Monique was surprisingly funny.Especially when she was telling me embarrassing stories about Beau and his siblings. She’d insisted that we get our nails done before we came home. Mine were a deep, delicious silvery gray to match my dress and shoes.
My guard was down when we’d arrived back at her house. When her driver opened the trunk—that was when I nearly fell over. Bags and bags—and bags of stuff.
I think my blood pressure had fallen to dangerous levels as we all took handfuls of my newly acquired belongings into the house.
Luckily, Beau was in the kitchen drinking a beer with his brother. I veered directly to him, dropping the bags before I hugged him tight around his torso. “Oh my gosh,” I said once I was in his arms. “Hold me, Beau.”
He chuckled as I tightened my arms around his middle. “That bad?”
“She insisted on—buying me so much stuff,” I let out on a long, breathless whimper.
Again, he laughed and said, “Did it hurt? Giving up your soul like that?”
I nodded into his chest. “So, so much. She wouldn’t stop. I think I have hives from the amount of times she used her credit card. I’m surprised it didn’t burst into flames.”
A huge laugh burst out of him as he hugged me back. “It’ll be okay, G. People have survived worse.”
“What’s up? You all right, Gigi?” Élise asked when she entered the kitchen. Her body and head tilted toward me.
“Mom just took her shopping,” Lucien said, and her eyes squinted.
“Already?” she said, her eyebrows raising higher and higher. “She didn’t take Aaron shopping until we’d been together for a year.
“Well, that we can understand,” Lucien said, chuckling until Élise thwacked him in the gut. “Hey, stop,” he said, making a grab at his sister, but she was too quick.
She slid around the island on her sock feet. “Mom didn’t take Elayne shopping until you guys were engaged, so there,” she said, sticking out her tongue. “Anyway, Gigi,” she turned to me, “Mom’s first shopping trips alone are a right of passage. And from the looks of how many bags the driver is bringing in—I’d say you passed.” She laughed as we watched the driver dump another load of items beside the door.
“What was the best thing she made you get?” Élise asked, a devious smile on her face.
I didn’t need to think hard about that one. “Probably the Louboutin’s,” I said in a small, exhausted voice.
“No way!” she said, her hands shooting to the ceiling. “What size are you?”
“Eight and a half?”
A look of delight filled her eyes. “Gigi, I think we’re going to be best friends.”