Leaning close, trying to avoid an audience, I leaned in to speak. “Honestly, I’m terrified of it getting that far, worried that it won’t. I don’t know what I want.”
“I would never steer you wrong. I hated you in the fifth grade because you had boobs. We double-dated for prom, I was in your wedding to David, and I was there when he walked out on you for the floozy—”
“With no boobs, mind you…yeah, yeah, I know.”
She nabbed her phone and started texting someone. I was fairly confident it wasthe place down the street.
“You’re a woman, and he’s a man. You need a wax. There’s no reason for you to be terrified. It’s going there.”
“I didn’t say that. I said I was terrified of the date.”
“Semantics.” She waved her hand in the air and went back to her phone. “Oh good, they’re writing back.”
“He said the same thing.”
“What? They’re writing back?” Her brow furrowed, and her perfectly shaped eyebrow lifted.
“No. What you said before.I’m a grown woman, and he’s a grown man.”
“Exactly! Which is why it’s perfect…they can take you right when you leave here. Time to blow the dust off the shelves, but first you got to get rid of the hairballs. Know what I mean?”
“I’m taking my Kindle back out.”
Mary only cackled and went on interrupting me. “What color are you getting?”
“What about this nude color?” I held up a bottle of polish.
“Ugh, no, no, no. You need a tiny bit of color. What about this?” She held up a bubblegum-pink shade.
“Too bright and cheery for me.”
“This?” Like a kid in a candy store, she picked up and discarded bottles of polish from the rolling cart between our chairs. Then she held up a chalky-lilac bottle.
“I sort of like that. I’ll do it.”
“Great.” Mary rubbed her hands together in a sinister way I could only interpret as being very bad for me.
A few hours later, I blinked at myself in the mirror, fake eyelashes grazing my lower lids, and shook my head. Who the hell talked me into this?
Mary, of course, when she walked me down the street to the waxing place and started orchestrating services beyond my wildest dreams. I was lucky I escaped with a landing strip and faux eyelashes. If it were up to her, I’d be bald—and I don’t mean on top of my head (but you probably knew that).
Now, I looked like a two-bit hussy in an LBD and heels, with fire-engine-red lips (courtesy of Mary’s personal stash).
I needed to change, but the doorbell rang, and Smitty started barking something fierce.
“Shit,” I mumbled. “Here’s to nothing, Smit.”
Opening the front door, I tried to school my face, but I was damn confident my age, worry, and general inexperience showed in every crinkle and wrinkle.
A loud whistle met my ears as I brought my gaze to meet Aiken’s eyes. Blue greeted my dark. “Hey there, pretty lady. Wow! You look stunning…you ready to relax? Unwind? Have a good time?”
At one word—unwind—I felt my whole face settle and my shoulders relax. How did he do that?
The man had magical words or powers. Or maybe I’d been out of the dating game, or life in general, for too long?
My head nodded while my mouth spewed, “I wasn’t, but now I am.”
“Good. We need to let Smitty do his thing?”
