A quick glance into the apartment convinced Conor to stay away that night. His room had apparently been volunteered to his mother-in-law. Thankfully, Yuri's mother never seemed to mind when he was over, and she was still working all night shifts until her new position started.
The next morning, when he woke up, it took Conor a minute to remember where he was. He rolled off the thin pallet Yuri had helped him make on the floor and stretched. He glanced at the clock and swore. He was going to be late for the Grizlhut shift again.
Rushing out the door, he passed Yuri's mom, just getting back from her shift.
"Conor? Were you playing games all night? Yuri really needs sleep. I had hoped you would be a better influence on him!"
"Sorry, Miss. Lochman. I really have to go, or I will be late."
Conor sprinted through the door, Miss. Lochman frowned in disapproval as he left.
When he arrived at the GrizlHut, Cara was already prepping ingredients.
"Pops wants your new dough today, so you best get the ingredients going. Being that you seem to be the only one who knows the recipe, it's now on you to make it every day. You would not believe the angry calls we got yesterday when Pops tried to go back to the old recipe."
Conor smiled to himself. "I could always teach you. It's really not hard."
Cara looked up at him and then blinked. "Your hair!"
Conor chuckled, "Yes?"
"It... looks good." Cara blushed and returned to her work. "Perhaps you can show me later."
"Show you later?"
"The DOUGH, CONOR! Your recipe?"
"Oh, Right."
Later, Conor had the dough mixing and was about to add his spices, when he glanced over at Cara. He gently tugged on her sleeve and guided her to the bowl. She looked confused at first but quickly realized what he was about.
"So, the recipe is simple, just a scoop of this, a handful of this, and these three are sprinkled in as well. I actually made this shaker bottle to just mix it in large enough quantities for the dough all at once."
As they both tossed in some of the spices, their forearms gently rested together. Both froze for a second but neither pulled away.
"Are you seriously telling me, that you just added five common spices? How much is that spice owner selling them for?"
"Umm, well, I think the new packaging he is now using for them as a bundle is like maybe ten copper dragon coins. He is likely making a healthy profit on it now as a combined spice."
Cara just giggled. "To think all Pops needed was a few simple spices and could have saved his shop."
"Saved the shop?"
"The whole reason Mr. Cochan was able to buy it from him was that sales have been so low. Pops had to sell out while things were still decent, but it kept going down. Mr. Cochan has been threatening to shut down the shop if it doesn't get back in the black on the accounting books. I think Pops was mad at you more because he realized how easy it would have been to get back profitable just by improving the ingredients."
"What would happen to Pops if the shop closed? I am sure everyone here could find other work, but Pop's isn't exactly young."
Cara's face looked pained as she replied, "Indeed. It is likely he was hoping for a larger payout from Mr. Cochan. As it stands, I think the only reason he is still here managing is that he wouldn't be able to afford to live otherwise."
Conor and Cara worked in companionable silence, while Conor's thoughts wondered on various ways he might help Pops.
"Do you ever think about traveling?" Cara asked during a lull in client traffic.
"Traveling? Like just vacationing or sightseeing?"
"Yeah, do you ever think about getting out of Jinstain?"
"I suppose I really have not had the chance to think about it recently. Funds have been so tight, I guess I haven't even let myself consider it. I suppose if I had unlimited funds it would be nice to visit the other provinces and explore."
"I want to see the capital. The palace and all its grandeur."
"I think I would head into the mountains, look for wide-open space away from cities... fresh air," commented Conor, tossing dough high into the air.
"I suppose I can see the appeal in that. Have you ever been hiking along the northern pass of the Bayan mountains? My uncle took me there a few times. The views are breathtaking. Some of his journal entries also talk about the mountains along the northern border to Serret and their beauty."
"I can't say I have. I grew up around the Temple of Celia, so I only really know that part of the mountains."
"Well, perhaps one day we will both make a fortune and be able to explore the kingdom," Cara said as she slid another pizza into the oven.
When his shift finally ended, Conor took his time strolling home, taking in the autumn air and wondering how he could improve the lives of those around him. He wondered if his mother would be proud of the little good he had managed to do for Yuri and his mother, and for Mr. Miros. Perhaps, with the new spices in the dough, he could help Pops with the shop. Just as he was getting to the apartment, he heard his mother-in-law screeching at Jessica on her way out the door. He realized that before he could help others, he needed to help his wife!
Arriving at the door shortly after Cynthia had stormed off, Conor quickly went inside to find Jessica crying on the floor, knees pulled up to her chest as she sobbed.
"Honey, what in the world? What was that all about?"
"Don't call me that, you lazy ass! We are days away from being thrown out of our apartment because we don't have enough to pay the rent, our power bill this month has been doubled, and if the bill from the bank is right, our credit is maxed out! You know how I found that out? Our card was DECLINED, Conor! Do you know how embarrassing it was to have my card declined in front of the whole Women's Auxiliary, and my MOTHER!"
Conor sat down stunned. He was never great at keeping the books but had thought they were making it so far. He cringed when he realized he often bought groceries on their joint credit and didn't think twice about it.
"How short are we?" he asked quietly.
"Like you can make a difference. I had to pay for that lunch out of my personal savings, Conor!" she spat.
"Tell me how much and I will work extra shifts. I will find work."
A puffy eyes Jessica looked up at him. "Mother says they will not help, that I need to divorce you if they are going to drop a dime on us."
Conor paled at that declaration. "How much?
"Conor... I... I had to have the car fixed last month... it drained us. Dad pays me but... the mall is not doing well. We are behind..."
"Honey, how much?"
"13 silver dragons from the repairs, and this month's bills all said and done, another 26 silver dragons. Conor that's almost 4,000 copper dragons total. In a good month, you make 1600 copper dragons, and you have only had a few shifts at the GrizlHut this week. I don't see how you can make that in a week!"
Conor sat back hard in his seat. No wonder Jessica had been stressed. If he had paid more attention, he likely would have been smart enough to keep some of the money his mother gave him so they wouldn't be in this mess. His mind thought about where to get money... inheritance!
"What about the gold dragon the monk gave us? Surely that would be enough to set us up for three or four months!"
Jessica's face paled. "Mother.... Mother kept all of it. Said the mall needed it and it was only a portion of the damage you caused when..." her voice trailed off into sobs.
Conor's soul rocked. "Jess, I will fix this. I don't know how... but I promise you I will fix this." He tried to comfort her and put a hand on her shoulder, but she wouldn't have it and ran to her room, slamming the door as she sobbed.
Conor laid awake late into the night trying to decide how he could fix their financial issues, and then perhaps have a shot at fixing their relationship.