“As nice as it sounds, I don’t see how it gets us back to our roots,” replied Maggie.
“Hold on, I’m not finished yet,” said Alyx. “I’m thinking of providing our customers a distinctive shopping experience. You’ve heard Bernice say she’d like to get into decorating, so when a customer comes in with a decorating project in mind, the design staff, the new designer and Bernice, will help the customer choose the right items. Those with projects that need special attention can schedule an in-store appointment or a home visit with you or me. In addition, we can keep a record of their colors, fabrics, and measurements for future decorating projects. You and I can take on projects as we see fit.
Maggie scooted to the edge of her chair, “Yeah, and we could sell artwork from local artists, and it doesn’t have to be limited to paintings it could be pottery or other artwork for the home.”
“So, you like my ideas?” asked Alyx.
“Alyx, I love your ideas. It’s the best of all worlds, isn’t it? Let’s get started as soon as I get back. I’ll be glad to put an ad in the paper and do all the interviews.”
“Let’s talk to Bernice about it. Of course, we’ll have to give her a raise for her new duties. Are you okay with that?”
Maggie hesitated before answering. “I gather you’ve checked with our accountant to make sure we can handle another employee and a raise?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
Alyx bit her lower lip, “Well, I sort of didn’t get that far. You sounded like you could use some cheering up, so I thought you’d feel better if I told you what I was thinking.”
Maggie’s disappointment was only evident in her voice.
“Now that you got me all excited…I hope we can do it.”
“I’ll let you know for sure when you get back from the Keys. There’s one more idea I’d like to run by you. Since I have my cats in the store, I think it’s only fair that our customers should be allowed to bring their pets shopping, if they want to.” She saw the skeptical look on Maggie’s face and hastened to add, “People don’t usually bring misbehaved pets with them, and they’ll be required to be on a leash. What harm can they cause?”
Maggie’s eyebrows shot up, “Step outside, and look around you, Alyx. Are you kidding or have you lost your mind?”
“What if we limit it to cats?”
“We can’t limit it to cats only; we’ll upset customers who have dogs,” Maggie argued.
In the end, still not convinced it was a good idea, Maggie agreed to try it, but I could tell she was envisioning cat and dogfights, and broken accessories.
So the new “pets welcome” policy was initiated, and just as Maggie had predicted, mayhem broke out a few days later. I was making my rounds of the store and stumbled into the path of a black Main Coon cat several pounds heavier than I was. The cat was surprised to see me and panicked. The commotion attracted customers who stood around watching the Main Coon jumping, leaping and spinning his human around.
There were other incidents that occurred, but the dog relieving himself on a chair leg was the episode that ended “let’s allow customers to shop with their pets experiment.” Hooray!
“There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast”
––Unknown
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: A Cat is a Cat
The morning was busy and time passed quickly. Before I knew it, Maggie asked Alyx if she was ready for lunch.
“It’s only eleven-thirty, but I didn’t have any breakfast, and I’m hungry. Is it too early for you?”
“No, it’s fine. I was upstairs moving some furniture around, choosing what to have George repair or recycle. I guess the work made me hungry.”
“Good. Here’s your purse. Let’s go.”
Alyx laughed. “You’re not joking about being hungry, are you?”
As they walked by the display window, Maggie glanced at Misty sitting tall next to the candelabrum where she’d been all morning, scrutinizing each passerby, with a puzzled look flitting across her face.
“Misty hasn’t moved from that spot since I came in this morning,” said Maggie. “And Murfy is at the door trying to get his leash off the hook. Cats don’t do that; dogs do that.”
Alyx shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what to tell you, Maggie.”
I knew what to tell her if I could talk. It’s so unfair––dogs aren’t the only intelligent house pets. Some cats are just as clever; we just don’t let on that we are, thereby, we get away with doing more things we shouldn’t. My efforts paid off, and Alyx grabbed my leash and off we went.
The Beachside Café was busy as usual. The restaurant had a pleasant ambiance with exposed brick walls and a planked wood floor. The counter was a rich, dark mahogany with a brass foot railing. A booth opened up and Alyx said, “It’s so busy in here; maybe it’s better if we get something to go. I don’t feel comfortable sitting down for lunch with Murfy. There are a lot of tourists in town, and we’re getting some funny looks.”
They ordered their favorite and mine––shrimp salad on cheddar bread. Novie, the owner of the Café, brought the food out when it was ready.
“Isn’t it nice to see all these tourists back in town?”
“I know what you mean,” said Alyx. “After that last hurricane, everybody wondered if we’d ever see tourists again, and that one didn’t even hit us. It seems to me that it doesn’t really matter where they make landfall, we’re affected by any hurricane that even comes close to Florida.”
Alyx said, “That’s because those monsters are big enough to cover the whole state!” She added, “I wonder how many insurance policies will be cancelled, next time.”
“Our condo insurance more than doubled last year and so did the insurance I carry for the inside of my unit, although it won’t cost twice as much to replace the contents,” said Maggie.
A man waiting for his take-out order, someone I didn’t know, joined the conversation.
“The insurance companies have changed their philosophy of doing business. It used to be they bet against something happening while we bet it would happen. Now it’s the reverse; they bet that something will happen and charge accordingly. They have us right where they want us and they know it. People are too scared not to carry insurance, and rightly so.”
Maggie redirected the conversation to Novie. “Speaking of insurance, have you heard anything more about the diamond robbery?”
“Chet Hall came in for lunch yesterday, and I asked him about it. He said the police haven’t caught the thief, and they have no leads––they think he had a driver waiting for him outside, or he disappeared into one of the crowded businesses next to the jewelry store. They came in here and asked all of us if we’d seen anyone fitting the description they gave us––we didn’t.”
“The police talked to all of us as well,” said Maggie, “and at our next meeting, Alyx and I are going to suggest that the Merchants Association make a formal request for a greater police presence, especially during peak tourist periods.”
Novie said that after what had happened, she didn’t think there would be any opposition to the suggestion.
Later after lunch and back at the shop, Maggie’s tone of voice said it all when she told Alyx, “She doesn’t like the tiles in the courtyard.”
An audible groan escaped Alyx, “Too bad. We had nothing to do with that. She picked out her own contractor to do that job. I knew we shouldn’t have let her do that.” Alyx looked around the room, and her eyes fell on the rich-toned fabric left over from another job. “Not to worry, Maggie, I have the solution. We simply recover all the cushions with that striped, brick red fabric left over from the Carabba’s home.”
“Do we have enough?”
“Just enough. Do you want to show the fabric to our client first?”
“Not today.”
“Alyx, you’re a genius, you know.”