Shopaholic Takes Manhattan (Page 30)
- Page 1
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 14
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 15
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 16
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 17
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 18
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 19
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 20
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 21
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 22
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 23
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 24
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 25
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 26
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 27
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 28
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 29
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 30
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 31
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 32
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 33
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 34
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 35
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 36
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 37
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 38
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 39
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 40
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 41
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 42
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 43
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 44
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 45
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 46
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 47
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 48
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 49
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 50
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 51
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 52
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 53
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 54
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 55
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 56
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 57
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 58
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 59
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 60
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 61
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 62
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 63
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 64
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 65
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 66
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 67
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 68
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 69
- Page 69
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 70
- Page 70
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 71
- Page 71
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 72
- Page 72
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 73
- Page 73
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 74
- Page 74
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 75
- Page 75
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 76
- Page 76
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 77
- Page 77
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 78
- Page 78
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 79
- Page 79
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 80
- Page 80
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 81
- Page 81
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 82
- Page 82
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 83
- Page 83
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 84
- Page 84
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 85
- Page 85
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 86
- Page 86
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 87
- Page 87
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 88
- Page 88
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 89
- Page 89
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 90
- Page 90
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 91
- Page 91
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 92
- Page 92
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 93
- Page 93
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 94
- Page 94
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 95
- Page 95
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 96
- Page 96
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 97
- Page 97
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 98
- Page 98
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 99
- Page 99
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 100
- Page 100
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 101
- Page 101
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 102
- Page 102
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 103
- Page 103
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 104
- Page 104
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 105
- Page 105
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 106
- Page 106
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 107
- Page 107
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 108
- Page 108
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 109
- Page 109
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 110
- Page 110
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 111
- Page 111
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 112
- Page 112
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 113
- Page 113
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 114
- Page 114
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 115
- Page 115
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 116
- Page 116
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 117
- Page 117
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 118
- Page 118
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 119
- Page 119
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 120
- Page 120
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 121
- Page 121
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 122
- Page 122
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 123
- Page 123
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 124
- Page 124
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 125
- Page 125
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 126
- Page 126
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 127
- Page 127
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 128
- Page 128
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 129
- Page 129
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 130
- Page 130
- Page 130
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan (Shopaholic #2)(30)
Author: Sophie Kinsella
God, this is really stressful.
“Try my number for my bicycle lock,” suggests Suze. “It’s 435.”
“Suze — I need my number. Not yours.”
“You might have chosen the same! You never know!”
“Please key in—”
“All right!” I yell, and punch in 435.
“I’m sorry,” intones the voice. “This password is invalid.”
“I knew it wouldn’t work!”
“It might have done!” says Suze defensively.
“It should be four digits, anyway,” I say, having a sudden flash of memory. “I had to phone up and register it… and I was standing in the kitchen… and… yes! Yes! I’d just got my new Karen Millen shoes, and I was looking at the price tag… and that was the number I used!”
“How much were they?” says Suze in excitement.
“They were… £120 reduced to… to £84.99!”
“Punch it in! 8499!”
Excitedly I punch in 8499—and to my disbelief, the voice says, “Thank you! You are through to the Endwich Banking Corporation. Endwich — because we care. For debt control, press one. For mortgage arrears, press two. For overdrafts and bank charges, press three. For…’’
“Right! I’m through.” I exhale sharply, feeling a bit like James Bond breaking the code to save the world. “Am I debt control? Or overdrafts and bank charges?”
“Overdrafts and bank charges,” says Suze knowledgeably.
“OK.” I press three and a moment later a cheerful singsong voice greets me.
“Hello! Welcome to the Endwich Central Call Center. I’m Dawna, how can I help you, Miss Bloomwood?’’
“Oh, hi!” I say, taken aback. “Are you real?”
“Yes!” says Dawna, and laughs. “I’m real. Can I help you?”
“Erm… yes. I’m phoning because I need an extension to my overdraft. A few hundred pounds if that’s all right. Or, you know, more, if you’ve got it…”
“I see,” says Dawna pleasantly. “Was there a specific reason? Or just a general need?”
She sounds so nice and friendly, I feel myself start to relax.
“Well, the thing is, I’ve had to invest quite a bit in my career recently, and a few bills have come in, and kind of… taken me by surprise.”
“Oh right,” says Dawna sympathetically.
“I mean, it’s not as if I’m in trouble. It’s just a temporary thing.”
“A temporary thing,” she echoes, and I hear her typing in the background.
“I suppose I have been letting things mount up a bit. But the thing was, I paid everything off! I thought I’d be able to relax for a bit!”
“Oh right.”
“So you understand?” I give a relieved beam to Suze, who offers me thumbs-up in return. This is more like it. Just one quick and easy call, like in the adverts. No nasty letters, no tricky questions…
“I completely understand,” Dawna’s saying. “It happens to us all, doesn’t it?”
“So — can I have the overdraft?” I say joyfully.
“Oh, I’m not authorized to extend your overdraft by more than £50,” says Dawna in surprise. “You’ll have to get in touch with your branch overdraft facilities director. Who is a… let me see… Fulham… a Mr. John Gavin.”
I stare at the phone in dismay.
“But I’ve already written to him!”
“Well, that’s all right, then, isn’t it? Now, is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No,” I say. “No, I don’t think so. Thanks anyway.”
I put down the phone disconsolately.
“Stupid bank. Stupid call center.”
“So are they going to give you the money?” asks Suze.
“I don’t know. It all depends on this John Gavin bloke.” I look up and see Suze’s anxious face. “But I’m sure he’ll say yes,” I add hastily. “He’s just got to review my file. It’ll be fine!”
“I suppose if you just don’t spend anything for a while, you’ll easily get back on track, won’t you?” she says hopefully. “I mean, you’re making loads of money from the telly, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I say after a pause, not liking to tell her that after rent, taxi fares, meals out, and outfits for the show, it doesn’t actually amount to that much.
“And there’s your book, too…”
“My book?”
- Page 1
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 14
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 15
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 16
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 17
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 18
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 19
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 20
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 21
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 22
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 23
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 24
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 25
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 26
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 27
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 28
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 29
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 30
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 31
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 32
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 33
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 34
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 35
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 36
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 37
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 38
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 39
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 40
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 41
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 42
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 43
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 44
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 45
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 46
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 47
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 48
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 49
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 50
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 51
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 52
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 53
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 54
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 55
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 56
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 57
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 58
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 59
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 60
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 61
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 62
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 63
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 64
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 65
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 66
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 67
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 68
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 69
- Page 69
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 70
- Page 70
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 71
- Page 71
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 72
- Page 72
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 73
- Page 73
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 74
- Page 74
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 75
- Page 75
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 76
- Page 76
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 77
- Page 77
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 78
- Page 78
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 79
- Page 79
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 80
- Page 80
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 81
- Page 81
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 82
- Page 82
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 83
- Page 83
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 84
- Page 84
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 85
- Page 85
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 86
- Page 86
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 87
- Page 87
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 88
- Page 88
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 89
- Page 89
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 90
- Page 90
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 91
- Page 91
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 92
- Page 92
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 93
- Page 93
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 94
- Page 94
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 95
- Page 95
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 96
- Page 96
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 97
- Page 97
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 98
- Page 98
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 99
- Page 99
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 100
- Page 100
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 101
- Page 101
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 102
- Page 102
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 103
- Page 103
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 104
- Page 104
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 105
- Page 105
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 106
- Page 106
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 107
- Page 107
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 108
- Page 108
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 109
- Page 109
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 110
- Page 110
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 111
- Page 111
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 112
- Page 112
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 113
- Page 113
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 114
- Page 114
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 115
- Page 115
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 116
- Page 116
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 117
- Page 117
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 118
- Page 118
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 119
- Page 119
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 120
- Page 120
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 121
- Page 121
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 122
- Page 122
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 123
- Page 123
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 124
- Page 124
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 125
- Page 125
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 126
- Page 126
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 127
- Page 127
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 128
- Page 128
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 129
- Page 129
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 130
- Page 130
- Page 130