Patrick grabbed a size 8 off the shelves in both styles and handed the boxes to Ginny. “Here, try them on,” he said.
Ginny blinked, took the boxes and sat down. She tried on the mid heel style first. It was nice. She slipped on the other shoe and took a short walk. “These are doable,” she thought. Sitting down, she slipped off that pair and tried on the flats. They were comfortable, but not really dressy enough. She looked over to the shelf and tried to decide between black, dark brown, and sort of an oxblood color in the mid heel style. She took the oxblood down and tried them on. Before she could say anything, Patrick held the dress to her to check it against the shoes. They complemented the dress beautifully.
“Will those do?” he asked.
“Um, yes,” she answered deciding not to fuss.
Patrick put the shoes in the box while she got her own shoes back on. He was already heading towards the check-out area before Ginny got the last one tied.
When they got to the cashier, Patrick paid for everything before she could get her wallet out of her handbag. He handed her the bag and they left the store.
“Patrick, you didn’t need to do that,” she said taking a softer tone than she had previously.
“No, but I wanted to. Now, do we have any other shopping to do in this place or can we go get something to eat?” he asked.
Ginny thought for a moment. “No, let’s go eat.”
Ginny headed for Roberto’s. She was in the mood for green chile and tamales. Patrick’s nose scented the food the moment they stepped out of the car.
“This another one of those best kept secrets like that place we ate lunch the other day?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Ginny as they walked in and found a booth. Ten minutes later, they were eating salsa and chips while the waitress took their order to the kitchen.
“Now Andrew mentioned something about a bear claw and said I should ask you to tell me the story,” said Patrick.
“Oh. Yes. That fits in with why George is around too,” started Ginny. “A month or so ago, Luc and Meg went camping and this bear attacked Luc,” she started.
*
Patrick and Ginny got home three hours later. Ginny had told Patrick the entire story of the bear attack over lunch. Patrick was amazed that Luc and Meg had survived the attack. It also raised his opinion of the two of them. Meg showed a lot of strength for a human. They stopped at the Italian market and picked up some of the food that she and Meg had ordered earlier. Plus Ginny got a few items they had forgotten. After carrying in the packages, Patrick helped her put most if it away. George walked in as Ginny headed off to the bedroom to hang up her dress and put away her shoes.
“Did you get the message from Andrew?” George asked quietly.
“Yes, and that was a real struggle. Damn she can be stubborn,” said Patrick. “We got a nice green dress, shoes and hose. She looks gorgeous in the dress.”
“Good,” said George.
“George, why is she so reluctant to spend money on herself?” Patrick asked. He started the coffee machine and then sat down at the kitchen table.
“For the same reason she forgets to relax. Too many responsibilities and no one to share them with. She provides for Duke’s kids. Almost always has, and while we try to help, she is reluctant to take any money. It’s real easy to say that Ivan needs socks or ‘Solda needs money for school, and deny herself to make ends meet. Luc raised her salary, but she still operates like she’s broke. It’s part of the reason I moved in to help. I contribute to the household and she doesn’t have a say in it,” said George.
“Okay. Thanks. By the way, I met Andrew. Very nice man,” said Patrick.
“Yeah. He’s still in love with Ginny, but they just don’t match,” said George. He got the two of them a cup of coffee and sat back down.
“He gave me something to give Ginny if I wanted,” said Patrick and started to pull the pouch out of his pocket.
“Wait, itty bitty roses?” George asked.
“Yes, how did you know?” asked Patrick.
“Andrew and I have been friends for a long time. He showed it to me once. She’s never seen it. So if he gave it to you, he must trust you a lot,” said George.
“I don’t see why,” said Patrick. “We just met.”
“Andrew isn’t always in this world if you know what I mean. After he and Ginny broke up, he went off studying and came back a bit spooky. So when he sees something we tend to believe him. Thought Meg was wonderful right off the bat too. Blessed her when she came in,” said George.
Patrick just nodded. He’d had an auntie like Andrew. She’d walk in and hand you the thing you needed five seconds after you thought about it. Ginny walked in before either of them could say another word.
“Patrick, we were so busy figuring out what I could wear to the dinner, I forgot to ask if you have anything to wear,” she said.
“I do. I brought my interview clothes with me because Cal said there was work here,” said Patrick.
“Oh,” said Ginny. “Well, there goes that plan,” she thought. She figured she could at least pay him back by making sure he had a nice outfit.
“Patrick, what line of work are you in?” asked George. He was curious as to what kind of clothes would work for a job interview as well as a dinner party.
“Promise not to laugh?” Patrick asked.
Ginny and George both nodded. She realized that that was one thing neither of them had brought up in conversation.
“I”m an economist,” he said a tad chagrined .
“What?” said George.
Ginny got a funny smile on her face trying not to laugh. “It could have been worse. He might have been a lawyer or a stock broker,” she said.
Patrick stuck his tongue out at her. “Funny…” he said.
“Okay, humor me. What exactly does an economist do?” asked George.