My Tomorrow by Megan Nugen Isbell Page B

pick up on cues.
    “I’d rather not,” I said, my voice turning quieter.  I’d tried being nonchalant, but he wasn’t getting it. “I…I really can’t afford a nice coat right now.  I’ll get one though.”
    Drew was silent and I looked over at Court who seemed uncomfortable.
    “Not a problem,” Drew finally said a moment later. “I’ll take care of it.”
    “No!” I said adamantly.
    “It’s not a big deal.”
    “I said no,” I repeated.  This was not a conversation I was comfortable having with my boss.
    “How about I buy it now and you can pay me back?” he asked, smiling over to me, but I remained skeptical. “It’s only going to get colder and I hate to think of you walking around with no coat.”
    “You make me sound like a hobo,” I said, almost insulted at his comment.
    “Please don’t take it that way,” he said and I looked over to him.  I could see the sincerity in his eyes and deep down I knew he hadn’t meant to offend me.  I also knew he wouldn’t let up until I relented. “Let me take care of it and you pay me back when you can.”
    Court looked over discreetly at me and he raised his eyebrows.
    “Fine, but I’ll pay you back when I get paid.”
    “Whatever,” Drew smiled and I could tell by his smug grin he was happy he’d gotten his way.
    The driver stopped in front of a trendy looking boutique and I was intimidated just looking at it.  The feeling intensified when we got out of the cab and walked inside and saw the fancy clothes hanging off the chic mannequins and the perfect sales girls walking around.  They stopped the moment they heard the door open and stared over to Drew.  It was as if Court and I didn’t exist the way the salesgirl made a beeline straight for Drew.  I wasn’t surprised though.  Drew seemed to eclipse everything when he was around.
    “Can I help you find something?” a leggy blonde asked.  She seemed uppity and full of herself.
    “We need a jacket, for the lady,” Drew said, gently nudging me forward.  I noticed the girl’s eyes spanned up and down my body and I couldn’t help but feel as if she were critiquing every bit of me.
    “Of course.  Coats are over here,” the girl said and we all walked to the back of the shop. “What kind of coat are you looking for?”
    All eyes were on me and I hated being in the spotlight.
    “Just something casual, something that will go with my work clothes,” I finally answered.
    The girl processed the information momentarily, looked over at me again and then turned to the racks.
    “How about one of these?” she asked, holding up a waist length white pea coat and a similar black one.
    I turned to look at Drew and Court, hoping for an opinion.
    “They’re both nice,” I said when neither of them said anything.
    “You should try them on,” the girl said, handing me the black one.  I slid it on and looked in the mirror.  There was nothing to get excited about.  It was a coat.  Its job was to keep me warm. I had to admit it was comfortable though.  The girl handed me the white one and I tried that one too.  I felt the scratchy tag scraping against my wrist and I tried discreetly looking down at it, doing my best to stifle the jolt in my body when I saw the price. $250.  I swallowed hard, wondering how I could get out of this mess.  I’d figured $50, maybe $100, but $250 was definitely not in the cards.
    “I like the white one,” Drew piped in. “What do you say, Court?”
    “Definitely the white,” he agreed. 
    “What do you think, Natalie?” Drew asked.
    “Um, yeah, the white is nice,” I said quietly, quickly taking it off and handing it back to the sales girl. 
    “I’ll go wrap this up for you,” she said.
    “Not necessary.  She’ll be wearing it out,” Drew told her and she nodded politely and headed to the register.  We started following her and I knew I had to do something.  I could not afford that coat.  Not now.  Not when I got paid.  Not for a very