“We gonna go to all these stores?” He turned around and around in circles. His shoes scraped across the marble with each movement. He started tilting on an angle and stumbled backwards with his arms splayed out.
Jared placed his hands on Matt's shoulders and slowed him down. “Whoa there, pal. You'll get dizzy and fall."
Matt giggled. “You got dizzy when I went around and around, didn't you?"
He winked and ruffled Matt's dark hair. “You found me out, pal. Now, about all these stores. I don't think we can see three hundred in one day. We'll shop until we drop though. Maybe we'll get to-oh, I don't know-two hundred and ninety-nine?"
Matt shook his head and doubled over in laughter. “No way. You're funny."
“You think so, huh?"
When Matt finally stopped laughing, Jared said, “Okay, here's the real plan. First, let's get the gifts then have lunch. After that, if you want to look around some more, we will. How's that sound?"
“Cool!"
Matt grabbed Jared's hand and pulled him toward the escalator. Once they reached the second level, they fought their way through the crowds and trudged to the retail stores.
“Do you have any idea what you'd like to give your mom?"
“No, sir, but I'll know it when I see it. It's out there, and I'll find it.” His small, tousled jet-black hair nodded firmly.
Thirty-minutes and three stores later, Jared wondered about the wisdom of letting Matt ramble around the aisles in search of his Holy Grail. Maybe the boy needed some hints from a grown up.
Passing through the lingerie section of one of the department stores, Jared stopped and stared at a red teddy on a floor mannequin. Matt ambled ahead, intent on a stack of silvery Christmas ornaments. The sign beside the sexy display promised a silky, sensual feel of satin that hugged the body. Jared pictured Katherine's full figured curves surrounded with nothing but this sheer, wispy fabric. He fingered the folds of the material.
“Hey, Matt, come back here."
Matt turned, strolled up the aisle and stood beside Jared.
He shook his head. “Nope. Mom hates red ones. I saw her cut one up and throw it in the trash."
Jared's face heated. He searched a nearby clothes rack. Finding an innocent looking flannel nightshirt with a matching robe, he held it up for Matt's approval.
He shook his head again. “Do they got worms here?"
Jared's jaw dropped. “Worms? For your mom?"
“Not live ones. Mom won't fish with anything but plastic."
Okay, why hadn't he thought of that? He remembered seeing the pictures of Katherine fishing with her dad. No wonder he hadn't thought of it; she looked to be about five or six-years old in those photos. “Some of these stores are bound to carry a sports section with camping and fishing gear. Let's find one, pal."
Two stores later, they hit pay dirt. Jared stood in avid fisherman's territory-his territory. Thank God for a woman with more in her head than bangles and stocks and bonds. He picked up a fly-fishing rod, gently testing its flexibility. A woman he could fish with.
Matt seemed as eager to set his mother in the middle of a stream as Jared. State-of-the-art fishing rods and reels, hooks, sinkers, red and white corks, and colorful flies and lures formed a domed pile on the register counter. Above the mound, Jared could see the clerk's frantic eyes as she scanned each item, ran out of shopping bags and had to borrow some from the other register.
“Can I really buy all this?” Matt asked, his gaze glued to the conveyor belt at the cash register.
“Sure."
Jared watched them ring up the items they'd selected for Katherine, all charged to his Platinum credit card.
They made a mini-trip to the parking lot with their shopping bags, rather than lug them around the mall.
“How come you know so much about fishing stuff?” Matt asked, his arms almost dragging on the ground as he pulled a small set of bags toward the car.
“Because I own a boat and take it out at least once a month.” Jared grabbed the largest bag Matt was struggling with.
Matt grinned up at him and let go. He angled a skeptical look Jared's way. “Think you could talk my Mom into going? She used to fish with Grandpa a lot."
Jared shrugged. “Maybe. Of course, I won't be going out again for quite some time, but if she's still visiting your grandma when I do, I might ask her along."
After stowing the gear in the Lexus and taking a bathroom break, they began hunting a gift for Grace. Jared withdrew the list of sizes Katherine had provided from his jeans’ pocket, reviewed them and shoved them back in. Placing his hands on his hips, he eyed Matt carefully. “Any ideas for your grandma's gift?"
Matt's head moved in a bouncing bob. “Something green. Her favorite color is green. Pajamas, maybe. I think I'll-"
“Know them, when you see them,” Jared finished.
Matt giggled.
One hour and five stores later, they stood in another lingerie section.
“That's it,” Matt said, pointing to the voluptuous blond mannequin modeling satin lime-sherbet pajamas with a rather risqué ‘Fly-Away front’ slit. Jared couldn't see Grace wearing anything so daring, but Matt felt confident his grandma would love them, so onto the Platinum credit card they went.
Matt wanted to have the thing wrapped, so they located Customer Service. Of course, Matt selected the most colorful Holiday paper available. It matched Matt's personality-bright, and full of life. Curse Paul if he would ruin this little boy through neglect. Jared's subsequent frown was directed at the innocent woman wrapping the gift, who looked startled at his sudden scowl. He dropped his gaze and kept the frown.
Despite Jared's sudden turn of mood, Matt became a great hit with the women at the gift-wrapping station. They double bowed his package and let him have the most expensive paper without charging extra.
After placing Grace's present in the car, they decided to sit on one of the benches and watch the skaters for awhile.
“Have you ever seen so many windows and lights?” Matt asked, laying on the bench and staring up at the ceiling.
Jared's gaze followed Matt's. “It's a glass-covered atrium. The way it fans out makes it seem to stretch for miles and miles above us. If you look carefully, sometimes you can see a rainbow."
“I see one,” Matt pointed. “Right there.” His voice rose with excitement. “Do you see it?"
He nodded. “I see it, too."
Jared's stomach growled, reminding him of his liquid breakfast, the bitter coffee he had drunk alone in his empty, echoing house. He glanced at his watch. “It's almost one o'clock. You ready for some lunch?"
Matt nodded and they made their way to the maze of restaurants dotting the Galleria. “What do you feel like eating?"
The boy grew quiet for awhile, staring at one establishment after another. “Can I have s'ghetti? The kind that's red."
“Italian it is,” Jared said and took him to a small café.
The hostess showed them to a booth. A young, pretty waitress handed them a menu.
Holding the pen and paper, the waitress smiled a slow, seductive smile. She dashed something across her pad, ripped the sheet off and handed it to him. A glance proved his suspicions-she'd passed him her name and phone number.
“You see anything you want, just call this and let me know.” She grinned.
Jared's face heated. He glanced at Matt, but his nose was buried in the menu. Perhaps the boy hadn't noticed. “I'll let you know when we're ready to order.” Jared let out a deep breath as the waitress walked away.
Matt's face lifted out of the sauce-stained menu. His eyes followed her. He turned to Jared. “You think she's pretty?"
Like instant radar, the waitress stopped, listening to their conversation. Jared coughed, and looked down to avoid the brown eyes that turned and cut his way. That's how it always starts. A certain look, an exchange of information leading to a date, progressing all the way to bed. He tore the piece of paper to shreds and laid it on the table. “Yes."