Five
Ever since Larkin had asked her to be a bridesmaid, Bel had been dreading this day: the bridal spa day, which she’d been warned she would be forcefully dragged along to if need be. She’d glanced briefly at the itinerary when it had been sent out months earlier. It was, in fact, going to be a mini makeover. Which, up until recently, Bel had been underwhelmed about.
But now, she found herself wanting to do this. Not for her cousin’s wedding but for herself. Emma was right. She would never have another chance like this again, and if the universe had decided to throw her a life raft in the form of Tate, then she bloody well better take hold of it.
The dress fitting ordeal was still fresh in her mind and although the sting of humiliation had not quite faded, it had been put into perspective. Sort of. She’d called Emmaand replayed the whole sorry tale, and her friend had been full of sympathetic noises and enough comforting outrage to take away some of the pain. She’d decided to try her best to pretend the whole thing had never happened and, true to Larkin’s word, no one had mentioned it on the ninety-minute drive to Toormanlee, the large regional town that served as the once-a-month, big-day-out location for Wessex residents. It was a nice town, settled on the banks of a wide river that carried water from further inland towards the mountains and then down to the coastal regions.
Larkin had been beside herself when Bel had told her she was ready to accept her style guidance, and she hadn’t given Bel any time to rethink her decision, thrusting her into the hairdresser’s chair and flicking through magazines until she found a look she was happy with. After a brief glance at the image, Bel sent a doubtful look at the hairdresser and shrugged. ‘If you think you can pull that off with this,’ she said, lifting a strand of her limp hair up, ‘then go for it.’
‘Marcel can work miracles,’ Larkin said with a knowing smile, her own freshly blow-dried hair gleaming luxuriously.
Three and a half hours later, Bel could only stare at the reflection in the mirror in stunned silence.Holy. Cow.
‘What did I tell you?’ Larkin grinned from behind her.
‘I … I can’t believe it,’ Bel said, hesitantly lifting a hand to touch the now shimmering locks, highlighted with cinnamon and caramel, falling in soft cascades of bouncy curls to her shoulders.
‘Come on. Next stop, Beauty by Celine. Facials and waxing!’
Bel had no more time to admire her beautiful new do before being whisked from her chair and hurried along the street to the next port of call.
‘Ouch!’ Bel yelled as the young woman ripped another chunk of hair from her eyebrows. ‘Surely there can’t be any more hair left?’ she muttered as the pain continued to throb and she began to wonder if there was any skin left behind.
Over the previous hour, she’d had her eyebrows waxed, her eyelashes tinted and a number of blackheads forcefully removed from her face—all after being lulled into a false sense of security following the most glorious facial she’d ever experienced. Also theonlyfacial she’d ever experienced.
‘Almost done now,’ the elegant young beautician assured her. ‘Are you sure you don’t want the bikini and Brazilian wax the others are having?’
Are you freaking kidding me?It was bad enough having hair ripped from your face. ‘No thanks,’ she said quickly.
‘All done,’ the beautician announced after delicately spreading something she promised would help take away the redness from her face. Bel took one look in the mirror held up for her and gasped. Her entire face was one big, splotchy, red disaster. Although she did pause to admire the fact her eyebrows did indeed now have a remarkable shape. Who would have thought it could make so much difference?
She was in the process of putting her glasses back on when Larkin walked out, followed by Lisa and Kelly. All of them stopped in their tracks and stared at her.
‘Your brows look amazing,’ Larkin said, quickly covering up the awkwardness. ‘The redness is normal,’ she assured her, even as Bel noticed the others didn’t have the same swollen red blotches on their perfect faces. ‘I’d like to take you to one more appointment,’ she said, linking her arm through Bel’s.
While the others went ahead to have a make-up trial, Larkin and Bel walked across the road and into another store.
‘What are we doing here?’ Bel asked as they waited at the counter of the optometrist.
‘I know you’ve always baulked at contacts,’ Larkin started, ‘but I was hoping if you tried them—’
‘Larkin, I don’t—’
‘You look so amazing when you aren’t wearing those big, heavy frames,’ her cousin continued as though she hadn’t spoken. ‘I swear, it’s like you’re hiding behind them. If you’re absolutely against contacts, then at least let me help you find some frames that don’t make you look like you’re some little old lady. You’re so pretty, Bel. You just don’t let anyone see it.’
‘I’m not, though,’ Bel said. ‘I’ve always been invisible, and I’m fine with that. You and I are different, Larkin. You like people looking at you. I prefer to stay in the background.’
‘It’s only because you’ve never been brave enough to try stepping out of it,’ Larkin retorted, and Bel wondered whenher cousin had become so astute. ‘I don’t want to use the wedding-day card, but I will if you force me to,’ she warned.
‘Oh no. Not the you’ll-ruin-my-wedding-photos threat,’ Bel said, rolling her eyes. They both knew that was something Lois would say—not Larkin. They shared a smile. ‘Fine. I’ll try the contacts. For you, and because I know how long you’ve been wanting me to do it.’
‘Only because I hate seeing you try to cover up the real you.’
Bel swallowed hard over a lump. For all her spoiled princess ways, Larkin had a kind soul, even if she was delusional about whatever it was she imagined Bel was trying to hide.
With the quick examination done, the optometrist showed Bel how to put the contacts in and, after a few tries, she managed to master it. She blinked a few times and looked around the room. It felt …wonderful. She felt almost weightless without her glasses.
As Bel walked out of the examination room, Larkin looked up from the magazine she’d been flicking through and a smile spread across her face. ‘There you are,’ she said simply. ‘Nowwe can see you.’
