"Davidson,.Mary.Janice.-.Betsy.3.-.Undead.and.Unemployed" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davidson Mary Janice)

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you're on pins and needles. Never mind. Saw your car and
couldn't resist. But, I gotta get back to it."
"Okay. Nice to see you again."
"You, too. Stay out of trouble." He smiled at me and climbed out of the car,
unaware of the straw sticking to his heel. "Have a good one."
"Bye!" I called, and waited until he pulled out in front of me before I got my
car moving. It was just as well; I was shaking like a leaf. Poor Nick was
crawling all over the truth, and didn't have a clue. I wished I could confide in
him, but enough people knew my dirty little undead secret as it was.
Besides, once I had confided in him. And it had been an utter disaster. I wasn't
making the same mistake twice.

An hour later I was at the finest, most glorious place on the planet: The Mall
of America. Or, if you're a shopper, Heaven on Earth.
I decided to trudge through the first level of Macy's to cheer myself up, and
then drown my sorrows in two or ten daiquiris on the fourth floor.
Like any great idea, the Mall (never "the mall") is something familiar, made
bigger. A lot bigger. Everyone has parked in a lot and walked into a store. Here
you had to walk a long, long time to get to the store, is all. It helped to
memorize the state you were parked in. You know how most parking lots can name
their sections after two or three animals? "Oh, honey, don't forget we parked in
the marmoset lot." The Mall was so big, they couldn't use animals. Animals are
puny. They used states. And not little states like Rhode Island, but big honking
states like California and Texas.
I parked in Texas and crossed the small side street to Macy's. As always, I was
struck by the beauty of the building. The red brick and soaring windows reminded
me ofЧdon't laughЧa church. And the star they used instead of the apostrophe in
Macy's seemed so heavenly.
Once inside, I inhaled the sweet smell of perfume, leather, cotton, and floor
cleaner. Before I'd been laid off I was a secretary. Now I was jobless, unless
you counted the whole queen of the vampires gig, which I certainly did not, not
least because it didn't pay for shit. Besides, most days I doubted I was the
queen. Certainly the other vampires I'd been crossing paths with lately didn't
think so. And SinclairЕ Never mind about Sinclair. I wasn't going to think about
that jerk.
I zoomed in on the shoe department like a blonde homing pigeon. Shoes, shoes
everywhere! Ah, sweet shoes. I truly think you can take the measure of a
civilization by looking at its footwear.
Because I was in a department store, I was enveloped in its time warp. So
although the fourth of July was less than a week away, the shoe department had
all their fall colors and styles on display. That was all right. I already had
twenty-two pairs of sandals.
I eyed the row of Kenneth Cole boots, finally taking down a vibrant red pair and
feeling the leather. They'd look terrific with my black duster, but I already
had a pair of red boots. HmmЕ should that make a difference?
I also checked out the Burn footwear. They were supposedly all made by handЧand
for two hundred dollars a pair, they'd better beЧbut I'd never tried a pair.
Maybe when I got a job, I'd treat myself, give them a try.
Typical of Macy's, the saleswomen were all ignoring me because I wasn't waving
fifty dollar bills at them. I tapped the nearest one on the shoulder. "Excuse