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Not all of us can afford designer suits, you know.
I fought my desire to snap back at him and answered politely. “Sorry. I don’t have anything more professional than this. I’ll have to buy some new outfits.”
There goes my first paycheck.
“You can expense them,” Neil said, as if reading my mind. “Actually, put it on a company card.”
He pulled out a sleek leather wallet from the internal pocket of his suit jacket, and selected one of the many bank cards he possessed.
“Here.” He passed me a platinum Visa card. Then he leaned over to the pad of sticky notes on my desk, jotted down the pin number, and stuck it on the card. “Don’t lose it.”
“I might not have time to go shopping until the weekend.”
“That’s fine. I don’t need that card back right away. Just go shopping when you can.”
“Okay. Thank you. Wait—how much am I allowed to spend?”
“Hmmm. Two grand should cover a couple of nice outfits, shouldn’t it?”
I wondered if I’d misheard. Two… grand?
“Y-yes. That should be more than enough. Are you sure that’s okay?”
“Look, as my secretary, you represent me and the business. You should be well dressed.”
“Yes. You’re right.”
“Make sure you get receipts.”
“I will.” I pulled on my coat. “Good night.”
He didn’t respond. He went back to his office.
Two grand to spend on office attire. Two grand. I didn’t even know where to begin. I had never had so much money to spend on clothes before. Where would I even shop?
Chapter Sixteen
“That comes to two thousand and eighty-nine dollars,” the shop assistant said after scanning the last item of clothing.
I stood there gawping like an idiot. How could those few pieces of clothing add up to so much? Sure, I hadn’t paid attention to the price tags as I shopped, but that’s because I thought there was no way I’d blow my budget.
Stupid me.
I felt self-conscious enough in the store as it was, surrounded by the chic and professional apparel on display while I slouched around in worn jeans, a basic sweatshirt, and well-loved Chucks. Now I had to confess that I couldn’t afford to pay.
The shop assistant looked at me expectantly, but I could see a hint of understanding in her eyes. “Is there a problem?” she asked.
I bit my lip, realising I had to come clean. “Sorry. I’m going to need to put something back. My budget is two thousand.”
The assistant reacted with a kind smile. “Tell you what. Let’s see what I can do for you. I might be able to get you a better discount, knock a bit more off.”
This was an outcome I hadn’t considered. A sense of relief washed over me. “That would be great. Thank you.”
She typed away on the computer. “Right. I should be able to do that for you. I just need to get my supervisor to approve the discount. Back with you in a minute.”
She walked away to confer with another staff member, then both of them returned. The other staff member took control of the computer. An elongated round of typing and furrowed brows ensued. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work out. I started trying to decide which piece of clothing I’d have to let go of. The silk blouse? The pencil skirt? Whatever I removed would limit my outfit options. Maybe I could swap a piece for something cheaper?
“The new total is one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight dollars,” the first assistant said, snapping me from my thoughts.
