Pawnshops and Carousels

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Happy Monday my wonderful readers! I'm sorry i forgot to post yesterday. I've been doing renovations and I basically was too tired to edit and post. The update I have for you today is supposed to be a funny one so hopefully it makes you laugh. Don't forget to leave a review and I'll see you next week. (On time this time, I promise.)

Chapter 26


Seth: Since the price of gold went down, our business went down. Since we're not making as many sales as we usually do our warehouse is full to the brim. We have no where to put anything. I immediately offered my dad the services of an industry professional that I knew could help us. I thought my dad might turn me down, thinking he knew better but he surprised me by asking me to bring the guy in. Is it weird that I'm oddly excited for this?


"Hey dad this is Steve the consultant I talked to you about."

I wait for the fire works, for my dad to have changed his mind but instead he gets to his feet to shake Steve's hand. They exchange the normal pleasantries before my dad offers him a chair to sit down in.

Once we're all seated immediately my dad starts with the 3rd degree. "Have you ever been in a pawnshop before?"

"I've been in a few."

Already I can see that we're not onto a good start. So, I step in immediately to try and get us back to a place where my dad won't freak out. "He's going to take a look around, look at the systems we have in place and then give us criticisms on how we can improve."

It sounds ideal, any business man worth his salt knows that this is a good idea, but my dad is very protective of AJL, and he's stubbornly sure that he knows everything there is to know about the business. To him there is no need for improvement.

I wait for some sort of snarky attitude, but my dad seems to take this with a level head. "Welcome to the store."

Wow that was it?

"So, there's something you think you can teach us?"

Ah there's a little bit of the sass. It's a throwdown, a challenge. He's asking the man if he thinks he knows more about the pawnshop business then Les, who's been in it all his life.

"Give me a little time and I'll dazzle you."

Not the right answer. "Again, welcome to my store, and it will dazzle you. Pleasure meeting you."

That was it, conversation done. He shakes Steve's hand and leaves me to show the man around. Well, at least he didn't try to follow us. That would have made things worse.


Sabrina: Seth sent me a text saying he had someone in to give some kind of consultation about the store and the organizational system. The pregnancy-hormone-crazed bitch in me wonders immediately why Seth need to reorganize my organizational system? I worked hard to put that bitch in place. The reasonable woman in me, realizes that Les and his resistance to change will probably be a bigger issue than my wounded pride. I know, since gold dropped, that AJL is dealing mainly in TVs and the last I was in we were running out of space in the warehouse, which, even with my amazing system, is a problem. So instead of getting mad at Seth I decide to stop by the store to see him, to give him my support and maybe steal him away for a few kisses.


Seth is only half surprised when I show up, he's also mid showing Steve around the store. That doesn't stop him from wrapping me in a hug and introducing me to Steve. Call me a love sick fool, but I love hearing Seth say: "This is my wife, Sabrina."

I get to follow Seth and Steve around while Seth explains things, I can tell by the redness in Seth's ears that he's a little embarrassed by some of the practices we have here. But he's doing a good job at now showing Steve that.

When Steve's done, we head back into Les' office, Ashley takes the chair beside Steve, while I stand beside Seth. Already I can see that he's looking for somewhere for me to sit down, but I don't want to sit. I'm expecting fireworks and I want to be ready for when they do show up.

Les introduces Ashley to Steve and that's about all we get for pleasantries, it's straight to business with Les. "Okay so did you do some consulting?"

God why does he sound so condescending?

"I looked around."

"What'd you find?"

He leans back in his chair like he doesn't expect this guy to have found anything. Like this guy was gonna say there was nothing wrong, when, really, there was a lot wrong with the place.

"You have a great store. You have lots of good things," he says and what a good place to start.

"Name one?"

He hooks his thumb over his shoulder to where Seth stands with his arm around me. "Seth."

Yes, that's right, my baby was one of the good things in this store. I smile up to my husband and his pink ears as he tries to hide his smile, and I nuzzle a little closer to him.

"How much did you pay him to say that?" Les asks and I scowl at him.

"Don't even play, Les, you know how good Seth is for AJL."

He smiles patiently at me and says nothing else and Steve decides to change the topic.

"You've got a lot of great technology. You've got a good online department, good sales people and uh the way everything is actually organized back there is phenomenal, so good job at that."

Seth shoots me a wide proud grin and I can't help but grin because cause that was all me. But I'll take credit for that later.

"But you've got a lot of problems."

Oh, here we go. This is it. This is where the fight is going to start.

"The problem is you're putting perfume on a pig."

Already I'm shaking my head. What the hell is this guy's problem. Beside him Seth inhales sharply and beside Steve Ashley has turned away because she's trying not to laugh. I turn to Les who doesn't look like he's going to explode… yet. But it's coming, I can definitely tell it's coming.

"You have all this great technology on top of a warehouse that's filled with junk."

Oh there's strike two. Never call Les Gold's stuff junk.

"Space that's wasted. It's time to get some dumpsters and throw some of that garbage out and time to make some money, some profit from the areas.

And strike three. He's threatening to throw out Les' stuff.

He shakes his head. "A lot of wasted space. Tell me about the zoo that's in the back."

"You just said it was wonderfully organized," Les reminds him. Yes, I want to remind him of that too.

"A good organizational scheme is great. And it is great. But there's only so much it can do other than make sure you know exactly where your clutter is."

That was true too. But was Les going to see that?

"You have rows, and rows, and rows, of fur coats."

"You know what those represent to me? Rows and rows of money."

"Tell me about the air conditioners in the back. It's the dead of summer and I saw 50 or 60 air conditioners sitting in a pile."

That is a valid question and that is why Les starts to raise his voice. "You can't sell it all!"

"You can't get through to anything with this guy," Seth says to Steve, clearly done arguing.

"You can't get anything through because I know how to run a pawn shop." Everyone went quiet and Les realized that the only way to get this guy out of his office was to start playing dirty. "Why the hell are you paying this guy money?"

"You're missing the concept," Ashley says trying to get Les back on track.

"Let me tell you something. You may know retail but I know how to run a pawnshop. I appreciate everything that you've done, but this meeting is over."

"You're stepping over dollars to pick up pennies!"

Les is immediately out of his seat and leaning over his desk "This is my store! I will run it as I see fit!"

Before things can get even farther out of hand I've moved way from Seth and to Les. I lean in and put a hand on his arm and immediately his hot angry eyes are on me. I just smile as prettily as I can and pin him with a knowing stare.

"Les, He's only proposing a different organizational scheme. Like my organizational schematic that organized the back into sections. Except he's trying to do it so you rotate correctly, so you focus on the money-making areas of the season. Yes, he's suggesting that we downsize a little bit, but there are a lot of things in the back that are broken and kind of need to go. You understand?"

He opens his mouth to argue with me and I shake my head. "No, stop. Here's what we're going to do. Seth, you're going to stop instigating. Ashley you're going to try and not roll your eyes, Steve is going to pray to whatever god he subscribes to and Les, you're going to take five deep yoga breaths and contemplate what I just said."

"You should listen to that little girl, she's smarter than all of you combined."

I can literally feel the anger rolling off of Seth. I turn back to Steve with a glare that knocks the smile right off of his face. "Okay, stop praying and fucking shut up."

Les glares at him too for a bit, we've both noticed that Seth has pivoted where he stands and is now boring holes into Steve's face with his own glare. If Steve and Seth are left alone, Seth might throw a punch.

"You think it's a good idea?" he asks me.

"Yeah. I mean, it makes sense to rotate things seasonally. And yeah, we really need to throw things out, but it's not like we're going to do any of this without your permission, and your okay. But hey if you want to find a different consultant to work with cause this one is a dick, by all means, I'm down for that too."

Steve scoffs at us, like he thinks we're funny. "Keep laughing, she's absolutely right."

"Don't think of it as someone who knows better, coming in to fix you. Think of it as this person is here to help you be the best you can be."

For a second Les stands there, he thinks about it and then sits down. "Actually. Yeah… I think… I think that sounds… uh… good. Except I don't want to change too much and I don't want to throw anything out."

"Some things are going to need to go to make room. This of it this way. Useless broken things leave, and you get to fill up the space with something that will make you the big bucks."

Les sighs. "Fine. Whatever." He then points a finger at Steve. "Trial basis only!"

The two men shake hands and together they head to the front of the shop, no doubt to talk shop about when he could start or whatever it was Les wanted to talk to him about. Once they were gone I let out a shaky breath.

"Jeezus I'm like the freaking Les Gold whisperer."

To be honest I'm surprised. No one's ever been able to convince him to do anything. I'm certain it's because I'm pregnant.

"Yes, wonderful. Let's hope you can do it again when he inevitably changes his mind," Ashley snaps before leaving herself.

I let her go. She's not worth the trouble anyway. I simply turn a smile to my husband and pull him down for that kiss I came all the way here to collect.

And as always, Seth is happy to comply.