Paid To Love

Episode 27

Paid To Love EPISODE 27

Victoria’s POV

Zoey was waiting patiently on the bench in front of the Coffee shop when Henry pulled up to the shop an hour later. Her eyes widened at his sleek car and when she didn’t move to get in, I rolled down the window and beckoned her over. She quickly hurried over and slid into the back next to me when I opened the door for her.

“This is like Cinderella,” she whispered.

I rolled my eyes at her. “Not even close.”

“Hello Zoey,” James greeted, turning to face her from the front seat.

She beamed at him. “Oh, it’s you! From before in the shop. James, right? And hi Henry, nice to see you again!”

My favourite part about Zoey was that she didn’t let anyone feel awkward. She was the type of person whom you could feel you were best friends with even if you just met her. She could make any situation into a seem fun even though others still felt awkward. And her sense of fashion was impeccable.

“Hello,” Henry said, looking at her through the rear view mirror. He squinted at her a bit and made a noncommittal noise. “I suppose you will be adequate.”

“Ignore him,” I said immediately. “Just drive, Henry.”

She grinned. “I see you two have become a lot closer. Where are we going, anyway?”

“To an sss outlet In a mall downtown,” I told her. “That way there’s stores that will satisfy both my own tastes and Henry’s mother’s tastes.”

“Her tastes are a bit above that,” James told me.

“What? Really, that place was a bit over budget for me”

I drew back, probably creating a double chin. “Gross. I know I really want to shove Mr. Davies’ words down his throat, but I don’t want to buy stuff I’ll never wear either.”

“I’m sure we’ll find something suitable.”

“We’ll just try to find things that don’t have brands plastered all over them. I also need to get some everyday clothing for myself. I’m not going to go everywhere in Versace or Prada,” I said, directing my words mainly to Henry.

“You could still replace what you had before with better outfits,” was his response.

I shot him a dirty look and James nudged him in the leg. Zoey tilted her head at me adorably. “Why do you need to replace it, anyway?”

That’s right. I hadn’t told her yet. On the drive to the outlets, I explained to her what had happened to my apartment and why I’d ditched out of work and what had happened at Henry’s earlier. Better for her to be in the loop than out if she was going to help us. After convincing her that I was fine and telling her not to cry (she took things to heart easily), she gave me a big hug.

“Anyway have you contacted the detective yet?.” I was aware that both Henry and James had gone unnaturally still. Obviously, they were listening. “Yeah I spoke with him and we have found something that could help”

“what’s that?”

“I’ll tell you later” Somehow despite how close I’ve gotten to James and Henry recently I still didn’t feel comfortable talking about my brother with them around.

“Oh! That reminds me. I wanted to tell you today at work but you weren’t there. I was at Moe’s last night and the owner said he wanted to talk to you.”

My ears perked up. “Moe’s? What did he say? “

“Not much. Just that he had something to show you.”

“Was it about my brother’s accident?”

Suddenly Henry jerked the wheel to the right and my seatbelt locked, digging into my waist. I looked out the window, trying to see if we’d hit something, but he hit the gas again and kept driving. “What was that?”

He didn’t answer and I looked at James, whose face had paled a bit and lost all humour. He gave me a slight shake of the head. Confused, I settled back into my seat and didn’t say anything else. What was that reaction for? Was it something I said?

“I’ll tell you later,” Zoey said, gesturing toward the front of the car. “Don’t let me forget.”

“Okay,” I responded. Maybe it was better that way. I didn’t need Henry listening in if it was about my brother’s accident. That was something he didn’t need to know the details about. But what the heck was James’s look about?

We arrived at the shops that evening. As we all got out of Henry’s car, I realized just what a f****d up, ragtag group of people we were. Henry was in a suit, James was in a button up and a vest, Zoey was wearing a long-sleeve polo and jeans, and I was in an over-sized t-shirt. I had no doubt no matter what store we went in to, everyone would flock to Henry and James.

“I guess we should start with stores I would never even go into,” I said as we entered the main strip of shops. What kind of shops did Henry’s father shop at? Probably nothing here. What would come close? “Maybe like Gucci? That’s popular, right?”

Henry and James exchanged looks. I narrowed my eyes at the pair. “Let’s stay away from Gucci,” James suggested.

“Huh? Why? Isn’t it popular?”

“I don’t think you’ll find it suitable,” Henry said.

“What about Versace?”

He pressed his lips into a firm line.

“Hey, I’m just going down the list of brands I figure suburban mom’s that drive low-end Mercedes would buy.”

This earned a giggle from Zoey and I struggled to keep a straight face.

“It’s not hard to afford a low-end Mercedes, nor Versace” Henry said and started walking.

“Speak for your self” I replied.

“Fine, But if that’s what you’d like to look at, let’s go. I’m sure we could find something there that’ll work.”

I quickly fell into step beside him. “ I hope it’s not going to be too revealing or to flashy”

“That’s why we didn’t suggest Gucci. I also feel like it would make you seem you were trying too hard.”

“Well sorry.”

“It would be better to get you clothing directly from designers in Spain, but we’ll have to settle.”

Versace was settling? My poor wallet was already starting to cry in my pocket. However, I needed to do this.

“Alexander McQueen will also be a good store for you, I believe,” he continued. “I’m assuming what you want is something simple you can wear as an everyday and a business outfit?”

“Maybe?” At this point, I just wanted anything that would make Henry’s father beg me to marry his son.

“Their clothing will work for you. Even I shop there from time to time. Not everyone is about what name they’re wearing.”

Was he really saying that to me? “Well, duh,” I said a little more harshly than I meant to.

He looked down at me. “Weren’t you just saying suburban mom’s wear Prada?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Just as you are not the thrift shop clothing you wear, I am not the designer clothing I wear.”

I switched my attention to the ground, feeling like a child who’d been chided. My words had been mostly just for a laugh. Maybe I’d put a little bit of my jealousy into them too. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

“Victoria—”

“Hey! What’s taking you two so long?” I called, turning away from him and waving at the two stragglers behind us. James must’ve said something really funny, because Zoey was basically dying of a laughing fit back there. Seeing her made a lurch of jealousy go through me. She and James looked meant to be standing next to each other— even in her work outfit. Henry would’ve had an easier time if he’d chosen Zoey over myself.

I was just childish, sarcastic, and bitter. No wonder Henry’s father didn’t approve of me.

Versace, it turned out, actually had some acceptable clothing. While still a bit pricey, there were outfits I’d actually wear on display. After trying to go straight for the sale rack and being rerouted to the displays by James, I started pulling things I wanted to try on, doing my best not to look at the price tag. Zoey roamed around the store, sometimes coming back to me and holding a top up to my chest and then throwing it into the pile to try on.

Picking up a nice trench coat, I searched around to show Henry, realizing he was busy chatting with one of the sales attendants. Her flirt face was on and I felt the sudden urge to interrupt them. Wasn’t she supposed to be doing her job? And wasn’t he supposed to be helping me?

“Ready?” James asked, holding an arm full of clothing.

I tore my eyes away from Henry and eyed his haul. “Are those for me?”

“Of course. Let’s head to the fitting rooms.”

“Wait, do I have to show you them?”

“Well, not me necessarily. But they have to get Henry’s approval.”

I had to showcase everything to Henry? Suddenly I regretted grabbing a pair of leather leggings I’d seen. And a tiny black dress.

“Let’s go, Henry! She’s ready!” James called.

I hurried to the fitting room, pulling Zoey in with me. “If anything looks bad, you have to tell me the truth.”

She nodded seriously. “That’s what friends are for.”

First thing was a simple, black dress. It looked elegant, but it was also something I could wear out in town as well. Upon approval from Zoey, I walked out to show the two men. James applauded politely and Henry just stared at me. “Is it okay?” I asked him.

“...Yes.”

I waited. He didn’t say anything more. I went back into the fitting room.

And that’s how it went with everything I modelled. I’d walk out and no matter how great I looked, Henry would just blankly approve. No eye widening, no gasping. No thumbs up. Just a simple yes. I didn’t know why it bothered me so much— it wasn’t like anything I was trying on was that impressive. Sure the dresses were nice, but they were rather conservative. And I wasn’t expecting much excitement from jeans short gowns. But did he have to have no reaction whatsoever? I’d thought maybe this would be fun for him. Yet he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

“Wait, I have this,” Zoey told me as I was taking off the last outfit in the pile.

I looked at the article of clothing in her hands and felt myself smile. It was shoulderless navy blue dress with a flower bottom twist design. Out of everything I’d been handed, I knew this was exactly what I needed. It was beautiful and refined. “This is perfect.”

“I thought it would suit you. Put it on!” she said excitedly.

She helped me zip up the back after I slid it over my body and then I adjusted the belt to make my waist appear smaller. Looking in the mirror, I grinned a bit. Good clothing could really make you feel good. With my confidence sky high, I walked out of the room and into the waiting area.

“How’s this?” I asked haughtily, placing my hands on my hips.

Henry was standing by the door now with his back to me, talking to the same saleswoman. I felt my heart fall a little bit. “Victoria, I thought you were...” He trailed off as he turned back around, eyes falling on me.

“I had one more, but it’s okay. I’ll go get changed,” I responded, stepping back toward the fitting room.

‘”Give us one second,” Henry told the saleswoman and she nodded, heels clicking as she left the waiting room.

I ran my hands over my sides. “Is this good enough to meet your mother?”

Once again, Henry’s face didn’t change.

“I look good, don’t I?” I tried, attempting to sound as confident as I’d felt just moments before.

Nothing.

I felt my heart pound harder in my chest. I didn’t get it. I was doing this for him. Couldn’t he compliment me? Was it that I didn’t look good? Was I wasting his time? Did it not suit me? “Do I still look worthless in this?” I demanded, not liking how desperate my voice sounded.

Finally I got a reaction from him. His eyes hardened and his posture tensed. “What did my father say to you?”