Page 145 of Mayhem
“Same,” Chayse said. “A camera I’ve been looking at will be on sale.”
“I’m going for the shoe sales,” Erin stated.
Cruz looked over at her as he picked up his glass but refrained from telling her she could go shoe shopping on any day of the week. She was better about accepting the things they wanted to do for her and give her. He mainly didn’t want her caught in all the wild antics that could go on. He’d missed the exchange between Remy and Lawrence, and cards were dealt again.
“What time are we going?” he asked.
“Early. Around six,” Erin supplied. He wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t by the fact they were going with her.
“You’re going to be exhausted,” he told her in Polish with a smirk.
Paetyn chuckled before co-signing, “Muy jodidamente cansado.”
“Soy una niña grande. Puedo manejarlo,” Erin stated.
She didn’t have to tell them for them to know.
41
Erin looked between the different knife sets, no closer to choosing one than half an hour ago when she stepped into the high-end kitchen wares store. She was looking for a nice set to get Paetyn for his birthday and wasn’t having any luck. She was sure he had the best of everything as a professional chef, but she was determined to get him a new set of knives. It might have been a little indulgent on her part since she discovered she enjoyed watching him chop things. It turned her on for some reason, and Erin had no shame in getting him a gift they both could appreciate.
She would almost be irritated with the situation and close to giving up if she hadn’t had the same issue when shopping for Cruz’s gift. While she’d taken the classes to be able to perform her dance for him, she also wanted to get him something. In her opinion, men often were overlooked when getting them gifts. She’d gotten Cruz a nice briefcase for work. It was high-quality leather, and she’d had his name embossed on the handles.
She’d conducted much research before buying Cruz’s gift because she wanted something of good quality. She’d done the same regarding different knife sets, but now that she was looking at the four she’d narrowed it down to, Erin was at a loss. She could have gone with the most expensive set, but she knew expensive did not always equal good quality, and honestly, it wasn’t appealing to the eyes. She supposed that didn’t matter as long as they worked as intended.
She pulled her phone out, looked at the number of reviews on each one, and allowed that to be her guide. After a few minutesof review skimming, she decided on the second set. With her purchase in hand, she left the store five minutes later. Now that she had secured his present for his birthday next week, she needed to finish her Christmas shopping. It was two weeks away, and she still had a few gifts to buy.
Erin had been able to shop for her dad and grandmother and get Alijah and Lawrence something when they’d gone Black Friday shopping, but Cruz and Paetyn had been with her during their outing, and she hadn’t been able to get either of them what she wanted. She’d ordered them later and needed to pick them up since they were ready. Unlike with their birthday presents, she knew what she wanted to get them for Christmas. Her next destination was the strip mall.
When she pulled up twenty-five minutes later, she made a beeline for a fragrance store. She wanted to get the other men something for Christmas and figured it was safe to go with cologne. It wasn’t a personal gift, and she didn’t think she’d be overstepping boundaries. She smelled several, choosing the ones she thought fit each man before selecting a perfume for Alijah and Chayse.
The next stop on her shopping trip was a small candle stand on the first floor. She got Alijah, Chayse, and Lawrence candles she thought they’d like.
Her stop after that was a specialty soap stand. She got a few bars and bath bombs, deciding she had everything she needed aside from the wine to make the baskets she wanted to give her friends, Dahlia and Torei.
She then went to the jewelry store on the second floor to pick up the order she’d placed a week ago. When she inspected them to ensure they were correct, Erin thanked the associate before moving on. She’d chosen her men’s gifts as an expression of her love. The inscription would relay exactly how much. Somethingthey could take with them everywhere and know that she loved them.
Erin made a few more stops in stores, grabbing more gifts for her men to give them at the exchange they would have with their friends. Her last stop was at the photography supply shop to pick up a backdrop for Chayse. She carefully placed everything in her trunk after letting the backseats down. She still needed to pick up the baskets and wine, but she would do that another day.
She was heading back to her apartment to start wrapping everything when she drove byAefinityand saw Paetyn’s car. The restaurant wasn’t open on Mondays, and she figured he was likely doing inventory or placing orders. His managers could do it, but she knew Paetyn liked to take care of it occasionally. She decided to stop in for a second and pulled into the parking lot.
Erin tested the door, her phone in hand, to call him because she thought it would be locked. When she found it wasn’t, she entered the restaurant, pausing when her eyes landed on Paetyn and a woman standing too close for Erin’s liking. The woman laughed as if her boyfriend had just told the funniest joke in the world, her hand going to rest on his chest before he removed it.
“Looks like I’m interrupting,” Erin stated, announcing her presence.
His green eyes landed on her with a smile. “Hey, Angel. And no, you could never interrupt,” he stated, approaching her. “Connie, this is my girlfriend, Erin. Baby, this is Connie, one of my suppliers.”
Connie smiled at her, and Erin gave her a small wave before her attention returned to Paetyn.
“This is a surprise. I didn’t expect you to stop by.”
“I’m sure it is,” Erin responded, and she couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her tone. “I was doing some shopping, saw your car, and thought I’d stop in for a few minutes, but you’re clearly busy.”
Paetyn raised a brow, and Erin was sure he wasn’t blind to her mood. He never was, and while that meant he could always discern what she needed, she couldn’t just be petty or mad about things.
“Come talk to me for a second.”
Erin shook her head. “I don’t want to keep you from business with your supplier.”
