Sugar Pie by Victoria Pinder
9
Warren
Kerry pointed at the local Goodwill. With her Coach bag, I wouldn’t have thought she would ever go secondhand anything. Parking there made my entire body sting. I didn’t want her ever to wear used anything.
All I had to do was use my money and forget the plan. I could give her everything.
She bounced like she was excited and rushed inside.
I put my hands in my pockets and followed her.
Kerry was like sunshine in my life and made me feel awake and alive.
I found her in the first aisle as she sorted through shirts. “We’re not buying underwear in a thrift store,” I said.
She nodded but didn’t look up at all. “Fair enough. Right now, the hunt for treasure begins.”
She moved to the second aisle and found a few items that were bright and colorful. For days, she’d been in jeans.
I followed and placed my hand on her back. “Treasure? Here?”
She glanced up and laughed a little as she picked up purple, bright-lime-green, and yellow T-shirts. “Don’t act so superior with that face. Neither one of us in a position of privilege, and besides, thrifting can be fun.”
Wrong. I had more than most people could ever dream. I swallowed as she picked up a pair of jeans and cotton pants. The bottoms were more sedate in colors.
My skin buzzed. Lying was horrible, but I couldn’t explain. “I’m used to treating the woman in my life… better.”
She winked and put a green T-shirt in her pile. “Lucky for you, we’re not dating. We’re partners.”
Partners was a start. My heart thumped because she saw us as something. I placed my hand over hers. “Let’s go do something fun that doesn’t include shifting through used anything.”
She shrugged and picked up a bright-red shirt with green trim that screamed Christmas to me. “I found five shirts. I need two more.”
Right. Clearly, she enjoyed standing out. I picked up a white, silky shirt that said Dior and looked similar to what I’d seen women in New York wear. “This isn’t bad.”
She looked at the price tag. “It’s nice, but name brand is pricier.”
Twenty dollars was practically free. “It’s nothing. I’ll get you this one. It’s a present.” I needed to be honest. She thought I was living on a budget because I needed to, but the truth was very different. It was time to go to the mall and get good clothes for her.
“Thank you. Maybe I’ll wear that when my divorce is final.”
The reason we’d left the house that afternoon was underwear. She would never have said it, but we would get unmentionables. As we headed to the counter, I said, “One more store, and then let’s do something fun.”
We paid quickly, as no one was in line. “Sounds perfect. Lead the way.”
We left. I was tempted to break my rules, but if I did, I wasn’t sure she would stay with me. The truth was that she didn’t need to work or do anything for me, as her nearness alone was all I needed.
