Page 22 of As the World Falls

I walk to a different case just as a woman approaches me from the opposite side.

“Hi, is there anything special I can help you shop for today?”

“Oh…Uh...I’m just looking,” I sputter.

“For you or someone else?” she asks.

“Myself, I guess.”

She looks me up and down, her eyes zeroing in on my necklace, and I cover my fingers over it, sure she will pass judgment, but she only smiles up at me. “I see you already have a lovely piece around your neck. How about some earrings?”

“Earrings. Yes, I think earrings could be good.” I’ve never worn earrings a day in my life. My hair was always too big and in the way for me to want to try, but I could pretend today that I would.

I follow her to the left side of the door, where she scans all the cases, looks up at me, and then back down. “Here,” she says softly, sliding open the glass door of one of the cases. “These seem to suit you.”

She handed me a small box, and I took the earrings from her, looking down at the small dangle teardrop earrings, which had little moss-green gems surrounded by clusters of crystals. They were sparkling and flashy yet incredibly minimal. Surprisingly, I liked them.

“Wow, these are beautiful,” I admit.

“They’ll offset your eyes and make them pop,” she gleams. I didn’t even realize she could see my eyes beneath my sunglasses, but I guess I wasn’t as inconspicuous as I thought.

I look up at her, smiling. “You’re an excellent saleswoman.”

“It’s not hard to be. If there’s one thing I know, it’s jewelry and women.” She says the last word with a flirtatious lilt, andI feel my cheeks heat because her eyes are roaming me up and down now.

“So anyways,” I rushed out, trying not to look her in the eye because I was sure now that she was flirting with me. She looked like a pretty Barbie doll, and I was scared that if I looked at her, then I’d unwillingly flirt back because she was nice and gorgeous, and I was a people pleaser. I bet we’d live a happy life together. Or was it her just doing her job? Is this how women make sales? I don’t know, but I am getting nervous and hot now.

“Is there anything else you know? I mean…how do you like working here?” I finally ask, trying to clear my head.

“It’s great,” she answers unfazed. “I love my job.”

“Is it a good company?”

“Why are you looking for a job?” she asks curiously.

“Uhm, yes” I stammer. “I am, and I was just curious what working for James Kingston was like.”

“Well, we don’t see him much, only occasionally. But he’s nice. Quiet.”

“Quiet, huh?” I wish he were quiet around me, but I seem to spark his testy side. “So, you think he’s a nice person then?”

“He seems to be.”

"So, you think nothing fishy about him, the other people working for him, or the company in general?”

She narrows her eyes at me and rears her head back a little, gazing at me in a new light like I was a crazy person, which…I was lately. “I’m not sure what you mean,” she says hesitantly.

I lean across the counter, and she takes a tiny step back. I realize I should stop while I’m ahead, but it’s like the logical part of my brain has decided to shut off and give me pure diarrhea of the mouth. “Like, do you think the company is ethical? Or have you noticed anything weird happening around here?” I ask, lowering my tone.

She blinks rapidly, and her forehead crinkles in dismay as she picks up the box of earrings from the counter. “Did you want to pay cash or credit for these?”

I lean up from the counter, looking down at them. “Oh, uhm…” They were gorgeous, truly, but there was no way I could afford them. “I’m not sure…” I feel a presence at my back and look over my shoulder to see the security guard standing over me.

“Ma’am,” he says, his voice incredibly deep, like a monster. “I’m going to need you to come with me.”

“What? Why?” I balk as anxiety begins to firework through me.

“Just come with me, please,” he states again.

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