“We are, sweetness.” His eyes softened as he smiled. “We’re going on a date. Just you and me. A proper date. I’ll be waiting for you in the lobby when you’re done. Don’t take too long.” His mouth burned a silent promise on mine. “Take good care of my girl, ladies,” he said to our audience of three.
“We will, Mr. Warden,” they replied.
“I’ll miss you.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and clasped me in a tight embrace, sweeping me off my feet. I liked being his girl. I didn’t want to think of anything beyond that moment.
When he was gone, I turned around and found Hair, Makeup, and Wardrobe gawking after the door.
“Men who pick you up when they hug you,” said one of the girls. I didn’t know which of them it was, but they all sighed in unison.
I stared at their spellbound faces. They caught me looking at them and cinched up their expressions. There was a moment of awkward silence.
“Well, hopefully it’s a man you like,” I said. “Otherwise it could be a pepper spray moment.”
It took a second before their faces cracked. We all started laughing. It was the perfect icebreaker to the fanciest, most stupendous makeover I’d ever had. Josie, Melody, and Valerie were my fairy godmothers for the afternoon. My hair was washed, snipped, and put in rollers. I was fussed over, colors held against me, palettes chosen, nails buffed, eyebrows tweezed, lips outlined.
“No, thanks,” I said to the tray of false eyelashes that Josie held before me. I had images of them fluttering into my drink, or worse, watching Jack through a wonky set as he sat across from me.
“You need to pick a dress,” said Valerie, holding up a sleek gown.
“Shoes first. Then dress. Always,” said Melody, opening a row of neatly lined boxes.
“This must have cost Jack an arm and a leg.” I glanced at the label on the dress. “Are these like a rental?”
Valerie laughed so hard she nearly dropped the gown. “No, honey. No rentals. You get to keep whatever you choose. Our company is very selective about who we work with. We do celebrity weddings, A-list events, charity balls. Top of the class only.”
“So how did Jack manage to pull this off?”
Josie stopped in the middle of applying my makeup and held her brush at a slant. “Girl, that man you walked in here withistop of the class. Don’t tell me you don’t know how much he’s worth.”
“I’ve never . . . I didn’t . . . I thought . . .”
“The question isn’t how he managed to pull it off. The question is how he managed to pull it off so fast. We’re booked months in advance. When our boss called to get the team in here today, let me tell you, we hustled. So, yeah. Whatever Mr. Warden said to our boss lady, it sure lit a fire.”
“I had no idea.”
I thought of Jack’s muddy boots by the back door, the way he took a damp cloth and wiped the dust off his face and the back of his neck before he sat down to eat. I thought of him cleaning the stalls, talking to the horses, starting his day before anyone else arrived on the farm. That was the Jack I knew. That was the solid, unassuming man I’d fallen in love with. And knowing he wasn’t doing it to just make ends meet, that he was doing it because it’s what drove him, what inspired him, what defined him, made me love him even more.
“What do you think?” asked Josie, handing me the mirror to check my makeup.
“I think I want to completely blow Jack Warden’s mind tonight.” I dismissed the mirror and sat up straighter. “Let’s kick this up a notch, girls.”
“Yasss!” they chorused around me. “Now we’re talking!”
I TOOK Adeep breath and checked my reflection. Josie, Melody, and Valerie were gone, but there I stood, afraid to blink, in case the dazzling woman staring back at me disappeared. My hair was parted to the side, chestnut locks falling in lustrous waves around my shoulders. I’d gone for a floor-length black dress with a sexy side slit. It looked demure when I stood still, but every time I moved, it exposed a thigh-high flash of my skin. The cut was iconic, with a deepVin the back and a narrow waist. It fit me like a dream, draping over my curves in all the right places. I took a step forward and stopped. I wasn’t used to wearing heels, but I liked the way they made me walk—thrusting my hips and breasts forward, accentuating the roundness of my buttocks.
My eyes appeared bigger and wider—soft gold shadow blended with smudged chocolate brown eyeliner. There was a tingling in the pit of my stomach every time I thought of Jack. It made my cheeks flush and my pupils dilate. My skin glowed with anticipation as I smoothed my dress and turned off the lights.
A date.
A real date.
A real date with Jack.
I waited for the lift, holding my breath. I couldn’t wait for Jack to see me all dressed up. And yet, I was wracked with nerves. There was something else too—a sense of urgency to be with him. Our time together was ticking away too fast. I pressed the button again and waited. And waited.
Screw it.
I slipped my heels off and took the stairs. Each step was inlaid with beautiful coconut wood. I could see the lobby as I spiraled down the staircase, holding my shoes in one hand, and lifting the hem of my dress with the other. As I rounded the final flight, the main floor opened up to me. I slowed down, my eyes searching for Jack.
