Page 6 of Artifacts

The man glanced from him to Elliot and back to Aldric. He tugged at the left cuff of his dark gray suit jacket. “Ah, yes. My name is Jonas Abrams. I wanted to inquire as to the nature of the position available. I have several years’ experience in antiquities and a university degree that would be an asset as well.”

Aldric’s heart fluttered and, for a moment, he feared he’d pass out. This thick-set man, with his tortoise-shell glasses and short, close-cut mustache and beard, looked like the kind of person Elliot should have working at Intrinsic Value. He belonged there, unlike Aldric.

“Uh—” Aldric knew his face was red, a hot blush stealing over him. This would be the end of the dream job. At least he hadn’t planned beyond buying new pants and paying the bills, so he wouldn’t be as devastated to lose this job as he’d have been if he’d worked there longer.

“Excuse me a moment, Mr. Tibbers. I’ll be right back,” Elliot said before approaching not Jonas Abrams, but Aldric.

Elliot cupped Aldric’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Glad you made it in, Aldric. I knew I chose well.”

Aldric wanted to ask if that meant he still had his job. Instead, he tried to have some faith that things might not be so serious for him. Elliot wasn’t acting like he was about to fire him. “Thank you.”

Elliot patted his shoulder, then faced Jonas Abrams. “I’m Elliot Douglas, the owner of Intrinsic Value. Elliot, please. And I am sorry, Mr. Abrams, but I’ve hired this talented young man, Aldric. I meant to take the sign down yesterday. My apologies for this inconvenience.”

Mr. Abrams didn’t seem to be dejected. He raised a briefcase Aldric hadn’t noticed him holding. “Undoubtedly a wise decision. Aldric—may I call you by your given name?”

Aldric frowned and nodded. No one had bothered to ask his permission to say his name before. “Yes, sir.”

“Oh.” Mr. Abrams lowered the briefcase. “No need for that. I’m Jonas. And I would like to leave my resume with you, Elliot, if I may? I understand you’ve filled the position, but perhaps you might be amenable to a curator as an independent contractor? I have quite a few connections that could benefit you. If not, that is, of course, fine as well.” Jonas set the briefcase on the counter and opened it.

“I’ll look over your resume and take your offer into consideration. We might be able to come up with something for you here.” Elliot took the resume, accepted Jonas’ thanks, then waited until Jonas left the store before handing the resume to Aldric. “Put that on my desk, would you, please?”

“Yes, sir.” Aldric took the resume. The paper it was printed on was thick and smooth—no doubt some expensive stuff, not the cheap packages of printer paper Aldric had bought before.

Elliot cleared his throat, and Aldric looked at him. “Sir?”

“As I just told that young man, call me Elliot, please,” Elliot said, his mouth curving in the hint of a smile. “You have this job, Aldric. I’m not taking it away from you. Do you believe me?”

Aldric hated that his skittishness was so obvious. “Yes, si-er, Elliot. Thank you.” He told himself to stop there, but he couldn’t. “It’s just that Jonas…well, he has a lot of experience and knows about this stuff already.”

Elliot shrugged. “That doesn’t mean you aren’t an asset to this business. I’ll look at his resume, and if it’s impressive enough, perhaps I’ll see about bringing him on part-time or exploring the options he mentioned. Whatever I decide will not result in you losing your position or hours. Do you believe me?”

Why Elliot seemed to care what Aldric believed was beyond him. Aldric didn’t get creepy daddy vibes off Elliot—he just came across as a decent human being who cared about others.

“Yes, I do.” Aldric exhaled a shaky breath and realized that he meant it. “Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

As he made his way along the narrow aisle between the table displays, wood cabinets and hand-carved dressers to Elliot’s office, it took all Aldric’s willpower not to read Jonas’ resume. He set the paper on the desk and strode back behind the counter. Every step he’d taken had given him more confidence that he’d be able to keep this job. For whatever reason, Elliot had hired him, and Aldric would work hard to prove that Elliot hadn’t made a mistake.

* * * *

Aldric had been worried when Elliot had decided to hire Jonas, but a week into working together, he had to admit that the other member of their small staff wasn’t a threat to him. Once Aldric had made up his mind to let his defenses down so he could learn from Jonas, it was almost easy to let go of the worry he’d had over being fired.

Even though Aldric had only been at Intrinsic Value for a week and a half, he had a lot of the stock memorized. He was learning much faster than he’d thought he’d be capable of doing. Pride swelled in him every time Elliot asked him about some of the merchandise and he was able to answer correctly.

Jonas was a nice guy, too. He never talked down to Aldric or tried to make him feel like he was stupid for not knowing as much as Jonas or Elliot did about the antiques or what was antique and what was vintage or even retro—and what those terms meant. Jonas was employed part-time in the shop and would do contract work as well, seeking out treasures for the shop at some point in the future. He hadn’t worked in a store before, and Aldric thought he’d mentioned something about teaching, or a classroom, but Jonas had changed the subject. He looked like a professor, Aldric thought.

“Aldric, the shipment has arrived! Do you want to come help me with it, and see what we’ve got?” Elliot tipped his chin toward Jonas, who’d just entered the shop. “Jonas can handle the front for a while.”

“Yes, thanks!” A small leap of excitement shot through Aldric. He wanted to learn how to do everything related to Intrinsic Value. It wasn’t only for himself. He wanted to make Elliot proud of him. Jonas, too, though it hadn’t been Jonas who’d taken a chance on him.

For the first time in possibly ever, Aldric was beginning to feel like he wasn’t stupid and resigned to a life of barely getting by, working shitty jobs. If he continued working for Elliot, he might even consider going to college and getting some kind of degree that would help him in the business of antiquities. That was a possibility to examine at a later time. He’d been surprised to discover a love for old things, even ones that weren’t antiques. He was learning to view life, and items in it, with a different perspective.

In the stock room, Elliot removed his suit jacket. The silver vest he wore over his pale blue shirt emphasized his chest build. Aldric wondered if he’d look as neat if he dressed like Elliot. He almost felt as excited as Elliot appeared to be at the arrival of the blind shipment.

“Blind means you bought it without inspecting it, doesn’t it?” Aldric hoped he’d remembered that right.

Elliot grinned and placed one hand on the biggest box on the floor. “Indeed it does. From the Buckman estate. While I wouldn’t stand a chance of buying any of the deceased’s priceless or luxury items, his widow wished to sell off the contents of her late husband’s study. She wasn’t interested in getting an appraisal to see if there was anything of real value, merely wanted everything gone. Not a wise decision on her part, and not on mine either, to purchase items unseen, but sometimes it’s just…a feeling. And fun! I didn’t spend a lot, either. No more than I could afford to lose. The same rule as one should follow in a casino.”

Aldric couldn’t imagine being able to afford to loseanymoney. He’d gotten paid on Friday, four days ago. That check, along with the one he’d get in three more days, would cover his rent and utilities. The few groceries he’d bought would have to last him, but after his second check, he figured he should be able to start saving money and buying a little more, maybe even some new clothes, although nothing as extravagant as the suits Elliot wore.

---