“But—“
“No buts. You will pick out some clothes, or I’ll teach you how to drive my way in this baby.” He lifted an eyebrow at me.
“Fine,” I huffed, leaning back in the seat.
“See, that wasn’t hard at all,” he laughed, feeling pleased about winning that fight.
“You just don’t fight fair.”
“Never said I did, honey.”
It didn’t take long for him to find a parking spot in front of Target. I wasn’t a huge fan of shopping, since Alan had never permitted me to buy my own clothes. He’d get whatever he wanted from the second-hand stores around town before Lisa came around. Then, she had started to buy clothes she thought I’d like. I’d just wear whatever would hide the cuts and bruises on my body.
This was so not going to end well for me.
“You’ll be fine,” Dominic said as we exited the car. “Truthfully, I’m used to just grabbing what I need and I’m good to go.”
“I’ve never shopped before,” I said.
“You must have been living under a rock. What girl on earth doesn’t shop?”
“Me?”
“Come on,” he said, wrapping my hand in his own. I glanced down, seeing my hand looking so small against his. Was I really that small against him? What did people think when they saw us, two people so different from one another?
I let him lead me into the store. One foot in front of the other. The doors slid open, allowing us in with a gust of cold air.
Goosebumps covered my arms for a moment as the heat and cold were at odds. I hadn’t thought it was all that hot outside yet, since it was just late spring.
“Clothes,” Dominic said, pausing after getting a shopping cart. His hand was still in mine. He looked up at all the signs posted around the store. Once he spotted what he was looking for, he started the path towards where women’s clothing was set up.
I took in how each section of the store was set. Red dots were on the floor. Coffee was in the air. A number of people were looking through clothes and stacks of home items.
No wonder why this store was so popular. Food was on one side. Electronics were in the middle. Clothes for kids, active wear and adults were on the other side. Home goods were somewhere in between.
It didn’t take long to find the section for me. I stood in front of it all, lost.
“You really have no clue how to shop, do you?”
I shook my head, not having any words. Why Dominic thought this was a great idea was beyond me. I could already feel the panic setting in my chest.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s walk. If you see something you like, pick up your size and put it in the cart. Deal?”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then we’ll just order stuff online. Or let Zevon do the shopping. It is more his thing, anyhow. So, no pressure.”
“Sure.” Yeah, right.
Dominic led me around each rack of clothes. Dresses. Pants. Skirts. Shirts. I picked up a few things that looked comfortable, but most of these clothes just weren’t me. I had no clue what my style was, but I knew without a doubt it wasn’t these bright flower designs.
“Better than nothing,” he shrugged when we walked out less than an hour later. “And, no panicking. You did pretty good for your first time. I bet a few more trips and you’ll get the hang of it.”
“Don’t count on it,” I said. “But…thank you.” The two words meant so much more than the simple saying.
“Anytime,” he said. “You’ll have to take the jump and do these kinds of things. Surely you don’t want a man to do all your shopping?”
I shrugged. It was a huge leap of faith that I didn’t have. I didn’t want to face the fact that he may be right. I didn’t want to be out and about by myself, no matter what would become of me. It didn’t matter that he was right. It wasn’t that painful to shop. It was more that I didn’t know what I wanted or liked.
