“Ugh. The last time I wore that I could barely breathe.”
Meredith laughed. “Well, let’s just try it. Besides, I think you’ve thinned down, Kat. I noticed your T-shirts seem looser.”
“Really?” Kat stood up and tugged on her shirt.
“You try this dress on while I locate the right shoes for it.”
“If I put on this dress, will you help me with some makeup?”
“I said I’ll help you tomorrow.”
“Then forget it, I’m not changing clothes.” Kat flopped back onto her bed.
Meredith considered her options. Play hardnosed governess and make Kat comply? As if that would even work. “Have you tried the skincare products yet?” she asked as she looked through Kat’s shoe shelf, finally locating a pair of black pumps with kitten heels.
“No.”
“Tell you what—let’s try the skincare, and if you promise to wear the dressier dress and let me do something with your hair, I will help you with the makeup.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But here’s the deal. Your father must see you and approve the makeup before you go down to dinner. Okay?”
Kat jumped up. “Okay.”
In the bathroom, Meredith gave a recap of how Mila said the skincare steps went—cleanse first, then toner, and finally the “magic” ointment that was supposed to clear a complexion within a week.
“I’ll check on Mishka while you do that.”
With fingers crossed and a silent prayer for Kat to get through the evening without too much adolescent stress, she went to Mishka’s room. Done with his bath, he was just getting on his trousers. As she helped him tie his tie, he talked about the new book he’d gotten for them to read. “I hope Grandmama doesn’t make us stay down there all night.”
“Does she usually do that at a formal dinner?” She backed up to check the tie.
“Sometimes. If someone brought their family to dinner. Then we’re supposed to make sure they have a good time.” He sighed. “And that’s not always fun.”
“The price of being a prince, eh?” She smiled then helped him with his jacket. “Well, you do look handsome, Mishka. I hope your dinner guests are enjoyable. Why don’t you go to your father and see if you are presentable? I’m still not well-versed on formal dinner dress.”
“You’re lucky you don’t have to go.”
She tried not to chuckle, but she was thinking the same thing. As he left to search for his father, she returned to check on Kat. Although she had on the dress, which fit just fine, her face looked a bit red and splotchy, and Kat was glaring at her image in the mirror.
“Look,” Kat exclaimed. “I used that skincare junk like you said, and my face looks terrible!”
Meredith stepped closer to examine her. “It doesn’t look like a reaction. Do you think you scrubbed too hard?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t want to go down looking like a beet head.”
“Let me help.” Taking a tube of concealer, she turned Kat away from the mirror and dabbed a few dots of it onto Kat’s face, gently working it in to make the redness fade. She turned her around. “How about that?”
“How did you do that?” Kat leaned into the mirror.
“I’ll show you how tomorrow.” Meredith picked up the tube of peachy lipstick. “Just a little of this now.” She applied it then showed Kat how to press her lips to blend it in. Next, she used the big powder brush to apply just a trace of peachy blush to the top of Kat’s cheeks, followed by just a faint touch of brown mascara. “Voila!”
“Wow, Meri, I almost look pretty.”
“You do look pretty, Kat. You’re getting prettier every day.” She tapped her own chest. “But remember true beauty starts inside of you.”
Kat stared at her image with fascination then turned to Meredith and hugged her. “Thank you.”
