Finally, at the fourth store they went to that day, they finally managed to find something. The outfit was comprised of black fitted pants, an oversized knit sweater, tied together with a pair of heeled ankle boots. It was cute and cozy, not too formal, and still not too casual. It was perfect. The outfit showed off Abby"s slim physique and brought out the warmth in her complexion.A sales attendant had got to wrap up the outfit while Elle and Abby continued to browse the store. While casually looking around Elle happen to stumble upon a dress. It was a short, olive green, satin dress. As soon as she saw it she was reminded of the extravagant satin dress she once wore. Her hands gently ran over the smooth silky material.
Abby noticed her interest in the dress and insisted she try it on. "It"s a gorgeous dress, and I"m sure it"ll look amazing on you." she said in an effort to convince Elle. "You haven"t tried on a single thing all day; it would be a waste of a trip if you don"t."
Elle hesitated for a moment but eventually gave in and took the dress to the back to try it on. The truth was, even without Abby"s insistence she would have tried it on. It was a beautiful dress and Elle couldn"t resist.
Once she had it on she stepped out of the dressing rooms and went out into the store to go show Abby. Elle found her at the front of the store looking at a dress on display. Abby gasped as Elle approached.
"That looks great on you." She exclaimed. "You look like a model."
Elle laughed at the obvious flattery, and turned to look at her own reflection in a nearby mirror. She didn"t know about model, but the dress did look nice. Elle turned this way and that, trying to examine the dress at different angles.
She didn"t often shop for herself, and she wasn"t really in need of a dress, Elle couldn"t decide if she should get it or not. While she was still deliberating her phone dinged, suggesting she received a text message.
Abby had been holding her purse for her, and handed Elle her phone. Elle took it quickly, worried that it was Jacob, but when she looked at the message she was stunned.
"You look beautiful. You should get the dress." Adam wrote.
Elle looked up in surprise. She glanced around the store, and even out into the mall, but no matter which way she turned she couldn"t spot Adam anywhere.
"Where are you?" Elle asked.
Adam leaned against the railing of a reinforced gla.s.s barrier, trying to suppress his laughter. One floor below him he could see his girl standing near the front of a store. Adam"s eyes were filled with adoration as he watched her look around with confusion. Elle"s phone started ringing. She quickly excused herself, taking a few steps away from Abby before she took the call.
"Look up." Adam"s deep and gentle voice filled her ear, finally putting her out of her misery. Elle looked up and saw Adam peering down at her, clearly amused.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"There was an issue at our store, I"m here to resolve it. What about you?"
"Jacob is doing an inspection of our store, I was sent here with him. While I was waiting Abby invited me to go shopping so I"m with her while I wait for him to finish."
In the background Elle could hear someone call for Adam. "I have to go." He said suddenly. "Let me know when you"re finished, we can go get dinner together."
"Okay." The call ended and she headed back to Abby.
"Who was that?" Abby asked.
"Just work." Elle said, lying easily.
When the sales attendant returned they had her wrap up the dress as well. Both girls made their purchases and then continued to walk around the mall until Jacob finally contacted Elle to let her know he was finished. The two friends parted ways and Elle went back out to the car where Jacob was waiting.
"Here hold this." She said, handing him her bags and taking the inspection papers in return.
"Don"t you at least want to sit down?" Jacob inquired as he watched her stand in the cold, flipping through the papers.
Elle ignored him, putting her full concentration on the work in front of her. She went through each page carefully and could find no errors.
"Congratulations." She finally said in a monotone voice. "You didn"t forget anything." Elle took her bags back and handed the thick stack of papers back to him. "I"m going to meet up with someone so you can head back first."
"Okay." Jacob didn"t bother to ask questions. He simply took back his work before heading back to the company. A little while later Elle was meeting up with Adam at his car.
"Did you get the dress?" Adam asked as she approached.
"Yup." Elle held up the bag as proof.
"Good." He said with a smile before helping her into the car. It was still early but the two headed out for dinner. They both had an enjoyable time. Adam cracked up as he recounted her looking around for him at the mall. Elle playfully smacked him, muttering under her breath as she did.
Meanwhile, Abby had arrived at a restaurant for her dinner. She was the first to arrive so she sat down at a booth and quickly pulled out a compact mirror. The wind had blown a few strands out of place, which she quickly straightened out, but other than that she was satisfied with her appearance. Abby absentmindedly looked through the menu as she waited.
"I hope you haven"t been waiting long." A strong voice called out.
Abby looked up to see Jacob approaching. "Not at all." She said with a smile.