Taming McGruff(63)
“A jukebox?” His uniform shirt had Jr. on it.
“Unbelievable,” the older, balding man chimed in. “I remember these. Look at that curve, neon lights…what a beauty. Hey, the other crate must be the vinyl. Oh, man, the good old days.”
Within an hour, the delivery men had it loaded and ready to play. “Here, let me plug it in and see if it works.” Jr. found the cord and the wall socket, making the connection. It lit up.
Griff shook his head. It was the perfect match for the one in the best burger shack he’d taken her to after their first ride on his Harley. Big, round top with vibrant orange, red, and green neon lights, it shouted life and fun. She’d listened to what he wanted: music in his life, classic rock. And she certainly delivered on it.
Why couldn’t she go back and replay every one of their conversations and listen to Griff’s words? He never out and out lied to her. Never. His lies were by omission only, for her protection and her sisters’.
The older guy, Sal, the uniform name read, dropped a quarter in. The metal coin jingled as it made its way to the box. A few seconds later, the arms moved, selecting the 45. Bob Seger’s voice blast out.
“Cool,” Jr. said.
“The best, hands down.” Sal smiled. “Man, they don’t make music like that anymore.”
Griffin’s heart tumbled. He thought, they didn’t make pixies like that anymore either. His pixie.
***
Sunday afternoon and with the store closed, it felt like a ghost town on the first floor. Griffin bolted up the halted escalator to get to the second floor. He smiled at the discovery he found there. “Finished?” he asked the foreman, who directed the guys on clean up.
“Just waiting for the paint to dry fully. Should be another couple of hours. We’ll get the LED lights mounted under the shelves then.”
“To be safe, we’ll restock early in the morning before the store reopens. I’ve scheduled a team to come in already.”
“It went smooth. No major hiccups.”
“Good job.” Griff shook the guy’s hand. “I like how you work and the quality of work your company does. Are you interested in more projects like this, overnight remodels for King’s?”
“Who wouldn’t with overnight pay, free lunch, snacks and drinks thrown in?”
“I’ll get back to you in another week to plan the next one. I foresee about seven to eight more over the coming months.” Priscilla had submitted redesigns for all the departments. Her sisters hadn’t given her talent much merit, until now. She’d outdone herself.
“Perfect. Steady work—we’ll take it.”
“I’ll have my assistant, Peg, call you to set up a meeting to go over the details.”
Griffin knew this remodel, small yet impressive, would change the tone of King’s. The slight difference would bring in more business. That, along with Priscilla’s expanding ideas on investing in more innovative ideas for the different departments in the store, would secure their hold in the market. More interest, more business, and more sales.
Pixie dust.
His pride for his wife grew more and more every day. It was too bad he’d never be able to tell her that again.
***
Griff gathered the blueprints and lists from the remodel area, while leaving the set-up plan-o-gram pages tucked in a neat little folder taped to the glass door. The sales staff in the early morning hours tomorrow couldn’t miss the instructions.
He had reports on his desk for Charlie to see. He might as well grab those, too, before dumping the remodel paperwork on her desk.
In less than fifteen minutes, Griff strolled down the empty executive hall to Charlie’s office. The nice, cozy room was empty. Not surprising since Charlie and Alex agreed Sunday was the one day they put aside for themselves, especially now that the twins were coming.
He set his things on one corner of her desk, trying to contain the clutter. He found a rubber band to bind the documents together. “Better.” He glanced around for a sticky it note. He could always go back to his office, but he thought he’d give the top drawer a try.
It stuck. Easing down in her chair, he looked at the area on each side of the drawer. Nothing seemed amiss. He felt along the edges: nothing rough or uneven. Frowning, he reached back, running his hand over the exposed slats. “Nothing unusual.” But then he felt something metal in the far back. He touched it, releasing a lever; the metal struck wood. “What in the world?” He tugged on the drawer. It shifted on that side. He found another latch on the other side and flipped it. The drawer came out smoothly now.
At first he couldn’t figure what the latches had held. But the side wood panel slid away when he put pressure on it. Griff sucked in a sharp breath as an old heavy envelope spilled to the floor. He snatched it up, feeling the weight of it. On the opposite side, he slid back that panel. Two more envelopes dropped out.