A Convenient Proposal(19)

Her nod set her hair swinging. “Definitely.”

They stopped for lunch at an outlet mall just over the Georgia–Florida line. “First we eat,” Arden declared. “Then we shop.”

Seeing the excitement in her face, he chuckled. “Lead the way.”

He followed her into the most upscale stores and watched her browse the racks with a critical eye. Then she would disappear into a dressing room with an armful of clothes, finally emerging with a select few items.

Only once did she ask for his help. “Stay there,” she told him, heading in with a pile of jeans. “I’m going to want a second opinion.”

Slouched in a chair near the dressing area, Griff waited with the resignation of a man who had spent too many hours watching sisters try on clothes, and who had all too often been asked for his appraisal, only to be told he didn’t know what he was talking about.

He would just tell Arden she looked great in everything, then let her choose. No sense getting into an argument over jeans.

Then she walked out in the first pair. “Wow,” he said sincerely. “Those look great.” The jeans rode low on her hips and fit tight in all the right places. She had put on a snug T-shirt, which revealed her slender waist and rounded breasts. Griff wholeheartedly approved.

Arden frowned as she examined her mirror image. “Not bad. Maybe a little wide in the leg?”

He tilted his head and considered. “Don’t think so.”

She nodded. “Right. I’ll be back.”

He shook his head when she reappeared. “Too big.” By which he meant not tight enough.

“Comfortable,” she replied. Then she pulled at a fold of fabric over her hip. “But you’re right. Too big.”

In the end, she chose the first jeans he’d liked, plus an even slimmer, tighter pair that left him shifting in his seat.

“Nice,” he managed to say. “Very nice.” He doubted she would appreciate being told those jeans were “hot.”

In the next store, Arden browsed through the coats and jackets while Griff went to the men’s department for clothes and shoes he could wear to dinner at his mother’s table. As he changed in the dressing room, an announcement came over the sound system. “Shoppers, be aware that we have a lost child in the store. If you see a little girl wandering alone, please inform a salesperson immediately. Thank you.”

As he left the changing area, Griff checked behind each door, but all the booths were empty. With his old clothes in a shopping bag, he went back to the women’s department.

He couldn’t see Arden anywhere. Lingerie, dresses, sportswear, makeup…no slim, dark-haired beauty was to be found. Returning to the coat section, he walked slowly among the displays, wondering if he should stay put and allow her to find him. Had she decided to ditch the plan, after all?

In the end, he almost tripped over her where she sat on the floor, head bent to look beneath coats hanging from a rack.

“Can you come out now?” Her low, sweet tone made the words sound like a lullaby. “Your mommy is wondering where you are.”

The child didn’t answer.

Arden extended her hand a short way. “I can take you to your mommy, if you want.” Still no response. “Or your mommy can come to you.”

Griff took the hint and notified the nearest saleswoman. Then he went back to serve as a marker for the child’s location.

Moments later, a blonde woman with a tear-streaked face dropped to her knees beside Arden. A crowd of security officers, store managers and salespeople hovered behind them.

The mother stretched out her hands. “Kristy? Kristy, honey? Come to Mommy.”

The little girl spoke this time. “Unh-uh.”

“Sweetie, you can’t stay here. We have to go home.”

“No.”

The mother’s cheeks flushed, and annoyance replaced some of her panic. “Come on out, sweetheart. We’ll go get that ice cream you wanted.”

Arden looked up at Griff. “We need a toy,” she said softly. “Can you find one?”

A glance around showed him the children’s department across the store. “Be right back.”

He sprinted as if he’d hit a double, grabbed a stuffed duck off a shelf and raced back like he was stealing home. Panting only slightly, he dropped the toy in Arden’s lap.

“Quack, quack,” she said immediately, sounding like an authentic bird. “Quack, quack, quack.”