Holland covered her face with the dark dress to hide her red cheeks, even though no one could see. I can’t believe I said that! She mentally punched herself. ‘Hooker’? Really? I’m supposed to be acting like a lady! She sighed. This is going to be harder than I thought.
She grabbed another dress and changed quickly, checking that her face was back to a normal colour before she stepped out. She stared at the reflection. Okay, not my colour at all! She thought, tugging at the pale yellow dress. The skirt was a bit puffed and made her think of a lemon.
She stepped out anyway, her expression daring anyone to comment.
“My, how amazing!” The saleslady clapped her hands. “Looks like it was made for you.” Ryan and Maggie had strained smiles, but stayed quiet.
Holland was ticked and couldn’t stop herself from exploding. “What are you talking about?!” she jabbed a finger at the clerk. “You think this looks nice? I look like a lemon! A friggin’ fruit! Don’t lie to me just to make a sale, Beaver-Head!” She was breathing heavily by the time she finished yelling.
“Wow.” Maggie breathed while Ryan started laughing.
Holland let her arm drop and looked down. The saleslady started sniffling and she grimaced, feeling bad about the outburst. “I’m sorry. I just don’t like people lying to me in such an obvious way. I may not be that rich, but I’m not an idiot.”
She went back into the changing room and put on the clothes Maggie had lent her. When she walked out again, there was a new saleslady waiting. She felt so bad, she almost started crying herself.
***
“Okay, shopping, disastrous.” Maggie recorded as they sat in a small café. “How did you ever survive?”
Oliver just stared down at her tea. Even after the incident at the shop, she had ordered lemon tea. Ryan and Maggie had both ordered Earl Gray. “I would just look for myself.”
Ryan nodded to himself. Makes sense. He thought. They hadn’t talked much of her outburst, but now he had to know. “What’s a ‘Beaver-Head’?”
Oliver blushed. “Uh, I guess you would call it a ‘wanker’ here. Just a little Canadian anger.” She half-smiled, explaining what a beaver looked like. “Sometimes I can’t help but yell and show who I am.”
“Well, you sure made a scene.” Maggie sighed. “We didn’t even buy anything.”
“Let me handle it.” Oliver took a sip of her tea. “I may not look it, but I do actually have a sense of style.” She shrugged. “I just don’t like to shop.”
“Holly, why didn’t you say so sooner?!” Maggie scribbled something down in her notes. “This will save us a lot of time.” She turned to Ryan. “Go back to the house.” She ordered. “Holly and I will be back by five.”
Ryan sighed and stood up. “Alright.” He walked around the table and gave Oliver a peck on the cheek. “See you later, love.” He gave her a wink and walked away. She sure has a strong mind. I hope father likes her.
He stopped in his tracks. This was a fake engagement, yet here he was, imagining their future. Ryan chuckled. This may be harder than I thought.
***
Holland walked down the street, looking at the shops as they passed. Occasionally Maggie would ask about a shop, but she would shake my head, determined to find the perfect store.
“Holly, where are we going?” Maggie breathed. “We’ve left the shopping district.”
She smiled. “Not yet.” She stopped in front of a store. “Here!”
Maggie gasped. “A thrift store! Holly, why?!”
“This is what I’m used to. I’m comfortable here.” Holland opened the door and led the way to the dresses.
“But we won’t find any designer clothes here.” Maggie hesitantly fingered a pink dress. “And it’s so cheap.”
“That’s what I’m used to.” She repeated. “And I don’t know what designer is, anyway. It’s all just clothes to me.” She picked out a deep red dress with long sleeves. “What do you think?”
Maggie looked at the dress, then at the other girl. “You were right.” She finally said. “You do have a little sense of style.”
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