An excerpt from "These Magic Moments"

Here's a wee excerpt from early on in the first BlueBell Road book, now availalble on Amazon.

The background is that Julia works at Bartley's Department store and has been seconded to Menswear for the day when the boss, Nick Bartley, makes an unexpected visit. Unexpected because Nick never shops at the store in person! He is buying some things on behalf of his sister, and our heroine Julia is the sales assistant who serves him!

“Thank you for shopping at Bartley’s,” she said again, the gentleman moved away, and Nicholas set the garments down and consulted his watch.

“I’ll take these. Thank you,” he said, and he drummed his fingers on the counter.

Julia folded the jerseys, relieved he wasn’t watching her. In fact, he appeared distracted and kept checking his watch.

She took the socks, tallied them up, and as he handed her his card, she had a thought.

She said, “Do you get a staff discount?”

Nick looked blankly at her. “Full price is fine.”

“It is fifteen percent,” she said.

He gave her a strange look. “My family does own the store, you realise. Which means we get the profit.”

Heat flushed over her face, she clamped her lips shut and pulled a Bartley’s bag out from beneath the counter.

Nick said, “Wait.”

She looked up at him.

He gestured to the items. “Could I have these gift wrapped, please?”

“Gift wrapped? Um.” Flustered, she checked around, then turned back to him.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about giftwrap beyond these bags.”

Nick ran his thumb over his jaw. “Apparently there is a special gift wrap, some blue and silver paper somewhere. Satin finished.” He added, “I believe it’s special to the menswear department.”

“You are correct, Sir,” Mark said over her shoulder. He opened a drawer and gestured to the sheets of paper and murmured, “Sorry, love, we don’t get asked for it that often.”

“Thank you,” she said with relief, took out a sheet and began to wrap, fortunately with minimal nerves. She’d gotten skilled at wrapping in the housewares department by the end of her first week.

She pulled the string and Nick said, “Are you new here?”

Julia’s hand slipped and she shot him a glance. Had he noticed she was floundering?

He added, “I don’t mean new to menswear, you mentioned that. I meant, are you new to the store? To Bartley’s?”

“Yes.” She tied the string and said, “Yes, I am.”

She added the last bow and said, “Would you like the gift bag as well?”

“Yes, of course,” he said with intense relief. “I was instructed on that. Thank you for reminding me.”

She popped the items in the gift bag, held it out to him and said, “You’re welcome.”

He smiled at her and didn’t move.

Julia tensed, he arched his eyebrows and she thought frantically. Had she done something wrong? She racked her brain but the transaction had gone well. Hadn’t it?

His eyebrows were still arched, and she clasped her hands. “I’m sorry but is there something wrong?”

“Not really.” His eyes crinkled and he said, “I was wondering if I was entitled to a ‘Thank you for shopping at Bartley’s’?”

He winked at her then, his mouth widened in a grin, then he stepped away and, with her heart pounding, she watched him make his way across the floor to the lifts where he pressed the button and waited.

She felt a gentle poke at her waist and Mark ordered good naturedly, “I know it’s hard but can you drag your eyes off the hot boss for a moment? You’ve got a customer.”

And she looked up at the exquisitely dressed man in front of her, smiled and greeted him, “How can I help you, Sir?” (end)

You can take a look at the book on Amazon by going HERE TO AMAZON.

 

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