AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My phone buzzed.
Rhett:Any chance you have time to give me a haircut?
I checked the clock, my heart speeding. I’d been hoping for this moment, and it had to come now? It was not a good time. There would be no savoring the opportunity to be so close to him when I would need to rush...but I wouldn’t have time for even that. My mom trumped a chance to run my fingers through Rhett’s hair.
Me:I was on my way out. Could it wait until tomorrow?
As soon as I hit send, I immediately sucked in air through my clenched teeth. I hadrejecteda movie star? Was that okay? Was I about to get a call from Bridget telling me to pack my bags?
No to all of the above. I had more faith in Rhett’s character than that. Though Bridget’s...not so much.
Rhett:Tomorrow is fine.
Phew. Employment termination: avoided.
Me:Thanks! Have fun tonight.
I threw on my jeans and a white tee, then tied my long brown hair back in a ponytail.
“Where are you off to?” Adalyn asked, leaning really close to the mirror to fix her eyeliner. Her cheeks were spotted with too much blush that only took away from her high cheekbones, not drawing the eye there in a flattering way.
“The Empire State Building. I’m going to beg them to let me in.” I fought the temptation to fix her makeup for her.
“Anyone can go in,” she said.
“Yeah, with a ticket. They’ve sold out tonight.”
Adalyn straightened, and her grimace wasn’t comforting. “Good luck.”
Temptation overcame me. I went to my personal makeup bag and pulled out a wide powder brush and a bronzer with a smaller blush brush. “Will you be inside or out tonight?”
“Inside,” she said, hyper-focused on her eyeliner again.
“Can I take your blush off and show you a trick? It won’t hurt my feelings if you hate it. You can just fix it again.”
“Do you have time?”
“It only takes a second.”
“Then yes, please.” She turned on the seat to face me. “I haven’t seen this friend in years. I’m trying to make a good impression.”
“I understand.” I blended out her too-bright blush and then dipped my smaller brush in the bronzer before tapping it lightly against my hand to remove the excess powder. “Blush goes at the top of your cheekbones, but bronzer or warm colors can go on the edge down here to accentuate the shadows and give you more definition.”
“Like contouring?”
“Pretty much, but unless you’re doing a photoshoot, don’t actually contour your entire face. It’s pretty obvious in good lighting.” I leaned in and dabbed my brush along her cheekbones, then picked up my powder brush again and blended the warmer color up into her blush. It was faint, but it accentuated her arched cheekbones in a more natural way.
Adalyn faced the mirror and squealed. “I love it! I need you to walk me through this again tomorrow.”
“Anytime.” My smile broadened, satisfaction coursing through me from the joy on her face. This was what filled my mental bucket: helping people take charge of the way they felt about themselves. I had control over assisting someone else achieve satisfaction, and nothing topped success in that.
But now I needed to hustle even faster. I found directions on my phone and ran three blocks to the subway that would take me downtown. The humid afternoon heat followed me underground, and I was relieved to make it onto the train, which felt a little cooler.
My heart raced the closer I got, and by the time I reached my exit and ran up the cement steps to 34th Street, my hands were shaking. A woman in uniform stood at the front of a long line of people wrapped around the building.
“Excuse me?”
“Yes?” She gave me a quick once-over that didn’t bode well. This person took her job seriously.
