“Don’t you think it’s way too fancy for The Destiny?”She frowned as she ran her hands down the sides of the dress.
Olivia puckered her lips.“Maybe. But it sure looks great on you.”
“Why don’t you get them both? Then, if he asks you out again—hopefully, to somewhere fancier—you’ll have the black dress to wear,”Heather suggested.
Donna laughed.“I haven’t even gone out with him this first time. I don’t think I should be planning on a second date quite yet.”
Olivia handed her an armful of clothes.“While we have you here, I picked out some more outfits for you. Slacks, sweaters, tops. Try some more on. Your wardrobe could use some—how can I put this nicely—freshening up.”
“I don’t know…”
“Come on, Aunt Donna. It will be fun.”
Donna went back in and put on one of the outfits Olivia had picked out for her. Simple black pants—that weren’t worn out or faded to a dusky gray like the few pairs she had at home—and a short-sleeved white sweater top with a bit of black trim. The girls approved of that outfit along with a knit skirt and striped top and a casual sleeveless dress. They vetoed a loud floral sundress, then approved of a pair of navy slacks and red top.
She got dressed back into her now decidedly old and worn clothes and went out to join the girls. As she walked out of the dressing room and saw the stack of clothing, she almost gasped.“I can’t buy all of that.”
“Of course you can. Who knows how many years it will be before I can get you back in here,”Olivia insisted.“Oh, and I found these two scarfs. They’ll go great with a couple of the outfits. So, you’re all set.”
Margaret rang everything up and Donna looked at the bags of clothes, feeling guilty. Like really guilty. It seemed like such a splurge. But they really weren’t that expensive. Margaret carried reasonably priced lines of clothing. But still, it was a lot of new clothes all at once.
Olivia gathered up the bags, handing some to Heather.“Now, we’re going next door to the shoe store.”
“Wait. No, I’ve gotten enough new things.”
“Mom, you can’t wear your work shoes with these. Look at them.”Olivia pointed at her sensible, if worn, black shoes.“We’ll find you some simple black flats and maybe another dressier pair of shoes.”
Thirty minutes later Donna walked out of the shoe store with three new pairs of shoes. The simple black flats, a low-heeled sandal, and a pair of bright red slip-on wedges. She stood on the sidewalk, a bit in shock.
Heather hugged her and laughed.“It will all be okay, Aunt Donna. Your closet may have a bit of shock when you put all this in there, but everyone should get new clothes every now and again.”
“And, Mom, you haven’t gotten anything new in years.”Olivia dumped the packages in her car that was parked in front of them on the street.“I’m going to run all these home for you, then I’ll meet you at Parker’s.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I’m going to take them to your house, cut off the tags, and hang them up. I want to make sure you don’t return them all when Heather and I aren’t there to watch over you.”Olivia grinned as she got into her car.
Donna said goodbye and walked down the sidewalk to Parker’s. She had to admit she’d loved the new outfits. She looked down at her worn slacks and Parker’s t-shirt. Maybe she should consider getting a few more outfits for work that didn’t look so old and tired…
That would have to wait. She’d had enough of a clothing shock for one day. A smile played at the corners of her mouth while she hummed a song and hurried back to Parker’s to get to work.
Donna lookedup to see Delbert enter Parker’s with a woman hanging possessively on his arm. Maybe the Camille he’d mention at The Cabot?
The woman frowned just inside the door.“Really? Here?”she exclaimed in an incredulous tone.
Donna walked up to them and smiled.
“Welcome, Del. What brings you to Parker’s today?”
“Been craving your ice cream, of course.”He winked, then turned to the woman beside him—the woman with the frown plastered on her perfectly made-up face with her perfectly put together trendy outfit.“Camille, this is Donna. She owns the general store.”
Camille looked her over carefully, her gaze running from the top of her disheveled curls, to her faded work clothes, to the tired, worn-out work shoes.“Pleased to meet you,”she said without any warmth.
“Nice to meet you.”Donna plastered on a welcoming smile. She knew how to deal with difficult customers. Years of training.
“I wanted Camille to try some of your delicious ice cream.”
“I don’t suppose you have sugar free?”Camille cocked her head to the side.
