Page 23 of The High Price Of Loneliness

“One moment, let me get her for you,” she said politely. Angelica waited until a few minutes later when a very well-dressed and sophisticated-looking woman, several years her senior, came walking over with a bit of a powerful-looking demeanor and said, “Good afternoon, how can I help?”

“I’m Angelica Hart. Edward Gray told me to ask for you,” she said sheepishly to Sandra.

“Oh! Edward called me and told me you might be stopping by.” Sandra changed instantly to a charming smile and friendly demeanor. “So, tell me, Angelica, what are we shopping for? Where will you be going?”

Angelica felt relieved. Sandra was so engaging now and gave an abundance of welcoming and friendly energy. She shared, “We’re going to a special function in Tampa this weekend.”

“I see. How exciting! Will it be formal or casual wear?” Sandra asked as she started walking towards the dress collections with Angelica following her lead.

“He said it’s black-tie, I think,” Angelica said, thinking back to the note from Edward.

“Well, you’ll need an evening gown!” Sandra said with an engaging and easy smile, adding, “How fun!”

“Sandra, I’m a little nervous about it. I’ve never been to something this fancy with anyone like Edward before,” she confided, half whispering.

“We will make sure you look amazing, and Edward will be proud to be the lucky one with you, sweetheart. All guys are the same that way. I got you covered—not to worry!” Sandra promised with the voice of experience and a friendly, comforting style that made Angelica feel like she was shopping with a good friend who “just knew” what would be the perfect thing.

Sandra led her to a VIP section with a collection of evening gowns that were equally stunning to try on in front of the triple mirrors, with price tags starting at a few thousand dollars, and that’s before you get the matching shoes and elegant handbag to match.

Sandra recommended a sophisticated champagne gold—almost a rich cream color with a light sprinkling of aurora borealis crystals—for a touch of bling and sparkle, but not overdone. It was stunning on Angelica. Sandra held up some matching earrings, the perfect finishing touch in the mirror.

Next was a black sequined gown that was a good bit flashier and completely backless. Finally, the gold chain on the smallest black sequin bag you have ever seen had sexy written all over it.

“Oh, my, Sandra. I love them all, but the first two you had me try on, the champagne gold and then the black sequin one, are my favorites, but they are so expensive. I just don’t feel right asking for them.”

“Mr. Gray told me you might say something like that, Angelica. Not to worry, both of these are well within the budget he suggested, even with shoes and accessories. Which is your favorite?”

Angelica hesitated and bit her lower lip for just a moment to think and stress just a bit. “Edward asked me to send him a photo of the dresses before making a final decision. Let’s take a photo of them hanging by the mirrors, side by side, and get him to pick. Ok?”

“Of course! That’s a great idea, actually,” Sandra replied enthusiastically.

The two new friends had fun posing and photographing the dresses in a few ways, showing the backless look of the black dress and the close-up detail of each. Angelica texted the best ones to Edward for his input. She included a clear photo of the price tag for each.

“Any feedback from Mr. Gray?” Sandra queried.

“Not yet,” Angelica muttered softly, rechecking her phone.

“Let’s look at shoes next while we wait. What size are you, dear? A seven, maybe seven and a half?” Sandra asked as they walked one section over.

“How did you know that?” Angelica asked.

“It’s my job to know,” Sandra said, smiling as they both chuckled, wandering into the dangerous gravitational pull of the shoe department. While they fitted Angelica with designer options for each dress from Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, and Prada, her head was swimming. She had never dreamt of spending this much on shoes, but what girl wouldn’t want at least one pair of designer heels in her closet for special occasions? She could feel her blood surging as she tried them on.

Sandra said, “These designers just seem to know how to accentuate a woman’s feet and make your leg line look longer and more elegant, don’t they?”

“Yes. I just love them!” Angelica confessed.

Her phone buzzed with a text from Gray, and the message simply said,Get them both. Angelica showed Sandra, and they both smiled in giddy excitement. Would you like a glass of wine,” Sandra offered her, “while we wrap all these up for you?”

“Yes. Absolutely!” Angelica said with her adrenaline still pumping at the surprising text from Edward. Her head was still spinning.

Sandra gave Angelica her business card as they finished up at the register and told her, “Anytime you need something, even if it is small or you just want to browse, call or text me, and I’ll make sure to be available whenever it is convenient for you to stop by.”

Angelica held the thick high-quality business card for just a moment looking at it before putting it in a special pocket in her purse. No questions were asked when she presented Mr. Gray’s Platinum American Express card since he had already called Sandra about the shopping spree. The charges combined were well into the five figures, and the credit card sailed through. “Would you like the receipt in your bag?” Sandra asked.

Angelica, still stunned at the total on the register, hesitated and then managed a simple, “Yes. That will be fine.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you today?” Sandra asked before they parted.

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