The Brightest Star - Fern Michaels Page 0,34
the rack, she took off her heavy sweater, then slipped the puffer jacket on. It fit her perfectly, loose enough to allow for layers, if needed, yet warm enough to wear with a T-shirt, and according to the label, the jacket would sustain one in temperatures twenty degrees below freezing.
This would be perfect for Charlotte, though she thought the color pretty bland. Then she saw another of the same size in a deep purple. She remembered that Charlotte wore a purple sweater that first day they’d visited the store. Didn’t all teenage girls like purple? If not, she’d make sure Claire was okay with an exchange, just in case. Lauren figured she might as well purchase a set of gloves, along with a matching hat and scarf, because Charlotte would certainly need those, too. Choosing the same purple shade as the jacket but with a mixture of pink and lavender swirls, she thought Charlotte would like them.
Claire appeared from the back of the store. “Looks like you found my newest shipment of outerwear.”
“Yep. Is this something a fifteen-year-old would wear?” she asked as she placed the items on the counter.
“Absolutely. Those puffer jackets never go out of style. Purple is all the rage this season.”
“You would think red or green, but I guess those colors are too bold,” Lauren said.
“For some teens, I suppose so. Is this a gift? I can wrap it if you want.”
“Yes, it’s a gift, sort of, but it doesn’t need to be wrapped. I’ve got a new friend in need of a warmer coat.”
“I can cut the tags off,” Claire added.
“Better leave them, just in case there’s a problem. I’m sure the fit is fine, but not one hundred percent on the color.”
“No worries.” Claire scanned the bar codes, then carefully wrapped each item in white tissue paper. Lauren inserted her debit card in the machine, punched in her PIN, then removed the card as instructed.
“If you might need to exchange this, just keep the receipt,” Claire told Lauren as she handed her a large brown bag with hefty plastic handles.
“Thanks, Claire. I’m sure the recipient won’t have any issues—well, other than possibly the color, and that’s doubtful. She’s in need of a coat that’ll keep these unusually chilly temperatures at bay. I’ll see you at the next Chamber of Commerce meeting?” she asked.
“Count on it, lass.”
Back in the car, Lauren cranked the ignition over, grateful that the car’s engine hadn’t had time to cool. Wickedly cold, she would swear the temperature had dropped at least ten degrees in the fifteen minutes she was inside.
Her next stop, Appalachian Cable, was out of her way if she were going straight home, but close to her preferred grocery store, Harris Teeter, where she would pick up her dad’s cereal and a few other items they would need while she was gone. Again, she located a parking place close to the entrance, though this time, she left the engine running, knowing it was risky, even though Fallen Springs was a relatively safe city. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be, as the weather was deteriorating by the minute. If this winter storm continued, odds were her flight to Seattle would be canceled. In her rush to leave the store, she hadn’t bothered listening to an updated weather report, and her car radio had conked out last summer.
Hurrying inside, she was greeted by a young man wearing khaki slacks, a blue chambray shirt with a navy vest displaying the Appalachian Cable logo, a beige-colored stitching of their namesake’s mountains, along with a name tag that read BRAD. He looked like a Brad. His light brown hair was combed into the latest style, which appeared to require a gallon of hair gel to hold in place. His smile was as white as an actor’s in a toothpaste commercial. “May I help you?” he asked, flashing his blindingly white teeth.
“I’m Lauren Montgomery. I called earlier. I’m picking up cable and Internet boxes.”
“Of course, I spoke with you. Follow me.”
He stepped behind a counter, removed four small white boxes, and placed them in a plastic bag. “Now if you’ll just sign here, I can go over the installation process.” Lauren skimmed the agreement and signed the required papers. She was in a rush and was sure she wasn’t going to be ripped off. She’d had cable service and Internet when she lived in Florida, though she hadn’t installed them herself. Lauren guessed all services were relatively equal. Ten minutes later, she was