“Will you take the card and buy one special dress with it, just for me?”
She smiles. “I’m not sure you would look good in a dress!”
“Ha ha, wiseass!”
“All right, Cade. I’ll only use it to purchase one special dress. Any particular color in mind?” She starts to collect the dishes from the table.
“White. With a tan, you’ll look stunning. Make sure it’s something sexy that you can be seen in public wearing. You don’t necessarily need shoes because of the sand there.” I caress her face. “God, I love you.” I sweep in for a quick kiss, as I spot Elise walking back toward us.
“I’m ready to go Rona, but Justin is going to drive us. I phoned Jake to tell him I was going shopping with you but he wasn’t pleased. The compromise was agreeing to let Justin take us. He said Justin is going into town and would act as driver and bodyguard.” Elise rolls her eyes.
“Thank God. At least I won’t be in a panic the whole time you’re gone now.” I feel relieved.
“When will Justin be here?” Rona asks Elise.
“In about five minutes.”
“Let me just go upstairs for my purse and boots.”
As the girls leave me alone in the kitchen to drink my coffee, I feel rather pleased with myself. I knew Rona wouldn’t let me pay for her clothes, but she would have also refused the dress if I’d gone straight with that. At least I know what tactic to use when I want to buy her something.
She seems to be moving a lot easier today, although once or twice I caught her limping slightly. I certainly wasn’t going to suggest putting her shopping off until tomorrow since she’s almost bursting with excitement at going shopping with Elise.
All too soon Rona is walking downstairs, slowly, with her boots on and her purse and jacket in her hands. She catches me watching her and her face glows. I walk over to her and wrap her up in my embrace at the bottom of the stairs.
“You did that well. How’s the pain today?” I need to make sure she really is okay for her outing.
She slips her hand down the back of my jeans and shorts, squeezing my rear. She pulls away grinning, knowing exactly what she does to me.
“I’ve just taken another painkiller to keep the pain at bay. I’ll be walking more today than I have since the attack, plus I’ have a spare painkiller with me. Please don’t worry about me.”
“I’ll try not to.”
“Are you going to be working while I’m gone?”
“Yes, I’m going to try and catch up with everything over the next couple of days so Jake won’t have to sort the paperwork out. He’ll also cover for me at the stables.”
“You ready to go?” Elise shouts.
“Yes, I am. I’ll see you later honey, and remember, I love you.” She kisses my cheek before following Elise out the door.
I stay standing at the stairs for a short while after Rona leaves, staring out the window and feeling a slight tingle of loss that she isn’t here with me. Shaking my head to clear it, I grab another coffee before heading up to my office to finish up the paperwork and orders.
Rona
I’m really excited to be going shopping with Elise. It’s been a long time since I went on a girls’ shopping trip. I’ve always shopped on my own in the past because I
don’t have the patience to hang around while someone else gets what they want. Elise is different though, and we seem so in sync that we should have a good day.
The first stop is going to be the boutique where I bought my red dress, since that’s what I promised Elise. When I was there, I noticed that they had them in different colors, and I’m thinking with Elise’s blonde hair that she’ll look good in blue to match her stunning blue eyes.
Spotting the boutique coming up on our right, I point through the window. “Justin, can you drop us off over there, please?”
“Sure, I have something to do then I’ll come back for you both. Is an hour enough?”
“That’s fine. Thanks for this.”
“Just be vigilant, and don’t go wandering around until I get back.”