Page 1 of His New Toy

Chapter One

During the lead up to the holidays, Seth was grateful he worked behind the scenes at Turner’s Toys instead of up front dealing with angry customers. While Turner’s Toys didn’t suffer the kind of crowds a big box store would, instead selling well-made, unique toys for discerning parents without a budget to consider, that meant that when the customer was unhappy, it was anissue.

Seth was currently crouched behind one of the aisles he was supposed to be fronting, listening to one such issue. A woman who was dissatisfied that the doll she’d purchased for her child had been broken by said child was making it Jeanette’s problem. Jeanette, smile strained, had already offered to check the doll into Turner’s toy hospital, but the woman clearly had no interest in an actual solution–she just wanted to complain.

Seth felt for Jeanette. A couple hours ago on a break they’d been sitting in the back lamenting working retail during the holidays. It was always extra work and extra stress trying to keep the store running smoothly and keep customers happy during the holidays, and sometimes customers were only happy when they were yelling at the working class.

It’s not as though any of that came with extra pay either.

“This is ridiculous!” The woman shrieked. “I paid good money for a quality toy!”

“Of course,” Jeanette tried. “And a stay at Turner’s doll hospital–”

“The toy wouldn’t need to befixedif it hadn’t broken in the first place!”

Seth peeked out from behind the aisle and caught Jeanette’s eye, silently asking if she needed backup. He hated everything about confrontation, which made it especially difficult to be out in the main store when tempers were high, but he also was the assistant toy doctor. Sometimes he could diffuse a situation by explaining how the doll hospital worked.

But Jeanette glanced at him and then away again with a subtle shake of her head. They’d been working together long enough for Seth to get her meaning: giving the woman someone new to yell at would do more harm than good.

So instead Seth pivoted and headed right back down the aisle, leaving the bottom two shelves to be finished later. He could stand to spend some time checking over the patients in the toy hospital. At least if a broken doll started yelling at him, Seth could just take out its batteries.

There was indeed a new patient ready to be treated when Seth got to the back room; a stuffed bear with a ripped leg. An easy fix, and so one Seth could take care of right away. He hummed to himself as he sorted through the threads to find the right shade match for the teddy, then bent over his desk to thread his needle and get to work.

He was so preoccupied with making the tiny, even stitches, that it was only once he’d knotted off the thread and snipped the tail that he looked up and noticed an older man just a few feet away, watching him.

“Oh, um—” Seth quickly pushed to his feet. He hadn’t been briefed by his boss, the owner of Turner’s, that there was a new hire coming in today, but this man also did not look as though he had been hired to work cash or lift boxes. He was wearing an incredibly nice looking suit that he filled outverywell, all tall and broad-shouldered with salt and pepper hair. “I’m sorry sir–” this man definitely looked like asir.“But you’re not supposed to be back here.”

The man looked slightly surprised to be told that he was doing something against the rules, which Seth figured was kind of par for the course with rich people. And this guy screamed money. Seth braced himself for the repercussions, certain he was about to be very sternly told off.

But instead the man smiled at him. ”I’m sorry about that,” he said, walking closer to Seth. He had a deep, pleasant voice, and it sort of made Seth’s spine tingle, especially when the man stopped only inches away. A little too close for comfort. “I’m looking for a toy for my granddaughter. Maybe you could help me?”

Seth took an unconscious step back. “Oh, uh, sure. Sure thing.” He didn’t really work the customer service sides, but he knew Turner’s entire inventory by heart. “Why don’t we head out to the main floor, and I can help you with that.”

“That would be lovely,” the man said, motioning for Seth to lead. “Thank you, Seth.”

Seth didn’t jump at hearing his name being used, but only just. It took him a second to remember that he was wearing a nametag.Duh, you idiot,he scolded himself. Customers at Turner’s didn’t often bother looking at the name tags of the employees, but it happened frequently enough that it shouldn’t have startled him.

“How old is your granddaughter?” Seth asked, as he held the door open for the man so they could walk back out into the main floor.

“She’ll be two in March,” the man said. He laughed softly. “And incredibly active, let me tell you.”

Okay, okay. Seth thought fast. So a toddler, and a girl, and rich people tended to like their gender norms but he wasn’t going to assume anything. Active… “It’s pretty cold outside,” he tried. “So playing outside can be hard for little ones. What about a mini trampoline?”

For the second time, the man looked surprised, eyebrows raising. But then his expression turned thoughtful. “Is that safe?”

“Oh, very,” Seth said quickly, starting in the direction of the aisle that housed them. “We sell a mini trampoline specifically for ages one and a half to three. It has a padded handrail for the children to hold onto while they bounce, and a mesh netting that circles the entire thing, so they can’t fall off. Obviously it’s strongly recommended that children only use the trampoline while supervised, but it’s the safest one on the market.”

“That’s a great idea,” the man said, eyeing the box Seth pointed him to.

Seth couldn’t help his pleased flush at the praise. “Happy to help.”

“Anything else I should know about this toy?” The man asked.

“Oh, um… there’s a little assembly required,” Seth said. “It’s pretty easy to do, but if you want to give her a gift that she can play with right away, it might be a good idea to put it together first?”

“I see,” the man said. He smiled at Seth. “Good to keep in mind. I’ll take it. Would you mind helping me take it to the front?”

“Sure,” Seth said. “Of course.” The box was a little unwieldy to carry, but it did come with handholds built in. And not too heavy that Seth struggled in picking it up.

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