Turn Towards the Sun Book Two: After the Rain (34 page)

She shrugs. “Yeah, I guess.”

Cassie puts her hands on her hips. “What is it with you money-resistant women? Isn’t this every woman’s dream, finding a man with money?” she asks. “I know I’ve been loving it since Chris started making a lot more money. It just makes life easier. Technically, I don’t even need to work if I don’t want to.”

“I agree, Cass, it does make things easier. I don’t fight it nearly as much as I used to. That’s what the diva comment was about. Enzo still has to encourage me sometimes. But, today, I’m just going to get whatever I want, regardless of the cost.”

“Marisa, is there anything you’re interested in?” Cassie asks.

“I’ll go wherever. I don’t wear dresses much, so I have no idea where to go.”

“Bottega Veneta it is then,” I say, as we walk into the Bellagio.

I’ve walked down Via Bellagio many a time, too afraid to enter most of the stores, but today I’m on a mission. I have a challenge to meet. We walk into Bottega Veneta and look at all the fabulous clothes. I notice right away that Gabby and Marisa look mighty uncomfortable. Quite honestly, these clothes are a little high fashion for me too. On the other hand, Francesca and Cassie look like they’ve died and gone to heaven.

“Hey ladies, do you want to go down the way with me to Chanel and Armani?” I ask. “I thought I would look there for something.”

Gabby lights up. “Chanel? Absolutely.”

“Sure,” Marisa agrees.

“We’ll meet up with you two later. Have fun,” I tell Francesca and Cassie.

We walk into Chanel first. Gabby gravitates towards a stunning, shimmering blue gown. It is strapless with an empire waistband decked out in crystals. From there, the fabric billows and flows romantically to the floor. It’s gorgeous.

“I love this, Ava. What do you think?”

“I think it’s beautiful and you should try it on,” I reply.

“I agree,” Marisa chimes in.

A saleswoman approaches and smiles broadly at us. “It sounds like you found something you like,” she says.

Gabby nods. “Yes, I’d like to try this on, please.”

“Certainly.” She looks Gabby up and down, and pulls out a size four.

“Do you see anything you like, Marisa?” I ask.

She grins. “I think I’ll wait for Armani with you. This stuff is a little conservative for my taste.”

The two of us take a seat and wait for Gabby to try on her dress. When she comes out of the dressing room, my mouth falls open. She looks perfect. I know that Calvin will eat her up.

“It’s so pretty,” I tell her.

“Very,” Marisa agrees.

I glance out the store window while Gabby gets fitted and picks out some accessories. I need to find a way to spend more money.

At that moment I see a couple of young women walking by, who remind me of Cassie and me a couple of years ago. They stop and stare at a boutique window full of handbags, and I can tell from their reaction that they want to go in, but it’s too expensive. This is my opportunity.

14 CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“I’ll be right back,” I holler to my friends, and dart out of the store and across the hallway. I quickly enter the store, passing by the two women, and find a salesgirl.

“May I help you?” she asks.

“Yes, can you help me? I want to buy those two women a handbag, but I don’t want them to know about it.”

Her face fills with surprise. “Why?”

“I’m just being nice today. I want to.” I can’t stop grinning. This is awesome.

“Okay,” the salesgirl replies. “Let me think.”

Turning around, I spot the two women tentatively peeking inside the store. Good, they’re still here.

“I have an idea.” The salesgirl winks and walks behind the counter. She flashes the lights in the boutique off and on for a moment, getting everyone’s attention.

The two women look up and seem ready to dart out of the store when the salesgirl approaches them. “Ladies, congratulations, you’ve both just won a random act of luxury,” she tells them.

A random act of luxury? That’s fantastic.

“What?” the blond woman asks.

“Earlier today, we had a customer offer to buy two handbags for our hundredth customer. You came in together, so that’s you two.”

Boy, she’s slick. She’s lying through her teeth and is completely convincing.

“Seriously?” the blond asks again.

“Seriously, please pick out anything you want.” The salesgirl glances over at me as she talks and I nod my head.

Hoping that they choose something super expensive, I follow behind them as they shop. I can see the excitement from the salesgirl for her potential commission when she makes this sale. She shows the women two large bags from the latest collection. They look like something Checca would use – very high fashion and stylish.

I watch the two women pick out a bag each, as excited as if it is Christmas morning. Picking up the one that the salesgirl was drooling over, I look at the tag and cringe. Unbelievable. I can’t imagine ever buying a purse that costs this much.

I motion for the salesgirl to join me. She excuses herself from the two women, who chat excitedly over the handbags. I hand her my Amex. “Here’s my card,” I say. “Can you find a way to ring it up so they get the receipts?”

“Of course,” she replies. “I’ll give them gift receipts so they can register the bags.”

As the salesgirl collects the bags from the women, I sit down in a chair and then watch her ring them up. The two women can barely contain themselves.

“I can’t believe this. It’s so awesome. Who would do this for total strangers?” the brunette asks her friend.

“A very kind person who just wanted to do something nice for someone else, I guess,” the salesgirl says. When she finishes ringing up the purchases, she wraps up the bags.

The blond takes hers and says, “If you ever see that person again, please say thank you for us. It made our whole trip.”

“I certainly will.”

I watch the two women walk out of the store practically skipping. The salesgirl walks over to me with the receipt. “That was really cool, Mrs. Milano. Here’s your receipt.”

“Thank you for your help. You were very creative.”

I take the receipt and try to keep my mouth closed. It’s for nearly three thousand dollars. Just like that. In less than fifteen minutes. I walk out of the store and head back to Chanel.

“Where did you go?” Gabby asks as I approach the counter where she is buying her gown.

“That shop over there. I was just looking at a bag I had my eye on,” I reply, trying to sound nonchalant. “They didn’t have the color I wanted.”

“That’s a really expensive shop. My sister loves the place,” Marisa says.

“Maybe we should get your sister one?” I suggest.

Marisa laughs. “No way! I’m not dropping a grand on her. I love the girl, but come on.”

“A thousand dollars, just for a purse?” gasps Gabby in shock.

Marisa nods. “Yes and some of them are more than that, I think.”

“And you were going to buy one, Ava?” Gabby says.

“I was thinking about it. I didn’t know about the cost ahead of time.”

Now I’m feeling nervous. I know I can’t let anyone figure out what I’m up to, but it’s unlike me to have no regard for the cost of things. I need to keep my guard up.

“You’re acting kind of funny, Ava. What are you up to?” Gabby asks me.

Ah crap, she’s onto me.

“Nothing at all,” I reply. “We still need to go to Armani and I want to pick out something nice for Enzo. Where are Checca and Cassie?”

“I see them – sitting over there on that bench,” Marisa says, pointing ahead.

As we walk, I realize that everyone will pay attention to the things I buy. This is going to be harder than I thought. We pass a jewelry store and I peek inside. There is a gorgeous rose-gold watch in the window that I think Enzo would love.

“Isn’t this watch nice?” I say, just as Cassie and Francesca walk up behind me.

“What do you think, Checca? Will your brother like this?”

She nods. “Yes, I think so.”

“Is it for something special?” Cassie asks.

“Sort of. I never bought him anything for a wedding gift, so I thought I would make up for it now.”

I hope that is convincing enough as I walk inside the store to make the purchase. When I approach the salesman behind the counter, he basically ignores me, so I clear my throat.

He looks up at me with the nerve to act irritated. “Yes ma’am?”

“I want to make a purchase.”

“What would you like to see?”

“The rose-gold watch in the window,” I reply.

His eyes widen just a bit and he hurries off to get it.

“He’s sort of a little prissy, isn’t he?” Cassie remarks.

“Yes, but if he works on commission, he’s about to be in for a treat,” I say.

“What’s up with you all of a sudden?” she asks.

“Nothing, I just feel like buying a few nice things today. What’s the big deal?”

“It’s just very unusual for you, that’s all,” Gabby adds.

“I’m having fun in Vegas. Enzo wants me to have fun, so that’s what I’m doing.”

The salesman approaches, handing me the watch. In my hands, it feels like it weighs twenty pounds. It is quite stunning, and I imagine it will look amazing against Enzo’s sultry olive skin.

“I’ll take it. Can you have it sent to my hotel?” I ask. “I don’t want to walk around with it.”

“Yes ma’am, of course.”

Mr. Snooty is suddenly quite accommodating and I hand him my Amex card.

“How much does that thing cost?” Gabby whispers.

I shrug. I’m handed the receipt to sign and do so quickly, without even registering the price. After I give the salesman my hotel information, we leave.

Next stop is Armani to pick dresses for Marisa and I. Right away, I spot a black one that I like. The back is sheer, with an intricate lace design that dips low, while the front is sequined. The dress falls just above the knees.

“I want to try this one,” I say. “What do you think, ladies?”

“Yes, Ava, I love it. You must try it,” says Checca.

“I was hoping for something that wasn’t black, but this is truly gorgeous.”

A woman approaches. “Hello, ladies, can I help you today?”

“Yes, I’d like to try this, please,” I say, handing her the dress.

“Did I overhear you say that you preferred something not black? We have this same dress in a lovely blue shade,” she says.

“Oh, can I see that too?”

“Certainly, I’ll be right back.” She walks across the store.

Marisa walks up with a stunning black gown. “Do you like this, for me?” she asks, holding it up.

Cassie nods. “Yeah, it’s very pretty. You should try it on.”

The saleswoman returns with a blue version of the dress I like.

“I love it,” I tell her. “Can I try it on?”

“Of course,” she replies.

Marisa and I head into the dressing room. Stepping into the blue dress, I slide it on, before studying my reflection in the mirror. The dress hugs my curves nicely and it actually feels comfortable. I practice sitting in it and crossing my legs. This will work. It definitely sexes me up a bit, which is perfect for Vegas.

I step out to get the girls’ opinion.

Gabby whistles. “Wow, girl.”

“Work it,” Cassie says, snapping her fingers.

Francesca smiles. “Yes, it’s very nice.”

“Where’s Marisa?” I ask.

“Right here…”

I turn around to find Marisa wearing the black dress she picked out. It looks great against her pale skin and vibrant red hair.

“You look awesome.” I tell her.

She smiles back at me. “So do you.”

“Well, I guess we’re done here then,” I say, and clap my hands.

The two of us change back into our clothes and pay for our dresses. Mine costs a ridiculous amount of money, but inside my head I’m giggling at the massive dent I’m making in the fifty thousand-dollar challenge.

“Where to now?” asks Cassie.

“Well, we need shoes and maybe some pretty under things,” I say.

“Yes, we all need sexy things. It’s New Year’s, no?” remarks Francesca, laughing.

We spend the next few hours buying shoes, lingerie, perfume and anything else we see fit. Then we walk back towards the entrance of the Bellagio, ready to grab a cab back to the Arabesque.

While we wait, Cassie wraps an arm around my shoulder. “Well, you were very spendy today.”

“I’ve been spendy before.” I hope that doesn’t sound as defensive to her as it does to me. “It was fun, no?” I ask her.

“A ton of fun,” Cassie agrees. “I like you being this way, so carefree, and enjoying your newfound lot in life.”

I smile. “Thanks. I’m trying.”

Whew. She bought it. Cassie is going to kill me when she finally finds out what I’m up to.