"I don't know w
here you want these things."
"Lord have mercy," Ada muttered. "Figure it out, Mary," she shouted. "It's not very difficult."
"Well, it is. These shirts marked 'unisex.' Where do I put them? And there's stuff missin', I think. Accordin' to the invoice, we were supposed to get a dozen of these red scarves but I only see eight."
Ada sighed dramatically. "Kathryn, you're going to have to excuse me for a few minutes."
It was difficult not to sigh with relief.
"That's okay."
"I'll be back soon as I can. Honestly, the help you get these days..."
"You just take your time, Ada..."...enough time so she could find what she needed without the shopkeeper watching. Ada headed for the other end of the store and Kathryn whirled into action.
"Levi's," she muttered, "Levi's..."
What size would Matthew wear? That narrow waist. The trim hips. The neat little backside and those long, oh so masculine legs...
Heat rose in her belly. She made a face, told herself to stop being silly, leafed through the rack and picked out a pair of jeans that looked just about right.
Denim cut-offs were easier. They were displayed on a nearby table and she didn't have to try and figure out what length the legs ought to be.
T-shirts took a moment's consideration. Medium? Large? Matthew was lean but he was muscular, not in the silly-looking way of men who looked like walking advertisements for trendy gyms and even trendier drugs but in the way of a man who'd earned his muscles the hard way, through work and sweat.
Large, definitely. And in half a dozen colors, ranging from navy to butter yellow to pink, although she could just imagine his reaction to pink.
Ada was still giving her clerk a firm but gentle tongue-lashing. Kathryn offered a silent apology to the gods for hoping the poor girl would have to endure just another few minutes worth of whatever lecture it was. She moved on towards a display of shoes, snatching up white crew socks and a woven leather belt on the way.
Shoes were going to be tough. Kathryn poked her tongue out between her teeth. What size would he wear? She didn't have a clue. Who ever paid attention to feet? Shoulders, yes. Waists and hips, sure. Height and weight and whether legs were long or short, okay. But feet?
"...take these things into the storeroom while you finish up here, Mary. Try not to mess up anythin' for the two minutes I'm gone, would you please?"
Kathryn chewed on her lip. Ada would be gone for two minutes?
Oh, what the hell!
She snatched up a pair of Adidas in a size that didn't look as if they'd fit either a midget or a giant, plucked a pair of all-terrain sandals from the next table, and headed for the counter.
Mary, who was still kneeling amidst the boxes, looked up. She wasn't smiling anymore.
"Miss Ada will be right out," she said.
Kathryn flicked the tip of her tongue over her lips.
"Yes, but I'm afraid I'm in an awful hurry."
The girl shot a glance towards the back of the store. "I suppose I could go and get her, if you insist."
"Oh, there's no reason to bother her," Kathryn said quickly. "Why don't you just ring this stuff up yourself?"
"I don't think Miss Ada would—"
"Miss Ada will probably praise you for keeping a customer happy."
Mary hesitated.