The Personal Shopper
Page 1
Prologue
Six Years Ago
Ava
I reach for another glass of champagne off of the waiter’s tray walking by me. Dad took my last glass away. He pretends that he cares if I drink at these events since I am only 19, but really he knows I will just go grab another glass. Hey, if they can drink at 19 in Canada, why can’t I drink here?
I sip my champagne, and my eyes scan around the party. Oh great...Jeff is here. I try to walk away before he sees me but no such luck. Our eyes catch eachother's, so I can't pretend I didn't see him. He walks up to me.
“Ava, hey good to see you.” I smile back at him.
“Good to see you too. I was actually just heading into the house to help my dad with some of the catering items.
We can catch up later though, yeah?” I really hope I don’t see him later.
My dad and Jeff’s parents have been friends forever. They both seem to think we are going to end up married with kids someday. Unfortunately for me, Jeff seems to buy into the idea. I don’t know how many times I can politely blow him off again before I seriously lose it on the guy. Like take a hint. I am not into you, but I can’t make things awkward between us. We are together all the time at events like this, so I just play friendly.
There’s nothing exactly wrong with Jeff. He’s three years older than me and already working at his dad’s company, which works closely along with my own dad’s company. Another reason I have to remain friendly with Jeff. We will most likely be working together in the future.
I took a year off of school after highschool to intern at my dad’s company. I moved around from department to department to try to see what I like best before I start college this fall. There were a few areas I felt comfortable in, but my favorite was public relations. There is something so satisfying about being able to create whatever image you want for yourself to present to the
public.
I decided to double major in PR and fashion this coming fall. Public relations for obvious reasons and fashion because I love it. Although it is not necessary for most PR resumes, I think fashion is going to give us that extra edge. I mean how am I supposed to present our company correctly if we are not looking the part.
My mom always told me I had a knack for knowing what outfits and accessories go good with certain people. I can just tell by their body type and facial structure what will look good on the person. I would always help my mom and her friends with picking out their outfits for charity events and work functions. It is one of my favorite memories I have with my mom.
“You need any help?” Jeff pulls me from my thoughts.
I look back at him for a moment. I don’t actually have to help with anything with the caterers, so I have to try to ditch him somehow without him finding out.
“Oh, there you are!” My aunt Becca saves me before I have to answer Jeff. She walks up to us.
“I was just looking for you to see if you could help me with something inside." She turns to Jeff. "Hi Jeff, nice to see you. Think you could go give Doug a hand with those tables over there. They are trying to create more space on the back patio.”
Jeff nods. “Sure. Good to see you see both.”
Jeff walks away to help my uncle Doug with the tables, and I turn to my aunt. “What do you need help with?”
She just laughs. “Oh nothing. I just came to rescue you from having to talk to Jeff.”
We both laugh, and I hug her. “You are a lifesaver.”
My aunt Becca has always known I am not interested in Jeff. Mainly because I constantly am telling my dad and uncle at family dinners that I am not interested after every time they try to get us to hang out.
Becca never tried to push me towards him. She always encouraged me to do things that were good for me and not just good for the family. She’s pretty much my best friend and has been like a mom to me after my own passed when I was sixteen.
My aunt Becca smiles at me. “You know I’ll always support you, but have you seen Jeff lately? He really has grown into that body of his.” She looks over toward Jeff walking away, and runs her eyes up and down him dramatically.