AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Amazing.”
I smiled. “Not really.”
“Trust me, it is. If it were me, I’d just buy half the store and take my chances.”
Laughing, I said, “Well, that thought gives me hives, so I think I’ll stick to this method, thanks all the same.”
“Fair. What next?”
“I wanna check out some perfume for my mom. I think she must be just about due for a new bottle. And maybe get some ideas for something for Jen to help her in her third trimester. No idea what, though. We’re starting from scratch with that one.”
In the department store, I added my mom’s perfume to the app and Dante helped me pick out a foot massager for Jen. After that, we just wandered from store to store. I was starting to get used to Dante touching me all the time, either holding my hand, or putting his arm around my waist, or slipping his hand into the back pocket of my jeans. That was probably my favorite, because it kept me close to him and made me half believe he really meant it when he said I was hot.
Something in a nearby store window caught my eye and I stopped abruptly, making Dante bump against me. “Sorry, I just wanna go over there.”
“No problem.”
Seriously? It was like nothing ever irritated the man.
“You hike?” he asked when I dragged him over to the outdoor goods store.
“We did, when we were kids, but I stopped when, um…”
“Let me guess. Richard.”
“He has allergies.”
Dante muttered something under his breath I didn’t quite catch.
“Whatever you just said, I think I agree.” I looked at the boots longingly, remembering how much I used to love hiking, wondering when I would get the chance to go again.
“Come on.” Dante pulled on my hand, dragging me into the store. “No just scanning the barcode and adding them to your app. We’re gonna actually buy a pair.”
“What? No, that’s stupid.”
“Why?”
“It’s a waste! How often am I going to get the chance to use them?”
“Never, if you don’t buy them.” He tapped the end of my nose for emphasis.
Damn. I could hardly argue with that.
“Here. Try these.” He handed me a pair of Scarpa Mont Blanc boots.
“Oh,” I gasped. “I love them!” He’d even picked the right size, so I sat on a low bench, ripped my leather boots off and put the hiking boots on. “Fuck,” I muttered, because they were amazing. They were black and green, with a sturdy sole, a Gore-Tex lining, and a leather upper. Way more than I needed for any hiking I’d be likely to do around Esperance, but I really, really loved them.
Dante signaled to the clerk, who came over with a friendly smile. “What can I do for you?”
“We’ll get these ones, please.”
“You bet. You’ve made a great choice. These are perfect for glacier walking, if that’s your thing.”
I giggled. “Not usually, but I’ll take them anyway, thank you.”
Dante reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
“Dante! No. Absolutely not.”
