8
RAVEN
Giana’s mouthfalls open in surprise, her hand pulling her phone away from her ear when she realizes that it’s me.
“No fucking way…” she says, and I laugh at her astonishment.
Slowly, she taps her phone screen and slides her phone into her pocket.
“Have you finished your conversation?” I ask.
She pivots to me, her gaze sliding down, taking inventory of my clothes and heels before moving to my face.
My hair tumbles down my back, and my cheeks must be red from the icy air.
I know hers are.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she murmurs, still in awe, her lips parted, her eyes wide, her eyebrows crooked in disbelief.
“What happened to you?” she mumbles, running her eyes over my face.
I smile.
“Are you done?” I ask in a clipped voice.
“No, no… Let me see you. These clothes. Oh, my… You look awesome. Is this the new job? Your new man?”
What can I say?
Money has made a difference, despite not touching them except to buy necessities and clothes.
“There is no new man.”
“Your boss? No?” she says, amused. “Still no?”
“Still no,” I say, grabbing her arm and dragging her toward the store entrance. “He’s been gone for the past two weeks. So it’s not him.”
I open the door and nudge her in.
Moments later, the warm air rolls over us.
She takes off her gloves and her muffler. I shed my coat and fold it over my arm.
“Why are we here?”
“I want to buy you a few Christmas gifts. And I have two options. A gift card. But what fun would that be? And trying to pick up some things for you. But I also want you to like them. So dragging you into a store to make your own selection is the wisest thing to do.”
She cheerfully laughs.
“That is so lazy of you.”
“It’s not. I also want to buy some stuff for me.”
She glances at me furtively.
“Is that how you dress at work?”
“Mm-hmm. You don’t like it?”