“Because I have to be at work on Monday, the hands will be something neutral, but the toes can be fun. How about you? Are you all in on red?”
“Nah, the red’s just for performance. I prefer pink. I think I’ll have Barbie pink nails and lime green toes.” She grabbed her bottles, and I settle on Blush for my hands and Frosted Ice Blue for my toes.
We took off our slippers and sat, careful to not dip our robes into the water, then placed our feet in the basins. The nail technicians adjusted our chairs to do a gentle, low vibration, then poured a luxurious rose-scented oil onto our feet. Then one foot at a time they gently trimmed, buffed, and shaped, finishing with a lovely, short massage. Then each foot was carefully dried, and the layers of polish painstakingly applied.
“Let’s play a game of ‘I’d Choose’, Kimi said as she lifted up a foot for toweling.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I’ll start. I give you two choices, and you pick one. Then you toss it back to me with another choice. Got it? OK, which would you choose—beach or mountains?”
“Beach,” I answered instantly.
“Oh, and the next choice must be different. You can’t just ask me the same question I asked you.”
“Ok. Which would you choose—beach or city?”
“Beach. So now we have a stalemate, and we have to pick a new subject. You start.”
“OK. Tacos or barbecue?”
“Hah, that’s a gimme. Barbecue. Nebraska girl here, remember? All right, Barbecue or crepes?”
“Oooh, that’s a tough call. I’d have to go with crepes. So, crepes or spaghetti?”
“Spaghetti,” Kimi answered promptly. “OK, I’m going to go bare knuckles here, spaghetti or chocolate?”
“Duh. Chocolate. Chocolate trumps everything!”
“Haha, true. So, new category. Chris Evans or Henry Cavill?”
“Henry Cavill. I thought we’d already established that.” I answered. “So, for you, Adam Levine or Henry Cavill?”
“Easy one. Henry Cavill. Adam Levine is too old, and I’ve heard he’s kind of a douche.” Her lips lifted into a little smirk. “Ok, let’s see if we can do a tie breaker here. Henry Cavill or…Jack.”
I answered, honestly, quickly, barely even pausing to think. “Jack.”
“Why would you pick Jack over the deliciousness of Henry Cavill?” Kimi asked with a sly smile.
“Because he’s real. I don’t know Henry Cavill at all, but I do know Jack. He’s kind, funny, obnoxious, thoughtful, and he’s a really good kisser.”
“Yeah, I got a sense you were enjoying that after the show,” she giggled.
“That man does have some fine lips,” I sighed.
As soon as our hands and toes were dazzlingly perfect, we were taken back to change into our clothes. As I pulled on my pants I smiled at Kimi. “Thanks for asking me. This has been so much fun. And I loved getting to know you, Bronze Level Bestie!”
She pulled her sweater over her head and gave me a huge smile. “Back at ya, 3rd place BFF! Now we've got to plan our sleep-over, because I am not going to forget about that French toast!”
Shanice came to lead us out to the reception area. I moved to take out my credit card and said, “Let me cover the tips.”
“Oh, no!” She sounded horrified. “Mr Ballanger has taken care of everything and gave strict instructions that you were to pay for nothing.
“Oh, my, that’s very generous of him,” I said. “He is a very nice man.”
Shanice stopped dead in her tracks and looked at me slack jawed. “YouknowMr. Ballanger?”
“Well, yes, I’ve been working with him for several months on a business deal and we recently met down in Scottsdale.”
