AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hated makeup. I wasn’t good at applying it and I didn’t have the patience to take my time or practice so I could improve.
She was already dialing. “It only takes an hour. Believe me, you’ll appreciate the time it saves.”
Were women losing hours of their lives applying mascara? Sometimes I really thought I was missing some big-picture details about being a girl.
Seraphina, like her brother and father, wasn’t afraid of throwing around the Davenport name to make the wind blow whatever direction her life needed at the moment. The salon moved some things around and fit us in that afternoon.
The lash extensions were pain free, but not nearly as relaxing as Phina promised. While I did get to sit in a comfy chair and let a woman carefully touch my face for an hour, I couldn’t quite relax with someone that close to me.
In the end, it was worth it. My eyes looked defined and sexy. I sent Hale a picture right away and he instantly wrote back that he missed me. He was getting a lot of silly texts since I’d been incommunicado with Elle which was starting to unearth his playful side as well.
“I’m taking you to dinner tonight,” I told Phina as we left the salon. “My treat.”
She smiled. “Aw, Rayne, that’s sweet. But you don’t have to. I’m happy to help you with this stuff.”
“I want to. After everything you’ve done for me with the wedding and now this, it’s the least I can do to say thank you.”
Her smile grew. “No thanks necessary. That’s what sisters are for. And Hale will get my invoice at the end of the month, so let’s not assume I’m completely selfless, though I do like doing these things with you.”
It was going to be a very expensive quarter for Hale. I smiled. “I enjoy hanging out with you too.”
I took Phina to a little hole in the wall pub I’d passed not far from Times Square. We sat on the second floor overlooking the street and drank from big mugs of beer while a game played in the background. It was March madness so no matter where you looked a hot basketball player was on a screen.
“I told Josette to schedule your countdown appointments. You want to make sure you’re buffed and shined for the big day, but you also want to give your body time to heal?”
I frowned. “Heal?”
“Adapt,” she amended, but it was too late. I already heard the word heal and anticipated pain.
“What kind of appointments?”
She pulled out her phone and read from a list. “You need a gloss treatment on your hair and the split ends trimmed. Your brows are desperately in need of some manicuring. You’ll want to have a facial, but nothing too intense and nothing within two weeks of the wedding. You should really consider reducing your sodium intake as well. Maybe even cut out alcohol during those last weeks.”
“That’s not happening.” I’d already given up sex. There was only so much a girl could go without.
“You also want to make sure you’re getting plenty of beauty sleep.”
“Ha! My body does not get tired under stress. Insomnia is real, my friend.” I sipped my drink before anyone thought to take it away.
Cut out alcohol. Yeah right.
People got nuts about weddings. Didn’t they know alcohol and marriage had a strong relationship for a reason?
“Then you should consider getting a lymphatic massage to help reduce any stress. It will also relieve some of your puffiness.”
My fingers brushed under my eyes. “Am I puffy?”
“We’re all puffy. Are you planning on getting a spray tan for the wedding? If so, you should do a test run. You’ll need to account for a few days to get the full effect. The color needs time to develop and you’ll want to wash off any extra before you put on your dress. We can use a test tan to judge how your body reacts and what day would be the best day for a wedding tan. I find day three looks the most natural.”
My mind was on overload. “Do I look pale? I live in Florida.”
“It’s not about looking like you just returned from a holiday. Spray tans give you that extra glow. Plus, it’ll even out your pigment and cover any blemishes or tan lines left over from summer. Have you scheduled an appointment with your PA?”
I cocked my head. As a personal assistant myself, I didn’t think I qualified to need my own. Especially when I already had half a dozen wedding handlers. I had to be misunderstanding the meaning of PA.
“Remind me, what’s a PA?”
“Your physician’s assistant.”
