Living with Her [Book 3]

Chapter 5

Ashley spotted the Chanel logo when they were still several blocks down the street from it, walking arm in arm past boutiques and brasseries. "All these cakes look so good," Dusty cooed, glancing in shop windows and seeing neatly stacked macaroons of all the colors of the rainbow.

"There it is." Ashley stopped and pointed excitedly at the double C sign, which Dusty had to squint at to even make out.

"How can you even see that?"

"I'm hardwired to seek out anything designer," Ashley explained, smiling.

"Okay, well, before you go rushing in, I want to broker a deal," Dusty said.

"What kind of deal?" Ashley countered, intrigued.

"You can have one whole hour in Chanel, on the condition that we then go have cakes here." Dusty gestured to the small cake shop they were currently standing outside.

"Done." Ashley reached out and shook her friend's hand firmly. "Now let's go abuse my father's credit card. As Chanel in Paris definitely sounds like an emergency to me." Within the designer store, Ashley was in her element. She tried on dresses and jackets, all of which fitted her like a glove. She had the figure of a model. The staff had initially been aloof towards the two American girls who came rushing into the store, but once Ashley mentioned her father's credit card, they were much more attentive.

"You're not really going to buy anything here, are you?" Dusty asked with concern, noticing with a panic the price labels on the items. A Chanel sweater alone could cost thousands of euros. She didn't even want to try to figure out what that would be in dollars.

"I don't know, maybe." Ashley shrugged. "I'm in dire need of some retail therapy." As Ashley tried on items, Dusty carefully navigated her way around the shop. It was so much nicer inside than normal shops but with far less merchandise out. There was only one of anything out on display. If Ashley wanted to try something on, she had to request it in her size.

Around the store, there were lavish chaise lounges and chairs for patrons to sit in, and twice, the girls declined champagne, on Dusty's insistence, as the last thing Ashley needed to further fuel her splurge was alcohol.

Wandering around absently, Dusty found that the designer handbags, each neatly sat within a modern-art-style book- case, lit from above to reveal their full glory, struck her. Tentatively, Dusty lifted down a beige quilted handbag that had the Chanel logo stitched on the front in black. It was beautiful. Glancing around to ensure she wasn't being watched, Dusty even dared to place it on her shoulder, looking at her reflection to see how it looked. It made her appear so professional and grown up.

Her father would have bought the sort of extravagant gift for her in a heartbeat. Thinking of him made Dusty unbearably emotional, and she put the handbag back and went to sit and wait for Ashley on a nearby chair.

No matter how many years passed, there were still moments when her father's loss could quite literally take her breath away. Feeling winded, Dusty sat and waited for the sensation to pass. She knew that he'd be so delighted to see her now, off travelling in Europe, becoming a young woman. Her father had always spoken about wanting to travel and see the world. To Dusty he'd always appeared so cultured and worldly, and she admired that immensely.

Lost in her thoughts about her father, Dusty didn't see Ashley appear in front of her, proudly clutching a number of Chanel-branded shopping bags. "Ready to go?" Ashley asked.

"Huh, yeah." Dusty got up and then surveyed the bags hanging off Ashley's arms. "Dare I ask how much you spent?"

"Enough." Ashley shrugged.

"Won't your dad be mad?"

"No, he said he wanted me to go enjoy myself and get a few treats," Ashley explained, and Dusty nodded with understanding. Had her father still been alive, she was certain that he'd have said the exact same thing to her.