Total pages in book: 9
Estimated words: 8110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 41(@200wpm)___ 32(@250wpm)___ 27(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 8110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 41(@200wpm)___ 32(@250wpm)___ 27(@300wpm)
When I first started working here, I noticed the way he looked at any bit of skin I showed. He made his interest obvious, but I ignored it and started wearing baggy clothes that covered my curves. After a while he stopped with the comments, so I thought his interest had passed. Since he was on vacation all week, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with pulling out some of my old clothes. Boy was I mistaken.
“You know I’ve got some time before I have to be at the party. I could hang around here for a bit. We could celebrate.”
“Celebrate what?” I’m trying to cross my arms over my chest, but it’s not something I can do casually without drawing more attention to my tits.
“The holidays, of course.” He rubs his fingers over his mustache as his eyes continue to move up and down my body. “I could use a little Christmas cheer.”
The sound of a cell phone blaring grabs his attention, and then he curses under his breath. As he fishes his phone out of his pocket, I grab the shawl I keep on the back of my chair and wrap it around my shoulders. I’m so grateful for how it covers my chest I breathe a sigh of relief.
“I said I’ll be there,” Walter barks into the phone and then grabs some random trinket off the shelf. “Yeah, well, your sister is a liar, so who are you going to believe?”
After a second, he mumbles a goodbye and shoves the phone back into his pocket. He seems pissed as he gives me a once-over and sees that I’ve covered up his view.
“Why don’t you dust some of these shelves?” he snaps. “I’m not paying you to stand around.”
“Okay,” I say quietly.
“And don’t even think about closing up early.”
“I won’t,” I agree, and my shoulders sag. I’d been thinking of asking him exactly that.
“Good. And when I get back, we’re going to have a talk about your wardrobe.”
“My wardrobe?” I look down at the black shawl covering most of my body.
“If you can’t give me something pretty to look at, then I’ll find someone who can.” With that, he turns and marches out of the store.
The sound of the bell echoes through the empty shop, and I feel tears sting my eyes. I plop down on the stool behind the counter and bury my face in my hands.
“I can’t do this anymore,” I say to myself as sadness turns to frustration.
What am I supposed to do? It’s not like I’ve got savings to fall back on. I live paycheck to paycheck, and I’m still not able to pay all my bills. I don’t have anything of value or—
I open my eyes and stare down at the box at my feet. Could this be the answer to all my problems? The lady that left it has no intentions of coming back. I’ve been at this job long enough to know when someone will change their mind. This was a box of junk to her, and if she brought it in to Walter, he wouldn’t think twice about swindling her out of it.
That star is something special, I know it. I’ve seen antiques come and go in this place, and I learned about glass blowing and hand-crafted metal in college. That star is worth some real money, and it might be enough to get me out of here. Maybe not for long, but for long enough to find a new job.
My thoughts begin to race as I plan my next move. I could do what Walter does and pawn it, but I know I’d only get a fraction of the value. The best thing to do would be to call my old professor Mrs. Linzer. She’s someone I trust with this kind of treasure and she knows people who buy expensive antiques.
I check the time and see I’ve got three more hours until I can close.
Suddenly, I’m not feeling so sad.
Chapter Two
CLARA
My apartment is freezing when I get inside, but I’m too excited to care. I manage to kick the door closed behind me as I carry the box over to the coffee table and set it down. Once it’s out of my hands, I bolt the door shut and then bang on the radiator to get the heat going.
I keep an eye on the box like it’s going to grow legs and run away while I move through the tiny space and do my evening routine. I take off my bra and put on an oversized sweatshirt and an old pair of sleep shorts. Once I’m cozy, I make myself some instant noodles before taking a seat on the couch.
I’m practically giddy as I open the lid of the box to once again inspect the contents. I didn’t dare open it up at work again in case Walter came back. Part of me can’t believe I actually did it. I made the decision to take the box, and I followed through with it. Now all I have to do is get a buyer.