Love or Luxury by Heather Thurmeier Page B

other jeans."
    Gee, thanks.
    She turned again in the mirror and admired her own rear. Damn, her ass looked fabulous. Finn wouldn't be able to keep his hands off her in these babies. Sighing, she finally stepped out of the jeans and hung them carefully on the hanger again.
    Now how was she going to get out of buying them without coming off weird? They looked great. The price wouldn't be an issue if she were still living on the Bloom estate, spending the "allowance" her friends still believed she collected and not paying rent each month. But she was paying rent, and it was a problem to stretch her meager bank account far enough to pay for the jeans.
    She opened her wallet and eyed Reid's credit card again. She'd already used it to charge a crazy expensive but unbelievably gorgeous dress for the gala. The store was having it delivered to her apartment, and she almost couldn't wait to see it again. Shopping for the dress without any worry about how much it cost had been too much fun. She could definitely get used to that. Maybe one day soon, if things went the way she hoped with Reid, she'd have a card with her new name on it: Mrs Rebecca Harper.
    Then she'd be able to go shopping with the girls whenever she wanted to—and better yet, she'd be able to buy whatever she wanted. Having that much financial freedom after struggling to save every penny these last six months sounded like heaven.
    But could she use the card now for the jeans, too? Reid would love her ass in these just as much as Finn would.
    Or would he? She'd probably never be on a date with Reid where she'd be able to wear jeans. His dates were far too formal and fancy for jeans to be appropriate. Sighing, she flipped her wallet shut. No, she couldn't use Reid's money for jeans. Maybe once they were married, she could use the card to buy whatever she wanted, but not yet.
    "Oh, darn." She feigned disappointment.
    "What?" Eliza asked from her chair in the waiting area.
    "There's a mark on the jeans. It looks like ink or something." That sounded believable, right? Clothes got marks on them all the time in stores. "I'm going to have to leave these awesome jeans here."
    "Want me to grab you a new pair from the display?" Eliza offered.
    Eliza needed to stop being so damn sweet. She made this harder for Rebecca than it needed to be.
    "No, it's okay. These were the only ones in my size when I grabbed them. I'll look online and order a pair." Rebecca came out of the changing room empty-handed, leaving the world's most awesome jeans safely on their hanger behind the door where her friends wouldn't see they didn't have any blemishes on them.
    Buying online was the perfect way out of this one. They'd never know if she'd bought them or not. And if for some reason they did ask, she could just say they were out of stock online. Easy. She could sense her bank account thanking her already.
    Now she needed to get through the rest of this shopping trip without trying anything else on or showing interest in any other items. Unless, of course, they were cheap or on sale. Then she could gush all she wanted.
    The girls walked out of the shop together and down Lark Avenue to the next place that caught Bryn's eye since she was the one who'd initiated this shopping excursion. Scarlett, the lucky bitch, had been busy today, so she didn't have to endure the hours of shopping. Of course, Scarlett would have enjoyed this. If only Rebecca could. So much pressure to buy wasn't fun.
    "How were your dates?" Bryn asked. "I never did hear the details."
    "My date with Finn was fantastic."
    Bryn stopped in front of Mango. "Mind if we grab a quick smoothie?"
    Rebecca followed them in and ordered a strawberry, pineapple, and banana smoothie. Thank goodness a smoothie was still a luxury she could afford. At least for now.
    "How was your date with Reid since you've only been waiting forever for him to come back?" Bryn asked as she sat on the very edge of her chair, back straight as she sipped her smoothie.