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“I love it.”
“You can dress like that too,” I say, stopping next to a rack of clothing and checking blazers, dresses, and business suits.
“And go where? I work in a doctor’s office, and no one wears that kind of stuff.”
“You can find a new job. Or a new line of work.”
I sound pretentious, so I shut my mouth.
That’s not why I brought her here. All I want is to convince her to accept my gifts without asking me about the money that I spend.
I’m not ready to confess how I earn my money.
She doesn’t even know about the incident in Miami. That I’m about to get a good chunk of money from Ted Sloane.
Luckily, Giana ignores me completely.
I don’t believe she thinks much about what I just said.
“I’m not sure I want new clothes,” she says, checking the price tags on a few items.
“It doesn’t have to be clothing. We start here and then go to other stores too.”
“You got a bonus or something?” she tosses at me, not taking her own words seriously.
“Yes. A Christmas bonus, for sure.”
I’m not talking seriously either, but somehow she believes me.
“What about this?” I ask, pivoting to a rack crammed with sweaters.
I pick a pink one and a white one and show them to her.
Her eyes flicker with excitement.
“Mmm… I like them. Which one?”
“Both. Try them on.”
“Are you sure?
“Yes.”
We spend about thirty minutes in the store and convince her to accept my Christmas gifts for her––the two sweaters, a new pair of boots, and a short double-breasted coat with a hoodie that looks fantastic on her.
I pick up a few more dresses and a new pair of shoes for myself. She says nothing when the cashier rings me up and gives me the total.
It costs me more than she makes at her job the entire month.
We exit the store and walk down the street to a small but popular restaurant that’s serving only breakfast and lunch.
Soon, she sits at a window table, with the shopping bags stacked in a nearby chair while I buy food from us.
Later, we sit across from each other with bottles of water and sandwiches in front of us.
She takes a bite.
“So… Are you going to tell me or not?” she says, chewing slowly.
