“She is. Trust me. I can tell it’s a professional job too.” Ivy scrolled a makeup tutorial page on her device. “I tried to follow this guy, but I can’t do the eye shadow. It’s always too dark. Will you try?”
“Dude. You’re gonna get me in trouble with your mom.”
“No, she doesn’t mind. As long as it’s not too much.” Ivy slid a small compact to me. “Please.”
I thought about texting Cooper for advice, but he was in a meeting and…
“What if you put it on me?”
Ivy gasped with delight. “You’ll let me put eye shadow on you? For real?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just…not too much, okay?”
“Okay! No problem.” She wiggled on her seat excitedly and rubbed her hands together. “Sit super still. I’ll turn on the tutorial, so I don’t get anything wrong. We’ll skip foundation, but can I try blush?”
Oh, shit.
“Sure, why not?”
Ten minutes later, I was wearing pink berry blush and two shades of eye shadow—lavender bliss and blue velvet. My captor wielded a brush along my nose, complimenting my complexion while her brother alternately giggled or made suggestions.
“I think he needs lipstick,” Chase said. “Do red.”
My growl made him laugh like a hyena. He literally slipped off his stool and chortled on the floor. Ivy was snickering too and?—
Ding dong.
“That’s probably your mom. Oh, darn.”
I went with Chase to answer the door ’cause I’d read some horrible story about kids getting stolen from their homes and no, I didn’t think that would happen in Wood Hollow, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
Sarah stepped into the foyer, greeting her son with a fierce mom hug before straightening. Our paths crossed frequently now that I was coaching the kids, so spending a little time with my lover’s ex wasn’t too awkward anymore.
“Hi, Silas. Thanks so much for—” She covered her mouth, her eyes bright with amusement. “You, um…look very…nice.”
I put my hands on my hips and skewered mother and children with my fiercest glare. The one that came with a slight lip curl and a sneer designed to prove to linebackers who outweighed me by fifty pounds that I was one tough motherfucker.
It didn’t work. They weren’t impressed in the slightest.
Chase was the first to gain his composure. “Ivy was ’sperimenting on him.”
Ivy beamed. “I think I did a good job.”
“Wonderful job,” their mom concurred. “Are you two ready to roll?”
They hurried off to gather their belongings, leaving Sarah and me alone. Honestly, I was glad to have the makeup diversion between us. Having something to laugh about kept me from festering about her lack of communication with Cooper regarding her future plans. The thought of him losing this bit of sunshine was just…wrong.
But it wasn’t my place to judge. At least not aloud.
I gestured to my cheeks. “Not sure how I got conned into this. I hope it washes off easily.”
“It does,” Sarah replied, still grinning. “I’m sorry for running late. I was?—”
“Nah, I don’t mind at all. They’re cool.”
“They certainly think you are. They talk about you all the time. Cooper does too.”
Ooh, that was smooth.
