The CROC | Christmas shopping
This was the first Christmas in Deacon’s life that he had a woman besides his mother to buy for.
And he honestly considered breaking up with Vivienne until New Year’s so he didn’t have to do it.
When Vivienne had said that she didn’t want anything, Deacon had foolishly listened to her. But then Emily had stuck her nose into the situation.
Apparently, when a woman said she didn’t want anything, it meant she did want something. Whatever happened to “no means no?”
That’s what Deacon had always been taught.
“I don’t get it,” Ethan grumbled, leaning his forearms on the cart as he pushed it up and down the aisles. “I thought you bought Vivienne a plane ticket for Christmas.”
“Emily said it’s not good enough.”
“Why are you listening to her?”
“Because she’s terrifying.” His shoulder still ached from where Emily had punched him after telling him he was an idiot for thinking the ticket counted.
“Well, did she at least tell you what to buy?” Ethan flicked the hangers on a bunch of colorful jumpers from one side of the rack to the other.
They looked nice, Deacon supposed. But buying clothes for a woman sounded dangerous. He could pick out a size that he thought would fit Vivienne, but then if it was too big, she would think that he thought she was bigger than she was.
Too risky.
No clothes.
“Of course not. She told me that would be cheating.”
“You know what you should do,” Ethan chuckled, picking up a Christmas-tree covered bow. “Get one of these and slap it on your—”
“I’m not going to do that.” Although…
Deacon took the bow from him and dropped it into the cart. Could be funny.
The aisles were full of customers—most of them men, wearing the same bewildered expressions. This was their punishment for putting this off until Christmas Eve.
“What about something like that?” Ethan pointed to a lacy negligee hanging next to a display of frilly knickers.
“I’m not letting my best mate pick out my fiancée’s undergarments.” The black one reminded him of the time he and Vivienne had hidden inside that changing room during a game of tag.
Deacon missed tag.
He missed everything about recruiting.
“She’d look hot in it.”
“Do you want me to punch you in the middle of Target?” Deacon’s hands flexed at his sides. Why had he invited Ethan along in the first place? It wasn’t as if he had ever bought a woman a present either. “What’d you get Nicola last Christmas?” Deacon asked, knowing it’d piss him off.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Not funny, asshole.”
Deacon snorted, picking up a pair of fuzzy slippers before putting them back down. Slippers were the kind of thing you bought your Granny.
He hadn’t seen Nicola since they got back. How was she doing after the break-up? He would have called and asked, but it felt like Ethan had won his friendship in the “divorce.” Besides, Nicola had been so angry with him for taking Ethan’s side after the island. Deacon had insisted that he wasn’t taking sides. What Ethan had done with Caoilfhionn was wrong, but Nicola had always been adamant that the two of them weren’t exclusive.
Ah, well. Nothing he could do about it now.
“I can’t think of one thing that Vivienne needs.” They had been around the store three times and all he had in the cart was a pack of new socks for himself, some toothpaste, mouthwash, and a bow he may or may not use.
“You’re not buying her something she needs, dude. You’re supposed to find something she wants or at least something she likes.”
What did Vivienne want?