Pawnshops and Carousels

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Here we go! Another chapter that's late. Maybe I should just move the posting date to Monday. If I mess up next weeks posting date I'll switch it. For now enjoy the next chapter it has a lot of cuteness in it. Don't forget to leave a review and I'll see you guys next week!

Chapter 4

I get to the store, purposely late, because people have been noticing that I'm either early or arriving at a certain time because of Sabrina, and I find that Sabrina's out on the sales floor.

What. The. Fuck.

She's standing there, her green eyes wide as saucers as a giant African-American-thug-life male is hovering over her shouting at her. She has her pad of paper clutched tightly to her chest and our Head of Security, Joe, has a hand over her shoulder to ward the guy off.

But it's not enough.

This man is intimidating my girl… okay she's not my girl yet, but I'm working on it. Either way this guy needs to go.

"What's the problem here?" I ask stepping into the conversation. I haven't even bothered to go to my office first, so I'm standing there in a puffy jacket and my side satchel. I'm shoulder to shoulder with her and ready to shove her out of the way if it looks like things are getting out of hand.

"Who is you?" the guy says swinging his attention away from Sabrina and onto me. Great. Good. I can handle it.

"I'm the owner." "Oh, yous the owner?" "That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Kool, kay look. I called in and I was told that you guys could appraise my TV, but like, it's too big to lug down here so I took a pic on my phone and I was told that it's okay and den dis bitch tryna tell me that she can't…"

"I keep trying to tell you sir, that we need to see the item to appraise it. I'm not allowed to appraise an item off of a picture."

"And I keep tellin you… bitch… that I'mma get my money so look at my damn phone and tell me whatchu gonna give me!"

And then I've stepped in front of Sabrina, officially getting his attention away from her once and for all. I fold my arms over my chest and glare at him. "Firstly. Lower your fucking voice in my store. You don't yell at me, or my employees. Secondly, she is not a bitch she is a lady. Thirdly, she's right, we can't appraise the merch with just a picture, so get your TV here or you ain't getting your money."

His hand came at me before I knew what was happening, but I knew it wouldn't hit me, because Joe was faster. But Sabrina, Sabrina gasped like she had just watched me get knocked out. Her hands gripped my sides like she was getting ready to pull me away a second too late, I can feel her grip through my jacket and it's giving me shivers. Joe took the man down and got him out of the building. Usually I'd go out with them, but Sabrina was my focus now, and there was nothing that could take me away from her. When I turn to her, her hands let go of my sides to hold my arms, her green eyes staring up at me like I'm some sort of god.

"Are you okay?" she asks. "Did he…? Did he…?"

I'm smiling, ear to ear. Because she's worried about me. My Sabrina is actually worried about me. She wouldn't do that if she didn't care. There is hope!

"Of course I'm fine. Joe can handle him," I say with a shrug. I put my hands to her shoulders just to feel that she's okay. "The real question is why are you out on the floor?"

"Your dad said that we're really busy and everyone has to be on the floor… even your internet guys."

Even my… oh goddamn it Les. Growling to myself I say: "Okay, you know what. Ignore him. Go back to your desk and stay there okay? If he says it again just say no, you know he'll let you get away with it."

Sabrina nods and then runs off. I set my self, square my shoulders and get ready to face off with my dad.

Les: Seth just bursts into my office. Throwing down his bag and pitching a fit. Telling me that I can't be putting his staff out on the floor, as if this isn't my store and my staff. I don't see the point of having guys in the back when they can be out at the front making money. He's right I don't get the point of having the internet guys, I don't see the money Seth says they're making. And besides, I know that the real reason he's angry is because I had Sabrina out on the floor. He's not fooling me or anyone in the store. The only person he has fooled is Sabrina… and himself.

Well… I'm back on the sales floor and I'm not liking it but I've stuck myself next to Ashley because I figure that is safest for me and that maybe… I might learn something useful. Like how to stick up for myself for one.

"So… uh… how are things with… you know… Seth…" Ashley asks me her eyes pointedly anywhere away from me. I glance to where Seth is standing, at the counter by the memorabilia. He's with a customer at the moment, his arms folded across the broad expanse of his chest. The sleeves of his black pinstriped dress shirt are rolled up and he has his focused glare on his face.

In other words, he looked damn fine.

"I'm still mad at you for lying to me," I reply also not looking at her. I'm not that mad, of course. It could have been worse. And could I really be all that mad at her when she brought Seth back to me? Even if he wasn't really mine.

"Well… how else was I gonna get you here?" Ashley says finally throwing me a little bit of a smirk.

"Mm… you've got a point. Still it was underhanded and uncalled for and we both know you only wanted me here because you wanted to throw Seth off of his game. Well the jokes on you because it has not worked," I answer smugly.

"Oh it hasn't?" Ashley asks, quite sarcastically. "And here I was thinking that it had worked just like a charm."

I turn to her surprised, how did she figure that? But before I can ask her a woman has approaches us asking us to help her. She has a pair of earrings she'd like to sell. Ashley takes them from her and looks them over using her jeweler's loupe.

"And how much did you want for them?" Ashley asks.

From where I stand, they look nice. Big rocks, nice looking gold, recently polished. So, I'm not surprised when the woman says: "I'd like 500."

"Mm… yeah I'm not going to be able to help you with that," Ashley says dropping the loupe and staring at the woman. My eyes widen in horror why is she sassing the giant black woman? She places the earring she was examine down and stare at the woman. "How would you like twenty? Would that help you out?"

The answer was no it would not help her out. In fact, she immediately started screaming. Which I get cause to pay a thousand for a pair of earrings only to find out that they're worth nothing would upset me too. But maybe Ashley could have said that a bit more nicely? Was I going to say that to her now, though? Hell no!

But the woman was screaming at us and I wish I could just intervene to maybe help calm her down. But I'm not sure Ashely would like it if I were to intervene but it's getting so out of hand that I just don't want it to come to blows.

"I understand your frustration, ma'am," I say putting a hand out and her wide crazy eyes turn to me. "I'm sorry we can't be of more assistance, but we can only do twenty today. If that's insufficient for you, we understand if you'd like to take your business elsewhere."

The woman is now looking me up and down slowly like she hadn't quite realized I was there before and she's clearly not impressed with what she sees.

"Who do you think you is talking with all those long words? You think you a fucking dictionary bitch? You think you smarter than me cause you're using fancy fucking words, bitch?"

That was not the point, of course, nor was I really using and long or fancy words. But this woman was angry and she was going to stay angry. There wasn't much I could do about it. Luckily, I don't have to worry about interacting with her because suddenly, and without asking him, Seth has appeared beside me.

I practically jump because where had Seth come from? He was… he was across the store, how did he get here so quickly? Wasn't he with a customer?

"Ma'am what's the problem?"

"I've got this Seth."

"No, you don't have this, Ash, otherwise she wouldn't be screaming."

"No, no, really Seth, it's okay, me and Ashley got this," I tell him hoping to diffuse what will be a giant sibling fight before it can even happen.

But Seth ignores us both and turns back to the woman and her earrings. As she tells her tale about how Ashley and I wronged her and how much her earrings were supposed to be worth, I watch Seth. Was he really going to do that to me? Was he really going to disrespect us both like that in front of a customer?

"Well… I can tell by looking at these that they aren't real diamonds, so we can do… twenty if you want to pawn them."

That was legit word for word what we had just said! Why the hell had he come over here and interrupted us, if he was just going to say what we had said.

The woman started yelling again, which got Ashley back to yelling and it ended with Joe taking the woman and forcing her out of the store.

Ashley went with them, no doubt to taunt the woman, but I stayed where I was with Seth beside me.

"Why are you on the floor again Ree… Sabrina? Why? I told you not to listen to my dad."

I turn to him blinking my eyes at him calmly. "I can't say no to Les," I whisper reverently. "It's Les freaking Gold, there's no saying no to him and you know it."

"Go. Back. To. Your. Desk."

I bow my head and move to walk past him. "Oh…" I say before I can stop myself. "You literally said everything me and Ashley said. You should… you should trust us next time."

I leave him there, feeling his eyes watching me as I go. I'm not sure if he's mad, I'm not sure what he's feeling. But I know that I'm elated. That's the second time Seth has come to my rescue… even when I didn't really need it and it just makes me feel… like maybe… maybe he still has feelings for me. Girlfriend or not.