He gathered the soundboard he’d soldered together. He’d been working on an in-house treatment like his outside setup. It was modified to play a softer version of the songs, and could be synchronized with other lights in the house. From the banisters to the mantel to the tree, it could all be set up to play songs in a series or as few as one an hour. Perfecting the kit had taken years.
He was going to give it a test drive in his house, but the department store would be a better plan. With a little ingenuity he could show it off and maybe sell a few kits by next year. He stacked his soldering tools into his soft-sided duffel and tucked in the board and his laptop. On the way, he stopped at a home store and bought bulk lights. Unsure whether she needed more than that, he tossed a few animatronic deer in the basket along with beach ball-sized ornaments.
If there was one thing Ben knew, it was color. He’d gone to school for graphics but had fallen in love with the tattoo gun halfway through his sophomore year. He’d altered his degree to hone his talents in illustration and color theory. And decorating an arm was no different than decorating a tree. It was all about the right colors. He grabbed balls in varying tones of gold and red. The purples and blues were too close to the shade of a spruce’s green needles. The warm colors would make for a better pop.
A few more oversized ornaments and he moved on to the fat retro lights. He liked the blend of new and old. The red and gold would make for a great traditional palette that would work well for a department store.
A few hundred dollars in the hole and he was back in his truck. Blackstone’s was close to the big box stores on the strip. He pulled in and parked around the back of the store. A beefy guy hopped off a forklift and tipped his sweaty ball cap back. “Can I help ya?”
“I’m looking for Darcy Tucker.”
He looked from Ben to the truck and back. “For?”
“Christmas display.”
“Oh yeah. She mentioned to be on the lookout for you. Need help with the supplies?”
“If you have a pallet jack and a big bin I should be able to back up the truck and we can do it in one go.”
The guy looked as if he could bench-press him with a truck to spare, but when he grinned, his face transformed and he looked like a happy puppy. “Can do. I’m Petey.”
“I’m Ben.”
“Pleased to meet ya.” Petey scratched his head and replaced his hat. “You’re going to save Darcy’s bacon. Our boss is on a rampage for the store to be showroom-ready for the holiday weekend. Even has a Santa coming in to appease the kids as the parents shop.”
Ben loved Christmas but there was no way he was coming out after Thanksgiving in the mess of retail hell. He did most of his shopping online.
“Well, let’s see if we can get the store in fighting shape. I’ll pull around the truck.”
Ben backed in and the two of them unloaded his supplies in a few minutes. Petey jacked up the bin and pulled the crate in for him. “Miss Blackstone will freak if I let you do it. Store policy and all.”
“Ah.” Ben nodded agreeably and followed the burly man. He chattered on aimlessly and Ben listened with half an ear. He was already plotting the store makeover. And adding to his shopping list.
The department store wasn’t exactly on his top ten places to shop so he was unfamiliar with just how large it was. The Christmas tree dominated the front. Even without all the garlands and lights she was magnificent. Full and a deep green. Very much like Darcy’s eyes.
He frowned.
Not why he was here. He had a job to do, and he needed to keep his eye on the prize. Perfecting the display would go a long way in helping out his financial situation. The lights had started out as a bit of fun, but if he could get that moving maybe he’d actually be able to build his house fund again. He didn’t regret going into business with his best friend Cesar, but he hadn’t been
prepared for just how much of a financial drain it could be. Especially when his partner preferred partying to worrying about overhead.
He came around the bend and the entirety of the registers and shoppers came into view. It was still early in the day but there were a few people shopping already. He spotted Darcy speaking to a coworker. The minute she realized he was there her entire body language changed. She actually stood taller, if that was possible. It was a novelty to have a woman be nearly the same height as him.
Made for a few interesting ideas.
No.
No ideas.
As she walked toward him, he decided a few ideas weren’t necessarily a bad thing. Her legs were distracting as hell. She had a loose-limbed grace that he rarely saw outside the models that frequented his shop. But without the arrogance.
And the pull he felt was annoying. She ate up the length of store between them. Slim navy pants made her legs look even longer. There wasn’t an ounce of gawkiness to Darcy Tucker. In fact, she had more curves than he’d originally thought. She hid under shapeless clothes most of the time.
“Thanks so much for coming, Mr. Hartley.”
“Considering you’ve seen me before my toothbrush, I think Ben will do.”
Her friend joined them and her eyebrows rose at his last statement. The silent conversation that ensued between Darcy and her coworker was fascinating. He had a feeling Darcy was going to have some explaining to do. And he decided he liked that she blushed and wouldn’t look him in the eye.