Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“Oh, good. I was worried. I’m glad they’re getting along. Now what color shirt do you wish to wear today?”
“The pretty blue one,” she said, pointing to the sky-colored one.
“You look gorgeous in that,” he agreed, stripping the clothes off the hangers and guiding her back into the main room. There she discovered she had drawers for her other things.
Mateo ushered her to the door in a few minutes with a lunch bar, a smoothie in an insulated cup for the ride to work, and the money back in her pocket so she could attempt to solve the mystery. With a kiss and a pat on the bottom to remind her to take care of herself, he watched her leave for work. He never left the doorway until she turned the corner and drove out of his sight.
Traffic kept her attention on the road as she navigated her way to the shopping center. Nora waved at the other owners and managers who all seemed to show up about the same time. Little Cakes was bustling with people picking up cupcakes for their offices before work. Nora was tickled to see a couple looking in the windows at Craftastic.
“Hi, folks,” she greeted them. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll open the store.”
“We’re early,” the woman answered with a smile. “Take your time. I’m plotting how much I can make him carry to the car before he rebels.”
Nora laughed at the resigned look on his face and promised, “I’ll get the doors open in just a few minutes.”
Letting herself in, Nora zipped to the back to stow her things and turn on the music that played softly in the store. She glanced at the electrical box where she’d found the money and found it neatly closed on the new hinges her Daddy had installed. A glance at her office calendar reminded her that her new assistant would stop by that afternoon to start his orientation.
This day was off to a spectacular start. She made a quick tour of the aisles to note what areas would need her immediate attention and where stock was needed. Pausing, she stared at a display of ribbons. Nora was almost one hundred percent sure that she’d dropped off a case of new stock to fill in the holes after yesterday’s flash sale. The carton wasn’t there and beautiful ribbons glistened perfectly in that space.
Am I going crazy? I didn’t unload that last night, did I?
Shaking her head, Nora headed back to the office to fill a cash register with money before hurrying to the front to open. She’d have to solve the mystery of shelves that stocked themselves when customers weren’t waiting. Maybe she had a neat ghost who had decided she needed help.
That first customer wasn’t the only one at her door as Nora twisted the lock. A rush of eager shoppers scurried through the doors, looking for the special items they needed. Even busy, Nora did take note that seven shopping bags of goodies appeared to answer that first woman’s question of how many bags her husband would carry to the car as she pushed the cart with the fancy printing device she’d come searching to find.
“Have fun!” Nora called as they walked out.
“Oh, we’ll be back,” the husband assured her.
“Craftastic is here for you,” Nora said with a smile. Customers like that would keep her in business for a long time.
She did remember to eat her lunch bar at one before Craig, her new assistant manager, appeared. After introducing him to Amy, who manned the cash register, Nora gave him a tour of the floor. She even pulled out her phone to mark down some of his suggestions. It was obvious she’d made the right decision on who to hire.
“We’ll need to work together for a couple nights so you’ll know how to close everything down and deal with all the details. I have a list for myself of all the tasks I finish before leaving each night. We’ll use that as a base tonight,” she told the pleasant man.
“I love having things written down. It keeps any confusion out of the plan,” Craig reported.
The intercom interrupted the music as Amy requested assistance at the cash register. Nora and Craig instantly stood and headed that way. At the sound of a man’s loud voice, Nora and Craig exchanged a look and jogged forward.
“Oh, Nora. This man is demanding to talk to you,” Amy said from a position scrunched as far away from the counter as she could be in her cashier area.
As the man turned to look at her, Nora stopped in her tracks. “You.”
The man just glared at her. “I hope you’re ready to cooperate.”
“Yes, of course.” Nora pulled out her phone and dialed Detective Avery Reynolds’ phone. The man stepped forward threateningly, and Craig moved into position to block him.