Philip shrugged and rolled his eyes at James, as if to say, “Women.”
James took the opportunity to introduce himself. “I’ve seen you before,” Lola said. “Yes,” James said. “I live in One Fifth, too. I’m a writer.”
“Everyone’s a writer in One Fifth,” she said with a dismissive arrogance that made James laugh.
“We should be going,” Philip said.
“But we didn’t buy anything,” she protested.
“‘We,’” Philip said to James. “Notice that? Why is shopping with women always a group sport?”
“I don’t know,” James said. He glanced over at Lola, wondering how one managed to get a girl like that. She was saucy. He liked the way she stood up to the great Philip Oakland and wondered how Philip felt about it.
“Men never know what to buy on their own,” she replied. “My mother let my father go shopping once, and he came back with an acrylic striped sweater. She said, ‘Never again.’ What do you write?” she asked James, not missing a beat.
“Novels,” James said. “I have a book coming out in February.” He was pleased to be able to deliver this information in front of Philip. Take that, he thought.
“We have the same publisher,” Philip said, perhaps, James thought, finally figuring out who he was. “What’s your print run?”
“Don’t know,” James said. “But we’ve got two hundred thousand copies going out to iStores in the first week.”
Philip looked suitably bothered. “Interesting,” he said.
“It is,” James said. “I’m told it’s the future of publishing.”
Lola was suddenly
bored. “If we’re not buying anything here, can we please go to Prada?”
“Sure,” Philip said. “See you around,” he said to James.
“Right,” James said.
As they walked away, Lola turned back to James. “You should buy that jacket. It looks great.”
“I will,” James said.
James paid for the jacket. As the salesman was putting it into a garment bag, James had an inspiration. “Don’t bother,” he said. “I’m going to wear it home.”
That afternoon, Norine Norton, the stylist, came to Annalisa’s apartment for their third appointment. Norine, with her hair extensions and her subtle facial work and seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the latest bag, shoe, designer, fortune-teller, trainer, and cosmetic procedure, made Annalisa uncomfortable. Her nickname, she informed Annalisa during their first meeting, was “the Energizer Bunny”—an energy that, Annalisa suspected, might be drug-induced. Norine never stopped talking; no matter how often Annalisa tried to remind herself that Norine was a woman, an actual human being, Norine always managed to convince her otherwise.
“I have something you’ll die for,” Norine said. She snapped her fingers and pointed to her assistant, Julee. “The gold lamé, please.”
“The golf outfit?” Julee asked. She was a frail girl with spindly blond hair and the fearful eyes of a rabbit.
“Yes,” Norine said with faux patience. With her assistant, Norine appeared to be on the edge of snapping at any moment. But when she turned back to Annalisa, it was with all the solicitude of a merchant presenting his wares to a grand lady.
Julee held up a clear plastic hanger from which hung a tiny gold top and matching miniskirt.
Annalisa regarded the garment with dismay. “I don’t think Paul will like that.”
“Listen, sweetie,” Norine said. She sat down on the edge of the four-poster bed with the pleated silk canopy that had recently arrived from France, and patted the place next to her. “We need to talk.”
“Do we?” Annalisa asked. She didn’t want to sit next to Norine; nor did she want one of Norine’s lectures. So far, she had forced herself to tolerate them, but she wasn’t in the mood today.
Annalisa looked from Norine to Julee, who was still standing there, holding up the hanger like one of those girls on a game show. Her arm had to be tired. Annalisa felt bad for her. “Fine,” she said, and went into the bathroom to try it on.
“You’re so shy,” Norine called after her.