Chapter 52

The moment Isabelle and Ethan entered the shop, what greeted them was the snoring of a person. 

They shared a look and walked deeper into the store packed with all sorts of fabrics. 

The layout of the shop was not as organized and spacious like those high-end shops they had gone to. It was rather small actually. However, the number of bolts available could compete with those stores.

As Isabelle looked around, she saw quite a few fabrics she liked. Though, they first needed a person to attend them. 

The shop's counter was at the very back. A woman was sprawled all over it, sleeping. The snores were coming from her. Isabelle cleared her throat, yet the woman remained unresponsive. She tried knocking on the counter, and nothing.

The woman seemed dead to the world. 

"Excuse me." Isabelle tried again. The woman stopped snoring, but didn't wake up. "Excuse me!" Isabelle yelled and slapped on the counter, startling not only the sleeping woman but Ethan too as he never thought she would be so loud in the otherwise silent shop. 

"What! What's going on?!" The woman, who looked rather young, looked around alarmed. "You!" She pointed at Ethan who wanted to hide after recognizing who the woman was.

Isabelle looked between the two and expected for sordid scene to unfold in front of her.

"Gosh, I thought I would never see you again." Yeah, it was getting worse. 

"Uh… well, things happened..." Ethan didn't want to be there, in that situation. He didn't even dare to look at Isabelle. 

"Sure did!" Totally unaware of the other person in the shop, she kept talking. "My Mom keeps scolding my sister for leaving you. 'Such a hardworking man'… 'Ain't we all poor, what's the matter with him being poor?' She keeps saying. Is there any chance you'd like to start over with her?"

"I… that's impossible." Ethan tried to inadvertentedly tell the woman to stop talking because they were not alone. 

His efforts were ignored. "Why?! My sister sure was spoiled; that's why she was scared of your conditions, but Mom's been teaching her how to be more humble! Give her another chance!"

"I'm marrying soon, Ginna. That's why I cannot see your sister anymore." Ethan finally revealed.

Only then, the woman, Ginna, noticed the other person in the shop. A very curvaceous woman stood at the side, inspecting a few bolts of wool fabric. 

"Is it her?" Ginna pointed at Isabelle. Ethan nodded. She pursed her lips and eyed Isabelle from top to bottom. 

She had more assets than her sister, probably because she was fat. However, she was willing to marry a poor man unlike of her sister. And, seemed like a calm person while her sister liked to complain and whine around, or maybe this woman was just dumb.

But, Ginna didn't want to give up… 

"You said you loved her." She accusingly looked at Ethan.

"How much is the yard of Poplin?" Isabelle interjected in their conversation, having had enough.

"Pop-what?" Ginna blinked.

"This fabric." Isabelle said, patting the bolt. "How much the yard?" She looked at Ginna with unperturbed eyes, as if she was a mere customer and not the partner of the man she had been asking to return with her sister. 

"Oh, the cotton fabric! That's 6 dimes the yard. Cotton isn't new despite the rage the sheets recently had." Ginna explained. 

"Cotton is not new, yet the way it was weaved is. So, in fact, the fabric those sheets are made with is new. Poplin, on the other hand, is a very common fabric to make clothes. It is very light and comes in different colors. 6 dimes is a good price."

At least compared to the 1 coin or higher the other shops were selling it at. And, the quality of the fabric she was touching was good. 

Ginna and Ethan were completely lost by her words.

To Ethan, fabrics was not something he was knowledgeable about, so he had no idea about cotton, poplin or what-not.

Ginna was a bit worse because she was supposed to know about the type of fabrics she was selling. However, she was only a recently-hired employee.

"Give me three yards of this color, three of this one… Two of this and another two of this… six yards of this one and two of this, please." Isabelle pointed at six different bolts. She hoped they were enough for what she was planning. 

Ginna remained stumped for a few seconds before reacting. "Oh, yes!" She put herself to work while Isabelle kept looking around the shop for any other fabric that got her attention.

Ethan didn't know what to do: if explain at that moment what just happened or when they were out. For one, he didn't want Isabelle to misunderstand any longer, yet he also thought it was not the time to speak. 

Isabelle took away his chance to speak. "How much for the Gauze?"

Ginna balked. "Uh.. That's..." She looked around, not sure if she should keep cutting the fabric or take a look at the new fabric. She even had the quick thought that the woman was doing it on purpose. 

"It is cotton." Isabelle replied placidly, not even looking at Ginna.

"I know that!" Ginna hissed. Though that was a lie, she had no idea what gauze was made of. Luckily, she had good memory and remembered the prices of the bolts according to the place they were at. "That one is 4 dimes the yard." 

Isabelle hummed. "Two yards of this color and another two of this." 

"Is that all?" Ginna asked, a bit annoyed. 

Isabelle finally turned to look at the employee and smiled. "Yes. That would be all." Ginna nodded and resumed her work. Just when she was done with half of the Poplin fabric order, Isabelle spoke up again. "On second thought..." Ginna gritted her teeth. "Do you have thick and resistant fabrics?"

"That way." Ginna pointed to a corner of the shop, not giving a specific direction. She just wanted Isabelle away.

Isabelle didn't mind Ginna's curt reply and headed to the corner. Ethan thought it was as good as an opportunity to talk with Isabelle. 

He softly approached her busy figure – she was really looking at the fabrics – and placed his hands on her shoulders. He felt her tense up, betraying her anger. He had to thread the conversation carefully.

Although there was a promise of marriage recently made, he would understand it if she backed off at any moment after the conversation with Ginna. 

"I said it out of desperation." He began in a soft voice.

"What?" Although tense, she didn't do anything to throw away his hands. That gave him hope.

"That I loved 'er. It happened last year. We only saw each other a few times. She kept askin' me for gifts, and I gave them to her. Once, she said: 'If ya tell me you love me, I'll marry you'. I did. I said it 'cuz I was in desperate need of a wife. I took 'er home and she left." He summarized his last failed relationship.

"Am I another desperate move?" She turned to piercingly look at him. Ethan looked back to make sure Ginna was not looking or hearing their conversation. That only made Isabelle grab his jaw and turn his head back to her. "She does not matter. Answer me."

He grabbed the hand that held his jaw and kissed it. "You're not. I'll be damned if you're a desperate move. You're more than I ever hoped for." He slowly leaned down, asking for a kiss.

He was giving her the chance to back off or to accept it.

His stomach dropped when she put a finger on his lips, stopping his advances. 

"I know I am not your first lover. There is nothing I can do to change your past with them. However, I would like for none of them to come back and ruin our present. Am I clear?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Very clear." Ethan nodded. He would make sure of it. His sincerity earned him a peck on the lips. He wanted to deepen the kiss, yet the approaching steps of Ginna made the two separate. 

Sure enough, the woman appeared the next second. "Your fabrics have been cut." She seemed to have calmed down and acted more professionally. 

"Thanks. How much would that be?" Isabelle asked naturally. As if the two hadn't been arguing moments ago. 

"12 coins and 4 dimes." Ginna was inwardly conflicted.

She knew her sister used to ask gifts out of Ethan that were a bit expensive. She didn't even stop after he had hinted that the finances in his home were tight. 2 coins were a lot to him, according to what her sister told her.

12 coins though…

Unaware of Ginna's thoughts, Isabelle took out her purse and counted 3 coins to add to the bill she was given by Mrs. Priddy. The 10 coins for the tassels work. "How much is the yard of this Broadcloth?"

"7 dimes." Ginna replied. 

"Three yards of this one then." Isabelle took out all the remaining coins and gave them to Ginna.

Ginna felt as if the money burned her hand. Was this all of Ethan's savings? She even had the heart to not accept them. She eyed him and saw him not reacting to what was happening. 

He's too good, Ginna thought. 

"Right away." Ginna dully replied. She cut the three yards, put it together with the rest, and grabbed 5 dimes as the change.

She gloomily saw Ethan pack the fabric in the basket he carried. He was not only paying for the fabric, he was even acting as a mule for her!

"Here." Isabelle gave the 5 dimes of change to Ethan, who looked at her puzzled. "Let us buy some candies to Felix." She smiled. How dare she decide what to with his money?! Ginna inwardly fumed. 

"Are you sure? You can save it. It's yer money." Ethan said, making Ginna's wild thoughts halt. 

"Because it is my money I can decide how to use it." Isabelle replied, gesturing at Ethan to lead the way. "Thank you. I will make sure to patronage this store." She said to Ginna who was standing stunned behind the counter.

All her rage-induced thoughts were properly and coldly doused by their conversation. 

She didn't even react when the two left.