And with regard to his own conduct, Mark was actually satisfied: if his ancestors had committed numerous infidelities, for his part he had remained true to one woman, whom he still loved. He was able to resist the drives aroused by his genes, the main consequence of these drives being only a great timidity in the presence of women, especially when they were attractive.
Karen
That week, Helen had planned a brief visit to her sister Pamela, who was living in San Francisco. On Monday morning, Mark took her to John Wayne Airport before driving back to open the bookshop that he would have to run alone for three days until Helen returned. He had just arrived at the store and was about to open the door when Helen called him on his cell phone:
“Mark, I'm still at the gate waiting for boarding and I'm calling because I forgot to remind you: today is the day when Karen is supposed to bring her soaps.”
“Oh, yes, I hadn’t even thought about it again. Should we give her the usual conditions?”
“Yes, ask her about the costumer price. Then you can enter that in our inventory with a forty percent commission for us... I’ll have to hang up now: they’ve started boarding.”
“So we’ll also be selling bath soap!” This was the thought behind the smile that appeared on Mark’s face.
To sustain sales at Books For Everyone, their bookshop, Helen and Mark had had to start diversifying a long time ago. The store had gradually become a collection of bric-a-brac, where you could buy stationery, greeting cards, candy, toys, decorative items, or even locally manufactured cosmetics. And that day Karen Greenstone was going to add her scented soaps to the assortment of items offered for sale.