‘Thanks, guys,’ she said, thinking how pleasant they were compared to Emily.
She didn’t think it was her imagination that, thanks to Emily’s absence, the atmosphere today was so much more relaxed and cordial between the staff.
Josh had barely finished unlocking the doors when the first customers of the day arrived. Holly immediately recognised them as Alice and Luke, the young couple interested in the corner suite.
‘Hi, Holly!’ Alice waved as they walked across the shop floor, and Martyn, who was nearby and already approaching them, nodded to Holly and fell back.
‘Hello again.’ Holly beamed when Alice gripped the top of her arm in excitement.
‘Holly, if you can get us some money off, we’re going to buy it!’ Alice spluttered, unable to hold in her glee. ‘Right, Luke?’
‘Right.’ He smiled at his wife. ‘Thanks for being so patient and giving us a bit of space, Holly. We just needed to be absolutely sure.’
‘Really?’ Holly’s eyes widened but she tried to look as if she pulled off this kind of sale every day. ‘That’s fantastic! And I totally understand you needed to be sure; it’s a lot of money to invest in your home.’
‘My aunt died recently and left us a bequest, you see,’ Alice explained. ‘We’d never ordinarily be able to shop at Kellington’s, but her gift has enabled us to put a big deposit down on a spacious new apartment and treat ourselves to something really special here.’
So Emily had been right after all. Alice and Luke weren’t the typically wealthy Kellington’s type of customer, but that didn’t matter. They still had ready cash to spend, and that money was as good as anyone else’s.
Emily obviously hadn’t factored that little consideration into her snobbish assumptions.
‘I’m so sorry to hear about your aunt,’ Holly said kindly. ‘But it’s wonderful that you’re going to use her gift for something that will give you so much pleasure and comfort.’
‘Thank you, Holly. It will.’ Alice gave a small regretful smile.
‘Give me a sec then and I’ll see what I can do about the price,’ Holly said.
She disappeared into the back office and was relieved to find it empty. She timed exactly one minute on her watch before walking back out.
‘I’ve just spoken to Mr Kellington and I’m pleased to say he’s given me special clearance to discount the suite for you today.’
Alice bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet, completely unable to keep her face from splitting into a wide smile.
‘I can make it a nice round eight thousand; that’s nearly a full five per cent off.’
Holly watched as both their faces dimmed.
Alice bit her lip and looked at Luke.
‘I was hoping for perhaps ten per cent off,’ he said. His feet shifted, showing that he was clearly uncomfortable in a negotiating situation.
Holly glanced around her, scanning the shop floor, as she’d witnessed Emily doing countless times.
‘Look.’ She spoke quietly. ‘I’ll probably get into trouble for doing this, but I’ll go down to seven thousand eight hundred. That’s nearly seven and a half per cent off… you’ll save six hundred pounds.’
‘Six hundred pounds! It’s a lot of money, Luke.’ Alice nudged him, her expression hopeful. ‘That would cover the new bedding and curtains we liked.’
Luke held Holly’s gaze for a moment, and then he grinned, blowing air out of his mouth.
‘Deal!’ he announced, laughing as Alice launched herself into his arms.
‘Amazing!’ Holly exclaimed before remembering to stay professionally calm. ‘I’m so pleased for you both. What a stunning piece you’ve purchased for your new lounge – congratulations.’
After agreeing a delivery date for the beginning of the following week, Holly escorted the couple over to the payment station, where Josh and Mr Kellington now stood, discussing the layout of the displays.
‘Luke and Alice have just bought the Brooklyn suite at a special price,’ Holly told Sue, the cashier, in a loud voice. ‘Seven thousand eight hundred pounds all in. Delivery slot for Monday, please, Sue.’
She glanced at Josh, who briefly raised an eyebrow and winked at her.
Mr Kellington introduced himself, shook Alice and Luke’s hands and generally made a fuss, congratulating them.
‘Thanks so much, Mr Kellington,’ Alice gushed. ‘For agreeing to the discount, I mean.’
Holly’s heartbeat seemed suddenly to relocate to her head as her fib was revealed, but she needn’t have worried.
‘You’re most welcome, my dear,’ he replied graciously and without hesitation. ‘I’m pleased Holly has been able to assist you in finding something you love.’
‘She’s been brilliant.’ Luke nodded. ‘To be honest, we were on the brink of walking out of the store yesterday after that other snooty saleswoman told us to go and look elsewhere, but Holly looked after us and answered all our questions. She gave us the time and space to make our minds up.’
Holly’s cheeks nearly burst with gratitude. She looked modestly at her hands.
Mr Kellington continued to nod and smile at the customers, but Holly hadn’t missed the shadow that passed over his face the instant Luke made reference to Emily’s snub.
That would teach Miss Emily Beech to gossip about Holly’s supposed failed sales with Josh, and it would keep that smug look off her face, at least for a while.
Holly couldn’t stop smiling to herself, even when her customers had left the building.
The old cliché was true. Revenge tasted very sweet, like nectar.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Holly
‘You’ve done incredibly well, Holly,’ Mr Kellington said when she returned to her desk. ‘A very clever little ruse you used there, too, telling them I’d authorised a discount.’
Holly felt a flare of heat beginning to climb up her neck. She wasn’t sure Mr Kellington would approve of her lying to customers.
‘I’d already told them I was new, you see,’ she said quickly. ‘I had to, because when Emily walked away… well, I wanted to be honest with them about just having started here… in case I couldn’t answer all their questions. And they were so overjoyed at buying such a beautiful suite from Kellington’s, I decided to make it extra special by saying you had personally authorised their discount.’
Mr Kellington beamed at her. ‘Very astute, and just the kind of added value we like to give our customers, Holly. But from what I understand, their experience was almost ruined.’ His unkempt brows met in the middle.
Holly looked down. ‘Yes, well… I know Emily is very experienced, but it turns out she was wrong in her assumption. They weren’t time-wasters after all.’
‘So that’s her game, is it?’ he blustered. ‘Categorising people on sight, at their point of entry to the store?’
‘I… I’m sorry,’ Holly stammered. ‘I didn’t mean to speak out of turn, I…’
‘You have nothing to apologise for, my dear. I can see the spirit of Kellington’s in you where it may be missing in certain other members of staff.’
Holly excused herself and disappeared upstairs to the staff bathroom. Once inside, with the door locked, she did a little jig.
Mostly because of the juicy slice of commission that would be coming her way at the end of the month. But, she had to admit, also to celebrate dropping Emily in it.
She had tried her very best to like and get to know her colleague, but she had been snubbed at every turn. And it had hurt.
To her delight, when she got downstairs, Josh brought a cup of coffee and a vanilla slice over to her sales desk. ‘It’s a bit of a Kellington’s tradition we like to uphold when someone gets a big deal,’ he grinned.
Ben and Martyn came over to offer their congratulations, followed by Mr Kellington himself.
Holly sipped her coffee and allowed herself to bathe in the glory of their compliments.
‘Let us into your secret, then,’ Ben urged. ‘I’ve been here three years and the biggest single purchase I’ve managed is five grand.’