"There's something you don't see very often."
Lacey Dachin's mouth dropped open. All the pins she'd had
pressed between her lips fell to the floor.
A man was standing at the panty hose rack, holding two
types of panty hose, one package in each hand, quite
obviously comparison shopping.
Lacey got to her feet, knowing she would never get her
customer's hem straight now.
She kept her voice down to a whisper. "You know, Vivian,
I've seen him before, but I can't remember where."
Lacey and Vivian stared as the man looked back and forth
between the two packages, and then appeared to study one
of them more closely.
"The one he's so interested in is the most expensive we
have," Lacey muttered.
He tucked the less-expensive package back into the rack,
and continued reading.
Vivian's gaze dropped to the man's pants. "I hope he's not
buying them for himself."
Lacey stiffened. As creepy as it was, she couldn't stand
in judgment. "Who he's buying them for is not my concern.
It is only my concern that he needs help."
"Then...then I think I should be going," Vivian
stammered. "I'll leave the dress in the changing room, and
I'll be back on Friday."
"Thanks. That gives me plenty of time. I'll see you then."
Once Vivian disappeared back into the changing room, Lacey
gathered her courage and swallowed hard. She'd seen many
odd things over the years when she worked at the La
Boutique downtown branch, but this was not something she
expected to deal with at the suburban outlet. "Can I help
you?" she asked as she approached him.
"Um, yes.... Can you turn around for a minute?" Lacey
turned around. She didn't understand what it was he didn't
want her to see, but again, she wasn't sure she really
wanted to know.
"That's good. Thanks."
As she turned back to him, she saw his cheeks redden, and
he averted his eyes. "I — I guess you're about the same
height and, uh, stuff," he stammered, then extended the
package toward her. "Without having to get too personal,
what size would you buy if you were buying these for
yourself?"
Lacey felt her own cheeks burn. The sizing on the back of
the package was determined by height and weight. She had a
bad feeling she knew what he had been looking at when she
turned around, but at least he hadn't asked her to bend
over. For a second she considered telling him one size
lower than her own, but his reason for wanting to know had
nothing to do with her vanity.
"I'd buy that size. Is it the right color?"
"I guess so. I'll take it."
She started walking toward the sales counter, not quite
comfortable with him being behind her. "Is there anything
else I can get for you?" she asked over her shoulder.
Once again, his cheeks darkened. "No," he mumbled. "I
think this is enough torture for one day."
Feeling bolder with the counter between them, she finally
noticed he was wearing the name badge, "Randy."
"You work at the computer store next door, don't you?"
The red blush crept upward to his ears. He stared down at
the counter and pushed the package closer to her. "Yes."
"Can I ask you something?"
His lips tightened. "This isn't for me."
"Actually, I need to buy a computer, and I need help to
figure out what kind."
His entire posture relaxed and he raised his head. "In
that case, ask me anything," he said with a smile.
Lacey's breath caught at the sudden eye contact. It
suddenly hit her what an attractive man he was. His blue
eyes sparkled and little crinkles appeared at the sides of
his eyes, making him almost movie-star handsome. Not that
she had never come in contact with a good-looking man, but
it was rare to find one in the hosiery section.
She returned her attention to the transaction. "I don't
know much about computers."
"That doesn't matter. I can still help you pick the right
one. Do you want a desktop or a laptop?"
"I don't really know. Bryce went back to university, and
now he's in his last year. Everyone says his computer is
too old to be upgraded, so I'm going to surprise him with
a new one for his birthday."
His smile faltered, but only momentarily. "That's a really
nice surprise. If you tell me how much you want to spend,
I'll show you a few."
"I'd like that."
Randy checked his watch. "I'm sorry to do this, but I have
to get back — my break is up. If you want to come into the
store, I can show you anything you want to see."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
He nodded, and before she could say any more, he turned
and walked out.
Lacey stared at the empty space. She'd tried to make it a
pleasant transaction, yet it appeared that he still felt
awkward. But she really did need a computer, and for some
reason, she trusted him, even if he did buy panty hose.
Randy Reynolds tossed the bag containing the panty hose
onto the counter toward Carol. It skimmed past the cash
register and came to a stop inches from her hand.
"I hope you're happy," he grumbled. "I've never been so
embarrassed in my life."
"Knowing you, I doubt that," Carol said, then laughed,
which only made Randy more annoyed. She lowered her head
and began to pick at the hole in the panty hose on her
leg. "Besides, this was your fault."
"It was your fault for standing too close and getting in
the way. I told you to move when I was rearranging those
display cases." He glared in disgust at the bag.
"Quit complaining and look on the bright side. This gave
you a chance to meet Lacey. Isn't she cute?"
"She's a grown woman, not a six year old. She's not cute."
Carol leaned over the counter and latched on to his
sleeve, preventing him from walking away. "No. She's more
than cute. She's gorgeous. And she's nice, too."
Randy stared down at Carol's perfectly manicured
hand. "Forget it. I'm not interested."
Carol pulled his sleeve, forcing him closer. The only
reason he complied was because he didn't want to make a
scene while they were supposed to be working.
Her voice lowered to just barely above a whisper. "I don't
understand you. Why don't you date women?"
"It's okay. I don't date men, either."
She failed to laugh at his little joke. Unfortunately, she
also failed to release him. "You know what I mean. I want
you to be happy."
"I'd be happy if you let me go."
She did, but instead of letting him get back to work,
Carol hustled out from behind the counter and stood in
front of him. "Look at me!"
Carol ran her fingers through her bright red hair, the
color of which Randy knew came out of a bottle. He
couldn't help but compare the fake color of Carol's hair
to the natural brown of Lacey's. He liked the natural
shade of Lacey's better.
"What about you?" he asked.
Carol raised her left hand and flashed her engagement ring
in front of his nose. Not for the first time, the size
caused him to wonder if the diamond was as fake as her
hair.
"See how happy I am? I want you to be happy, too. My
wedding is only two hundred and twenty-seven days away."
And his best friend Bob's wedding to Georgette was getting
closer, as well.
At the thought of Bob's upcoming wedding, Randy's heart
clenched. Bob was getting married, and their friend Adrian
was married. Already Celeste was pregnant, and the baby
was due sometime around their first anniversary. He knew
Bob would also want to be a father shortly after his
wedding. Of course Randy was happy for all of them, but at
the same time, watching Celeste's tummy grow was a stark
reminder of what Randy knew he could never have. He could
never get married, and he certainly couldn't ever be a
father.
Carol clasped her hands, pressed them to her chest and
spun around in a circle. "It's so wonderful to be in love.
Haven't you ever been in love?" she asked melodramatically.
Randy's mouth opened, but no words came out. He couldn't
say he ever had been in love. For too many years he'd been
totally wrapped up in himself, doing only what he wanted,
when he wanted, regardless of the cost to anyone else. Now
he was paying the price, and he had to make sure that no
one else had to pay the price with him, ever again.
He certainly didn't want some unfortunate woman to think
he was marriage material. Now he had no one but God to
answer to for his mistakes. It was better that way.
"I'm a free spirit," he said.
Carol sighed dramatically. "I know Lacey would be perfect
for you."
"How can you say that? I've never even heard you mention
her name before."
"I know. I've only met her a few times. She only started
working next door last week."
"Last week?" Randy sputtered. "Then what makes you
qualified to make such a statement?"
"A woman just knows these things."
"You don't know anything. Now quit fooling around. We'd
better get back to work."
This time, Carol did leave him alone, but all day long,
her words kept coming back to haunt him. He couldn't stop
thinking about Lacey. She was kind of pretty, in a
wholesome and unpretentious sort of way. She was also a
few pounds heavier than what was considered fashionably
thin, but that hinted at a lack of obsession with her
weight. More important, it looked like she had strength of
character, which was better than the superficial charm
Carol displayed with skirts that were consistently too
short to be respectable for someone doing retail sales.