salesman wearing a jacket and tie rushed to greet them. The shop was small, but smelled expensive. "Her favorite color is purple," Dan announced. "Find this beautiful woman a pair of purple shoes that'll put the sparkle back in those gorgeous brown eyes, please. Size seven. Then, find her an everyday pair of sandals, in white."
The salesman led them to a pair of chairs with gilded frames that looked to Cynda like they belonged in the living room of a queen. She sank into the seat, looking at him in amazement. "How did you know that?"
"Easy," he shrugged, propping an ankle on his knee and settling back in the other chair. "In a garden full of colors, you chose the purple ones to make your crown." He wrinkled his nose. "Not to mention that hideous nail polish."
She couldn't decide whether she wanted to hug him or slap him.
The salesman came back holding the most gorgeous shoe she'd ever laid eyes on. "I thought the temptress theme would be appropriate." He spoke to Dan and held out a lavender-tinted shoe that appeared to be covered with silk. The heel was gold metal. A snake with jeweled eyes wound around the slender spike. The reptile had sparkling stones that looked like amethysts set in double rows down his back and it coiled into loops around the back of the shoe. Its head featured a large, glittering white stone. She tried not to squeal aloud as she reached for it.
"The stones are Swarovski, of course," the salesman informed Daniel as Cynda slipped her foot into the shoe. "The shoe is handmade in Italy from the finest leather and covered in dyed raw silk. We have only the one pair. I just unpacked it from the shipment."
"That's the look," Dan stated. "We'll take them." He raised his brows as she stood to prance across the floor. "Unless they hurt your feet."
Cynda grinned at the salesman. "I don't care if they make my toes fall off." She twirled carefully on the high heels in front of a full-length mirror while the two men laughed at her, but she didn't really mind.
He selected a pair of cute white sandals with a delightful flower mounted to the strap that slid between her toes. The leather forming the petals was so thin the flower almost looked real.
She gasped when she heard the price, prepared to have to give them back, but Dan calmly doled out one hundred dollar bills, ten in all, getting back minimal change.
He showed the same assurance at the hair salon, flipping through a book of photos and asking to see the beads to be sure they were wooden and not plastic. "This style," he stated, pointing to a photo. "The white wooden beads, at least ten on each braid."
The dark-skinned shop attendant shook her head. "Ten's hard. Unless I make smaller braids the braid won't fit through the holes. She has thick hair." The older woman put her hands on her hips and looked up at Daniel. "And smaller braids mean more time and more time means more money." She looked over at Cynda. "Besides, looks like you just straightened your hair, why you wantin' to braid it?"
"Would you like to be paid in advance?" he asked calmly. "I'm going to hang out with Colton at the hospital while you get this done," he said to Cynda, lifting her chin. "I'll leave you my credit card. Call me when they're done so I can come back and pick you up." He looked at the shop attendant. "See to it she gets something to eat, please. And pay yourself for going to get it."
To her utter shock, he kissed her, just a soft press of his lips to hers. Then he pulled his card from his wallet along with cash for her food, laid them in her palm, and just walked out the door as if he dropped her off every week for a hair appointment.
The shop girl leaned over the counter to watch him walk to his truck before giving Cynda a hard once-over. "Good Lord, your man's hot. Girl, where in the hell did you get those shoes? And that dress looks like something out of a museum. I gotta get me a white man. He got any brothers?"
* * * *
Dan wished miserably that Eric
The salesman led them to a pair of chairs with gilded frames that looked to Cynda like they belonged in the living room of a queen. She sank into the seat, looking at him in amazement. "How did you know that?"
"Easy," he shrugged, propping an ankle on his knee and settling back in the other chair. "In a garden full of colors, you chose the purple ones to make your crown." He wrinkled his nose. "Not to mention that hideous nail polish."
She couldn't decide whether she wanted to hug him or slap him.
The salesman came back holding the most gorgeous shoe she'd ever laid eyes on. "I thought the temptress theme would be appropriate." He spoke to Dan and held out a lavender-tinted shoe that appeared to be covered with silk. The heel was gold metal. A snake with jeweled eyes wound around the slender spike. The reptile had sparkling stones that looked like amethysts set in double rows down his back and it coiled into loops around the back of the shoe. Its head featured a large, glittering white stone. She tried not to squeal aloud as she reached for it.
"The stones are Swarovski, of course," the salesman informed Daniel as Cynda slipped her foot into the shoe. "The shoe is handmade in Italy from the finest leather and covered in dyed raw silk. We have only the one pair. I just unpacked it from the shipment."
"That's the look," Dan stated. "We'll take them." He raised his brows as she stood to prance across the floor. "Unless they hurt your feet."
Cynda grinned at the salesman. "I don't care if they make my toes fall off." She twirled carefully on the high heels in front of a full-length mirror while the two men laughed at her, but she didn't really mind.
He selected a pair of cute white sandals with a delightful flower mounted to the strap that slid between her toes. The leather forming the petals was so thin the flower almost looked real.
She gasped when she heard the price, prepared to have to give them back, but Dan calmly doled out one hundred dollar bills, ten in all, getting back minimal change.
He showed the same assurance at the hair salon, flipping through a book of photos and asking to see the beads to be sure they were wooden and not plastic. "This style," he stated, pointing to a photo. "The white wooden beads, at least ten on each braid."
The dark-skinned shop attendant shook her head. "Ten's hard. Unless I make smaller braids the braid won't fit through the holes. She has thick hair." The older woman put her hands on her hips and looked up at Daniel. "And smaller braids mean more time and more time means more money." She looked over at Cynda. "Besides, looks like you just straightened your hair, why you wantin' to braid it?"
"Would you like to be paid in advance?" he asked calmly. "I'm going to hang out with Colton at the hospital while you get this done," he said to Cynda, lifting her chin. "I'll leave you my credit card. Call me when they're done so I can come back and pick you up." He looked at the shop attendant. "See to it she gets something to eat, please. And pay yourself for going to get it."
To her utter shock, he kissed her, just a soft press of his lips to hers. Then he pulled his card from his wallet along with cash for her food, laid them in her palm, and just walked out the door as if he dropped her off every week for a hair appointment.
The shop girl leaned over the counter to watch him walk to his truck before giving Cynda a hard once-over. "Good Lord, your man's hot. Girl, where in the hell did you get those shoes? And that dress looks like something out of a museum. I gotta get me a white man. He got any brothers?"
* * * *
Dan wished miserably that Eric
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