Page 5 of Slippery When Wet

“You know, you should do what I do. Hire a manager to handle everything on your behalf, give him some fancy title so your staff and clients pay attention to the guy, then check in with him once a week to make sure he isn’t embezzling the shit out of you. That way, it’s country club, golf and cocktails twenty-four-seven the rest of the time.”

Calvin rolled his eyes so hard they hurt. “I’m afraid I’m too much of a control freak. But, you never know.”

Hedidknow but didn’t want to get into it with Arnold. He truly did have a lot to take care of before the day was over, though.

“All right, all right. But as long as you’re still meeting with clients face to face, you need to get a custom suit from Uptown Men’s Clothiers. I’ve never gotten a better fit, and all the fabric is imported. I know you have a guy already but make an appointment with Mr. Schultz and check it out.” Arnold chuckled. “Mention my name and I’ll get a discount the next time I go in.”

Calvin rubbed his forehead. “Er, I’m very busy right now. Maybe in the future.”

“Come on, Cal. Do me a solid. I promise you’re going to see this guy’s work and go nuts. You’ll never let another suit touch your body after you get yourself one of these babies.”

Sometimes when he was talking to Arnold, Calvin would get flashes that he was in a production ofGuys and Dolls.

Concluding he would never hear the end of it if he didn’t just give in to Arnold’s pleading, he acquiesced. Who knew? Maybe the world would tip on its axis, and he would fall in love with the suits. Stranger things had happened.

“All right, all right. I’ll make an appointment.”

“You’re a real pal. Thanks, buddy.”

Calvin had switched to rubbing his temples. “Yeah. Sure. So…what’s the name of this shop again?”

Chapter Three

“Ellery, I need you to go to the utility closet in the back. Grab the bucket…”

Mr. Schultz stopped mid-sentence, his bushy gray eyebrows drawing together and increasing the deep furrows decorating his forehead. While he grasped his chin as if he were trying to solve the mysteries of the universe, Ellery eyed the shipment of tie bar and cufflink sets that had just arrived in their weekly delivery. Anxiety built under his skin the longer Mr. Schultz took to finish his thoughts. His boss tended to drag his directions out while Ellery preferred when people got to the point.

Once he unpacked the jewelry and added those to the display, he’d have to start on the bowties. The Uptown Men’s Clothier would be opening in fifteen minutes, and as soon customers strolled in, Ellery would need to measure for dress shirts and inseams, show customers to the fitting rooms and ring up sales. He’d been working at the men’s exclusive clothing store for almost a year, and none of his duties had ever required the use of a bucket. He couldn’t imagine what had gotten into Mr. Schultz.

In Ellery’s experience, it was never anything good.

At last, his boss seemed to come to a conclusion. He lifted his head and regarded Ellery. “I can’t honestly say we have what’s needed, but we’ll have to make do.”

Mr. Schultz hated it when Ellery asked too many questions, but this couldn’t be helped. He was completely lost.

“I’m sorry, sir. Make do with what?”

Mr. Schultz huffed. “The cleaning implements.”

Ellery was in charge of things like vacuuming, dusting the displays and wiping down the glass counters, so he already had a good idea what was back there.

“I see. Well, besides a bucket, broom and mop, we have the glass and bathroom cleaners.” Now Ellery had to think. He tapped his chin with one finger. “Some sink sponges. Oh, and the duster.”

“No squeegee?”

Ellery arched his eyebrows. “Well, no. The window washing people bring their own equipment.”

A horrible thought slammed into him. The tall showcase windows at the front of the store were taken care of by a professional cleaning service. The panes stretched all the way to the ceiling, which had to be at least fifteen feet high. That was much too high to remove the dirt and grime of the busy city when standing on the ground, and too much surface to cover with a spray bottle and cloth wipe.

“Hmm.” His boss was back to pondering but then seemed to be struck by a flash of inspiration. “Then we make do.” He checked his watch. “Oh dear. Not much time left. Grab the bucket and fill it with water. Then dump the bottle of glass cleaner in. Not ideal, but we don’t have time for anything else. After that, bring the bucket, some sponges and paper towels to the counter. You’ll need the ladder as well.”

“B-but, uh…” Ellery’s throat tightened before he managed to clear it. “Why do I need all that?”

His boss threw his hands in the air. “To clean the outside windows, of course.”

Ellery trailed behind Mr. Schultz who was rushing around the store, hastily performing last minute shirt stack straightening and running a finger across exposed areas of display surfaces to check for dust.

“But…Mr. Schultz. The cleaning service, they—”

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