Shopping With the Enemy Read Online Free Page B

reached over to shake her hand, Lana tried to remember that she had just ended a bad relationship with a cool cat New York guy and had promised herself time to get over it, but it wasn’t much use. As Parker’s eyes met hers, she felt the undeniable sizzle of attraction.
    Here was yet another reason why she
had
to stay in New York.

Chapter Four
    London
    Lana shopping with Mother:
    Red silk jumpsuit (Banana Republic sale)
    Cropped white leather jacket (on loan from Elena)
    Orange peep-toed heels (Primark)
    Skull pendant (last bad boyfriend)
    White plastic sunglasses (Topshop)
    Severely cropped fringe (did-it-herself)
    Total est. cost: £105
    ‘NO – NOT WORKING.’
    Lana’s hand shot out from behind the pink velvet curtain holding an exquisite silver satin dress.
    ‘I don’t like these either,’ she added as a pair of lacy lilac leggings appeared over the top of the curtain.
    ‘OK. Right, well, I’ll see what else I can find,’ Annie said, her enthusiasm wilting. It felt as if Lana had already tried on every outfit in the entire shop and she still wasn’t happy.
    And in The Store too! Did Lana really have to have a great big, stroppy, fashion identity crisis right in the middle of the achingly chic department store where Annie had worked as a personal shopper for years?
    Less than an hour ago, Annie had swept in through the doors of The Store in a blaze of glory. She’d greeted, smiled and air-kissed her way through the perfume hall and handbag department and all the way up to the second floor.
    ‘Hello! How are you doing, sweetheart?’
    ‘Back to see us again, superstar!’
    ‘Oooh look at your girl, she’s so grown up and gorgeous.’
    It had been music to Annie’s ears. She loved to come back to The Store and she’d so looked forward to bringing Lana here. Annie had been waiting for this day for weeks. To be in The Store, shopping with Lana, who’d come all the way over from New York and was looking so fashion and so totally grown up. It was supposed to be a perfect day.
    Once upon a time, Annie had been The Store’s number one personal shopper, who had guided customers through this elegant white and glass slice of fashionista heaven teaching them Miu Miu from Moschino and Calvin from Cavalli. Her client list had ranged from Persian princesses who lived for Chanel to new mums in search of the outfit which could lift them from frazzle to dazzle.
    Now that her day job involved doing client makeovers on TV, she still held to the belief that everyone deserves to dress beautifully because a gorgeous outfit makes life just that little bit better.
    She’d helped so many people find their dream outfit, their brand new look, their ‘wow is that really me in the mirror?’ moment, so why could she not work her magic on her own lovely daughter?
    ‘What are you ideally looking for?’ Annie ventured.
    ‘I need a jacket, for summer,’ Lana replied, ‘something cool but girlie, just not too … you know?’
    ‘Right.’
    Annie squared her shoulders and took a calming breath. She was prepared to go out there on to the shop floor once again to search high and low for exactly the right jacket. But she felt well and truly despondent now. In all honesty, she was out of tune with Lana’s new look.
    Two days ago, Lana had burst through the arrivals gate at Gatwick airport looking as if she’d got five years older in the space of three months. She was thinner, taller, paler. The slightly gothy teenage thing had gone, to be replaced with something much more angular.
    Annie would once have known exactly what to buy Lana: jeans, trainers, chiffon blouses, ruffled miniskirts and distressed leathers. Darkest hair and kohl-rimmed eyes, those had completed the Lana vibe.
    But the glamorous girl who’d rushed up to her, arms wide, at Gatwick … well, Annie had done a double-take. This girl had caramel streaks through her hair, a severely short fringe, pale make-up, heels, a pencil skirt and a Markus Lupfer sweater with a