Jana laughed. “You can choose your own dress,” she swore as her phone beeped and she pulled the device out of her pocket. Her eyes litup. “Uh, I’m hungry.”
“Okay.” Sighing, Rebel hung the dress back on the rack. She wasn’t hungry at all, but this was Jana’s shopping spree. “We can go to the food court.”
“Oh, um, I really want a mani and pedi. I had one the week before I graduated high school. My nails were so pretty. I’ve always wanted another one.”
“We can eat, then finish shopping. Afterwards, we’ll find a nail bar.”
“OrI have a better idea. Diesel gave me cash because I told him I wanted to surprise him with a meal that I cook in the treehouse. To save time, I can run to the grocery store, grab a banana, and then get my nails done while you shop.
That scenario didn’t sit right with Rebel because Jana seemed so anxious to get rid of her. “I-I don’t know.”
“Please, Reb?”
“Why don’t I pay for this dress and then I’ll meet you in the food court? We’ll decide what to do from there.”
“Are you even hungry?”
Rebel shook her head. “No, but Momma and Daddy said for us to stay together.”
“They also said to keep the guards with us and they’re in the food court.”
Jana gave her a quick, tight hug. “You’re not hungry and I will feel terribly guilty for spending Diesel’s money. There’s only onesolution. We do our own thing until about 4:45.”
“That means we have to steer clear of Torrin, Huck, Zephyr, and Seven. They’ll want to know why we aren’t together if we run into them separately.”
“I’ll be careful,” Jana promised.
“You want to be on your own today, right?”
“Don’t be angry at me. I’ve gotten so used to my own company. I don’t want to dampen your enjoyment, though.”
“We have to keep in touch,” Rebel told her. “Check in every thirty minutes. If we keep to the schedule, we’ll have enough time to meet in front of the food court, walk in together so the guys can see us, and then wait with them until Diesel picks us up at 5.”
“That’s an awesome plan.”
Rebel pursed her lips. “Do you have enough money to pay for everything in cash?”
“More than enough,” Jana said with a happy laugh.
“Bet. Give me Diesel’s credit card so I can totally run the bill up buying you everything I can think of.”
Jana giggled. “You sound entirely too happy.”
“If only you knew,” Rebel declared. “Send me all your sizes,” she said after Jana handed her Diesel’s Sapphire Preferred Card. “You have been borrowing a lot of my clothes, but some of my outfits were too short or too small.” Two or three had even been too big because thewomen’s sizing system was ass. She nodded to the dress. “That’s the right size?”
“Yeah.” Jana pulled out her phone. “What’s your number?”
Once Rebel rattled off the digits, she watched as Jana returned the ugly yellow dress to the rack and head to the escalator. Still annoyed at the entire situation, Rebel found a saleswoman. “Can you keep this dress safe for me?”
“Certainly,” the lady said crisply and hung it on the rack behind the counter. “Do you need any assistance?”
Rebel had never needed help to shop, but she wanted to find the perfect clothes for Jana so she’d feel confident. “Actually, I do. I’m shopping for my soon to be, er, sister. In law.”
“What does she need?”
“Everything,” Rebel said brightly. “I’m sure Momma, Lolly, and Aunt Kendall will bring her to all types of places. Maybe, even Mrs. Redding and Brooks, that’s Mrs. Redding’s husband—”
The woman blinked. “Are you referring to Charlotte Redding and Kendall Donovan?”
