„Wake up, sleepyhead." said Victoria as she gently stroked Lydia's shoulder. „Breakfast smells delicious and Ashley just sent me a link to the website of this lovely boutique."
„Is it morning already? What time is it?" Lydia said, still half-asleep.
„8:30."
„Aren't vacations supposed to be the time when you get to sleep as long as you want to?" said Lydia as she buried her face in her cushion.
„We only have 4 days here. And 30 minutes left to eat our breakfast. Of course we could go to a restaurant, but I've heard wonderful things about this hotel's kitchen. And you didn't feel like wasting too much time on sleeping last night." Victoria sat down on the bed next to her, reached under the blanket and started caressing her leg this time.
„No. When I think about it, I'd rather have my breakfast in bed as well." giggled Lydia as she rolled to her side and pulled her fellow voyager closer.
"Bonjour!" Lydia said as they entered the store.
"That's in French, darling." said Victoria with gentle amusement in her voice and stroked Lydia's left arm. "Buon pomeriggio!" she said as she turned towards the clerk.
"I love these dresses! You're gonna have to host a lot more fundraising parties so I could show all of them off. What else are these events good for anyways? Besides laundering money for Conrad's clients."
"Making amends I guess, ridiculous as it sounds. Nothing's ever black and white, is it?"
"Certainly nothing in this spring collection. I'll be sure to make the most generous donation so you can invite me on the stand wearing this." Lydia said as she stepped outside the fitting room in a golden silk gown.
"That's definitely worth throwing a million dollar party for. Would you help me find something for Charlotte until I try this one on?"
"Of course. By the way, this one goes well with your coloring. Red always looked good on you."
"How do I look?" asked Victoria 10 minutes later as she finished dressing.
"Splendid!" Lydia grabbed her hand and made her spin around so she could check the gown from every possible angle. "I know how hard it is to find something that matches what's underneath."
Lydia tightened her grip on her hand, pulled her close and gave her a kiss. Then she turned to the purple dress she put down on the chair a few minutes ago.
"By the way, this would look good on Charlotte. She has her mommy's bone structure."
"I agree. I knew I could count on you. We should go pay for these. Michael and Conrad will know our holiday is going well when they check their credit card accounts."
Their driver was not in the car when they left the store.
"I think he went to grab a coffee." said Victoria.
"Probably." Lydia took a box of cigarette out of her mink's pocket. "I keep these for special occasions."
"Wow, Chesterfield? Conrad brought home a few packs from his business trip to Virginia." said Victoria. Suddenly there was a confused, uncomfortable look on Lydia's face. "Sweetheart, are you all right?"
"Of course. It's just the cold."
"I've been opposed to smoking for the past 20 years, but this brand is a historical treasure." She took one out of the box and let Lydia light it for her. "Thank you, darling."
She inhaled and enjoyed the old, familiar feeling of the smoke flowing into her lungs.
"Lauren Bacall used to advertise this cigarette back in the forties. You kinda remind me of her now."
"I don't know who Lauren Bacall is, but you ladies look amazing." said one of the two thirty-something men who just came out of the restaurant next to the boutique.
"How nice of you to say so." replied Victoria shortly, then turned away and continued talking to Lydia. "We should see…"
"If you're thinking about returning this summer, the four of us could book a boat trip. I would pay."
Victoria looked irritated. "As you may or may not have noticed, I was talking to my friend." then she put on a smile and continued in a more pleasant tone. " And generous as your offer is, we have our own yacht."
The man looked shocked, then walked away with his friend without saying a word.
