Shopaholic to the Stars Read Online Free PDF Page B

head away with Danny, I can’t help wrapping an arm around him.
    ‘Thank you for coming. You’re such a star to do this.’
    ‘I know,’ he says complacently.
    ‘I’m going to miss you when you go to Greenland! Couldn’t you have chosen somewhere nearer?’
    ‘What, some hike in the mountains?’ says Danny dismissively. ‘Some little day trek?’
    ‘Why not? We would still have sponsored you—’
    ‘Becky, you don’t get it.’ Danny gives me a serious look. ‘This is something I have to do. I want to push myself to the limit. I have this great trainer, Diederik, and he’s done the Greenland expedition. He says it’s a mystical experience.
Mystical
.’
    ‘Oh well. Mystical.’ I shrug.
    ‘Who
buys
these clothes?’ Danny seems to have noticed the racks for the first time.
    ‘Er … lots of people. Lots of very fashionable, stylish, um … chic people.’
    ‘Chic?’ He looks at me with a comically appalled face. ‘Chic?’
    ‘Sssh! There’s my boss!’
    We’ve reached the entrance to the Personal Shopping area, where I’ve agreed to meet Gayle, and there she is, looking around anxiously. Maybe she thought I wasn’t going to turn up. She’s a really lovely woman, in her forties – very pretty except her hair’s too long, in my opinion – and I’m looking forward to working with her.
    ‘Hi!’ I wave to attract her attention.
    ‘Rebecca.’ She exhales. ‘I was about to call you. This is very awkward. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry …’
    She’s about to tell me that Danny still hasn’t come through with his reference, isn’t she?
    ‘No, it’s fine,’ I say hastily. ‘He’s here! Danny, this is Gayle, my new boss.’ I nudge him. ‘You can start now.’
    ‘Excuse me?’ Gayle looks baffled.
    ‘This is Danny Kovitz,’ I explain. ‘He’s come here especially to give you my reference! Go on, Danny.’ I nod encouragingly, and Danny draws breath.
    ‘My name is Danny Kovitz – yes,
the
Danny Kovitz – thank you – and I am here today to recommend Rebecca Brandon as a personal shopper without parallel. Where there is disaster she will find style. Where there is blah, she will find a look. Where there is … um—’ He breaks off, pulls a piece of paper out of his jeans pocket and consults it. ‘Yes! Where there is misery she will find happiness. Not just fashion happiness, all-round happiness.’ He takes a step towards Gayle, who looks a bit shell-shocked. ‘You
want
Rebecca Brandon in your store. The last person who tried to fire her faced a backlash from the customers, am I right, Becky?’
    ‘Well.’ I shrug awkwardly, feeling a bit overcome. I had no idea Danny would be so nice about me.
    ‘You may have heard some strange rumours about Rebecca.’ Danny has gone on to his second sheet of paper. ‘Yes, she once deliberately trapped a customer in a dress. But she had a good reason.’ He hits the paper emphatically. ‘Yes, she’s been known to disguise clothes as sanitary products. But she was helping her clients. Yes, she organized two weddings for the same day and didn’t tell anyone, even her fiancé …’ He peers at the sheet.
    ‘Danny, shut up!’ I mutter. Why is he bringing all this up?
    ‘I have no idea why she did that,’ Danny concludes. ‘Let’s ignore that. Let’s focus on the fact that Rebecca is a shining light in any personal shopping department and any store should be glad to have her. Thank you.’ He gives a bow then looks up at Gayle. ‘I’d now be glad to answer any questions, except those about my personal life, my beauty routine and my ongoing lawsuit with my former manager. For those topics I have Q&A sheets.’ He rummages in another pocket and unfolds three lime-coloured sheets of paper, all headed
The Danny Kovitz Story
, which he hands to Gayle.
    Gayle gazes at them in stupefied silence, then raises her eyes to me.
    ‘Rebecca …’ She seems lost for words.
    ‘I didn’t
mean
to organize two weddings,’ I say defensively.