Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ My Happy Ending ❯ Signed, Sealed, Delivered ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9: Signed, Sealed, Delivered

“Here I am, baby

Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!

You got my future in your hands.”

-Stevie Wonder “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”

The following day, Brad was up early. He showered, dressed and ran downstairs carrying a neater change of clothing with him. He and Raye were going out to make parts deliveries, and Brad was to go with her. The man could hardly wait to see Shera, and he knew he would have a lot of time to spend getting to know her. Moreover, Brad couldn't wait to introduce Raye to Shera, and he desperately hoped that the two would get along well.

Brad waltzed into the kitchen where his sister was making breakfast for everyone. This time, Brian managed to make it out of bed on time since he certainly did not want his older sibling's wrath upon him. Rick and the rest of the boys were seated at the dining room table waiting patiently to chow down and happily chattering amongst themselves.

“So, Bradley,” Rick began. “Raye tells me you met someone.”

“I, uh…dammit! Why does she have to be such a blabbermouth?”

Rick looked at his son. “Well, are ya gonna tell me about her?”

Brad sighed. “Well…her name is Shera, and I met her on the way back from North Corel. She was walking along the side of the road, so I gave her a ride. We got to talking, and we kind of hit it off.”

“I see,” Rick replied. “I hear she lives in Costa del Sol.”

“Well, that's where she decided to stay after we got there. She's trying to open a business there. Right now she works as an engineer in the marina until everything takes off.”

“An engineer, you say? You don't find too many female engineers around.”

“Yeah.”

Raye emerged from the kitchen with food. Almost as soon as she placed everything on the table, her brothers and father were digging into it.

“Damn! Try not to eat my hand off!” she said, retreating her hand quickly. She seated herself at the table. “So, Dad, have you confirmed all of the deliveries, yet?”

“Did that this morning. You two can leave as soon as you're finished.

“Are we taking that one to Rocket Town today?”

“Yep. Parts came in first thing this morning. A spiky-haired boy brought them from Junon.”

“Cool.”

“Yes!” Brad exclaimed. “Sis, I just can't wait for you to meet Shera. Man, I hope you like her.”

Raye smiled. “Well I can't wait to see her, either. I have to see who's got my `lil brother all obsessed.”

After breakfast, Brad and Raye hurriedly cleaned the dishes, loaded the truck, and was on their way. Raye absolutely hated the truck she was driving. The thing was older than dirt, and it was somehow the only thing that wasn't obliterated when Meteor crashed. The truck was a faded light grey with a white cab, and there were many rusty places on the body and underneath. It was so rusty underneath that there were holes in different spots in the floorboard, and you could see the road pass by under you as you drove. As if the appearance wasn't embarrassing enough, a person could hear the vehicle coming from over a block away even with a muffler. The engine knocked quite loudly, and neither Rick nor Raye could figure out what was making it do that, even though they rebuilt the engine twice. The odometer quit working years ago, and the carburetor was almost shot, although Raye rebuilt the damned thing at least four times in the past year.

Today was one such day in which the carburetor decided to start acting up. Raye turned the truck over several times, and after pleading and begging it, the vehicle finally started.

“Man I hope this piece of shit doesn't quit on me today,” Raye commented as she and her brother drove off.

“I wish Dad would get a new truck already,” Brad replied. “This one is going to quit sooner or later.”

“Well, I'm thinking more in terms of `sooner', but you know how Dad is. This piece of shit is his baby. If I had it my way, though, I would've robbed the good parts from it and scrapped the rest a long time ago.”

“What good parts?”

Brad and Raye snickered at this and continued to make their appointments throughout the day. There was a lot of driving and stops to be made, and it was early afternoon by the time they reached Junon to catch the ferry.

“Well, here we are. Next delivery is you to Shera, and this one to Rocket Town,” Raye summarized.

“You are going to stay at least a few minutes to talk with her, right?” the younger asked hopefully.

“I said I would! A promise is a promise you know.”

The two siblings caught the ferry to Costa del Sol. The closer Brad came to the tropical city, the more excited he became. He was dying to see Shera, what she had done over the past few weeks, and he wanted to see if there was any way he could help. The boat finally docked in the harbor, and Brad was the first off the ship, pushing his way through the other people and leaving his sister behind.

“Brad!” Raye protested. “Wait for me!”

Raye retrieved her truck from the automobile bay, drove it onto shore, and parked it. Brad dragged out his change of clothes and went into the Inn to use the bathroom. He came back out in a pair of cargo khakis, a blue T-shirt, and a short sleeve blue plaid dress shirt that he left untucked and unbuttoned.

“So where do we find her?” Raye asked.

“Well, she said she was working down here at the marina, so let's go with that.”

Raye followed Brad as he walked up and down the boardwalk looking for Shera. Harold, the manager of the marina, noticed the two wandering around and decided to talk to them.

“You lookin' fer something?” he asked.

“Yeah, uh, hi,” Brad replied unsurely. “I was looking for a woman with brown hair and glasses. She goes by the name of Shera. Do you know her?”

“Oh, Shera? Sure, I know her! She ain't here, though. She got done with her work early, so she went home.”

“Do you know where she lives?”

Harold gave the directions to Shera's place, and Brad politely thanked him and left. The two siblings followed the old sailor's information until they came to what looked like a vacant shop. The door was standing wide open, and Brad cautiously peered inside. There wasn't anyone around, but he could smell the fumes of open paint cans.

“He...hello?” the young man called.

“I don't think she's here,” Raye said. “What do we do now?”

Brad looked around the empty shop. The walls were freshly painted, and the floor covered in a drop cloth. In one corner, there was some wood and drywall along with some spackle, a package of sandpaper, and a level, measuring tape, a bag of nails, power tools, and a hammer. He also noticed a door in the opposite back corner from the building supplies was also wide open, and he heard some shuffling from the back and the sound of running water.

“Wait here,” Brad told his sister.

Brad ventured to the door and opened it a bit further.

“Um, hello? Shera?” he called.

Shera was standing at her kitchen sink cleaning her paint rollers, brushes, and pans. She thought she heard someone's voice, so she turned off the water to be sure. Just as she suspected, a man's voice called to her, and she recognized it as Brad's.

“Brad? Is that you?” the woman ventured.

“Where are you?” Brad called.

“Hang on. I'll be right up.”

Shera put down her wet brushes, washed her hands, dried them, and went up to where Brad was. She stepped out from her little apartment and greeted Brad.

“Hey,” he said with a sparkling smile. “You probably thought I forgot about you.”

“No, of course not! I assumed you were busy,” Shera replied adjusting her glasses, her eyes flitting shyly to the floor and back to Brad. She noticed Raye and ventured a smile. “Well, who is this?”

“Oh! This is my sister, Raye. Raye, meet Shera.”

“Hi,” Raye said to her. She studied Shera as she greeted her. The woman had long brown hair that was tied back into a ponytail. She had a lovely, oval-shaped face, with dark brown eyes hiding behind small oval-shaped glasses. Shera wasn't overly tall. In fact, she was around the same height as Raye, and had a lightweight, petite figure. The other woman seemed rather shy, unlike Raye who was very outgoing and straightforward.

“It's good to meet you. So were you the one teasing Brad when I called?” Shera asked pleasantly.

“Yep, that would be me. I do it to him all the time,” Raye answered with a grin.

“She is such a pain,” her brother added.

“Aw, you know you love me,” Raye said. She turned to Shera. “So, whatcha got going on in here?”

“Ah, well, I am trying to get my shop ready. I apologize for the mess,” the glasses-clad woman explained.

“Oh, don't worry about that,” Brad chimed. “Say, uh, do you need any help? I'm gonna be here awhile, and I came a long way to see you.”

Shera looked down and blushed a bit. Raye crossed her arms and smirked. It was obvious that Shera was attracted to her little brother, but she was embarrassed to show it.

“Well, uh…” Shera stammered turning an even darker shade of pink. “I would be glad to have your help. I wanted to get the dressing rooms up today.”

“Brad can do that!” Raye said slapping her brother hard on the back. She grinned at him as her emerald eyes shone playfully. “He'd be glad to help his woman!”

“Raye!” Brad yelled, turning scarlet. “Sorry, she's a nut.”

“Well, this nut is also hungry!” the redhead shot back, smiling.

“Well, there is a good café down the street that serves the local cuisine,” Shera suggested. “We could go there.”

“Wait. Is it called El Acapulco?” Raye asked.

“Yes, I believe so,” the engineer replied.

“Sweet! My favorite place in this whole town!”

The three companions decided to head down to the restaurant to eat. Raye and Shera chattered between themselves as Brad followed behind. The young man was itching to get rid of his sister so that he could have Shera all to himself. He had to admit that it was a good sign that Shera and Raye seemed to get on so well with one another. He concluded that the two were so very different from one another since Raye was a very outgoing and outspoken person, and Shera had more of a shy personality and was often soft-spoken. Nonetheless, the two managed to find common ground and talk about mechanics and engineering as well as ideas for Shera's upcoming shop.

At the table, Shera, Raye, and Brad ordered their food, and the two women continued to talk.

“So are you going to bring in clothing from other manufacturers, too?” Raye inquired.

“Yes, I think so,” Shera explained. “I have done extensive research on this, and I decided that I am going to have both hand-tailored items as well as brand names from other places. I think it would help get me started faster since I am doing all the work myself.”

“I see,” Raye said. “So you have your bookkeeping covered, about how much you want to charge, and the clothing part, but what about accessories?”

“Acessories?”

“Well, sure! Women always want to accessorize their outfits. You know, belts, shoes, jewelry, handbags - the whole kit n caboodle. You might even look into introducing cosmetics a little later, but people often come in and buy accessories if they don't need clothes, or just a pair of shoes. At least that's what I do in a lot of places.”

“Oh, I didn't even think about that!” Shera said. “I will remember that and look into it right away. Thank you for the suggestion.”

“No problem.”

“Hey, you have another thing to look into,” Brad chipped in.

“Another thing?”

“Advertisement. You have to let people know you're here,” Brad explained. “Good businesses always advertise.”

“How would I do that?” Shera asked.

“Well, I guess normally you would go to an agent, but what we usually do is put up flyers and leave business cards in other businesses like restaurants and other parts shops in other areas. With you, some of those fliers and a banner in your window would let people know you're opening soon. Then maybe later you should try putting up a billboard when you have the money.”

Raye nodded in agreement. Then she had another idea. “Oh! Another thing you could do is make a catalogue! You'd generate a lot of business that way if you had someone come in, model your clothes, and post them on the Web. This way you can get customers from other parts of the world that are not able to come here and visit. My brother Jamie is very clever with computers. I bet he could have a website built for you in no time! As for the flyers, I'm really good at designing things, so I could help with that. Plus I could show you how to use QuickBooks and Excel since I already do the bookkeeping for our own business.”

“Oh, I wouldn't want to bother you,” Shera said. “Besides, I would have to get a computer first, and those can be expensive.”

“It wouldn't be a bother. If my sister says she'll do it, she will,” Brad told the woman with a smile. “As for the computer, you wouldn't need one right away, but it would be a great investment when your business takes off.”

Shera smiled at the two, and the group finished dining as they talked more about the business and ways they could get it going. Raye and Shera did most of the talking, and Brad threw in comments when he could. The girls were so excited about it that he could hardly get a word in edgewise. What was it with women and talking about this kind of stuff?

After they finished, the three got up and went back down to Shera's place. Raye looked at her watch, and after finding it was late afternoon, she decided she better get a move on to Rocket Town. She wouldn't be there until late, and the redhead was hoping that whoever the customer was they wouldn't be too angry with her. What was worse was that she wouldn't return home until even later at night, but at least her brother would get to spend time with Shera.

Raye was glad to meet Shera. She found the engineer to be a warm, welcoming person, and she could see why Brad liked her so much. Raye hoped that things would progress further between the two because she wanted so much to see her brother happy. Raye didn't have very many female friends, if any at all, and although she had no idea what it was about Shera she liked, the mechanic hoped that they would become really good friends.

Raye said goodbye to Brad and Shera, explaining to the other woman that she had a long way to go for one delivery. After that, the redhead was off toward Rocket Town.

Brad remained behind with Shera blissfully overjoyed that Raye had finally left. It wasn't that he didn't want his sister to get to know Shera; it's just that he wanted as much time with her as he could get. As soon as Raye was gone, the two went back inside and began to work. Shera brought out brushes and paint, and Brad began to sift through the building materials and the tools. He was good at carpentry and working with his hands, so he figured that a few quick sketches on paper, some measurements here and there, and the dressing room would be up in no time.

“Your sister is really nice,” Shera spoke.

“Oh yeah? So do you like her?” Brad asked.

“I do actually. She is very smart - and pretty, too.”

Brad almost choked on a soda he bought on the way back along with one for Shera. “You think my sister is pretty?”

Shera smiled. “Of course I do. She is beautiful. That red hair of hers is certainly not hard to miss, and her green eyes are lovely. She should be a model, not a mechanic.”

Brad busted out laughing. “Are you being serious? You really think my sister should be a model?!”

Shera looked at Brad sincerely. “Yes, I do. I…wish I could be that pretty.”

Brad stopped his snickering and faced Shera. “I think you're pretty. Your eyes are such a nice chocolate brown, and I would love to see your hair down at least once.”

Shera looked down and blushed. “You…you do?”

Brad lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “Of course I do. I told you the day we met I thought you were cute. What I should have said was that you are gorgeous.”

Shera's cheeks and ears burned hot as she and Brad stood there looking into one another. Shera looked at Brad and traced his features with her eyes. The man had green eyes like his sister, and he had chocolate brown hair that was neatly cut with a slight spike. His face was always clean-shaven, and the man was always well dressed. A tropical breeze danced in through the door sending the fresh ocean smell into the shop. Shera got a whiff of Brad's cologne, which was not strong, but it was enough to nearly intoxicate her it smelled so good. They stood staring into one another's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, and every second that ticked on Shera's watch they drew into one another. Shera was startled by where this was going, and she quickly turned away, her face burning, and her heart beating into her ears.

“We, ah…better get some work done,” she said suddenly. The engineer felt bad she had balked, but after everything she had gone through, the woman was unsure of herself right now. She was starting over again, and she needed to take baby steps toward something like this.

“Yeah…that dressing room isn't going to build itself,” Brad remarked as he quickly backed away. Dammit! What the hell is wrong with me?! I didn't need to do that! Brad, you idiot! he thought to himself.

Brad went to gathering his supplies and drawing a diagram of the dressing room on a scrap sheet of paper he found. He looked over at Shera, whose back was turned. He felt bad he came on so strong. He was only trying to make her feel better about herself. It was just that she was so irresistible and sweet. Brad wasn't lying about what he just said to her; he meant every word. Still, he shouldn't have tried to kiss her. What was that about? The man had no idea if she even liked him the same way, and it was hard to read Shera through her shyness. Brad sighed and decided that he needed to give it time. Eventually she would open up to him, and he was happy just being friends with her for now. Still, his growing feelings for her ate at him.

Shera took out some paint and poured it into a pan. She dipped her roller into the liquid and began to roll it on the wall. She felt awkward, now, and although her heart had died down, she could still feel the adrenaline pulsing through her veins. It wasn't that she didn't like Brad; it was just that she wasn't sure if she was ready for a relationship at the moment. Shera felt horrible for backing out the way she did, and she was sure that Brad was disappointed in her. She was so used to being a disappointment that it felt like it just came naturally. Shera took a step out on a limb and decided to say something.

“B…Brad?”

“Yeah?”

“I'm sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“I'm…sorry I balked like that,” she stammered.

Brad stood up from measuring his boards. “No. Don't be sorry! I didn't mean to come on so strong. It was totally my fault, and it won't happen again. I just…want you to feel better about yourself.”

“You do?”

“Well, yeah, of course! You have a lot of great qualities that I lo--, like, about you. I mean, it's obvious I find you attractive, and I meant every word I said.”

Shera looked hopeful. “R…really? You meant it?”

Brad nodded. “I don't want you to bring yourself down. You have so many good qualities that more people need to see.”

Shera smiled.

“Listen, I am glad to be friends with you, Shera. I enjoy just hanging out and talking like this.”

Shera's face fell and looked a tinge sad. “It's been a very long time since someone actually wanted to talk to me and know who I am. I…am so used to being bossed around and degraded…”

Shera's eyes welled up, and she turned away to lift her glasses and wipe her eyes.

“Hey. Come here,” Brad said opening his arms. He took Shera into them. “No one should ever treat you or anyone that way. You're awesome, and I want you to know that. I know it's hard with starting all over and all that shit you put up with back there. You're not a doormat anymore.”

He then held Shera back and looked at her. “You know my sister is going to Rocket Town right now for that delivery. You want me to have her hunt him down and beat his ass?”

Shera burst out laughing at this. “No, thanks. I'm sure he has enough to worry about with me being gone.”

“Seriously, if you need some help with this, I will always make time to assist you, and if you just want to talk, call me. I don't care what time of day or night it is.”

Shera smiled. “Thank you. I could use a friend right now.”

“Shall we get back to work?”

“We shall.”

Shera and Brad returned to work talking between themselves. As Brad began to build the dressing room for the clothing shop, he looked over at Shera who was busily painting her wall with a new boost of confidence.

Brad smiled. Don't worry, Shera. You'll get there `cause I'll be with you every step of the way.