"Oh? And which antique shop might this lady be recommending? If there's no need to wait, that would be even better!" Mr. Warren's interest was piqued. The two of them completely ignored Joel Xavier, the store manager. They were standing right in his shop, yet they were discussing how to poach his business! What a truly bizarre situation!
"There's a shop called Hale's Antiques not far from here. You can go there. The manager is a middle-aged man; everyone in the business calls him Hale. He's been in the antiques trade for at least thirty years, so in terms of experience alone, he has far more than Store Manager Xavier. Since Store Manager Xavier can appraise items himself, Hale certainly can too!"
