Page 47 of Play to Win

The mall is a high-end one, and after we pass by a number of stores, Lacey says to me, “There’s no Walmart here, is there?”

“No.Come on.Nordstrom has lots of things.I’m paying.”

“No, you are not!”Her mouth falls open and she plants her Chucks onto the shiny tile floor of the mall.

“Yes, I am.I’m the one who ditched your suitcase.I owe you.”

She sighs.“Fine.But I’m paying you back.”

I’m not really into shopping, especially for women’s clothes.Emma dragged me on shopping trips that bored me to tears, until I finally managed to get her to go without me.She loved to shop.

Lacey is efficient, heading straight to the sale racks in a casual department for jeans, shorts, and T-shirts, always examining the price tags.We move to a dressier department for some other things.“A swimsuit,” I suggest a while later.“For the beach.”

“Right.”She nods eagerly.

Finally, we arrive in the lingerie department.She shoots me a glance.“You, uh, don’t have to hang out here if you don’t want.”

I can’t help my grin.“This is my favorite department.”

She huffs a laugh and shakes her head.“Fine.”She quickly chooses a pair of pajamas, some panties, and a couple of basic bras.I note the size, and when she disappears into a change room, I browse through sexier offerings.She should have something prettier than basic beige.Nothing wrong with basic beige, but I like imagining Lacey in ...well, lace.Pink lace would look good on her.

She returns a while later with a load of clothing in her arms.“These all work,” she says.“Let’s pay.”

I add the pink lace bra and matching panties to the pile.Her eyebrows fly up.

“Just go with it.”

Once we have a couple of shopping bags in our hands, I nod to the shoe department.“I like your Chucks, but you might need a pair of sandals or something.”

“Right.”

We soon have her outfitted with footwear.“Okay.Where next?Do you need to buy makeup or stuff?”

She laughs.“I do need a few things.”

“There’s a Sephora here.”

Her eyes widen.“I love Sephora.”She sighs.“But it’s expensive.I can just go to a drugstore.And I do need toothpaste and shampoo.”

“We can do both.”

She sucks her bottom lip briefly as we stroll through the mall, and I can tell she’s uncomfortable.I slide my fingers around her hand and squeeze.“Hey.We’re doing each other favors, right?”She lifts her gaze to meet my eyes.“You’re going to help me out at the party on Saturday.I’m getting something out of this too.”

She nods slowly.“My life sucks.”

I smile and stop, tugging her hand so she faces me.“I know.Right now it does.But it’s all going to be fine.”

The corners of her mouth lift in response.“Yeah.”

We hit the Sephora and even though I’d rather hang out with the other dudes sitting in leather armchairs outside the store, I go in with Lacey.Mercifully she’s quick in getting the things she needs and then we’re out of the mall.I spotted a CVS on our way here, so we make one more stop, grabbing a few grocery items too, and then we’re on our way home.

Home.

The sky is a clear blue above the ocean and I see Lacey look longingly at the beach as we get out of the car.

“Let’s go,” I say, once we’ve carried in our purchases.

She blinks.“Go where?”

---