The next week passed faster than he had expected.
By the ti Monday morning rolled around, most of the furniture and appliances he had ordered had already arrived at the grocery store. They ca early, even before the main shift began, so only a few workers saw the trucks pull into the service entrance.
They probably assud it was just a standard restock for the store.
Gray stood near the back hallway with a clipboard in one hand and coffee in the other, quietly watching the boxes being wheeled in one after another.
He had arrived extra early just for this.
There were chairs, a fridge, a new microwave, fresh lockers, a dium-sized sofa, and a few more tables. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but he made sure that everything was sturdy and would last the employees a long ti.
He moved through the list carefully, glancing up every now and then as the crew unloaded everything.
He was able to get everything on the list; however, he had to cut back on so things, such as the number of chairs. He was also able to buy a coffee machine, but it was just a simple one.
He made sure, though, that it was from a reliable brand and that the machine would be able to serve the tired workers after a few hours of work.
As a starter, he also bought in so supplies from his own pocket. It was a gift to all the employees. He bought so packs of coffee beans and powder, so sugar, and crear.
Of course, everything was from the grocery store.
Before the employees arrived at the store, they had to make sure that everything was already moved inside. They didn’t have the ti to arrange everything, so he let the employees have their own free will regarding that.
"Careful with that one," he said as one of the workers tried to maneuver the fridge through the narrow entry to the staff room. "You can just slide it into the right corner near the wall for now."
The man nodded with a quick, "Yes, sir," and carefully backed it in.
Gray took another sip from his cup, shifting the clipboard under his arm as he walked into the staff room. The place was still a bit of a ss. There was plastic wrapping littered on the floor, and most of the pieces were still boxed. But it was coming together. Slowly.
"Let’s keep the new lockers near the back wall," he added, pointing across the room.
"There’s more space there. And the microwave—place it on top of that old counter for now. We’ll have soone clean it up later."
One of the delivery n smiled as he slid the boxed sofa through the door. Gray stepped aside, letting them pass.
"I appreciate you getting all this here early," he muttered. The guy only gave a quick smile in return and kept moving.
A few minutes later, one of the maintenance staff from the grocery ca in. He was an older man in a gray polo with a na tag that read Oscar. He looked around at the pile of incoming equipnt and raised a brow.
"Good morning, Mr. Gray," he said. "I saw the schedule note. I figured I should drop by in case you needed us."
"Oh, perfect timing," Gray nodded. "I was hoping you could help with the air-conditioning unit."
Oscar stepped forward and glanced at the boxed AC sitting near the doorway. He gave a low whistle. "That’s a big one."
"You think it can be installed without outside help?"
Oscar scratched his jaw, then looked up at the ceiling of the break room. "I’ve done a few before. Wiring here is a bit dated, but it should hold up fine. I probably can’t do it now since the store’s opening is in an hour."
"Alright, do what you need," Gray nodded. "I’ll cover the extra labor hours. Just let know if you need extra hands."
Oscar grinned and gestured toward the three more maintenance staff just arriving.
"They’ll help lift it so we can put it on the side first."
Gray gave a satisfied nod and handed over the unit’s instruction manual.
"Thank you. And if it takes longer, that’s fine too. I’d rather have it installed right than fast."
"Yes, Sir."
While Oscar and his team got to work unpacking tools and clearing the upper wall for the unit, Gray went back to checking off the rest of the deliveries.
The new tables were already lined up near the center of the room, and the new coffee machine was out of the box and sitting neatly beside the water dispenser.
He left a short note next to it, taped above the counter.
[Feel free to use these while we wait on the rest. — G]
After a few more minutes, it didn’t take long before employees started arriving.
Gray stayed inside the staff room, sitting at one of the newly bought chairs with his clipboard still in hand. The chairs were now cushioned so it wasn’t painful on the butt.
The room wasn’t fully arranged yet. There were still so half-unboxed items along the sides, but everything was already in place enough for people to notice.
He glanced at the clock. It was just past seven.
Footsteps echoed lightly from the hallway, and a few familiar voices followed. The first wave of employees was clocking in, most of them likely still groggy, expecting just another usual Monday.
The door creaked open.
Soone stepped in, then froze. It was one of the old workers in the store—Jen, if Gray rembered correctly. Her bag was still slung over one shoulder, her face was mid-yawn before it halted in surprise.
Her eyes darted across the room.
"Wait... what?" she muttered, blinking a few tis as if she’d walked into the wrong place.
"This... this isn’t..."
Before she could finish her sentence, another employee poked their head in behind her. Then another. One by one, they entered and slowed to a stop.
The room filled with quiet gasps and low murmurs.
"Oh my god."
"Is that a new fridge?"
"Are those new lockers?!"
"Wait—there’s a sofa?!"
"What the fuck am I seeing?"
The corner of Gray’s lips lifted slightly as he watched everyone beco speechless.
=====
A/N:
Damn, we reached Top 150 in Golden Tickets!
Expect 2 additional Chapters by Sunday.
I also want to say thank you to everyone who’s been dropping Golden Tickets over the past few days:
Tripeace, Arnold_Manuel, Gary_Hastings_0217, Wes_Briggs, Patrick_Brautigan, Jabbathehutt, ArchAngel_Michael, Jim_Wooten, FluffOG, Ottojanius, Space_kook, Michael_Oliveira_5130, imperial_demon, Robert_Tabor, Space_kook, Jim_Wooten, Grizzly89.
Special shout out to Michael_Oliveira_5130 for dropping a Dragon Gift on the novel.
I appreciate it, man!
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