Renee thought about the few pieces of clothing she had seen in Addie Sutton’s closet.
The girl really did need new clothes.
"Of course," Zachary Conway’s voice held a hint of a smile. "One outfit isn’t enough. Buy several."
Hilary chimed in, "Right, get several. I want to buy her some, too."
"Thank you, Zeke and Hilary," Addie Sutton said earnestly. "Once I get a part-time job and get paid, I’ll buy presents for all of you."
"Alright." Renee’s lips curved into a slight smile. "We’ll look forward to it."
The group took Addie Sutton to pick out clothes at a fast-fashion store.
As Renee helped pick out clothes, her phone suddenly rang.
It was Rhea Dempsey.
Renee answered with a grin. "Rae, did you miss me?"
Rhea’s amused voice came through the phone. "I’m doing fine. It’s Zane and Jasmine who miss you."
"Oh, really?" Renee laughed. "Put them on, then."
Rhea replied, "I’ve got you on speaker. You can just talk."
Renee raised an eyebrow, her voice softening. "Zane, Jasmine, your auntie misses you two very much. How about some cupcakes? I can have some sent over."
"Auntie, I saw the weather forecast! It said there’s going to be a typhoon in Lyris, with a huge storm!" Zane’s young but serious voice piped up.
"That’s right, Auntie! You have to find a safe place to hide," Jasmine added worriedly. "I heard typhoons are really dangerous. They can blow people away and even knock down big trees!"
Their sweet, childish voices, soft as milk and honey, filled her with a fuzzy warmth. A smile spread across Renee’s face. "That does sound dangerous."
"It is!" Jasmine’s voice was laced with urgency. "Auntie, have you found a safe place to hide yet?"
Renee said softly, "I have. Your auntie is in a very safe place right now. You don’t need to worry."
The two little ones breathed a sigh of relief at her words.
"That’s good!"
"I’m so relieved!"
Renee chuckled. "Okay, I’m ordering the cupcakes to be sent over now."
Zane and Jasmine were delighted, thanking her in unison, "Thank you, Auntie!"
"You’re welcome. Do you want anything else?"
"The cupcakes are enough!"
"Yeah, Auntie, don’t spend too much money."
Renee was amused and a little exasperated. "Alright, I’m going to order your cupcakes now. I’m hanging up, okay?"
"Stay safe, Auntie. We’ll wait for you to come home."
"Auntie, make sure you hide well! Bye-bye!"
After the two kids were done, Rhea’s voice came back on the line. "So, a typhoon’s hitting. I guess you won’t be able to come back tomorrow?"
Renee replied, "Yeah, we’ll have to stay here for a few more days."
"I wonder if you’ll be back for your dad’s birthday."
"I’ll definitely be back for that."
"Okay, good. Are you busy over there?"
"Not busy. I’m helping a young girl pick out some clothes right now."
"Okay, I’ll let you get back to it."
After hanging up, Renee ordered the cupcakes and scheduled a courier to pick them up.
She thought for a moment and added an order of french fries and other snacks.
Once that was done, Renee went back to watch Addie try on clothes.
"Ms. Jennings," Hilary said, sidling up to her. "I want to get a gift for you and Michelle, too. What would you like?"
"Sure," Renee said with a smile, raising an eyebrow. "I noticed your sunglasses earlier. They’re nice. Could you get me a pair?"
"Of course." Hilary nodded, then asked, "Besides sunglasses, is there anything else you want?"
’After all, the bag Renee had given her cost thousands, while the sunglasses were less than five hundred.’
"Just sunglasses will be great," Renee said. "I happen to need a new pair."
Michelle Fuller sidled over too, grinning. "Did Renee pick sunglasses? Then I want sunglasses too."
Zachary Conway, who had been about to look at some clothes, shuffled over. "Uh... I’d like to get some sunglasses, too."
"Alright!" Hilary clapped her hands. "Then after we buy clothes for Addie, we’ll all go pick out sunglasses."
After shopping, they went out for barbecue.
Hilary paid for the barbecue. Jude Sherman had transferred 10,000 to her, telling her to treat Renee and her friends to food and drinks.