Shopping With the Enemy Read Online Free PDF

the fashion business.’
    ‘What? And working for a fashion label won’t?’ Lana protested. ‘Where is this course?’
    ‘Look, I don’t want to get into all the details now, this isn’t the right place to—’
    ‘Where?’ Lana repeated, her eyes narrowing.
    ‘Dagenham Tech—’
    Annie wasn’t allowed to finish the sentence.
    ‘WHAT! Dagenham? I’ve never been to Dagenham and I’ve no intention of ever going!’
    ‘Oh be quiet, Lana, I’m sure there are lots of nice things about Dagenham … and anyway, the course is perfect. No other college has anything like it: retail fashion and business – it’s totally suited to you.’
    ‘Mum! Who, just who in their right mind would give up a job in New York for a course in Dagenham? No one!’ Lana stormed, hands on her hips, ‘Not one single person on the face of the planet. This is my life, Mum, can you please stop trying to completely ruin it?’
    ‘Lana!’ Annie felt properly rattled now, ‘how can you say that? I would never try to ruin your life, I’m just trying to help. Look, we are not going to talk about this now.’
    She glanced around the changing rooms, but apart from Paula, there was thankfully no one else within earshot.
    ‘Not going to Dagenham,’ Lana said firmly, ‘not ever. Right, let’s see this jacket you’ve found for me then.’
    It sounded like a challenge.
    Annie had been hiding the cobalt blue with its silky sleeves and shiny gold zips out of sight, but now she brought it forward with a flourish.
    ‘Da-nah! Isn’t that adorable?’ she enthused, trying to lighten the mood, ‘The perfect shade of blue for you and your beautiful eyes.’
    ‘Muuuuuuum!’
    Lana’s brows scrunched together in a frown: ‘That is hideous! Even some disco diva from the 1970s would think that was totally lame!’
    Oh.
    Annie tried to swallow her disappointment.
    ‘Mum, what is going on with you? You always had such amazing taste.’
    Annie didn’t like the sound of this. There was a nasty, critical feeling in the air. Lana had one hand on her hip and a look on her face.
    ‘You used to have such brilliant style,’ Lana went on.
    Used to?
Annie’s stomach clenched.
    ‘And you were really arty and creative and just had a knack for putting things together …’
    ‘Oh!’ Annie couldn’t help gasping out loud.
    ‘What is going on? You just don’t look as together as you used to.’
    The concern in Lana’s voice, mixed in with the criticism, made Annie really upset. She held her breath. This was horrible. Why was Lana doing this? Well, that was obvious: because Annie was pulling the plug on New York and bringing her daughter home.
    ‘Maybe you need a change of scene, Mum. Maybe I’m the one who should be making you over.’
    ‘Just get changed,’ Annie snapped and swished the curtain closed on her daughter.
    ‘Fine!’
    Rooted to the spot, her pride seriously dented, Annie felt a lump in her throat and drew her lips tight into an unhappy line. She turned to Paula, who was trying to back tactfully out of the changing area, and shrugged helplessly.
    Paula gave her a sympathetic smile and Annie felt her lump grow even bigger.
    ‘It’s a tricky age,’ Paula whispered. ‘What about knitted shorts? We have some Missoni, they are going down a storm?’
    ‘I don’t know,’ Annie whispered. So Paula came over and put one of her endlessly long arms over Annie’s shoulder.
    ‘A tricky age,’ Annie repeated and swallowed.
    Paula walked Annie away from the pink velvet curtain and added, ‘I know I was a complete nightmare for my mum when I was her age.’
    ‘Right …’
    Annie wasn’t sure if this was helping. She looked up and caught her reflection in the huge mirror in the heart of The Store’s changing suite. She’d stood here so many times in the past admiring, tweaking and perfecting the lovely new outfits she’d cooked up for her thousands of happy customers.
    It didn’t exactly help that Annie was standing next to Paula – a