Page 43 of Bright Lights, Big Christmas
Of which Kerry currently had only two hundred dollars, in the form of the AmEx gift card that Gretchen had insisted she accept.
Two women passed her on the sidewalk, their arms laden with shopping bags. They gave her a quick, curious glance, then ducked into the shop.
She was about to enter too, when she caught sight of her reflectionin the shop window. Just standing in the shadow of that mannequin made her feel inadequate. And tacky, and shabby, despite the fact that she’d showered and blown her hair dry earlier at the Kaplans’ apartment and was wearing her best (and only) pair of designer jeans, and the velvet blazer, which she’d felt elegant in—until just this minute.
It was cold on that sidewalk, and a clerk inside the shop was openly staring at her.
The air in the shop was perfumed, the carpet thick, and the ceiling high, with one huge chandelier dripping with crystal baubles. She flipped the tag on a perfectly simple navy sweater and winced. Fifteen hundred dollars, which was more than her first car had cost.
“Hi.” The salesgirl was young, barely twenty, Kerry guessed, with very blond hair pulled back from her face in a severe ponytail. She was dressed in all black. The girl touched the cuff of Kerry’s jacket. “I love this! Is it vintage?”
“Um, yeah,” Kerry said, surprised at the girl’s friendly manner. “At least I think so. I got it at a flea market.”
“I love shopping vintage.” She lowered her voice. “But don’t tell my manager. Now, what can I help you with?”
Kerry felt her anxiety level drop a notch. “I need something… special. But I’m not sure I can afford anything in here.”
The girl studied Kerry, and she felt even smaller and shabbier than when she was outside the shop. This was a mistake. She turned to go.
“Hey,” the girl said. “Don’t leave. I wasn’t judging you. I was just trying to figure out your sign.”
“My sign?”
“You know. Your astrological sign. I’ll bet you’re a Virgo. Am I right?”
Kerry’s jaw dropped. “How did you know?”
“Oh, astrology is my superpower, along with hailing cabs and my flawless ability to shape eyebrows. And I’m a Virgo too, so I can spotone a mile away. I’m Astrid, by the way. We’re logical, practical, perfectionists with an eye for detail. That’s you too, I bet.”
“Guilty,” Kerry admitted. “I’m Kerry and I need something to wear for a dinner date tonight, and I’m panicky because I need to get back to work.”
“Where are you from? I swear I detect a Southern accent.”
“North Carolina.”
“The mountains, not the coast, right?”
“How did you…”
“I’m from Raleigh,” Astrid said. “You don’t meet a lot of Tarheels up here in the city.”
“You don’t have an accent at all,” Kerry said.
“Oh, honey,” Astrid drawled. “I’m an actress. I put it on and take it off as needed, like a pair of Spanx. Now, let’s find you a killer outfit. What were you thinking of spending?”
Kerry felt herself flush. “I’m kind of on a tight budget.”
“How tight a budget?”
“Two hundred,” Kerry whispered. “Impossible, I know…”
Astrid touched the cuff of Kerry’s jacket. “I gotchu, girl.”
She steered Kerry toward the back of the shop. “You’re an eight, right?”
“More like a ten.”
“Wait right here. I’ve been hoarding this one sweater for just the right customer.”
