She took the dress from his hand and hung it up, then opened the door to show him the first outfit. There was a visible reaction and his eyes slid from her face down to her feet. “That’s…” he looked back up at her, “really nice.” He swallowed and handed her a pair of navy teardrop earrings. “These would go with that if you decide to get it.”
“Do you want me to try the dress on, or do you like this?” While beautiful, none of it was her style anyway, so it was up to him.
“It’s what you like. Get what makes you comfortable.” He cleared his throat, clearly still affected by how she looked. “But, yes,” he smiled. “I’d like to see you in the green dress.” His eyes moved around her body one more time, and she couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious.
She went back into the dressing room. As she took off the suit and hung it up, she noticed the price tag on the blazer and nearly fell over. One thousand eight hundred ninety dollars? She grabbed the tag on the trousers. One thousand seven hundred ninety-five. She didn’t bother to look at the shirt. There was no way she was going to let him buy something like this for her. She slipped on her Chuck Taylors and opened the door.
“The dress didn’t fit?” he asked, but she didn’t answer. She was still in a daze, trying to figure out if people really paid that kind of money for clothes when she waited for the thirty percent coupons to come in the mail so she could apply them to a twenty-dollar top at her local mall shops.
“I didn’t try it on…” she said, still thinking.
“You’re going with the blue then? Good choice.”
She attempted to push away her growing worry, willing herself to focus on the conversation. “Um… No. I’m not getting either… They’re so expensive…” she nearly whispered.
“Well, it’s Gucci. Of course it costs more than an average brand. It’s well worth it.”
She remembered how the fabrics felt against her skin, how perfectly they’d fit, and she knew he was right, but she couldn’t bring herself to make him spend that on her.
“It’s fine,” he assured her.
She shook her head. “No. It’s not fine at all.”
He looked at his watch. “I’d suggest going somewhere else, but we’re running out of time. We only have about twenty-five minutes. You looked amazing in the blue, but if you want to wear what you have on, I’d be just as happy sitting beside you.”
“Would you? Or are you just saying that?” She looked back at the outfit still hanging in the dressing room. It really was beautiful, but she was paralyzed by the price. She just couldn’t let him pay that much for something that she’d never wear again.
“Sarah loved this shop, so I thought since you needed to dress up that perhaps this would be a shop you might like as well. I didn’t want you to feel out of place wearing your regular clothes, that’s all.”
“I’m not Sarah,” she said. “At all, in any way.”
“I know, but—”
She cut him off. “And you thought I’d feel out of place?” Or was it that he felt I was out of place in what I have on? she worried.
“I just want you to be comfortable,” he said. “It’s a dressy occasion.”
“Well, I’m not. I’m not comfortable in a fancy restaurant in jeans but I’m also not comfortable in what you’ve picked out.”
“Well, which makes you the least uncomfortable then?” he asked.
She didn’t have an answer.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “I’ll buy it and when we’re done today, we’ll sell it online and donate the profits to your favorite charity. Would that make you feel better?”
“Okay,” she said, still feeling uneasy about wearing it in the first place.
“Good.” He took the shoes, earrings, suit, and top up to the register. “We’ll have these, please,” he said to the salesperson. “And then if you could assist Miss Fuller with the tags so that she can change immediately, that would be fantastic.”
“Yes, sir,” the salesperson said, her black hair straight as an arrow, a scarf tied around her neck in a small knot at the side. She looked over at Abbey and smiled, clearly working overtime to keep her eyes from appraising Abbey’s current attire.
“And please offer Miss Fuller any of the cosmetics that she may need,” he said as he pointed at the makeup options displayed along the back wall. “You can put them on my bill.”
Was there something wrong with her makeup?
Nick turned to Abbey. “I’ll wait up front.” He grabbed a navy handbag off the shelf nearby and set it on the counter before leaving. “That too.”