When she calls my name, I stride over with a look of annoyance plastered over my face.
“Did you get the price?” She laughs. She realizes I know she is full of shit.
“Yes. It was, ‘you have spent enough.’”
She chuckles and loops her arm around my waist, pulling me out the door. I find it strange she has no qualms about affection, especially with someone she just met.
We shove the bags in the back of her SUV and move on to the department store, where she requests a couple salesmen to bring me everything under the sun to try on. I stay quiet, wearing only a scowl to show my displeasure at her sneaky tactics.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful. I just don’t want this woman wasting her time and money on someone like me. There are other people who deserve her kindness.
Anniston sits on the couch right outside the dressing room, playing a game on her phone. Well, I assume it’s a game because she swears and bangs the phone down every few seconds. She demands I show her each outfit and confirms with the associate which ones we’ll be purchasing.
Finally, we leave with five complete outfits, including shoes, pajamas, and God knows how many pairs of underwear. After I get it all loaded in the back, I plop down in the passenger seat, completely spent.
“I’m not sure if I can manage that walk now. You wore me out with all of this shopping.”
She cranks the car and smiles. “We’ll nap and walk later. I still need to make one more stop.”
My head bangs against the seat in frustration, a tortured groan escaping. Anniston flashes me an excited smile, turning the radio down low as we ride in a comfortable silence to our next destination.
We pull in her driveway four hours later. Her last stop was the grocery store, where she spent a small fortune on enough food to feed a small army. She also insisted I pick out shampoo and toiletries for myself. There was arguing involved. Ultimately, she tossed in the things she wanted me to have and I bit my tongue and let her.
Now, her guest bed is covered with the new purchases, just for me. It kind of feels like Christmas morning, except in February. Recent Christmases for me have been spent scouring for food, the only joy a hot meal from a church hosting for the homeless.
I let my callused hands run over the fine materials. My chest feels tight, but before I can dwell on it, Anniston appears at the doorway. “Hangers are in the closet. When you finish settling in, we’ll eat and then rest for a bit.”
I nod my understanding.
“Anniston,” I say, a little choked.
She turns and gives me a sad smile. “You’re welcome.” Then she leaves me to put things away.
I sort my new clothes by type and then by color. I’m not OCD but I want to cherish these new things that I may never get again.
When I enter the kitchen, Anniston is on the phone. “I gotta go. Yeah, yeah.” Pause. “I said, Okay, Theo. Damn. What do you want me to do, sign in blood?” She looks frustrated, but still smiles at me and holds up a finger, signaling she’ll be only a moment. “Don’t be a baby. Okay. Bye, Teddy.” With that, she laughs and ends the call.
“Who’s Teddy?” The question slips out faster than I can stop it. I know she isn’t married—no ring. Maybe a boyfriend? The thought makes my stomach sour.Get it together, Cade. This girl is helping you. This is not some damn Cinderella story. Man up!
Anniston frowns and changes the subject. “You ready to go for a walk or do you want to rest for a few?”
“I, uh… I don’t know,” I stammer out like a total dumbass.
She cocks her head to the side, her eyebrow hitching like she isn’t sure what my deal is. “Ooookay,” she drawls. “If you aren’t sure, then you must not be that tired. Let’s go for a walk.” She turns to the fridge and pulls out two bottles of water. Handing one to me, she demands I, “down it and go get dressed.”
I take the bottle and she eyes me expectantly—I guess I have no choice in the matter. Clutching the plastic bottle, I close my eyes and chug. I can feel her eyes on me, burning through my skin. She’s more perceptive than I gave her credit for. I gag a little on the last swig but I manage to fight off the sensation and drink the last drop. Crushing the bottle, I hand it back to a smiling Anniston.
“We leave in five.” She shoots the bottle off the wall and scores an easy three-pointer in the trash then heads down the hall.
I dress quickly, pulling on my newly acquired track pants and shoes. The Dri-FIT material caresses my skin like fine silk. To be clean and wear shoes with actual soles in them feels absolutely amazing. I slap on a little deodorant for good measure. The scent of pine and spice smells fresh and manly, but before I can revel in the new me, a bang sounds at the door.
“Let’s go, Gorgeous!”
Taking a deep breath, I head out into the unknown.
She’s stretching by the door when I approach and nods at me, indicating that I need to do the same. I copy her movements while my muscles scream in protest. Fuck, this hurts. I’ve slacked off with the stretching when Anniston announces we’re ready.
We set out down her gravel driveway, the gravel making crunching noises as our feet hit the rocks. The sound reminds me of bones crushing under a Humvee.
