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Quinn finished up his phone call and headed back into the direction of the jewelry store he had been going to before his phone rang. He would have been in sooner but a particularly pressing call had him detouring to a local park where he was able to converse in relative peace. Why did some people not respect ‘time off’ or rather they never stepped away from work to begin with… He realized the sheer irony of that particular thought since he did that all the time but it still annoyed him to no end when his tail was the one that got caught in the trap.

Needing a mental pause he ducked into a small corner store and scooped up a small bouquet of flowers. The carnations and other bright petals were a bit droopy, and nothing like the bouquet of flowers he had sent to Annalise on Saturday afternoon. His current offering was quite poor in comparison but it was the best of the bunch, he made sure of that. So with flowers in hand he entered her store and smiled when an employee approached him. “Hi, I have an appointment with Ms. Williams for a custom order.” He wasn’t late at all, but he kind of wanted to be early if only to browse more of her wares… and maybe flirt with her some more. He hadn’t really gotten the time to do more than send her a text or two since Saturday. Shame really since Quinn had really enjoyed their time together.

Ever since her little tinder date, Anna has been able to focus more on her business, she was less tense [not that she was good at hiding it from her employees] for one which really said something about all work and no play. The store was running as great as it always had, but it was her employees that constantly gave her the “look” which caused her to narrow her eyes, daring them to say something. Her employees knew her well, so they were by no means intimidated by the look their boss would give them each time they teased her about something.

The petite woman was currently walking the floor when the bell rang. She continued working, mostly making sure the display pieces of jewelry still looked like they were brand new [which some of the pieces were older but keeping them clean and the case free of contaminants was key in keeping the metal preserved. She would never sell anyone a display model, always opting to create the piece herself if it was custom and having it manufactured if they wanted an exact replica. The employee that greeted Quinn at the door smiled and tried to keep her face straight, “Sure thing! She is currently……Ah! Right over there. I can take you too her if you would like or you can go without an escort~”

Quinn’s eyes followed the indicated direction. “I think I can find my way. Thank you,” He politely, and cheerfully, informed the employee before making his way over towards Annalise. He watched as she moved precisely, everything done in a graceful manner, and yet there wasn’t any wasted time or action. As he approached the sandy haired man cleared his throat quietly, trying not to startle her. No point in ruining all the work she was currently putting in.

“Hi, I’m here for my appointment. If you still have the time that is,” A brow rose inquisitively. He knew they were both busy, and this appointment was set before the actions of the weekend, so it was entirely possible that she… wouldn’t want to see him. Their texts since then were mostly about work or the custom piece, no real reaction or conversation about their little weekend tryst. Quinn hoped it wouldn’t be a one time deal, but then again it wasn’t really up to him. Not entirely.

Anna was in the zone, blinking and looking up from where she was working only to stutter a little bit when she answered. “O-Oh! Y-Yes Mr. Quinn! I always have time for my customers~ I do have some pictures of the progress that I have made on your moms necklace in my office. Why don't you follow me?” As far as answering text messages, Anna had been so focused that being social wasn't exactly the first thing on her mind. Whenever Quinn would text her she almost instantly replied back, almost embarrassed by it since she didn't want to come off as desperate or too forward just in case what happened over the weekend was a one time thing. Business before pleasure after all. Once they made it to her office she opened the door and allowed him to come in first before entering and closing it. Her office was a bit disorganized but that is what happens when you move office spaces across states.

Currently Anna’s back was facing Quinn while she was looking through her drawers, trying to find the file that had the pictures she needed.

“With pleasure,” Quinn smiled and happily followed Annalise into her back office, absently noting the cluttered space. He had seen worse, honestly back in his school days he had done worse. He sure as s**t wasn’t going to say anything, if Annalise was anything like his mother she knew exactly where everything was in this disorganized space. It didn’t take long for his gaze to drift back to her, and his thought process to drift onto more carnal thoughts only to be yanked away because they were there for business. Business! Not pleasure. Besides, not only were they at her store, during work hours, with employees outside… but they were also there talking about a necklace for his mother. A massive buzzkill right there.

He absently coughed and held out the sad, sad bundle of flowers. “Here, these are for you. They aren't much but I wanted to say thanks for making this a rush order. I know getting it done in time for Christmas is a strain so I really do appreciate it.” Quinn made sure he was going to be paying for the rush job but that didn’t mean some other types of appreciation wouldn’t help.

AH!

Anna smiled brightly when she found the pictures, turning around to face Quinn with a rare form of excitement on her face. She was so proud of what she had so far, thinking this was her best work yet. When Quinn gave her the flowers, she happily accepted them, actually finding the droopiness entertaining. A small giggle escaped before she could help it, smiling brightly still. “Thank you!” she looked around, finding a nice little vase to put them in, “Here are the pictures of what I've done so far, there are still some tweaks that need doing, but I should definitely have it done before Christmas for your mother.” While she was talking there was that excitement still, a sign that she really, truly enjoyed what she did. “Any thoughts? Questions? Concerns?” She was just so proud and excited.

It also helped that she's been in such good spirits since that night, but now isn't the time to think about such things….Business Anna…Business.

Quinn pretty much traded the flowers for the pictures that Annalise had turned around with. He was oddly glad that she liked the wilted bouquet, a dopey grin on his face as he watched her putter around putting them in a little vase. He watched her for a heartbeat longer before focusing on the pictures. The general look on it was perfect, he could see that there were still a few points that needed adjusting, and the stone needed to be added, but all of that was more or less finished work. “Any issues with acquiring the right color for the Moss Agate?” It had taken a bit for him to settle on the actual gem that was going to be incorporated into the piece, there were a surprising amount of green stones out there, but he settled on the Moss Agate because of its unique look. That and there was a particular color that some of the stones had that were the closest to the family eye color.

“Overall it looks great. I can’t wait to see what it looks like, all polished and everything. I’m sure my mom will love it.” He glanced up from the pictures and returned the questions, “What about on your end? Anything you need help with or that needs my assistance?” Quinn couldn’t imagine how he could help but he was willing to at least try if she needed him.

“The Moss Agate is being a little tough to get my hands on sadly, the color you asked for is a bit on the rare side. Just means I might need help with that aspect. Do you have anyone that would be able to help me track down that specific color?” That would be the final thing she needed, then the piece could be done by….Probably the 22nd at the latest and the 15th at the earliest. Anna tapped her chin while she thought of anything else she could need, coming up with nothing. A part of being independent was that you were able to do things on your own without help or guidance. She didn't want to ask for help at first but this would speed things up.

Quinn ‘hmmmmm’ for a moment before he pulled out his phone. It took a bit as he searched for something, or someone, specific before he started to tap out a text and sent it out. There was a little electronic swooshing sound, quickly followed by a chime of an incoming reply. This went back and forth a few times before with one final chime Quinn looked up and grinned like a kid. “It will take a few days but I’ve got someone working on it. He said he knows just the place and will text me when he gets his little grubby paws on it.” It really did pay to have contacts on all levels of the world. This particular contact was someone who adored mineralogy and geology in general. He made healthy pay by using his skills for more wide ranging things but he was still willing to do a favor here or their, especially if it was stone related. Strange man… nice enough but strange. “He has helped me out a few times in the past so I know he will come through.”

Anna gave Quinn a smile, “Thank you. I think that would be it for the check in. Are you sure you have no more questions?” She wanted to get to know Quinn a bit more, but wasn't sure on how to ask. Despite being a whole adult, Anna did not know how to approach this situation. She's never wanted to get to know one of her customers before [much less slept with them], so this was new for her.

The man thought for a moment before sadly shaking his head, “No, nothing business related at least.” He had lots of questions in general but they were all personal ones. Stuff they never really got to go into when he interrupted her tinder date last week. Quinn gave her a look before taking a step closer and lowering his voice, just in case there was anyone who was trying to be nosy. “I don’t suppose you have time this week for dinner do you? Where we can talk more privately? Enjoy some good food, drinks, and maybe some music?” He didn’t want to impose, nor interrupt her work, but he would love to spend more time with her and not just in a physical sense… not that he would turn that down.

A date?

Anna’s eyes brightened even if she looked like she would be a red tomato if she were lighter, the look Quinn gave her made her blink and bite her lip before she cleared her throat. “S-Sure, I would love to. Know a good place?”

“How about Italian? There is a really great little place I know.” Quinn grinned, already planning out their date. “Just name the day and I’ll make sure everything is perfect.”