CHAPTER 4 #2
"Mama," the boy tugs on her dress without looking away from Anya. "She's pretty."
"Sasha, don't stare, it's rude."
"But she's really pretty."
Anya looks at him and then looks at me. "Papa, he's looking at me."
"I know, princess."
"I don't like it."
"Neither do I."
The woman pulls her son back toward the door. "We'll come back another time, I'm so sorry for the interruption."
But Sasha plants his feet and refuses to move. "I want to say hi to her."
"Sasha, we're leaving."
"Just one hi, Mama, please?"
The woman looks at me with an apologetic expression and I sigh.
"One hi," I say. "Then you leave."
Sasha grins and walks over to Anya, stopping a few feet away from her chair.
"Hi," he says. "I'm Sasha."
Anya looks at him with her arms crossed. "So?"
"What's your name?"
Anya glances at me and I give her a small nod.
"Anya," she says.
"That's a pretty name."
"I know."
Sasha shuffles his feet. "Do you want to be friends?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Papa said no boys."
Sasha looks at me and I look back at him without changing my expression. He swallows hard.
"Okay," he says quietly. "Bye, Anya."
He turns to leave but then stops and pulls something out of his pocket. It is a tiny bracelet with a single pearl charm, and he holds it out to her.
"For you," he says.
Anya looks at the bracelet. "What's that?"
"A present."
"Why?"
"Because you're pretty."
Anya's cheeks turn pink and she looks at me again.
"You can take it," I tell her. "But that doesn't mean you're friends."
Anya nods and takes the bracelet from Sasha's hand. "Thank you. Now go away."
Sasha grins like she just gave him the best gift in the world, and he runs back to his mother who quickly ushers him out of the room.
Anya looks down at the bracelet and then tucks it into the pocket of her dress.
"Boys are weird," she says.
"Very weird," I agree.
She looks up at me. "Papa, you looked scary."
"Did I?"
"Yes." She grins. "I liked it."
I laugh and turn back to the salesman who has been standing very still throughout the entire interaction. "Now bracelets, my wife likes rose gold and she prefers delicate pieces over chunky ones."
He pulls out a tray of rose gold bracelets and I examine them one by one.
"This one," I say while picking up a delicate chain with small diamonds embedded along the band. "It's elegant but not overdone."
"Papa," Anya tugs on my sleeve. "Can Mama have that one too?" She points at a bracelet with a small heart charm. "It has a heart for love."
I look at the bracelet and then at the salesman. "We'll take both."
The salesman sets them aside and wraps everything carefully while I pay, and then Anya and I walk out of the store hand in hand.
The bag shop is quiet when we walk in with soft music playing and displays arranged like pieces of art on white pedestals. A saleswoman approaches us immediately with a practiced smile.
"Welcome, how may I assist you today?"
"I'm looking for a bag for my wife," I say. "Something practical but elegant, she's an attorney so it needs to be professional enough for court but soft enough that it reflects her personality."
"We have several options that might suit her needs, does she prefer a particular color?"
"Neutral tones, cream or beige or soft pink, nothing too dark since she wears a lot of light colors."
The saleswoman leads us to a display of designer bags and I examine each one carefully, checking the stitching and the hardware and the weight of the leather.
"This one is too stiff," I say while setting down a structured tote. "She likes bags that have some give to them so she can stuff extra files in when she needs to."
"Perhaps something in a softer leather?" The saleswoman pulls out a cream-colored bag with gold hardware and a slouchy silhouette. "This one is very popular with professional women, it's spacious but still refined."
I take the bag and turn it over in my hands, examining the interior pockets and the quality of the zipper. "The hardware is too yellow, does this come with rose gold instead?"
"I believe we have one in the back, let me check."
She disappears and Anya tugs on my hand.
"Papa, that bag is big."
"Mama carries a lot of things."
"Like what?"
"Papers and books and her laptop and snacks and extra shoes in case her feet hurt."
Anya giggles. "Mama has a lot of stuff."
"She does."
The saleswoman returns with the same bag but with rose gold hardware, and I nod in approval.
"This one, we'll take it."
"Excellent choice, sir, shall I wrap it?"
"Yes, and add a dust bag for storage."
She takes the bag to the register and I pay while Anya wanders around the shop looking at the different displays.
"Papa," she calls out. "This one is pretty too."
I walk over to where she is standing and she is pointing at a small crossbody bag in a soft blush color with a delicate chain strap.
"That's too small for Mama's work things," I tell her.
"But it's pretty for when she's not working."
I consider this and then call the saleswoman over. "We'll take this one as well."
"Two bags?" the saleswoman asks with barely concealed delight.
"My wife deserves options."
The dress shop is our last stop and by now Anya is starting to get tired, rubbing her eyes and leaning against my leg as we walk through the entrance.
"Just one more stop, princess," I tell her. "Then we go get Mama."
"Okay, Papa."
A saleswoman greets us and I explain what I am looking for. "A dress for my wife for Valentine's Day, something elegant but not too formal, she prefers soft fabrics that move when she walks and colors that complement her red hair."
"What is her size?"
"She's usually a size 8 but after pregnancy she went up to a 10, and she's been losing some weight recently so you might want to show me options in both sizes."
The saleswoman nods and leads us to a section of the store with evening dresses in various styles and colors.
"She doesn't like anything too tight," I say while flipping through the rack. "And nothing with too much embellishment since she prefers clean lines."
I pull out a deep green dress with a flowing skirt and hold it up. "This color would look good with her hair but the neckline is too high, she likes something that shows her collarbones."
The saleswoman takes the dress back and pulls out another option, a burgundy dress with a v-neck and a subtle slit up the side.
"This one is very flattering on most body types," she says. "The fabric is silk so it moves beautifully."
I examine the dress closely, feeling the fabric between my fingers. "The color is good but the slit is too high, she won't be comfortable in it."
"Papa," Anya says while tugging on my hand. "What about that one?"
She is pointing at a dress on a mannequin near the window, a soft champagne-colored gown with thin straps and a draped neckline that flows into a full skirt.
I walk over to examine it and the fabric is light and airy and the color would look stunning against Iris's skin.
"This one," I say to the saleswoman. "Do you have it in a size 8 and a size 10?"
"Let me check."
She disappears into the back and returns a moment later with both sizes in hand.
"We have both available," she says.
"We'll take them both, she can try them at home and return the one that doesn't fit."
"Would you like to have them altered?"
"No, my wife can handle that herself if needed, just wrap them carefully."
The saleswoman takes the dresses to the register and I pay while Anya leans against my leg with her eyes half closed.
"Tired, princess?"
"A little."
I scoop her up into my arms and she rests her head on my shoulder.
"Did we do good, Papa?" she mumbles.
"We did very good."
"Mama is going to be so happy."
"I hope so."
"She will be." Anya yawns. "We picked the best stuff."
I carry her out of the store and Viktor is waiting with the car door open. The trunk is already full of bags from our shopping trip and I make a mental note to have everything stored in the east wing where Iris never goes.
"Viktor, take the bags home and put them in the storage room in the east wing," I say while sliding into the backseat with Anya still in my arms. "Make sure no one touches them and make sure my wife doesn't see them."
"Yes, sir. And after?"
"Come back and pick us up, we'll wait at the cafe across the street from my wife's office."
"Understood, sir."
Viktor drives us to a small cafe near Iris's building and I carry a sleepy Anya inside where we settle into a booth by the window. She perks up a little when I order her a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, and she sips it slowly while watching the people walk by outside.
"Papa," she says. "Is it almost time to get Mama?"
I check my watch. "Almost, we have fifteen more minutes."
"Good." She takes another sip of her hot chocolate. "I miss Mama."
"Me too, princess."
Viktor returns and parks outside the cafe, and when the clock hits 4 PM I scoop Anya up and carry her across the street to Iris's office building.
Time to pick up my wife.