"My hair is fine."
"Your hair is having an existential crisis.Much like its owner."
I look out the window to see their cars in the drive.My sisters, who drove over an hour because they somehow knew I'd need them.
"Fine," I say."But if you make me cry before I've even done my makeup?—"
"We'll make you cry after.It's more dramatic."
They tumble into my room minutes later, armed with wine, makeup cases, and way too much optimism.
"Okay," Harper says, surveying the situation."Flowers, shoes, dress.The man's clearly smitten."
"Or establishing plausible deniability for when he sues me," I mutter.
"Stop that."Claire's already plugging in the curling iron."Tonight is going to be perfect."
"Tonight is going to be a disaster."
"Those aren't mutually exclusive in your world," Harper points out.
She's not wrong.
As my sisters work their magic—Claire on hair, Harper on confidence—I let myself imagine it going well.
Luke listening, understanding, laughing about it.
"Of course you hacked me," he'd say."How else would I have found you?"
"Sage, stop making that face," Claire orders.
"What face?"
"Your 'practicing difficult conversations' face.You look constipated."
"I look thoughtful.”
"You look like you're trying to pass a kidney stone of truth."
Harper snorts wine out her nose, and suddenly we're all laughing.
The kind of hysterical, tension-breaking laughter that only happens when everything is terrible and wonderful simultaneously.
"Remember," Harper says when we calm down, "you're Sage Winters.You survived Derek.You're saving the inn.You wrestle goats.You can handle one confession to one billionaire."
"One smitten billionaire.Who sends flowers and remembers shoe sizes and puts inappropriate comments in writing."
"He's perfect," I admit quietly.
"Then he'll understand," Harper says simply."And if he doesn't, he wasn't perfect after all."
By 5:45, I'm transformed.
The dress fits like it was made for me, the shoes are surprisingly comfortable, and my sisters have worked their magic with hair and makeup.
"You look like a smutty princess," Claire declares.
"That's not a thing."
