“Me?” What does she mean, me? I didn’t do anything, except very badly attempt to blackmail him and fail. Not that I’m going to share that little detail with her.
She nods. “I think so.” Her eyes sparkle. “You’re the special one.”
I start to laugh. Surely she’s kidding. “I’m just an ordinary girl. The country’s full of young high-school-grad baristas with brown hair and brown eyes.”
“You must be color-blind to think your hair and eyes are just ‘brown.’”
“But they are,” I say. It’s obvious she’s intrigued that Tolyan’s doing something she hasn’t seen him do, but I don’t want her to assume we’re dating or that he has feelings for me, especially when she doesn’t have all the facts and I can’t fill in the blanks for her.
She gives me an amused look. “They’re nothing so boring, I promise. And if you were merely ordinary, Tolyan would’ve never asked me to shop with you.”
“But…”
She raises a hand. “I know, I know. You’re shy about revealing details. You’re as secretive as he is. It’s fine. I’ll save my digging for later, when you feel more comfortable.”
We could be close enough to go naked together in a locker room and I still wouldn’t reveal anything—but I keep that to myself. “So,” I say in a normally loud voice, “are we done shopping?” I put the last bite of the tart into my mouth and reach for the parfait. It’s chocolate and strawberries. It’s going to be so yummy.
“No. We have to get you some evening wear,” Monique says.
I swallow the spoonful of parfait in my mouth. “For what? I don’t exactly have any balls or galas on my social calendar.”
“Every woman needs at least one classic cocktail dress and an evening gown,” Elizabeth says.
“She’s right.” Monique nods. “It’s always a hassle to shop in a hurry
when you need something formal.”
“Which is why I pre-buy them,” Elizabeth says.
“Which is why you stand out, no matter where you are,” Monique says. “I saw the pictures from last week’s event and just sighed. You looked like a queen.”
“Well, I did marry a King.” Elizabeth winks. “Now, let’s start with lingerie.” She raises her hand to block Tolyan’s view of her mouth. “Sexy vixen, you know what I mean?”
I squirm, unable to decide between shock and excitement. It’s been so long since I bought pretty underwear. It’s going to be so expensive, but for once, I’m optimistic about my future, and I want to splurge—just a little.
“A couple of sets,” I say quietly.
“Nobody gets just a couple of sets,” Monique says with a friendly eye roll. “Come on.”
I glance at Tolyan. He might’ve heard us say lingerie and his interest could’ve piqued.
But nope. Still focused on the tablet. Maybe it’s giving him clues as to where he can find a bunker full of gold. I don’t know what else could be so enrapturing.
My mood deflates. I walk into the dressing room with a couple of clerks who bring out a huge collection of satin and lace underthings in every color and design. I look them over, but they don’t perk me up. Why? I was excited just moments ago…
Oh. My. God.
Am I disappointed that Tolyan isn’t reacting to my trying out lingerie? I mean… It isn’t like I was planning on coming out in nothing but a bra and panties and strutting around. But maybe I expected something from him. A sign of curiosity. Or even speculation.
Tolyan’s a gentleman, Angelika. You asked for a non-rotten lemon, and now you’re feeling let down that he isn’t a pervert!
Well, yeah. But when you start to like a guy, he no longer becomes a creepy perv. He becomes a…nice perv. And I think I like Tolyan. A lot.
And I have no idea what I’m going to do about this unexpected development.
Chapter Sixteen
Tolyan