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I sighed. “No, sir.”
“Good.”
When we entered the building, I was unsure of what to look at first. There was so much to see, most of it objects I’d only seen in historical texts. There were clay crocks, baking tins, and glass vials of various sizes—all lining the shelves. The middle of the store held a long table covered with animal furs. Clothing hangs on racks. The shoes and boots were on another shelf. The space smelled of a delicious blend of spices and fresh baking. My mouth watered.
I didn’t wait for Bo’s direction. I started down an aisle, picked up random items before putting them back down and moving on to the next item of interest. When I found a basket full of colorful soaps, I took turns smelling them. Some were eye-wateringly strong, giving off an aroma of lye and ammonia. Some were sweet and some made me almost want to take a bite. I reluctantly placed them all back in their spots before moving on.
I simply did not feel comfortable shopping when, from what I could tell, some form of currency was needed. Unlike things in the city, which were always free, this village required something in exchange. And I had nothing of my own to trade.
After I had wandered the aisles for several minutes, I made my way to the clothing. I barely glanced at the dresses, knowing that in my new life on a farm, I wouldn’t have much need for them. Instead, I had looked for items that would be more practical. Sturdy pants and shirts. Even though I really didn’t want to buy anything, I pretended to care in case Bo was watching me. I wanted something picked out in case he insisted again.
Huck appeared by my side. “Have you found everything you need, or would you like some help?” He looked at my empty hands. “Um—”
“Do you think these will suffice?” I lied, pointing to the clothing I had been pretending to peruse.
He looked everything over with care. “I think you’ve made very wise choices. I’ll be right back. Don’t forget you’ll need some socks and warmer boots for winter.” He pointed toward an aisle at the back of the store. “Socks are over there.”
“Thank you,” I called to his retreating back.
I left the clothes on the rack and wandered over to the table of furs. I was appalled yet unable to resist running my hands over the soft pelts. It made me sad, knowing that they once were alive and beautiful animals, but also happy that at least whoever did the killing was using all they could of the animal. According to Huck, everyone ate what they killed.
Apparently, so did the aliens.
The intrusive thought nearly had me vomiting on the floor. I caught my heaving stomach and swallowed down the contents before it erupted from my throat. I reached out to a shelf to steady myself.
“Are you okay?”
I turned and saw Garrett looking at me. “Huh?”
“You look pretty pale.”
With a tight smile, I waved him off. “Fainted earlier.”
“You did?”
Nodding, I left the fur table behind before he could ask me any more questions.
Spotting the shelves of boots, I’d walked over to those, but sadly, Garrett gave chase, with a smile on his handsome face. He was obviously worried yet trying to hide it.
“Hey Cedi. I’ll help you find some good boots.” He eyed the racks of footwear before pulling down a pair of moccasins. After he’d inspected them closely, he handed them to me. “There will be comfortable and last a long time and be warm when the weather drops.”
“Oh, I don’t need anything that nice. I have these slippers,” I shook my foot at him. “I really just need a pair of boots suitable for helping out around the farm.”
“Hmm.” He pulled a pair of knee-high leather boots off one of the higher shelves. “Try these. There’s a bench behind you if you’d like to sit down.”
I took the boots he’d handed me and looked them over. They seemed sturdy enough, good soles, and like they’d protect my legs up to my knees. I really had no idea what these chores they spoke of would involve, but they all wore boots like this, so I guess they would be needed.
I sat on the bench and slipped off my slippers. Garrett appeared with socks, knelt before me, and slipped them on. I could tell the boots were too big, but I didn’t want to complain. I just wanted to get out of here.
He finished tying them up and stood. “Well?”
I smiled. “Thank you, these will do nicely.”
He must have seen something on my face to give me away. “Stand up.”
“That’s unnecessary—”
“Stand. Up.”
