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Of everything I had brought with me, it was the only dress that would come close to the level of sophistication that I was expecting from everyone else. I slipped into it, grateful to find it was a little looser on me than the last time I had put it on. At least I had that going for me. Nothing would have been worse than finding I had gained too much weight for it to fit.
Once I was wearing it, I looked through the few accessories I’d thought to bring to see if I could at least make things less plain. I had a similarly colored silk scarf that I draped over my shoulders, and then I added a little jewelry. None of it was fancy, and I knew from a single glance in the mirror that I barely looked passable.
I didn’t allow myself to look for longer than that. Not only did I not have much time if I wanted to do my makeup better, but I also knew it would do me no good. There were no other options. All scrutinizing my appearance would achieve was making me feel even more poor and out of the others’ leagues.
My hands shook as I pulled out my makeup kit and looked through the lipstick and eye shadow options. If nothing else, being an interior designer had at least taught me that it was easy to make an overall appearance look a lot better by tweaking small elements. Of course, it could look a whole lot worse as well.
I focused on my breathing again in an attempt to calm down, but I could only do so much to help my hands stop shaking, and my reactions go back to normal. Still, I did my best with my makeup and allowed myself a couple more glances in the mirror to check I hadn’t completely screwed it up.
When I was trying to decide if I should change a bunch of the accessories for some more plain options and try to look even less like I’d made an effort deliberately, there was a knock at the door. I was out of time.
With no choice but to go with what I had on, I hurried to go to my driver and the waiting car. It was the same older man who had picked me up whenever Sarai had been busy, and he smiled as I opened the door to him.
His gaze flicked up and down my body very briefly before a forced smile appeared on his face. “Ready?” he asked.
I nodded, not sure what to make of his reaction. He had been lovely to me so far and more than friendly. Did I really look wrong?
There was nothing I could do about it now, but I felt even more anxious as he opened the car door for me, and I slid onto the back seat. Already, I could feel the chill in the air, and I knew I would be freezing before the night was through. I just had to hope I could hide it for a while.
My driver took me to the restaurant in silence, and I only grew more anxious. It was obvious we were driving to a more upmarket area of town, the nightlife picking up, but also the stores becoming big brands that I had never been able to afford to shop in. I was surprised to see that many of them were still open.
In the UK, most stores were closed by the end of the working day, and it was way past that now.
By the time the car pulled up outside Lorenzo’s, I thought I might be sick. I didn’t want to go inside, but I knew I had to. Lukas was likely to already be in there, and even if I wasn’t sure I wanted to be there for anyone else, I wanted to see him again.
I also knew it would disappoint Sarai if I didn’t show up, but I still hesitated. The driver coughed and held out his hand as if he was trying to draw my attention subtly to me needing to get outand cover for me all at the same time. It gave me the momentum I needed. No doubt he couldn’t park here for long. I was going to have to go inside.
“I’ll be back again to pick you up, ma’am, if you just let me know when you need it.”
“Thank you,” I replied as I tried to summon the willpower to let go of his hand. He slowly pulled back, giving me no choice, and then the man on the restaurant door was looking at me expectantly.
“I’m supposed to be meeting a group with Sarai and Richard?—”
“Ah, yes. They said there would be a young lady coming alone who might not know where to go. May I have your name?”
“Kit…Kit Moore.” For a second, I hesitated to give even that, but he smiled as if this was the exact right answer. I was grateful that Sarai had mentioned me to the doorman, especially since I was already fighting not to shiver.
He opened the door for me and beckoned a staff member over. He said something to the young woman in a low voice, but I didn’t hear what it was. She smiled at me as soon as he’d finished talking, but her eyes also looked me up and down, and I thought I saw her smile falter very briefly.
I was about to ask if she knew where to go, but she was already walking off to one side and motioning for me to follow her.
“The group has already gone toward their area for the night. Let me show you where it is.” The woman spoke with an accent that made it hard for me to understand her, but I got the general gist. She was going to take me where I needed to go, so I hurried after her.
Around me, there were lots of large tables, most of them in various states of occupation. However, few people were sitting at them, most milling around and talking in groups around theentire restaurant. I didn’t know who any of them were, but here and there, I spotted someone I thought I recognized.
Was this where the richandfamous went to eat?
Heads turned to look at me, and I knew that I was being scrutinized. If I had been able to go shopping before I left the UK, I might have bought something of high enough quality and fashion to look good among this crowd. But as it stood currently, I could tell I was underdressed.
If I had felt awkward before, my lack of good clothing only made me feel worse now. This was my worst nightmare.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Lukas
I’d never known how I truly felt about Lorenzo’s, and today was no different. I hurried inside, always admitted without hesitation. I’d once shown up without any direct invitation to be with any particular group of people, and they had still let me in.
When you had a certain level of money, no one stopped you from doing anything. Of course, the bill at Lorenzo’s was not a small one, and I thought it was bold of Sarai to be picking up the tab somewhere like this so soon in the project, but it was still pretty much on time, and it was clear she was spending money on the best for a reason.
