“Is that a good thing?” I asked.
“Of course! Nutcracker anything is a good thing.”
“It does have a bit of a Russian-Austrian flavor,” I said, studying it.
The store manager draped it around her throat then added the matching earrings.
“I don't know, it looks kind of pricy,” Holly said nervously.
“It looks nice with the dress,” I assured her. “Besides, you can't come to the holiday party wearing some sort of plastic snowman necklace. There will be a large number of billionaires there with their wives and girlfriends. We can't have them all looking down at you and at me for not providing you something nice to wear.”
“If you put it that way.” She chewed on her lip.
“It's your early Christmas present.”
“I guess.” She said, wrinkling her nose.
Another saleswoman came over with a white and silver fur wrap. “It's going to be cold, so you might want this as well.”
“It's so soft!” Holly breathed.
“You look fantastic,” I told her. I wanted nothing more than to take her out of that dress and show her how much she meant to me.
While Holly changed out of the clothes, the saleswoman gestured me into a side room.
“Why don't you see if there's anything in there that piques your interest?” It was a whole room full of lingerie.
“There are even some holiday-themed items,” she said. The saleswoman showed me a piece that was mainly three little puffs of strategically placed white fur. The next option was several pieces of white lace with a subtle snowflake pattern. It came with a matching corset and garters. I wholeheartedly approved.
“Shall we wrap it?” the saleswoman asked.
“Sure.”
“Also,” she added in a conspiratorial whisper as she carefully took down the delicate lace, “we do have a nice selection of unique engagement rings. We partner with local jewelers who source ethical stones. Never too early to start thinking about it!”
Holly seemed happy when she bounced up to the desk while I was checking out.
“Thank you very much for your patronage, Mr. Frost,” the manager said. She handed me the receipt, but not before Holly saw it.
She made a sound like a dying snowman. “I, um, you should probably put that back.”
“They don't give refunds,” I told her as I picked up the bags with her purchases.
“I really can't accept all of that. I didn't know it was going to be that much!” she said, horrified.
Taking her arm, I led her out to the car.
“It's way more than I spent on Christmas decorations for the whole lobby!” she said, looking up at me with wide eyes. “It's like an entire house.”
I laughed. “Well, not in New York City, it's not.” I peered at Holly. “You look like you're about to faint. So I guess I’m driving.”
“I guess,” Holly said.
I opened the trunk.
“Don't put that back there,” she said. “Someone could steal it!”
“How—”
