clothes were arranged stylishly along the wall in wooden clothing units.
Chloe stopped in the doorway and bit her nail. She was worried. The store looked high-end. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. I don’t think I can afford this place. It looks expensive.”
“It will be fine. Trust me.” He put his hand at the small of her back and gave her a subtle push through the door.
“Famous last words,” she said with dread.
“We’ll just buy a few things. Stop worrying.”
She lifted a cream-colored blouse from the rack and looked for a price tag. There wasn’t one, only a bar code. Looking through some of the other clothes on the rack, she couldn’t find any tags on them, either. How was she supposed to pick anything if she didn’t know what it cost? She’d never done that in her life.
“Garrett, there are no price tags,” she whispered.
“Pick what you like.” He started to flip through the rack himself. Pulling out a scarlet-red dress with fine detailing, he said, “Here. Why don’t you start with this one?”
She looked at it. It was gorgeous. She could see herself wearing it to the office holiday party. However, did it cost too much? “It is very pretty.”
“Exactly.” He handed her the garment. “Come on. I know you want to.” He smiled. “Go try it on.” He put his hands on her shoulders, directing her toward the dressing rooms.
A young blond saleswoman approached her immediately. “Would you like to try that on? It’s one of my personal favorites.”
Before she could even respond, the clerk took the dress from her, opened a dressing room, and hung it on a hook. The woman turned and finally noticed Chloe’s attire. She now seemed reluctant to leave her with the dress. She kept casting despairing looks at Chloe’s appearance. Chloe figured the salesclerk was worried she planned to steal the dress.
Spotting Chloe’s designer sling-backs, the clerk finally smiled. Thank goodness Chloe wasn’t too proud to take castoffs from Ree. The woman probably figured anyone who could afford Jimmy Choo could afford the dress.
“If you need anything, my name is Brooke. Would you like a glass of champagne while you shop?”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
The clerk gave her a quizzical look and smiled as if she thought Chloe didn’t understand.
“No, we offer champagne to all our clientele. Unless, of course, you’d prefer coffee or perhaps tea. We also offer a splendid spring water for our more health-conscious shoppers.”
This was without a doubt a high end-store. She was going to have to kill Garrett.
“Nothing. Thank you.” She forced a smile. She wondered if they charged for the champagne as well as the clothes. She was pretty sure they did. She would demand that Garrett take her to the mall immediately.
“Okay. I guess that’s it. I’ll be right outside.”
The woman finally left, pulling the door shut behind her.
Chloe eyed the red dress. What harm could be done by trying it on? She slipped her dress off and dropped it to the floor. Slipping the garment from the hanger, she pulled it over her head and tugged it down. She looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was absolutely perfect.
The color was the right shade to bring out her pale complexion and complement her hair. Not all shades of red did that for her. The detailing emphasized her slightly curvier figure in all the right places. Yup. She was in trouble. She loved the dress.
“Chloe, is everything okay in there? You need any help?” Garrett asked.
“Everything’s fine.”
“Good. Come out so I can see it.”
“All right.” She hadn’t decided what to do. Looking back at her reflection, she worried her bottom lip. She was torn. She wanted it, but she was afraid it cost too much. She opened the dressing room door and came out.
Garrett put down the glass of champagne he was holding and smiled.
“So, what do you think? You like it. Well, don’t you?”
She heaved a sigh. “Yes.”
“Then