making the biggest mistake of my life?
I know I should walk away from this situation, but I can’t.
I want to see him again.
The clerk’s voice rose and broke into her thoughts. “Mrs. Rockport. I didn’t know you were coming in today. I’ d close the boutique for you now, but I have a woman in the back trying on some dresses.”
An older woman’s voice answered curtly , “As long as she’s not some simpering, preening fool I’m sure I’ll be able to overlook her presence.”
“Yes, Mrs. Rockport. Yvonne isn’t here today. Are you looking for something off the rack?”
“ If she were here I would already have a glass of champagne in my hand. Not that she carries the good stuff, but it’s the courtesy that matters.” After a brief pause, the older woman said, “What are you waiting for? Go get one.”
Crotchety old bitch.
Julia admonished herself for the thought. Money doesn’t make people happy. She’s probably miserable and lonely. Why else would she come to the shop alone when someone like her could have whatever she wanted delivered?
Turning her attention back to the mirror, Julia held her hair up and studied it from the side. No, I’ll feel like I’m going to prom. Simple is better. She sternly looked at herself in the mirror again. Not that I’m going. She let her hair drop, then brought her hands up to undo the zipper, but it was caught.
Oh , great.
She tried again without success.
Maybe I can get it over my head without unzipping it.
The material fit her too snuggly.
In resignation she opened the dressing-room door and stepped out. Giving in to an inner impish impulse, she walked over to the older woman, who had maintained her health into what looked like her late seventies. She stopped in front of her, turned, and spoke over her shoulder to her. “Do you mind unzipping me?”
The woman’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
Kill them with kindness. That was her father’s motto—and honestly, sometimes it was fun to do. She pretended not to understand that the older woman found the request distasteful. “The zipper is stuck. Could you give it a little pull?”
“Do I look like I work her e?” the woman asked in a tone a queen might use in the presence of one of her filthiest subjects.
Then a bit of her no -nonsense mother came out. Turning around to face the woman, Julia said bluntly, “No. I’ve found the people who work here to be quite pleasant.”
“ Unbelievable. They will let anyone shop here now, won’t they? I’ve never, in all of my life, met anyone so without class.”
With a sweet smile, Julia said, “I have. I heard you talk ing to the clerk. You know what? I don’t care how much money you have, you shouldn’t treat people that way. She probably makes just over minimum wage plus commission, so she has to kiss your ass, but I don’t. You weren’t nice to her, but you should have been. I feel sorry for you if you can’t see that.”
A slow red spread up the woman’s face. She opened her mouth, then closed it with a snap.
The clerk returned and , with a shaking hand, handed a glass to the older woman, who accepted it and said, “Thank you.” A show of manners that seemed to surprise the clerk. Then she said, “You may want to help this young lady out of her dress. She’s trapped.”
The clerk said in a rush, “It’ll only take a moment.”
With an expression Julia couldn’t decipher, the older woman said, “Take your time.”
Julia returned to the dressing room, followed by the young clerk. Once inside, the woman made quick work of untangling the material that had wedged inside the zipper. Then she met Julia’s eyes in the mirror and said, “I heard what you said to her. You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to tell her off, but I need this job.”
“My father always says that people treat others the way they feel on the insi de. She can’t be a happy woman.”
From across the floor, Mrs. Rockport said, “Until just now I
I know I should walk away from this situation, but I can’t.
I want to see him again.
The clerk’s voice rose and broke into her thoughts. “Mrs. Rockport. I didn’t know you were coming in today. I’ d close the boutique for you now, but I have a woman in the back trying on some dresses.”
An older woman’s voice answered curtly , “As long as she’s not some simpering, preening fool I’m sure I’ll be able to overlook her presence.”
“Yes, Mrs. Rockport. Yvonne isn’t here today. Are you looking for something off the rack?”
“ If she were here I would already have a glass of champagne in my hand. Not that she carries the good stuff, but it’s the courtesy that matters.” After a brief pause, the older woman said, “What are you waiting for? Go get one.”
Crotchety old bitch.
Julia admonished herself for the thought. Money doesn’t make people happy. She’s probably miserable and lonely. Why else would she come to the shop alone when someone like her could have whatever she wanted delivered?
Turning her attention back to the mirror, Julia held her hair up and studied it from the side. No, I’ll feel like I’m going to prom. Simple is better. She sternly looked at herself in the mirror again. Not that I’m going. She let her hair drop, then brought her hands up to undo the zipper, but it was caught.
Oh , great.
She tried again without success.
Maybe I can get it over my head without unzipping it.
The material fit her too snuggly.
In resignation she opened the dressing-room door and stepped out. Giving in to an inner impish impulse, she walked over to the older woman, who had maintained her health into what looked like her late seventies. She stopped in front of her, turned, and spoke over her shoulder to her. “Do you mind unzipping me?”
The woman’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
Kill them with kindness. That was her father’s motto—and honestly, sometimes it was fun to do. She pretended not to understand that the older woman found the request distasteful. “The zipper is stuck. Could you give it a little pull?”
“Do I look like I work her e?” the woman asked in a tone a queen might use in the presence of one of her filthiest subjects.
Then a bit of her no -nonsense mother came out. Turning around to face the woman, Julia said bluntly, “No. I’ve found the people who work here to be quite pleasant.”
“ Unbelievable. They will let anyone shop here now, won’t they? I’ve never, in all of my life, met anyone so without class.”
With a sweet smile, Julia said, “I have. I heard you talk ing to the clerk. You know what? I don’t care how much money you have, you shouldn’t treat people that way. She probably makes just over minimum wage plus commission, so she has to kiss your ass, but I don’t. You weren’t nice to her, but you should have been. I feel sorry for you if you can’t see that.”
A slow red spread up the woman’s face. She opened her mouth, then closed it with a snap.
The clerk returned and , with a shaking hand, handed a glass to the older woman, who accepted it and said, “Thank you.” A show of manners that seemed to surprise the clerk. Then she said, “You may want to help this young lady out of her dress. She’s trapped.”
The clerk said in a rush, “It’ll only take a moment.”
With an expression Julia couldn’t decipher, the older woman said, “Take your time.”
Julia returned to the dressing room, followed by the young clerk. Once inside, the woman made quick work of untangling the material that had wedged inside the zipper. Then she met Julia’s eyes in the mirror and said, “I heard what you said to her. You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to tell her off, but I need this job.”
“My father always says that people treat others the way they feel on the insi de. She can’t be a happy woman.”
From across the floor, Mrs. Rockport said, “Until just now I
Similar Books
