

    THE MORNING WENT BY quickly. I worked on checking in the new inventory. In the last month, Vangie and I had made a list of every tool and notion used in the QP Original quilts and maxed out the credit card ordering them. Now the items were here, but needed to be counted and priced. The sixteen-page invoice didn't match the items in the box, so I was struggling.
    From my desk, I could see that there weren't many customers today, a fact I could live with, knowing that many were waiting for the sale day. We'd make up the lost revenue then.
    Vangie worked on her computer, her headphones firmly in place. I could hear The Doors blasting through. I waved to get her attention, and she stopped her MP3 player.
    I needed to vent. "We're going to have to get going to decorate the store on Thursday, Vang," I said.
    "That's my bowling night."

    "Sorry, but I don't see a break in the schedule all week. We've got to hang up all the QPO samples and make sure the merchandising's done right."
    She groaned. "I can't miss. It's a tournament."
    "It'll be fun. We'll crank up the music, and turn on all the lights and burn through. I bet it won't take us more than a couple of hours. I'll have you in and outta here by ten."
    "Nine," she said.
    I went back to my computer screen and Vangie returned to hers.
    Vangie went to lunch around one, promising me a burrito when she returned. Soon after, I heard Jenn calling to me. I slid the window open.
    Her ears were red, so I knew she was flustered. "Dewey, I'm alone on the floor and I need some help."
    Crap. While I'd had my head down, the store had filled up. I left my desk in a hurry. Four women stood patiently at the cutting table, chatting amiably, even though they were most likely strangers. Quilters weren't shy. One was loudly expressing her frustration with sewing on flannel. The listener was offering hints on special needles and batting. The other two were perusing a book. I heard one of them mention Fibonacci numbers.
    There was no sign of my sisterin-law. "Where's Kym?" I asked.
    Jenn smiled at a customer, but I could see that she was upset. She unfurled fabric, the bolt clunking on the table as she flipped it roughly. "I checked the schedule. Kym should have been here at twelve-thirty," she said.
    A red-haired customer called to me from the checkout counter, "You want my money or