“You’re hot. Big surprise. Tight T-shirts and jeans. Where can we get them?”
I thought for a moment and headed toward the elevators.
“I’m pretty sure there is a Calvin Klein store here somewhere. He does jeans, right?”
She sighed at me, but we weaved through the crowd and into the store. Isabella started to look around, her eyes widening every time she looked at a price tag. I really took money for granted. One more thing on the list of improvements I needed to make.
“What size are you?”
After giving her my measurements, she pulled out a few pairs of jeans and handed them to me before moving on to the shirts. She asked what my favorite color was, which I told her was purple. Pressing a purple shirt against my chest, she crinkled her nose at it and replaced it with a baby blue.
“Will you be too cold in short sleeves?”
Shaking my head, I assured her I would be fine since I planned on having her body heat to keep me warm. She rolled her eyes, held up two more T-shirts, and shooed me into the dressing room.
“Do the light color shirts with the darker jeans and the dark shirts with the lighter ones.”
Cassidy used to take me shopping a lot and I used to hate every second of it. Isabella was a whole different experience, and I realized I was having so much fun with her. If I didn’t like something, she wasn’t insulted or made me argue over whether I thought she was fat. Cassidy always did and then she always picked out every outfit I wore, whether I liked it or not. I’m pretty sure this was the first time since I was a little kid that I actually tried something on in the store.
As I stepped out of the dressing room, I did a little spin for her and was glad when Isabella looked at me approvingly. It was a little annoying that, even having admitted she thought I was hot, there was still no attraction between us. I was glad for it. As mentioned, I wasn’t in the market for a girlfriend, but still, it wasn’t the greatest thing for my ego. If she thought I was hot and still wasn’t attracted to me, it had to be my personality holding her back from falling madly in love with me, right?
“Not bad, Covington. You still look like a rich boy, but a more chilled and laid-back version. It seems more you.”
Looking at myself in the mirror, I nodded.
“You know what? It kind of feels more me too. Although, can we try a few button-downs? Not polo shirts, I know. We won’t always be at the ice rink.”
Isabella laughed and told me to keep trying things on while she looked through the button-down shirts. For the next thirty minutes I swapped outfits and styles until my purchase stack had piled up. A frown came to her face.
“Should we put some stuff back? That’s going to be a fortune.”
Feeling weird now in my shorts and polo, I shook my head.
“Nope. I’m going to grab some accessories while I’m here.”
This seemed to interest her, and she followed me to the socks. I threw a couple of pairs onto the pile and added a few belts before moving toward the underwear. Isabella’s face blushed.
“I don’t think it’s on Mrs. Rogers’s list, but I’m a boxer brief guy just in case.”
It was adorable watching Isabella try to avoid looking at me or the section we were in. She kept her gaze on the wall, but I saw her steal a glance or two as I added more items to the growing mound of stuff. Finally, we made it to the register. I knew Isabella would freak out if she saw the price, so I tossed my unlimited credit card to the clerk and casually moved in front of the register.
“So, is there anything else you would like to change about me before we head out?”
Isabella laughed.
“I’m not changing you. I’m just trying to make your outside reflect who you are.”
“Mmhmm…”
With a sigh, she shook her head.
“You just said the new clothes make you feel more like yourself.”
I nodded.
“They absolutely do. Thank you. Really.”
Reaching out, I took her hand and held her gaze.
