Page 29 of Surprise Baby for Daddy's Best Friend

“The girl?”

“We’ll see.”

She let out a low hum then clicked her tongue, “Just let me know and I’ll have whatever you need taken care of as soon as I can.”

“Thank you, Jessica. You’re great as always.”

“You pay me to be that way.”

I ended the call and headed over toward the shop. The store smelled of fresh flowers. Not too strong that it bothered my nose, but enough that I didn’t feel like I was inside at all. I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes.

“Welcome!” a voice broke my focus.

I cracked open an eye and smiled at the clerk. She was dressed more business-like than what I had seen in most of the stores. Though something about her felt still more immature in nature as if she didn’t know what she was supposed to be doing.

“I’m here to pick up my order.”

She perked up and her smile grew brighter, “Of course! Right this way, Mr. Jones.”

She guided me to the back of the store where a pair of nice tan slacks and a black button-down hung from hangers. I lifted the tag to check the designer. I didn’t recognize the brand. It didn’t sound like it was an off-brand either. Especially if Jessica was the one to order it.

“Who made this?”

“A personal designer in the area. She does a lot of work for businesses and also designs costumes for some movie producers.”

“I see…” I flipped the cuff over. The buttons were polished black with silver inlay within it like a galaxy hid within them. “Seems like it’s high quality.”

“I can assure you, Mr. Jones, that we make sure every piece is perfect for those that visit us.”

“And you make money from selling clothes at a resort?”

She shifted and averted her gaze. “Well, I can’t lie and say we’re doing super well, but when we get a celebrity who has used Ms. Mort’s clothing before, they tend to buy more or refer us, which is usually enough to keep things afloat.”

I nodded and pulled the clothes down, “Thank you.” I tried to give her a friendly smile to relax her nerves, but she was still jumpy at my glance. “Not used to many customers I take it?”

She shook her head. “I like how quiet it is here.”

“Hmm… guess this would be a good place for someone like you then.” I reached for my wallet but paused before pulling it out. “Did Jessica already pay?”

The clerk nodded. “You’re all set.”

“Good. Enjoy your day. I might be back another day to buy some more clothes. Hopefully I won’t scare you off too much then.”

Before she could breathe out the generic farewell she was trained for, I left the shop and stepped back into the warm sunlight. Enough of my colleagues would have berated her for her timid nature, but the way she was, reminded me so much of Mandi when she was young and moving constantly. It wasn’t until we settled down and business started growing rapidly that she finally settled into her strong personality. I wished the best for the clerk since she would have to face plenty of people who made the average person nervous, especially if the celebrity rumor were true.

The rest of the day was fairly quiet with most of it taken up by me wandering around and enjoying the sun next to the pool. There weren’t many kids around, which kept the place quiet and calm outside of the occasional giggling couple running off to enjoy one another. It made me miss Kim even more now.

My watch buzzed to let me know the rehearsal dinner was coming up. Another benefit of Jessica adding my entire itinerary to my calendar so I received notifications in advance now.

Everyone gotin separate vehicles this time instead of the oversized vans. A compliment from Jessica I imagined after complaining about it to her. Though the driving service framed it as a wedding gift for everyone, so Mandi didn’t suspect it had anything to do with me.

I sat in one vehicle with Maurice and another man I didn’t know, who stayed in the front of the car talking to the driver.

“So are we sharing a giant table again for dinner?” I asked to break the ice between myself and Maurice.

He shrugged, “They wouldn’t tell me where we were going. Said it was a surprise or something.”

I nodded. The itinerary just listed rehearsal dinner and didn’t provide a location, “Seems they want to make sure none of us complain.”

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