Chapter 17 — Gifts
Marguerite called several times that week to give Tess the details of the upcoming trip to New York. When Stephanie asked what she should bring to wear, Marguerite suggested a black dress for the night of the play, and casual wear like slacks and silk blouses. Tess looked through Nettie’s closet, but nothing seemed right; they were outdated. Tess had a few dresses she wore to church, but they were floral or print and her slacks were well worn. On a budget, Tess was stressing. New clothes could cost as much as three hundred dollars, and that was a conservative figure.
Tess went to the thrift shop and looked around, but found nothing. Just as she was about to give up on the trip, a UPS driver knocked on the door. Tess checked the name and address carefully on the boxes, and there was no mistake. They were for her. The return address was an upscale department store, a store she could not afford. When she opened the boxes, she was amazed to find everything she and Marguerite had talked about: a black dress, two pairs of slacks, and two silk blouses, with matching accessories. There was also a wrap and a cashmere sweater. She was stunned. Whoever shopped for the clothes had exquisite taste. It had to be Marguerite, and she’d been more than generous.
Tess had just picked up the phone to call Marguerite to thank her, but to tell her she could not accept the clothing when the phone rang. “Did you get the delivery?” Richard asked, his voice cheery.
“I did,” Tess exclaimed. “The clothes are beautiful, but I can’t accept them. I was about to call Marguerite.”
“They’re a gift from me. I overheard Marguerite talking to you on the phone. She has connections at the department store, and with the help of a saleslady, they put together your wardrobe for New York. You’re the same size as Steph. It was easy.”
“You’re more than generous, Richard. But I can’t let you pay for them.”
“I want you to look nice. You’ll be my companion. You’ll meet some of my business associates.”
Before she could protest further, Richard said he had to take a call and hung up. She tapped her fingers on the stand. What had she done? She had said she would go but had never intended to be his companion, even though she had accepted his offer to pay her way. What was she thinking?
When Sawyer came over for dinner, he asked her about her day, and she told him about the clothes. “I’m going to repay him,” Tess said. “I can’t accept such expensive gifts.”
“Richard has money to burn,” Sawyer said. “I wouldn’t be concerned about it.”
Tess let it go, but had not resolved it in her mind. Even if Richard had money to burn, she didn’t want to feel obligated to him. She would pay Richard back.
Sawyer didn’t stay long after dinner because he had to check on the colt, and she felt a little lonely after he left. She told herself that she didn’t need a man to complete herself. There still seemed to be something missing when she tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together with Sawyer. He was saying and doing all the right things, but there didn’t seem to be a genuine connection between them. By now, she thought they should plan for the future, but Sawyer never mentioned the future.
Richard had brought her flowers, but Sawyer had never given her flowers or any gifts. She wondered if Mennonites ever did things like that. She told herself it was a trivial thing. Sawyer had knocked himself out working on Nettle Rose and was helping her with the repairs on the log cabin. She knew that he cared for her deeply; she could tell by the way he looked at her. And when it came to romance, Sawyer knew all the right moves though they’d never had sex.
Still, something seemed to be missing with him. Tess had never had an intimate relationship and didn’t know what she was supposed to feel. She’d tried comparing Richard with Sawyer, but they both had so many exceptional attributes that she gave it up. She wondered if the fireworks she felt with Richard were yet to come with Sawyer. Richard made her feel safe. Deep down, Tess knew Richard was a powerful man who could make things happen.