Taking the selected items, I try them on in the fitting room while Anna waits impatiently for me to give her a fashion show. We pick two, which is a pretty good start, and I move over to the register, place the clothing on the counter, and then pull out Colt’s credit card.
The shop assistant’s eyes light up so much they sparkle when she takes the card from my hand and says, “I will put these items through for you now.” After processing the payment, she places the items in a gorgeous little bag and hands me a receipt.
“Thanks,” I say, looking at Anna, who’s watching the strange shop assistant out of the corner of her eye.
“You’re welcome,” she replies and scurries off.
We walk out of the store, and I glance at Anna, who’s trying to hide a laugh.
“Okay! She was weird, right?” I ask, and Anna bursts out laughing.
“Yes! So much, yes! The way she was staring at us was… strange. I have an inkling she knows who we are, so we’d better get a move on.”
We stroll down the chic little street to the next boutique, a unique mix of lingerie and dresses, which are two things I know Colt will love.
Anna is like a kid in a candy store, darting from rack to rack, grabbing every sexy outfit she can fit in her arms. Some are cute, some are completely see-through, and others… well, they’re barely even there. I smirk, silently questioning the point of those wisps of fabric.
My fingers brush over a delicate white lace corset with a matching panty set. It’s sweet, elegant, and just daring enough. I lift it off the rack, already imagining how it’ll look on me—and more importantly, how Colt will react when he sees it.
“Anna,” I call out, gaining her attention.
She peers out from behind a rack. “Yeah?”
“Do you think he’ll like this?” I hold it up for her opinion.
She raises one eyebrow. “Seriously, Dee, are you trying to look like a virgin?” I glare at her, and she walks over with her hands full of lingerie. “Here… this is what he’ll like.” She shoves everything she has in her hands at me.
“Wait, isn’t this for you?”
“No, babe, this isallforyou.” Anna picks out a purple see-through lace bra and adds it to the pile already in my hands.
There is so much, and there’s no way I have the confidence to pull off this stuff. My body is most certainly not in the same league as Anna’s. “I can’t wear this,” I argue, pulling out a tiny leather G-string and letting it dangle on my pinky finger.
Anna laughs. “Okay. No, wait… yeah, that one is definitely mine,” she replies.
The sales assistant at this shop is way more helpful than the last one. She places all the lingerie on the counter so wecan sort through it, and I head off to look at the dresses. I’m flicking through the designer racks when my eyes spot the most exquisite dress I’ve ever seen.
“Oh my God, Dee, you’ll look smoking hot in that,” Anna says.
I take it over to the fitting room to try it on. It’s short—likejustunder the butt cheeks short—body-hugging, black one-shoulder dress covered in dark sparkles. I’m in awe of this dress, and it’s perfect, and I am pretty sure Colt will love it.
After the incident with the boob tube top being too revealing, I know showing off this much leg will give him a coronary, so it’s probably going to be something I will wear for him in private. And that’s okay with me.
When I open the door to show Anna, she wolf whistles.
“So, it’s okay?”
She opens her eyes wide and nods emphatically. Laughing at her, I close the door to get changed.
The sales lady rings up our purchases, wraps them in tissue, and places them in a bag. Something about that dress makes me feel more confident and ready for what the next shop might bring.
As the day wears on, we buy all sorts of things—jewelry, handbags, shoes, and more clothes, of course. I even found some rock-style shirts and pants for Colt. I know he wanted me to buy what I wanted, but I couldn’t get through the day without getting him something.
Shopping for this many hours, I think I’m about shopped out. My feet hurt, and I want to relax. For the last half of the day, the pregnancy test I need to purchase has been playing on my mind, and I know I have to rip that Band-Aid off at some stage.
And now that we are done, no longer having the distraction, dread seeps in.
“Anna, do you think there’s a pharmacy around here, somewhere?”
