Faith Hope and Love (A Homespun Romance) (15 page)

Rachel stole a glance at Luke as he talked to the younger Patrinis, wondering if he was upset by the innuendos.  His face gave nothing away.  He had done his chameleon act again.  No one would take them for anything other than good friends, who wanted nothing from each other except enjoyable companionship.

"Do you like Italian food?"  Luke queried over the top of his menu when they were alone at last.  "They offer a few American dishes as well, if you'd rather have that."

"I don't know much about Italian food."  She couldn't remember ever trying any except for spaghetti sauce out of a jar and garlic bread from the grocery store, when she was younger.  "I'd like to try some though."

Their tossed salads came with the best garlic bread Rachel had ever tasted, and to follow she had the shrimp fettuccine.

"That was delicious," she told Luke a little while later staring at her empty plate in surprise. 

He grinned and raised a hand to the waiter.  "Try some of their gelato.  It has quite a reputation."

Rachel nodded weakly, wondering if she would be able to do any shopping after such a large meal. 

The ice cream was smooth and had a wonderful flavor.  "Mmm.  Want to try some?"

Luke hadn't ordered any dessert, just tea.  Now he looked up and the little flares in the center of his navy blue eyes set quivers leaping in her stomach as he nodded, "Yes."

There was something in the way he watched as she scooped up a teaspoonful and held it out to him that set butterflies dancing in her stomach.  Manacling her wrist gently to steady it, he bent to the spoon and closed his mouth around it, his eyes sliding to her lips, their message unmistakable.

"Delicious."

Rachel felt as weak as a new born foal.  Getting through the rest of her ice cream placed a severe strain on her throat muscles.

"Shall we go?
"  Luke picked up his credit card, opening a soft brown wallet to slip it into.  "Before I forget, let me give you this."

This was a credit card, shiny gold, with her name on it.  Rachel stared at it transfixed.  "What's that for?
"

"Your shopping spree."

"I have my own money," she said stiffly.

"I know," Luke said easily, "but unless you're carrying it all around with you, you're going to need some other kind of guarantee for cashing your checks."

"I see."  She hadn't thought of that.  She didn't have a valid driver's license or even a local address on her checks.  That might be a problem in some stores. 

"If anyone gives you a hard time about accepting a check, just use the credit card and later you can make out a check to me for the amount you've spent."

He always made everything sound so cut and dried.  Yet for a simple, straightforward man he was responsible for creating endless confusion within her.

Rachel picked up the shiny slip of plastic.  It felt like lead in her hand.  "Thank you."

A hand on the small of her back Luke guided her out.  Her body burned where he touched it.  Holding herself stiffly, Rachel hoped Luke wouldn't guess the desire to turn to him was overwhelming her.

As they drove to the Glendale Galleria, he told her about the rooms he had booked in Pasadena, the show he thought she might enjoy.  The hotel he named was one of the best.  Rachel wondered if her bank account held enough money to pay for her room.

"We have about four and a half hours here," Luke said as he pulled up in the parking area.  "We can come back tomorrow if you aren't done."

Rachel felt her mouth drop.  Four and a half hours?  Did Luke think she was buying marble to repair the Taj Mahal with?  An hour, tops, should get her everything on her list and Hannah's.

Inside the Galleria, Rachel felt her lower jaw drop again.  It was like a multi-storied Ali Baba's cave.  There were people everywhere.  Everyone seemed to know exactly where they were going.  Two muscled youths with spiky hairdos passed them, looking at her curiously and without being aware of it Rachel moved closer to Luke.

Luke
splayed his fingers and linked them with hers.  Immediately Rachel knew he had no intention of leaving her alone.  Tugging her gently forward he said, "Let's start right here."

He left her in the Misses section of the large department store, saying he'd be back in a while.  Rachel looked around, her head whirling at the selection around her.  Walking around she just looked at all the racks for a while, now and then touching something. 

Luke returned with a packet to find her still looking, "If you don't like anything here we can always go into the mall.  There are dozens of other shops to choose from."

"It's not that," Rachel said quickly.  "It's just that there's so much to choose from I don't know where to start." 

She looked like a child in a toy shop and Luke laughed.  "Take your time.  I'm going to the hardware section to look for a couple of things."

Rachel finally chose a silky red dress with a grey sequined flower on one shoulder, a slip to go with it, and an emerald green velour pant set.  There really wasn't any point in
buying more.  Soon she'd be back in Bangladesh and have no use for these clothes.  But at least for the time being she wanted to do Luke and Gordie proud.  Hannah had said they had lots of visitors dropping by Christmas week.  Rachel didn't want any of them to think she was a hanger on. 

Selecting warm velour robes for Hannah and Theresa, both of whom had complimented her on hers, a pair of outsize earrings for Angela, and a handbag for Marie didn't take too long.  In the children's section she picked out a Winnie the Pooh outfit, a pair of yellow dungarees with a striped shirt, a navy sweater with a red airplane on the front and two sleepers.  There was something deeply satisfying about shopping for Gordie.  The thought that even when she wasn't there he would use the outfits she had got him was a nice one.  She was paying for her purchases when Luke returned.  He looked at the pile of clothes on the counter but said nothing.

"Where to next?' he asked relieving her of her shopping bag.

"A bookshop and then a craft store."

They strolled the length of the mall.  Luke's hand around her shoulders steered her through the crowd, kept her safe from being brushed against.  The contact sparked off so much heat Rachel almost expected to see smoke coming out of her ears. 

A few minutes later, Rachel stopped in front of a shoe store.  On the pretext of looking at a pair of high heeled sandals with delicate straps, she moved away from Luke.  Any more of those tantalizing brushes against him and she would self-combust.

"Want to go in and try them on?"  Luke asked.

Rachel shook her head.  None of those ultra feminine, dainty shoes would be any good where she was going and the black heels she had bought the first day would do with her dress.

At the bookstore she got a book on hummingbirds for Juan and a light paperback cookery book for herself.  After finding the macrame book and the latest historical romances on Hannah's list, Rachel picked up four cloth books for Gordie.  She had found a National Geographic with pictures of animals and showed it to him one day, and he had astounded them all by pointing to it the next day and jumping up and down:  his way of asking for something.  With the exception of Luke, her gift list was complete.  She had ordered a video game for David, a pen for Jason and a canteen for Mojo out of a catalog.  Maybe Jason would take her to Santa Barbara with him one day and she would find something there for Luke.

The craft store didn't take long.  A helpful assistant took Hannah's list and the samples and found everything in record time, while Rachel looked at the intricate cross stitch designs on the wall, wishing she could do things like that.

"That's the last of my shopping," she announced as she was handed her package.

"Are you sure?
"  Luke seemed taken aback. 

Rachel nodded, "Yes, but you go ahead and get the rest of your things."

They walked to another store and Luke said, "Let's go in here for a minute.  I need a couple more gifts."

Rac
hel wandered over to the cosmetics section.  She could tell this store was different.  The plushy carpet, the quiet elegance, the salesgirls who looked like models.   Her first check of a price tag made her think she would be paying for the rarified atmosphere if she bought anything in the store, but a look at the quality of the merchandise and Rachel knew it would be worth every penny she spent. 

"May I help you with anything today?

Rachel looked at the woman her own age dripping with sophistication and stammered, "
N...no thank you.  I'm just looking."

Rachel
looked at the display in the glass case.  She wouldn't know what to do with a tenth of these things.

"We're doing makeovers today.  Would you like one?
"

She looked up at the older
, perfectly made up woman across the counter and then glanced doubtfully down at the cosmetics on top of the counter. 

"It's free.  You don't need to buy anything," the woman coaxed.

About to shake her head, Rachel stopped.  Why not?  There wasn't any harm in knowing the right way to do her face, even if where she was going she was lucky if she got the time to wash it twice a day. 

"All right."

The woman introduced herself as Helen and talked non-stop as she went through her routine.  "You have an excellent complexion.  It's just a little dry.  Be sure and use plenty of moisturizer.  Do you use foundation?  Well, I'm not going to either.  A dab of powder will do.  These new powders are a combination of foundation and powder actually.  Now, a little blush just so.  Do you see how that highlights your cheekbones?  What excellent bone structure you have.  All you need is a tinge of color.  I'm going to use a little more shadow on your eyelids.  Your eyes are so beautiful.  What's your favorite color in clothes?'

"Red."  Since when
, a tiny voice mocked.  Since Luke's eyes took on a glow every time he looks at you in your red sweater?

As Helen did her eyes saying something about enhancing them, part of Rachel's mind wandered away to the summer she'd spent with Christina.  The cousins had experimented every day with make-up and different hair styles.  Aunt Mary had bought her a few basic items as a gift.  When she'd returned home
, her father had trashed the make-up and told her she was not to do herself up like a cheap tart while she lived under his roof.  He'd put up with enough of that from her mother. 

It hadn't even hurt.  Rachel had just retreated to the spot in her mind that had stored up every single moment of her wonderful summer.  It was the one place her father could not follow. 

"There.  That shade is perfect for you."  With a start Rachel realized the luminous huge eyes expertly outlined, staring back at her from the round mirror on the counter were hers.  Helen had used a soft coral lipstick on her lips.  Color made them seem fuller, gave them a pout.  "Here's some tissue.  Blot your lips and then I'm going to go over them once more.  I'm all done now.  You look lovely."  Standing back Helen looked at her a satisfied smile on her face.  "Wish I could get this effect on all my clients.  All I used was powder, blush, an eye pencil, some shadow and lipstick.  You look like a million dollars.  Don't you think so, sir?"

Rachel almost fell off the stool.  On the back burner of her mind she had entertained the thought of washing her face before she saw Luke.  It was too late now.  Raising her chin she faced him. 

Luke stood three feet away his glance raking her face.  Slowly her eyes swiveled away from him to the mirror in front of her.  Nervousness snaked up her spine.  It was as if Helen had ripped her cover to shreds and revealed Rachel's true identity...the face that stared back was a woman's.  Wanting, desiring, needing.

"Let me see."  Ignoring the
make-up consultant, Luke put a finger under her chin, raising her face.  He could tell Rae was doing her copper wire routine again.  The apprehension she tried to mask was at the forefront of her eyes. 

"I was just going to
w...wash my face." 

His eyes narrowed.  This was what her fear was all about?  That he might disapprove of her decision to have her face done?  He bit back an expletive.  The fact that he didn't think she needed cosmetics to improve her looks didn't matter.  What mattered was that he had to convince her she had a right to spread her wings without being afraid. 

"Very nice."  Deliberately he let his eyes skim her face again; making sure his voice was warm, bordering on wolfish.  A thumb skimmed the edge of her bottom lip and he saw the delicate color return to her face.  "You should use that color on your lips more often."

Rachel looked at him.  The intensity of his gaze as their eyes met was like an electric shock.  Luke dismissed the blaze of gratitude he saw in Rachel's eyes.  It wasn't what he wanted from her.

"How much does all the stuff you've used cost?"  Luke asked Helen over his shoulder.  Buying it would let Rae know she could experiment to her heart's content.

Rachel saw Helen's eyes widen before she quickly punched numbers into the cash register terminal and said
hopefully, "A hundred and seventy five dollars, thirty two cents." 

Other books

Cross Dressing by Bill Fitzhugh
The Rake by William F. Buckley
P is for Peril by Sue Grafton
The Dance Off by Ally Blake
Until You by Sandra Marton
Dark Place to Hide by A J Waines
The Way Back Home by Freya North
The Outcast Ones by Maya Shepherd


readsbookonline.com Copyright 2016 - 2024