Chapter 10

He had a ten-minute conversation with Jenny, Carrie’s mom, first about his knee, and then about their plans. He told her where he was going to take Carrie, and Jenny thought that her daughter would love it there.

When Carrie arrived, Jenny looked at the two of them and how they interacted. They’re just like peas and carrots, she mused.

Rob tried to take any awkwardness out of the upstairs fiasco by telling her about the antiques shop and she seemed excited by the prospect of them finding a bookcase.

As Rob went down one aisle toward the furniture, he saw that Carrie had hung back and was looking at some clothing.

There were a few bookcases to choose from, and he studied them a bit from a structural point of view. He saw the shop owner, an elderly woman of about 70, heading toward Carrie seemingly with purpose.

Curious, he made his way up another aisle, wondering if this was going to be yet another awkward moment for Carrie. Despite his typically commanding presence, his Army Ranger training taught him how to be stealthy when needed.

To his relief, he heard the lady talking to Carrie about a corset. Rob thought it looked nice with the pearl buttons. As he was about to withdraw, he heard Carrie.

“I bet you looked great in it. I just can’t afford something this beautiful right now.”

Rob smiled and got an idea. He moved back to the furniture section and waited for Carrie to catch up. A few minutes later she found him and they continued looking around the large country store.

“Don’t you think this candelabra would go great in the store?” Rob had been waiting for her to come over to him so he could put his plan into action. He pulled his iPhone out and pretended to swipe at it, and while putting the phone up to his ear, said to her, “Yeah. You should get it. I have to take this, but I’ll be right back,” and then he walked toward the front of the store, talking to no one on his phone.

When he got near the front he passed by the store owner and whispered to her “Please come with me”, and she paused, then followed. Out of sight of Carrie, he saw the partially concerned look on the lady’s face.

“No, no, everything’s fine, I just need your help.” He explained to her what he wanted, and the elderly woman smiled warmly and winked at him. Rob smiled back and fished the Visa card out of his wallet and gave it to her.

Putting his phone back up to his ear, he moved more toward the center of the store, saw that Carrie could see him if she looked that way, and pretended to talk on the phone for the next five or so minutes.

When he saw the lady leave and then come back into the store, he made his way back up front, and with the skill of a master spy, she passed the credit card back to him in a classic brush pass maneuver. He pocketed the plastic and put his phone away, now ready to rejoin Carrie.

They spent another hour or so shopping and he was happy to have found a bookcase that closely matched the nice desk that she had given him to replace what she had called “that horrid box-shaped pile of soon-to-be firewood”. He made arrangements to pick it up when he had the truck.

Carrie had purchased the inexpensive candelabra and a pretty, pearl cameo brooch. Rob smiled at the irony of her purchasing something made of pearl.

Like clockwork, when they arrived at the car, there was a package on the passenger seat. Rob saw Carrie look at it, and he was careful not to do so, instead putting the candelabra into the small rear cargo space.

“Robbie?” He furrowed his brow a bit. My sister calls me Robbie, ugh. “What is this?” asked Carrie.

Closing what was the trunk, only smaller, he looked at the package, thought the lady did a nice job of wrapping it quickly, and shrugged. “I was with you ... what would I know?”

He watched with glee as Carrie unwrapped it and heard her intake of breath as she saw it.

“Oh no! You shouldn’t have!”

Rob waited. He knew more was coming.

“Oh, My God! I love it! It’s too much! You really shouldn’t have.”