Randi wrinkled her nose. “Not my type.”
Sarah started putting shoes away, dismayed by the designer brands. She might be a doctor, but she was on a strict budget, paying off student loans her first priority. Randi and Emily had arrived at Dante’s home with several teenage boys, all of them carrying boxes and bags. Having canceled their get-together at Brew Magic, Emily and Randi decided to just move the location of the party to Sarah, bringing along a new wardrobe Dante had asked Emily to select, and lattes from Brew Magic. Sarah had wanted to go meet Randi and Emily, but Dante had refused. Adamantly. Even though they hadn’t seen any signs of John still being in the area in the last several days, he was being cautious.
“Do I even want to know how much he allotted for the clothing?” Sarah asked hesitantly. She was going to have to pay him back. They’d stopped at a discount store the day after the incident—one of the few places Dante had allowed her to be in public—and she’d picked up some essentials and a few outfits before he’d hurried her out the door. He’d mentioned that he’d have Emily pick her up some more clothing, but this was ridiculous. It looked like her friend had bought out several stores.
“Probably not,” Emily replied with a mischievous smile. “He’s clueless, and threw me the same kind of budget Grady would. In fact, I’m wondering if the two of them consulted.”
Sarah’s head started to spin, knowing exactly how generous Grady Sinclair could be. If Emily wanted anything, Grady was likely to give her a small fortune for a new pair of shoes. “Was it a lot?” Sarah squeaked, not quite certain that her friend wasn’t drunk or on latte overload. How much could it cost for some new clothes? Her knees got weak, and she sat down in the chair beside the dresser. “Please tell me you didn’t spend everything he gave you. I’ll have a hard time paying it back.”
“You’re not paying it back. Dante didn’t even want me to tell you how much I spent. It’s a gift from him. He wanted to do it. And believe me, he’s loaded. He won’t even miss the money,” Emily said conspiratorially.
“Oh, God,” Sarah groaned. “Tell me you didn’t spend everything he gave you.”
“I didn’t.”
Sarah released a sigh of relief.
“She had enough left to buy the coffees tonight. It was Dante’s treat,” Randi added chirpily.
“You spent a small fortune on clothes?” Sarah was having palpitations. How anyone could spend that much on something to cover their body, she definitely didn’t understand.
“I told you it was nice stuff,” Emily replied, the grin on her face growing larger. “Sarah, stop stressing. Dante and his brothers are incredibly rich. I didn’t live in that kind of world, either, but I’m getting used to it. I still don’t go out buying anything I want, but after what happened to you, you deserve this.” Emily put her hands on her hips and stared at Sarah. “He insisted that I spend every penny, and I did. The only other thing he insisted on was that there is at least one beautiful red dress in the wardrobe. I didn’t quite get that. But I got a lot of red. I know you like it, and it will look gorgeous on you.”
“He knows red is my favorite color,” Sarah answered shakily. “God, he’s driving me insane. I suppose you two didn’t even notice the piano.”
Emily and Randi shook their heads silently.
“Well, he decided that he might want to learn to play someday, so he bought one of the most expensive grand pianos on the market. It’s in the far corner of his living room. And of course I can play it anytime I want.” Sarah expelled a frustrated breath. “He has no intention of learning to play. He bought it so I could play. His excuse was totally contrived just so I didn’t miss being able to play.”
“Oh . . . that’s so sweet,” Randi gushed.