Unbreak My Heart (Childhood Sweethearts Reunited) by Helen Scott Taylor

leather with potted palms in recessed nooks beside the mirrors, and fresh flowers at the checkout points. In comparison, Kate felt like a wilted daisy.
    A slender sales assistant in a cream suit and five-inch heels came to greet them. "Good afternoon, my name is Melissa and I will be your fashion advisor today." She gave Kate a cursory glance and obviously decided she wouldn't be paying the bill. She turned her smile on Andre. "How may I help you, sir?"
    Leaving Andre to deal with the fashion advisor, Kate parked the stroller and wandered along the racks of clothes. Few outfits were to her taste and everything was bound to cost a fortune. She touched her sleek hair and stifled a sigh. Her mum and dad had always been unusual; they'd lived in a commune in India before she was born. Kate had adopted her mother's fashion sense and that hadn't made life easy. When she started school, she realized how different she was from other children. Her mum said people got too hung up on unimportant stuff like clothes and hairstyles; what mattered was the person inside.
    Back then, Andre hadn't cared how Kate dressed, but life happened, people changed. She shouldn't judge him on his opinions when he'd had so much responsibility dumped on him so young. But she couldn't help being disappointed.
    Kate dipped her hand in her skirt pocket and found a sherbet lemon. A sugar infusion was just what she needed to make her feel better. She popped the sweet in her mouth and looked up to find Andre frowning at her over the fashion advisor's head. Feeling rebellious, she pulled a face that used to make him laugh. He gave her one of his looks, but she could see a glint of amusement in his eyes.
    Kate searched the rack of clothes and found an emerald dress she might just consider wearing. She turned the label over to check the price and the candy nearly dropped out of her mouth.
    Andre came up behind her, placed his hand on her back, and whispered, "What on earth are you doing? You shouldn't eat in here. They'll throw us out if they catch you."
    "Nobody saw me."
    "I saw you."
    "Are you going to tell on me?"
    "Don't be daft."
    "Well, stop making a fuss. Look at the price of this." Kate turned over the tag on the green dress. "The stock in this shop's probably worth more than the Caspian."
    "I am au fait with the prices," he said irritably. "Just hurry up and find something to wear to the Delacroix's party so we can get out of here. Shopping gives me a headache."
    "What happened to the fashion advisor?"
    "I told her you'd rather choose your own dress."
    "That's a relief. Thanks." At least Andre hadn't gone completely over to the dark side.
    He ran his hand along the garments and seemingly at random plucked out a strappy white dress with a hideous gold belt."What about this?"
    "I wouldn't be seen dead in that."
    "Fair enough. I don't like it much, anyway." He hung the garment up and sighed. "Any ideas?"
    "Give me a few minutes." Kate wandered along the racks, smiling to herself. Andre might want her to look the part of his fiancée, but he obviously hadn't a clue what she should wear to achieve that. The realization cheered her up. She found a brightly colored dress decorated with elephants and parrots and held it up triumphantly. "What do you think?"
    "That's beachwear, Kat. Look at the label. Even I know that's not suitable." He walked along the displays and grabbed six dresses. "Hold out your arms." She obeyed with a huff, and he dumped them in her hands. She felt as though she should object on principle and insist on choosing her own, but as she hadn't found anything yet she didn't make a fuss.
    "Pass me that one as well, will you?" She nodded at the green dress she'd seen earlier, and he added it to the heap.
    As she made her way toward the fitting rooms at the back of the store, Andre wheeled Keiko's stroller behind her and parked it near her room. "Come out when you're changed. I want to see how you look," he said.
    She cast him a rebellious glance.