Audrey stopped in front of him and said, “So, Ivan, how close are you and Lucina? Because she told us you’re her good friend.”

He had her full attention now. She had seen and heard enough for her instincts to kick in.

Ivan flipped the script and told her, “Yeah, and she told me you were both our new friends. So I’m here to check y’all out for myself.”

Chris stopped to listen to him as well.

Audrey said, “Oh, so that’s what you’re doing?”

“I’m not supposed to?” Ivan asked her.

“I mean, I thought that Lucina had already did that.”

Ivan figured the girl was ready to tell him something important.

“Lucina already did what?” he asked. It was his moment of truth to find out what his elusive partner’s game was.

Chris kept her silence and listened to them. She had already observed enough about Ivan. Now she was studying Audrey.

Audrey took a deep breath and said, “I’m just confused right now.”

“Confused about what?” Ivan pressed her.

Finally, Chris spoke up and told her, “You’re thinking too hard. Just have a good time with him. If Lucina says he’s a good friend, then that’s what he is. Show him some respect.”

Audrey looked at her and paused. Then she nodded. “Okay, you’re right.” She turned back to Ivan and said, “I’m sorry.”

A few of the Gucci salesclerks looked on curiously, wondering when they should ask them if they needed any help with anything.

Ivan told both girls, “Let’s walk out and talk for a minute.”

He knew he wasn’t buying anything from the Gucci store. And if neither girl had her own money, there was no sense in teasing them.

They followed him out and realized that Ivan’s priority was making money and not spending it on strangers. He was incredibly poised about it. He didn’t seem pressured by them at all.

Once they were back out in the center of the mall, he asked them, “So, which way do we walk and talk?” as if it made a difference.

Christina answered, “It’s all on you. We’re on your time. And if we’re not really buying anything here, then how long do you want us to look at stuff?”

She had a point. Ivan smiled and said, “Maybe so, but I’m just trying to make sure, you know, that you see everything you came to see.”

Audrey said, “We did. We checked you out, and you checked us out, right? Now we’re all good. And we like you.”

Ivan said, “You like me?”

Audrey nodded and said, “As a businessman.”