Em and Tally left for the shops not long after Tally had waved Cash off to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, where the Monte-Carlo Masters would kick off in less than a week. For the first time since they’d met, his supreme confidence appeared to have slipped, although he was doing his best to hide it from her. Two months away from competitive tennis had to seem like a lifetime. She’d bet the fact he was going into the tournament without being seeded first—something he hadn’t done in years—was preying on his mind. She’d have to try and find a gift to cheer him up, although she didn’t have a clue what to buy. What could she get for the man who already had everything?

“Where should we head first?” Tally said. She’d never been to Monte Carlo. Em, though she’d never been there either, would have it all planned out. She was the queen of buying anything and everything—the perfect consumer. Tally, on the other hand, rarely shopped unless she needed to.

“Carré D’Or, of course,” Em said with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

“And what’s so special about Carré D’Or?”

“It’s where the rich shop, babes. Think Rodeo Drive or Champs Élysées.”

“Neither of us can afford to shop there,” Tally said.

“You can.”

“No, I can’t.” Tally let out a huff of frustration. “I’ve told you—I might have Cash’s credit card, but I’m not taking advantage.”

Em rolled her eyes. “Come on. It’ll be fun. Even if we don’t buy anything, we can press our noses up against the windows of the posh shops and piss off the staff.”

“How do you know about Carré D’Or, anyway?”

Em shrugged. “I asked Rupe.”

Tally chuckled. “Perhaps you should have asked Rob. He might have been able to suggest somewhere a little more in our price range.”

Em linked her arm through Tally’s. “Why should I do that when I have you? If there’s a bargain to be had, you’ll sniff it out.”

With Google Maps on their phones, they made their way to Carré D’Or. Tally didn’t need to read the street sign to know when they’d arrived. Sleek shop fronts, pristine streets, and stylish architecture—the place oozed money.

“I was born to be rich,” Em said, peering through a window filled with clothes she couldn’t afford. “If I won the lottery, I wouldn’t be one of those people who says, ‘Nothing’s going to change—I’ll still work, still get my clothes from Primark,’ blah, blah, blah. I’d change everything.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not rich. Bad luck.”

Em playfully bumped her shoulder against Tally’s. “Cash is wasted on you. At least his money is. If I nabbed a rich guy, I’d know exactly what to do with all that lovely wonga.” She rubbed her thumb over the tips of her fingers.

Tally laughed. “Maybe your date tonight will work out, and he’ll whisk you off to live in a mansion overlooking the Mediterranean.”

“Doubt it. He’s a student doctor.”

“Aww, never mind. Come on—let’s try to find some shops that sell stuff we can afford.”

Em reluctantly followed, although Tally did have to stop several times when she realised her friend had been tempted by yet another ridiculously priced dress and was lagging behind, her nose pressed up against a tinted window.

“You’re like a magpie,” she said, hauling Em away. “You see something shiny, and you’re gone.”

Em grinned unashamedly, and after a few more unplanned stops, Tally managed to coax her away from Carré D’Or.

They wandered around for about half an hour, eventually coming across a narrow street full of unique one-off shops and without a chain store in sight. Now, this is more like it. Thrilled with her find, Tally ignored Em’s grumbling and dragged her friend into a few clothes shops, all of which Em turned her nose up at, before they came across one that looked quite promising. It had lots of one-of-a-kind designs at reasonable prices.

“Here,” Tally said, holding up a fitted knee-length teal dress with a plunging neckline and a scooped back. “This would be perfect on you.” Em wouldn’t be able to wear a bra with it, but she didn’t have the same problem as Tally in that department.

“Ooh, that is lovely.” Em glanced at the price tag and nodded in approval. “I knew you’d sniff out the bargains.”

“Go and try it on.”

Five minutes later, Em peeked around the curtain of the fitting room and waved Tally over. “What do you think?” she said, pushing the curtain to one side.

Tally whistled. “Wow. You’re a knockout. Buy it.”

Em smoothed her hands over her hips and stood on tiptoes. She turned to the side and frowned into the mirror. “You think?”

“Yep. Makes your legs look fantastic, and you’ve got the figure to pull off a dress like that.”

“As do you.”

Tally snorted. “With these”—she pointed to her chest—“I need the support.”

“That’s what tit tape is for.”

“Hardly. Duct tape more like.”

They burst into laughter. It had been ages since Tally had been shopping with Em, and she’d forgotten how much fun it could be.

Em bought the dress, and they headed off to find matching shoes. Em decided on a pair of skyscraper heels in nude, which went perfectly with the dress but would mean she wouldn’t be able to walk properly for a week afterwards. Still, Em seemed to think the overall look would be worth the sacrifice.

“Fancy lunch?” she asked Tally as they wandered back onto the street.

“Do you mind if we visit a little shop I spotted down there first?”

“Don’t tell me you’re finally going to buy something?”

“I saw a perfect gift for Cash in the window when we were passing earlier.”

Em rolled her eyes. “Seriously? What about a little gift for you?”

“I haven’t seen anything I like.”

“Okay, let’s go. On one condition.”

Tally narrowed her eyes. Em’s conditions usually involved something Tally wouldn’t like. “What’s that?”

“You might not have seen anything, but before, I spotted a fabulous dress you’d look gorgeous in. So here’s the deal. We’ll go to the shop. You buy whatever it is you’ve spotted for Cash, then you have to come with me, try the dress on, and promise to keep an open mind.”

Tally nibbled on her lip. “Oh, Em, I’m not sure.”

“If it makes it easier, think of it as another gift for Cash,” Em said with a giggle.

Tally’s eyebrows shot up towards her hairline. “How hot is this dress?”

“Babes, it’ll blow his mind.”

She laughed. “You’re incorrigible.”

“That sounds like a yes.”

“Do I have a choice?” Tally said, already regretting giving in when Em flashed a wicked grin her way.

As they walked into the gift shop, the bell above the door tinkled. Tally headed straight for the window display and picked up a pair of silver cufflinks.

“Can you engrave these?” she asked the shop assistant, holding them in her outstretched hand.

“Certainly, mademoiselle. Did you have something in mind?”

Tally dug a pen and paper out of her bag and drew what she wanted. Em leaned over her shoulder.

“He’s going to love those.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yep. I like the design too.”

Tally tweaked her drawing slightly before handing it over. “Will it take long?”

“No, mademoiselle.”

“I’ll wait, then.”

While the cufflinks were being engraved, Tally took a look around. She wasn’t a big clothes shopper, but sifting through knickknacks and one-off items was her idea of heaven.

“Here we are, mademoiselle.” The shop assistant passed her the engraved cufflinks. Tally examined her work. They’d turned out better than she’d imagined they would.

“I love them,” she said, handing over her own credit card. She worked out she’d still be within her credit limit once they were charged. They were her gift to Cash, and it didn’t seem fitting to use his money to buy them. But she needed to get back to work soon. Her statement would be due any day, and she’d only have a couple of weeks to pay it. She had to get going on the article for Pete later.

“Just you to sort now,” Em said.

The place Em had in mind was only a five-minute stroll away. Em headed straight for a rack at the far end of the store and rifled through.

“Aha, here it is.”

She held up a floor-length dark-red dress with a low neckline and a slit up the side. Tally’s mouth fell open.

“What do you think?” Em said.

“You have got to be kidding. I can’t get away with that.”

“You promised to try it on. Trust me.” She thrust the dress into Tally’s reluctant hands and pointed to the fitting room. It took Tally about five minutes to figure out how to even get the damned thing on, but when she did, she glanced in the mirror and gasped.

“Em,” she croaked. “You there?”

“I’m coming in.” Em slipped around the curtain, being careful not to expose Tally to the whole shop. “Oh, wow. Fuck, I’m good.”

“I can’t pull this off,” Tally said, tugging the parted material over her exposed breasts.

“Yes, you can.” Em turned her around. “A bit of tape here and there, and you’re good to go.”

“But it’s so… so…”

“Hot.”

“I was going for tarty.”

“Rubbish,” Em scoffed. “You’ve got an amazing figure, Tally. I’ve told you this, like, a hundred times, and I, for one, am glad to see a bit of meat back on your bones. When you’re ninety and wrinkled, you’ll wish you’d shown your curves off a bit more while you still could.”

As Tally handed over Cash’s credit card, she could have sworn the assistant flashed a look of amazement as she wrapped the dress in tissue paper, as though to say Really, honey?

Tally was inclined to agree.