C&C's Hand-Crafted Treasures was Castiel's pride and joy. Well, half his pride and joy to be specific. There was no one he would want to work with more than his sister, Charlie. She was currently bent over her work station manipulating delicate sliver wire into something that would end up undoubtedly beautiful.
"I love mornings like this," he thought out loud. "All my custom orders are complete and only one has yet to be picked up." Castiel took a deep, satisfied sip of his coffee. "It will be nice to work on whatever I desire for a while." Charlie replied with a quiet "Hmm." She snipped off a bit of wire and sat back, rubbing her eyes.
"Sorry, Cas. Getting those things symmetrical is a bitch." She slid the cuffs onto her ears. Suddenly, she was transformed into an Elven queen from the stories she loved so much. "How do they look? Be Honest!" He brushed her red hair back and looked at the jewelry with a critical eye. The cuffs fit over her entire ear, coming to a fragile point. Tiny glass beads shimmered like jewels where she had threaded them on the wire.
"Amazing, as always." Charlie's face lit up with joy at his praise.
"I hate to sell them, but I keep too many pieces for myself." She sighed and began to enter them into the computer. Castiel chuckled and kissed her cheek.
"Some lucky nerd will be very glad you decided to let them go."
"Don't you dare pick on me right now; I'm putting up my children for sale here. Anyway, what needs to be picked up?"
"The rocking chair. Eric Jackson's wife is pregnant and he ordered it for the nursery."
"That's so sweet." Charlie smiled as she finished cataloging her latest pieces. "Where do you think I should put these?" Castiel looked around the shop. It was a comfortable hodge-podge of his wood carvings, furniture, and small trinkets. Charlie's jewelry was displayed on end tables, shelves, even in ornate boxes Castiel made with her work in mind. There was a large, glass case under the front counter where her more precious and expensive pieces were displayed. He had a sudden thought.
"Hold on." He dashed back into his work room. His projects were too messy to create in the main space. Customers liked to buy and admire what Castiel made and sold, they did not want to choke on saw-dust and stain fumes. It took him a few minutes to find what he was looking for.
"Here, what do you think about pairing them with this?" The box looked like a book. He had carved and burned a surprisingly detailed tree into the top. Celtic knots bordered around the image.
"Cas, this is beautiful. When did you make this?" Charlie lifted the top and stroked the deep, green velvet lining. Castiel shrugged, suddenly a little shy. He couldn't put into words the inspiration behind this particular piece. Lately he had urges to create more than just functional, though well made and lovely, pieces. Those were, after all, the back bone of the business. He had pages and pages of sketches he wanted to work on, but their shop was still very new and still establishing itself. If he wanted more time to work on more fanciful projects, he would need to complete many more custom orders to pay for that time.
"This is gorgeous, and absolutely perfect. She set Castiel's box in a prominent spot on the front counter, leaving the lid open to show off the soft lining, and the ear cuffs inside. "What do you think?" She stepped back a ways and admired the set up, as if she were a browsing customer.
"I approve." Cas told her. He felt a slight pang as he entered the box into the computer. Once it was in the inventory, he had to let it go. It was for sale and anyone could come in and buy his blood, sweat, and tears.
"Blech! This coffee is disgusting! How are you drinking this swill?"
"Hey!" Castiel grabbed his cup back from her. "It's hot, it's caffeinated. That is all I require." Charlie shuddered and mimed gagging. Castiel threw a pen at her.
"Sibling abuse!" She giggled and ran to the door to turn their sign to "open". "Oh, that reminds me. Ash told me a friend of his bought the empty shop down the block. Apparently he wants to turn it into a café and bakery."
"Who's Ash again?" Charlie rattled off names at him all the time. Actors, fictional characters, and actual people tended to blend together.
"He's a fellow computer geek. He either hangs out down at The Roadhouse, or he works there. I'm not entirely sure. Anyway, he's a friend. He mentioned the whole bakery deal last week when I ran into him. Isn't that exciting? Real coffee and baked goods available within mere steps!" Castiel went through his mental layout of the street. The only empty shop available needed work done, especially if the new owner meant to turn it into a bakery.
"I wonder if this person already has a carpenter lined up…" He tried to sound offhand and casual, even though he knew Charlie would see right through it. She grinned and slipped into a hug.
"You know, maybe I'll head over to The Roadhouse for a beer or a burger tonight…" Castiel kissed the top of her head.
"You're wonderful, Charlie."
"Don't you dare forget it." She pulled away and looked up to see a couple of women walk into the store to browse. "Time to face the adoring public!" She winked and strolled over to ask if she could be of any assistance.
Castiel finished off his coffee and tried not to get his hopes up. Getting a big carpentry job could potentially give them breathing room. It could take up a lot of time, but it could also put a nice chunk of money into the bank. Money that could allow Cas to explore his creativity like he really wanted. He watched as Charlie closed the sales. He helped her box up the jewelry the women had purchased and chatted with them. One lady promised she would be back in the near future to order one of "those charming bookcases" for her granddaughter.
Business was good, Castiel thought to himself. But more business would definitely be better.
