The Seven, and their Wealth. II

XI - Jenner.

The bookstore was relatively unoccupied. Certain months would be the exception to how unbusy it could get. The start of every academic year would be the busiest; understandably so. People were getting their act together for what would be a long year with the books, the crazy rush would soon die down and the store would be rather dead. Then came the book releases, see Miller Harvey is a destination of choice for authors to release their books – or conclude their promotion campaigns, there never was an in-between. Book releases, signings and Q&As usually took place on Friday evenings, but Saturdays weren't exempt either (Sundays being a rarity).

Jenner had a chance to experience just how busy the space could get during one of the releases. Weeks ago, after her early morning flight from Cape Town, Jenner walked into the store with nothing but a Starbucks coffee in hand and fatigue at an all-time high.

Margaret did warn her that it would be a busy day, but Jenner scoffed at the thought.

Little did she know what was in store.

After aiding in creating a pyramid of nearly a thousand books, the launch event took place and all units had been sold before the store closed for the day. Demand was far too high that they had no stock for nearly three days and had impatient customers lining up to get their hands on the books as soon as the new batch arrived. Jenner usually keeps count of how many customers she can help in a day; however, on Saturday she had seen a whole new side of things.

Today, weeks later, the store was recuperating from the chaos that had descended prior. This was one of the quiet phases, where the customer count for the day would normally fall around seventy-five. The mid-year rush, or so Margaret called it, was only a mere month away. Word on the street was that it could get chaotic too, something Jenner was not looking forward to in the slightest.

Outside of work, Jenner had proven to be a great employee. Despite only working part-time, she had been awarded the Employee of the Month accolade for March, and Bongani was heavily considering revising her contract so that she could work on a more permanent basis with higher pay and more benefits.

Jenner made new friends in the form of her co-workers. There was: Ricardo – a reasonably brawny skater boy who seemed to be developing a crush on Jenner, Sibongile – a massive Summer Walker fan who always had a new set of nails every week, Teddy – a heavy daydreamer, and Mpho, a vegetarian who had the prettiest smile Jenner had ever seen. While she was friends with all of them, Margaret was the standout friend. Not only was she the friendliest, but Margaret had such a refreshing personality. She was unfiltered, sang well and had an eye for the finer things in life.

They spoke nearly every day as if they were best friends, and while Jenner appreciated the bond they had developed, she was worried about the secret underpinning the friendship.

It was no secret that Margaret deplored people who were born with silver spoons in their mouths, a feeling that Jenner found existed even before the advent of Clinton on Jenner's first day.

Passing for an average got harder and harder with every day Margaret asked all sorts of questions – curious about a secretive Jenner's background. The less Margaret knew the less awkward it would be.

'Jenner? Jenner!' Margaret nudged her as they sat in the employee room, enjoying their lunch break. 'I swear, you and Teddy have the most annoying timing when it comes to your daydreams.'

'I am sorry; what's up?'

'I was asking how things are going between you and your chauffeur.'

Jenner chuckled.

The Chauffeur was the aptly given name for Clinton. Margaret started calling him that ever since she noticed how Clinton was always available to pick her up after work. One time, after Jenner and the crew finished their Friday night shift late – he'd dropped everyone off at their places.