Next came designer shoes. Silk scarves. A limited-edition evening bag that hadn’t even been placed on public display. Whenever an employee hesitated, Rita repeated the same line.

“My daughter-in-law is paying. She’ll be here in a few minutes.”

Watching his mother command the boutique, Gordon decided he was owed a spree of his own. He wandered into men’s accessories and stopped in front of a case of luxury watches.

“Let me see those two.” He tried each one on, admiring his reflection as he turned his wrist under the lights, then chose two limited-edition chronographs and asked for the bracelets to be adjusted immediately.

After that he added imported leather shoes and a matching belt, and told the associate to combine everything with Rita’s purchases. Since neither of them expected to pay, price tags had become meaningless.

To them, every item felt free.