Chapter Eleven
Josh
I wondered if Reagan was going to be at the suit shop at the time I had suggested. I had specifically made it early to annoy her, but when I got there, I saw that she was already waiting for me. I checked my watch and saw that it was eight on the dot. She was early.
“Glad to see that you’re on time,” she said.
“Of course I’m on time. I’m the one that suggested we meet at eight, remember? You’re here early.”
“Punctuality is important to me. And how would I know if you were on time if I didn’t at least arrive a few minutes early.”
I laughed. “You’re insane. Right, are you ready to do some suit shopping? I wouldn’t mind getting this over with.”
She sighed and pointed at the shop which had a closed sign on the door. “You didn’t check what time they opened, did you?”
“What? They’re closed? Are you serious?”
“They open in half an hour.”
“Oh. Uh, well, let’s get some coffee next door then,” I said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not too keen on standing around and waiting for half an hour.”
“Coffee?”
“Oh come on, I know I’m not your favorite person, but surely you love coffee?” I teased.
She laughed. “I do love coffee. Okay, let’s go.”
The little café next door was brimming with people, but because most people were taking their coffees to go, we were able to get a table fairly easily. We took a seat and ordered a cappuccino each. When they arrived, Reagan took a sip and grimaced.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?” I asked and took a sip of my own. It tasted great.
“I do. That’s the problem.”
“It’s a problem because the coffee is s good? I don’t understand?” And the mystery of Regan continued I thought as I watched her.
“Do you know Dana’s Café?”
“Dana’s? Yeah, I’ve been there before. Nice place. They made the most amazing toasted sandwiches. Such a simple meal but executed so well.”
“Exactly!” she said. “Well, Dana is my best friend. She runs the place, and I go there all the time. It’s practically the only place you’ll ever find me. I’m loyal. I was hoping to hate this coffee so that I didn’t feel so bad about going somewhere other than her café. But,” she said as she took another sip, “it’s really good.”
I chuckled as I saw a little line of white foam appear on her mouth. She could be very cute when she wanted to. She slowly trailed her tongue over her lips to wipe it off and I swallowed hard. She could also be very sexy. I swallowed the thoughts away and tried to concentrate on how annoyed I was at her for making me go suit shopping.
“I’m sure she won’t mind if you go somewhere else just this one time,” I said.
“I know. But I just feel bad. I made a promise to support her through this venture at all times. I know sometimes I can’t help where I go, but I at least want to go to other places and not like them. But this coffee is good dammit.”
“Wow, you’re almost loyal to a fault.”
“How can being loyal be a fault?” she asked.
“To yourself. You’re missing out on some amazing places out there.”
She shrugged. “Dana’s café is amazing.”
I laughed. She really was an enigma.
“It is amazing. It’s like fancy home-cooked food. So, do you go to Dana’s instead of going to eat at your parents? Or is it a family affair?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why but I was suddenly curious to know about her family.
“I wish. No, my mother passed away a few years back, and I never knew my father. Dana is all the family I have.”
This was a side of Reagan that I hadn’t yet seen, and it was nice to know that she had a softer side to her. I wished she’d show it more often.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s life, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, that’s true. And Dana sounds like an amazing friend.”
“She is.”
We spoke easily for the next half an hour, and I almost forgot about our reason for being there in the first place. Of course, when eight thirty rolled around, she was the first to tell me.
“Okay, Josh. Let’s go smooth out those rough edges, shall we.” Just like that, she went back to being Reagan the public relations officer.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re the most frustrating person I know,” I said as we stood up to leave.
She chuckled. “As I said, you’ll hate me now, but you’ll thank me later.”
“Ha. We’ll see about that.”
We walked back to the suit shop where we were welcomed in by a man dressed in an impeccable suit. I couldn’t imagine dressing that way every day, no matter how good he might look. He asked if he could be of assistance, but Reagan seemed adamant that she wanted to be the one who helped me. The man went back to his desk and let us carry on. She was very good at taking charge.
“How about this one?” she said as she pulled out a dark gray suit. “Yes,” she said as she held it against me. “This would look so good on you.”
I groaned. “Seriously? It’s so boring, though. What about this one?” I said as I pointed out a black suit with a strong white geometric design on it. I had never seen a suit like that before, and I couldn’t wait to try it on. But the way Reagan was looking at it, I knew I wouldn’t even get the chance.
“Where do you think you’re going? It’s a conference. I want you to look good.”
“No, you want me to look boring.”
“I also don’t want you to make a fool of yourself. Now, I’m the one that came up with this idea, so I think it’s time you listened to me. Isn’t that why you brought me along? So that I could do the shopping for you?”
I sighed. “Fine. Whatever. I will do as you say, master.”
She grinned. “That’s more like it.”
We spent the next ten minutes going through all the suits on offer, with her telling me what she liked and me telling her that they were ridiculously stagnant. I didn’t mind getting a new outfit, but I had always promised myself that I wouldn’t be one of those boring people walking around in a boring suit intent on boring everyone. I told her this, but she just told me that a good suit didn’t have to mean boring. And, of course, in the end, she picked up three suits for me and told me to go and try them on. I came out minutes later shaking my head.
“Nope,” I said and handed the suits back to her. “Definitely not.”
“What? You tried them all on?” she asked. “Already? That was quick.”
“Yes, and the answer is no to all three of them.”
“Why didn’t you show me?” she asked.
“Because I think I know when something is nice or not. Trust me, I took one look in the mirror, and I wanted to run away. If I want to run away from myself then who knows what other people will do when they see me. Anyway, why do I have to show you?”
She chuckled. “I’m not so sure that you know when something is nice or not. But you’re right; I do want you to feel good in it too. You won’t ever look good if you don’t feel good in it. It might be a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason. Okay, well, in the meantime I found another one for you. Here, try it on, and take this tie with you. And do me a favor: call me when it’s on you. I actually want to see, for goodness sake. Otherwise what is the point of me even being here?”
I groaned. I felt like a child trying on his school uniform with his mother. I took the suit and went back into the changing room. The suit was dark gray, almost black, and I was certain I was going to hate it like all the rest. I wasn’t sure why she was so adamant on these stupid gray suits. I put it on and was surprised to find that it fit me, and that it actually didn’t look all that bad. It wasn’t the sort of thing that I was used to wearing. It was a little bit too clean cut, a little bit too fitted, and not the casual look I preferred going for. But, there was something about it that I liked. It suited me, as much as I hated to admit it. I opened the curtain and called to her.
Reagan came over and stopped short when she saw me. She looked me up and down and smiled. I liked the look that she had when she looked at me in the suit. It was the first time that I had ever seen her looking at me in that way.
“Now we’re talking. How about the tie?” she asked.
“Oh, I forgot about that,” I said.
“Let me put it on for you,” she said. She took the tie and stood on the tips of her toes to put it on for me. It felt weird having her so close to me, and I could smell the vanilla scent of her perfume all around. It was annoying intoxicating.
“There,” she said when she was done. “What did I tell you? It’s perfect. You look amazing Josh.”
I looked in the mirror and saw that she was right. The suit looked great on me, but it looked even better with the baby blue tie that she had put around me. She really did have an eye for these things. It was not at all the sort of thing I would’ve chosen for myself. It had looked so boring on the hanger, but it looked very good once it was on. “Are you flirting with me?” I asked.
She groaned. “Flirting? No. I am definitely not flirting. Not everyone flirts with you, you know. In fact, shock and horror, some people might not even be that attracted to you.”
“Are you sure?” I asked again. “Because it sure seems like flirting to me. The way your eyes were trailing over my body.”
“I’m sure. Trust me. You’d know if I was flirting,” she said. “But that’s the suit. That’s definitely the one. I told you this wouldn’t be so difficult.”
“Fine, you were right. I do actually like this one.”
“Good. That was quicker than I thought it would be. I thought you were going to be more difficult. Okay, let’s ring this up and be on our way. I’d say we should get more than one, but let’s just concentrate on this conference first.”
“Thank goodness; I’m sick of trying on suits. I don’t know how you women do it. And some of you even make a day of it. A day of shopping? I could think of nothing worse.”
She laughed. “Wow, that’s incredibly sexist. Be careful what you say, Josh. I might know that you’re joking, but not everyone does. And trust me, I could think of nothing worse than a day of shopping, either. Actually, yes I can; a day of shopping with you would be torture. No, keep those sorts of jokes to yourself. You’re here to win the hearts of the public, not piss off a bunch of feminists.”
“Yes. Yes. I know,” I said. She had a point there. I was starting to realize that not everyone got my humor. I saw a small smile playing on her face, though, and it felt good to know that at least she found it funny, even if she would never admit to it.
I paid for the suit. I was appalled at how much it had cost, but I didn’t say a thing. It was a small price to pay for a few extra votes. That was if it even made a difference, of course. As we walked back out Reagan turned to look at me.
“Jokes aside, you really do look great in that suit, Josh. I know that it seems like a silly thing to do, but all these little things really do help in the grander scheme of things. I promise you that I know what I’m doing. Good luck for the conference, although I’m sure I’ll see you before you go in. You’re going to kill it!”
I smiled at her.
“Thank you. And thanks for helping me out today. The suit is great. Although the black and white geometric suit was still miles better.”
She laughed. “Good luck, Josh,” she said and shook her head. She walked away and then turned back and shouted. “Remember not to be a dick.”
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Okay, maybe she really was as bad as I thought.