Chapter 40
CHAPTER
FORTY
APRIL
“Eep! A shopping day! I’m so excited!” May screeches, strutting into the giant mall that we drove two hours to visit.
“I’ve shopped more times this month, than I have for my entire life,” I grumble.
“You’re welcome,” Rebel says cheekily, gliding across the floor. As she walks, at least three men—two of whom are with their wives or girlfriends—turn to watch her.
“Let’s go in here!” May grabs my elbow and steers me toward a fancy outlet.
My eyes double in size. “No way. We do not need an overpriced dress from an overpriced brand like that.” I drag both of them to the side so we’re not stopping traffic. “Before we continue, I need to tell you guys my budget and style. Something simple and right for the occasion is all I need.”
“Re- lax , April. We can buy whatever we want because I have this .” May fans out a credit card.
I hiss, “May, no! Another credit card? You do realize that just because the garage is doing better now, that doesn’t mean we can spend unwisely. Between the garage’s mortgage, our house bills, dad’s nursing home fees, and your student loans, we don’t have that much left over.”
My sister flashes a smug grin. “This isn’t mine. It’s Chance’s.”
Instantly, my stomach wrenches. “We are not using Chance’s money.”
“Chance left very clear instructions. We’re going to buy you whatever you want—that includes shoes, accessories, purses, underwear .” She giggles.
I scowl at her, blushing fiercely.
“And,” May continues, “Rebel and I are to treat ourselves to the fanciest lunch as a reward for our assistance. Chance’s exact words.”
“You can’t spend someone else’s money.”
“Why not?” My sister counts off on her fingers. “He’s my brother-in-law, he told me I could, and he has lots of it.”
A weight presses deeper into my chest. It’s been there ever since Chance invited me to the party a few nights ago. He definitely downplayed his family’s resources by saying his parents simply ‘run businesses’.
Even my little sister is aware of his family’s reputation.
How can I stand before them knowing I’m just a mechanic from a small town no one’s ever heard of?
“Chance’s stuff is his stuff. Mine is mine.” I lift a thin envelope from my purse. I visited the bank early this morning and drew out some cash for this shopping day.
It’s a hack I learned from my dad. “ Plastic is too fake,” he used to say. “ These cards don’t really tell you what you have and don’t have in your account, so it’s too tempting to swipe. With cash, when you’re out, you’re out. That’s the way to do it.”
“How much did you bring?” Rebel asks, leaning over May’s shoulder.
“Enough,” I say mysteriously.
May thumbs through the money in the envelope. “What is this supposed to buy? Socks?”
“I’m sure we can find something nice with that,” I argue. “It might take a lot of work, but if we go through the clearance racks…”
May meets Rebel’s eyes.
The two nod decisively.
I shriek when they pounce on me. Rebel grabs my left arm, May grabs my right and they both drag me into the fancy store.
“Can I help you ladies?” A sophisticated clerk with slicked-back hair and white gloves approaches us.
“Yes.” May gestures widely to me. “This is Chance McLanely’s girlfriend and she’s attending a fancy dinner with him. We need to make her fabulous .”
The man’s eyes glitter. “I know you. Your pictures with Chance are all over my feed. Someone even made a song for you two.”
“Oh… uh, thank you?” I shuffle awkwardly.
“Come. We just got in a new stock from our hottest designer. These dresses only come in threes. That means, it’s very unlikely that you’ll see anyone else wearing what you do.”
I look to Rebel for backup, but my best friend is grinning from ear to ear and skipping behind the clerk like she’s Dorothy on her way to the Wizard of Oz. May is keeping up with her, hanging on the man’s every word.
I force myself to tag along with them and try on every dress they thrust on me. Unfortunately, we end up leaving that store empty-handed because I don’t really love any of the outfits there.
As punishment, Rebel and May spend hours dragging me from one store to the next.
My feet are about to fall off by the time we enter the last boutique hidden all the way at the back of the mall. A tall, pretty woman with flaming red hair greets us.
“Oh my word!” she says in the sweetest accent. “You’re April Brooks!”
I give a stiff wave in response. I’m still not used to people recognizing me.
“Can I take a look over here?” Rebel asks.
“Of course.”
Rebel breaks away and flutters her fingers through the dresses on the rack.
“Are you a Chance McLanely fan?” May smiles proudly, as if she and Chance really are family members.
“Well, the truth is…” The clerk leans closer and points to me. “I’m more a fan of your friend.”
My jaw drops at her response. Usually, people recognize me from my pictures with Chance and ask me a million questions about what it’s like to be a famous hockey player’s girlfriend. I always feel like I have to perform for them so I don’t disappoint whatever expectations they have of me.
This woman doesn’t give me the same awe-filled look as the others. Instead, her smile is friendly and sincere.
“Why are you April’s fan?” May asks incredulously.
“Because, from what I hear,” the woman meets my eyes, “you’re a real good mechanic.”
Rebel cranes her neck to look over at us.
May’s smile tweaks to a hundred-megawatt grin. “That she is,” my sister says, tilting her chin up. “By chance, have you brought your car to their garage?”
“Not me. My sister-in-law. I don’t know if you remember her,” the woman says.
I glance over at Rebel.
My best friend hikes her shoulders and does a little shake of her head.
“Well, anyway, she was having lots of trouble with her car and every mechanic she went to couldn’t fix the issue. Even worse, some of them straight up scammed her.” The woman gets teary-eyed, “My brother, uh, my brother died a few years back so it’s just been his wife and their kids. I’m the only one of my family who lives close to her.”
I nod in understanding.
Rebel abandons the clothing rack and moves closer to hear the woman’s story.
“She’s had a lot on her plate and the car breaking down was just the last straw. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any mechanic who would take us seriously. The moment we walked into a garage, all the mechanic saw was two clueless women and… well, you know how the story goes.”
I purse my lips, wishing it were different. It’s no secret that some unsavory mechanics take advantage of women who come to the shop alone. It’s why I always advise my female friends to bring a man with them when they visit a mechanic, even if that man knows nothing about auto repair.
“Anyway,” she waves a hand, “long story short, my sister-in-law felt safe dealing with your garage. She said you were patient while explaining what her car needed and that, when you pointed out everything that was wrong, she didn’t feel like you were trying to overcharge or scam her.”
“I’m really happy to hear that,” I say, smiling wide for the first time since Rebel and May trapped me in this shopping mall.
The woman clears her throat and says sheepishly, “Oh, look at me yapping. I do have a habit of oversharing, but what a miracle that you just happened to walk into my shop after doing that for us. I’m so grateful that I can’t keep it in.” She rubs her hands together. “Now, tell me what you’re looking for.”
“The thing is… I’m going to a party,” I explain.
“A really fancy party with lots of fancy folks,” May adds.
The woman sizes me up. “Are you a dress gal or a pantsuit gal?”
“I feel like dresses aren’t as comfortable, but I’m a little too shy to wear a pantsuit for an occasion like that.”
“You’re not the bold type?” She teases.
I shake my head ‘no’.
“I got just the thing.”
The woman disappears into the back and returns with a beautiful navy outfit. The filmy material is loose with an incandescent shine that feels almost fairylike and I immediately think of Chance teasing me about truly being a fairy when he sees me in it.
“At first glance, it looks like a dress with a soft silhouette, but check this out.” She separates the material at the bottom and I gasp. The woman laughs at my reaction. “It’s just fancy pants, ain’t it?”
“That’s super cute!” Rebel chirps.
“Try it on!” May pushes me toward the dressing room.
I shimmy into the jumpsuit and immediately feel comfortable. While the red dress from my first Lucky Striker’s game had been flashier and more attention-grabbing, it hadn’t felt like me .
“I like it,” I say the minute I step out of the dressing room.
“Whoa.” Rebel nods in appreciation. “It fits you so well.”
“That color looks amazing on you!” the woman tells me.
May takes a picture and the ‘click’ is loud in the silence.
I frown at her. “Why’d you do that?”
“Chance wants to know what color your dress is so he can match his tux to it.”
“Chance? As in the Chance McLanely?” the woman giggles. “He’s going to wear a tux that matches a dress from my store?”
“Your store?” I ask, eyebrows climbing. “Are you the owner?”
“That I am.” She walks around the counter, bundles the jumpsuit and sets it in a branded bag. “We just opened a few weeks ago.”
“Congratulations,” I tell her.
May hands over Chance’s credit card.
The owner pushes it back. “It’s alright.”
Taking the card from May, I set it in her hand. “I know how it is when you’re just starting a business and things haven’t picked up as yet. Please take it.”
“Well… alright,” she mumbles reluctantly. “But at least take this necklace. It’ll go super well with the dress.”
Rebel inspects the necklace and nods her approval. “I like it. It’ll elevate the look.”
I accept the bags, the card and my receipt from her. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you . You fixed my sister-in-law’s car when no other mechanic could. Now, she doesn’t have to worry about getting herself and the babies safely to and from home. That means the world to me.” She wraps her hand around mine. “Everyone might say you’re lucky to be with Chance McLanely. But my sister and I believe that Chance McLanely is lucky to have you.”
Something hot presses the back of my eyes, and I duck to hide the emotion.
Chance McLanely is lucky to have you.
I tuck her words deep in the pocket of my heart, somewhere I can easily reach it. Tomorrow, I’m putting on this jumpsuit and entering Chance’s world. To survive there, I’m going to need all the encouragement I can get.