Charlotte and I wandered through Century Square.
We had been shopping for almost two hours. But I still hadn't found a mirror I liked. Nothing felt right.
“At this rate, you won’t find one even if we stay until dark,” Charlotte teased.
“I have to be picky,” I replied with a sigh. “I liked that smoky one, but it was too long. It wouldn’t show my waist.”
“Any shorter and you’d be showing your belly button,” Charlotte laughed.
“That’s not sexy,” I shot back triumphantly.
“If you ever find one that meets your standards, you’ll probably never wear it.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Charlotte just shook her head, laughing.
“I need to use the restroom. Do you want to come?” she asked.
“No, I’ll wait here.”
“Okay, don’t wander off,” she said, a little uneasy.
“I’m not a child,” I replied, rolling my eyes.
Charlotte headed toward the restroom. I stood on the platform, waiting.
“Evelyn?”
I turned at the sound of my name. It was Aurora Stone. I hadn’t seen her since that trip to the hot springs with her and Laila Knight. I almost didn’t recognize her.
“Aurora, long time no see,” I said.
“It has been a while. How are you?” she asked with a smile.
“I’m great. And you?”
“I’m okay. I divorced Caleb last month.”
“What? No way,” I said, shocked.
“It’s nothing. We were never happy together. It’s better this way. Are you shopping alone?”
“No, I’m with a friend. She’s in the restroom.”
“Oh. How are things with Alexander?” she asked, still smiling.
“Good,” I replied carefully.
“Men need to be steady. Otherwise, you might lose them without realizing it,” she said, her tone pointed.
I froze for a moment. Then I nodded and smiled. I didn’t say anything.
“If you ever want to talk, call me. My friend is waiting downstairs. I have to go.”
“Okay. Bye.”
I watched her leave. I had known Aurora for a while. She was always straightforward.
Her words were a warning about Alexander and Grace O’Sullivan. She had known about them before. She just never mentioned it to me.
Now she was saying something. I sighed.
Some things couldn’t be prevented. If Alexander wanted to cheat, I couldn’t stop him.
But if he did, I wouldn’t try to stop him. I would help him.
When a mother wants to marry off her daughter, there’s no stopping it. So whether Alexander and I lasted had nothing to do with anyone else. It only depended on him.
“Evelyn, what are you thinking?”
I looked up. Charlotte was back.
“I thought you fell in,” I said with a smile.
“You’re the one who fell in.”
“I’m too fat to fall in.”
“Yeah, right.”
We teased each other and kept walking.
Later, we got tired. We went to a coffee shop on the fifth floor. We ordered drinks and sat down to rest.
My phone rang. It was my mother.
“Come home for dinner tonight with Alexander,” she said.
“Mom, is it a special day?” I asked.
“Do I need a special reason for you to come home?” she replied.
“No, I just didn’t want to forget.”
“It’s nothing special. I made some stew. I want you both to come.”
“I’ll come. I don’t know if Alexander is free tonight.”
“I already called him. He’s not working late. You two can come together.”
“Okay.”
“Did you two fight?” she asked hesitantly.
“No, why would you think that?” I forced a laugh.
“Good. Come home early.”
“I will.”
I hung up. Not long after, Alexander called.
“Mom called me,” I said.
“I know. Call me when you’re done shopping. I’ll pick you up,” he said.
“What time do you get off work? I’ll be done by four or five at the latest.”
“I’m flexible. Call me when you’re ready.”
“But you won’t be off work at four or five.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Okay. I’ll call you.”
I hung up and put my phone away.
“You two are so sweet,” Charlotte sighed.
“My mom called and asked us to come for dinner. Alexander called to say he’d pick me up.”
“You’re lucky. I’ll just drop you off.”
“He’s coming anyway. It’s on his way,” I said with a smile. “If you’re jealous, you should get married sooner.”
“No way. I want to play for a few more years,” she said, shaking her head.
I smiled and shook my head. Every time I brought it up, she avoided it.
But it made sense. You needed someone to marry first. And Charlotte didn’t even have a boyfriend.
I wasn’t worried about whether she would marry. I was worried she couldn’t let go of Noah Grant. That she would keep struggling.
But feelings were like that. Unless someone wanted to open up, no one could help.
Just like my marriage with Alexander. Only we could fix it.
Every family had its own problems.
After we finished our drinks and rested, we kept shopping.
Later, I bought a pair of cufflinks for Alexander. They were sapphire. They caught my eye. I thought they would look perfect with one of his suits. So I bought them without hesitation.
Charlotte was surprised. I had been so picky all day. And these cufflinks weren’t cheap.
“It’s hard to buy something for a thousand gold,” I said with a smile. “It’s the thought that counts.”