The Chase, Amber Riel [best english books to read txt] 📗

what they want,” Louis whispered to me as he laughed.

          We went to go kiss when….

          “Samantha, time to wake up,” Carmen replied as I sat up and looked around the room which was filled with the morning sunlight.

          “What time is it?”

          “Eight thirty…. Sorry I like to wake up early…. I thought you might like a shower before we left to go shopping to go shopping and I’ll be making some breakfast while you get ready.”

          “Of course…. Thank you.”

          “I’m guessing you didn’t have a nightmare last night because you didn’t wake up like you did about a night ago.”

          “Oh no…. Actually, the dream I had, was far from a nightmare….” I kind of smiled as I thought about it.

          “Well, you’ll have to tell me about it but on the way to the store then…. Oh I brought you some of my old clothes that I couldn’t fit and I thought that possibly you could…. Along with an old bra which is way too small for me, a pair of socks, and clean underwear which I never wear…. As a matter of fact it’s still new…. I send Eric out to go get me knew clothes and he doesn’t even get what I ask for…. Moron,” Carmen said as she kind of laughed, shaking her head at the thought.  “But that doesn’t stop me from loving him.”

          I kind of laughed at her comment.  “Well, thank you.”

          “No problem.”

 

          After I showered and dressed, I walked down stairs into the kitchen where Louis sat at the table with Lainie, drawing some pictures with her.  “That’s a princess,” he told her as he pointed to the picture.

          “No,” Lainie said as she shook her head and laughed.

          “Yes it is.”

          Lainie shook her head.  “If that’s a princess, then where is her tiara?”

          Louis sighed as he locked eyes with the child.  I couldn’t help but laugh.  “Here,” he replied.  He drew something on the picture and showed it to Lainie again.  “See the tiara?”

          Lainie laughed.  “You’re so weird, Uncle Louis.”

          “I try,” he replied.

          Carmen stood at the stove, shaking her head with a smile.

          Louis and Lainie looked up at me, both of them smiled.  “Good morning, Sam,” Louis replied.

          “Good morning,” I answered.

          “Good morning, Auntie Samantha,” Lainie spoke with a sweet little voice.

          “You slept well?” Louis asked.

          “Yes I did.  Thank you for asking.”

          “No problem.  Lainie, are you finished eating?”

          “Yep,” Lainie replied.

          “Okay then why don’t you go and clean up?”

          “Okay.”  Lainie stood up and left the room.

          “Sam, you can sit next to me?” He offered Lainie’s chair.

          “I don’t know.”

          “Why not?”

          “Because Lainie was sitting there and you made her get up.”  I kind of laughed.

          “She won’t mind,” Louis replied, also laughing.

          “I don’t know…. It won’t feel right.”

          “Be that way….”  He stood up and walked over to me and grabbed both of my wrists.  “I guess I’ll have to do this the hard way,” he spoke with a playful tone as he dragged me to the chair and made me sit down.  “Now are you going to be a good girl or am I going to have to tie you down to that chair?”

          I couldn’t help but laugh.  It was obvious that he was flirting with me and I was enjoying the moment.  “I’ll be good and stay right here.”

          “Please no inappropriate behavior you two,” Carmen laughed as she spoke.

          “Don’t worry; we’re keeping it pg.,” Louis answered as he smiled at me.

          “You better…. Samantha, I’ve made some eggs, toast, and bacon is that okay with you?”

          “That’s fine.”

          “Alright then.”

 

          Carmen drove a few miles into town, searching for a clothing store.  I sat in the passenger seat and looked around the town.  It looked kind of like an old part of downtown to the cities back in America with old buildings and houses.  There weren’t that many people who were walking the streets.  Most of the people where in cars.  “So tell me about the dream you had last night,” Carmen spoke breaking the silence.

          I felt myself blush at the thought of the dream.  “Well,” I sighed, “I was at a diner and Louis was there too.”

          “Interesting,” Carmen replied with a voice that told me she was smiling.

          “He got down on one knee, pulled out a box with a diamond ring, and proposed.”

          “Ooo.”

          “Annie came out of nowhere, followed by you and Ron…. She was telling me to say yes,” I told her kind of laughing.

          “What did you say?”

          I felt the blush coming back but even deeper than before.  “I told him yes…. You guys were so happy for us…. We were about to kiss when you woke me up.”

          “Awe…. If I had known that then I would have let you finish the dream,” Carmen replied, kind of laughing.  “Honestly, I could see that happening…. Not any time soon of course but sometime in the future after you two have been dating for a little while…. You two make a cute couple.”

          I bit my bottom lip, smiling.  “Thank you.”

          “No problem….”

          “You think that he’ll be willing to remarry after what happened with his first wife.”

          Carmen nodded as she kept her eyes on the road.  “Believe me when you get to know him more than what you know now…. You’ll know that he’s willing to remarry…. It’ll be a little while though because he’s still not quit over her…. So you’ll have to be patient with him…. I couldn’t imagine what he’s going through…. I mean if I were to loose Eric so soon…. I don’t know if I’d be able to take it…. But God knows what the future’s going to hold and he’s preparing everyone for that time…. I believe that He has a reason for bringing you here and I think that reason has to deal with Louis honestly…. It makes prefect since when you think about it…. Sure you two had a rough first couple of days but look at the two of you know…. Flirting and you two had your first kiss…. I can see you two ending up married.”  She kind of laughed.  “Louis is happy again…. For the first time in the last couple of years…. I haven’t seen him that happy since when Christy was alive…. You’re changing him in a good way.”

          I sat in silence as I thought about what Carmen said.  I couldn’t say much about Louis but her words meant a lot to me.  I had to admit that he was changing from the day he picked me up from the airport to that morning.  I thought he was a jerk but he was showing me another side of him that was the sweet soft and caring side that I wanted in a good man.

 

          The clothing store was filled with verities of different clothes from men’s to women’s to children’s.  There were a few sections of shoes from high heels to boots to sneakers.  The boots and sneakers ranged from men to women to children.

          Carmen had me follow her to a huge wide section filled with all kinds of outfits for women.  By the look of it, I figured that it had to be the largest section in the entire store, seeing that most women had to have more of a verity where as men didn’t mind what the wore and children could care less.  “Do you wear dresses?” Carmen asked.

“Not typically,” I replied as I looked around the place.  “For special occasions but not just because.”

“Okay?  What about skirts?”

“Same for skirts.”

“Okay…. So you must not dress up much then huh?”

“No.”

Carmen turned to face me and looked me up and down while she tried to figure out what would be suitable.  “Well, will you wear one for tonight?”

I shrugged.

“Shrugging’s not an answer…. Yes or no?”

“I guess…. I don’t know…. Maybe….”

“Can’t think?” Carmen kind of laughed.  “Well come with me then.”

“Okay.”  I followed Carmen into a section filled with dresses from all over the place.

“Oh and don’t worry about the cost…. I have it covered…. Which one would you be willing to be seen in tonight?”

I looked around and kind of bit my lip.  I remembered how Louis told me that I could wear red because his wife didn’t like the color the day of the incident with the taxicab driver.  “I don’t know….”  All of the dresses were beautiful but being more of a pants and t-shirt kind of girl the idea of even being seen in a dress was ridiculous to me.  “Louis told me that red would be a good color because his wife never liked…. That’s not exactly how he worded it but that’s what I got from it….”

Carmen kind of smiled.  “Don’t pick it out for him…. Pick it out for yourself…. If he likes it, he likes it…. If he don’t, then it’s no big deal he’ll just have to deal with it.”

I looked around, walking over to a rack of dresses and skimmed through them.  “It doesn’t have to be too fancy does it?”

“No…. Just something that makes my brother stutter….” She kind of laughed.  “I’d like to see him at a loss of words.”

I kind of laughed as well as I searched through the dresses when I came across an aqua blue colored dress.  It was long and looked as if it would cover my feet.  It looked causal but yet somewhat sophisticated.  The top of the dress had an opening around the collar but it wasn’t opened enough to reveal anything underneath.  The sleeves barely left the shoulders and it just seemed prefect.  I grabbed it and held it up to see what Carmen would think.

She smiled and nodded.  “Do you want to try it on?”

“Of course,” I replied.  I looked around.  “Where are the dressing rooms?”

“Follow me.”

I followed Carmen to an opening with a small light brown desk and a woman with short wavy brown hair stood behind the desk and smiled at us.  “How may I help you?” the woman asked.

“I would like to try this on,” I replied, holding up the dress.

The woman looked at the dress and nodded.  “Just that one dress?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay.”  She took out a long white plastic tag which was used to hang on the door knobs to the room with the number 1 written on it.  “Here you go,” she said as she handed it to me.

“Thank you.”

 

          After I had some outfits, Carmen dragged me over to the shoes.  “Okay since you don’t wear dresses or skirts often I’m guessing you don’t really where high heels either?”

          “No,” I replied, shaking my head.  “I hate high heels…. They make my feet so sore.”

          Carmen started laughing.  “Well, will you be willing to were a pair for tonight just to go with the dress then when you two get back you can soak your feet in the bathtub?”

          I thought for a moment then nodded.  “As long as I don’t have to wear them too long I think I’ll be fine.”

          “Good.”

          I walked around, picking up boxes of high heels but none of them seem to be comfortable.  I knew I was going to hate myself later for making the decision to wear them it was just for one night…. Hopefully only a few hours.  I found a pair which had flat heels.  They were still high heels but didn’t have the split on the bottom like most of them.  They were a blue color but almost matched the dress.  I checked the size on them and luckily they were my size.  I took the box from the row of shoes and walked over to a little bench which sat in front of a mirror.  I took off my left shoe and sock so I could place the left high