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“You look great,” I said with a wide smile.
I desperately wanted to ravish him in the middle of the parlor.
“You do, too,” he replied. “Let me take a picture.”
Blushing, I rolled my eyes and posed next to the stairs with my arms hanging at my sides. Dallas reached over to fix my posture, saying to put my hands on my hips and lean my head back a bit.
“Smile big,” he instructed. “Like you just won an award.”
Dallas snapped a few pictures, telling me how adorable I looked which made my raise my hand to my face to cover my reddening cheeks.
“Come look at them,” he said while waving me over.
He slid through the pictures on his phone, pointing to the candid he had taken while I was covering my mouth.
“You should make that your profile picture,” he suggested. “I’ll send it to you now. What’s your number?”
“I don’t have a phone,” I said with some embarrassment.
“Really? You’ve definitely been sheltered. We’ll get you a phone after dinner,” he said as he wrapped an arm around me.
“That sounds great,” I responded.
We went out to the Porsche again and headed for town where we met my mother at an upscale seafood restaurant. The tables were covered in white cloth and all the servers were clad in posh uniforms who spoke eloquently about the meal specials. My mother reached across the table and took my hand in hers, saying I looked like a new person.
“You are absolutely radiant,” she said. “I’m glad you two are getting along.”
She called to a few friends at a local table to show me off, saying that I wa
s her wonderful daughter from across the country. All of them admired my hair and outfit. None of them knew the ugly duckling who existed prior to this gorgeous girl. After we ordered our food, my mother procured a black velvet box from her Prada bag and placed it on the table in front of me.
“What’s this?” I asked, lifting it and running my fingers around the edges.
“It’s your welcome home gift,” she replied. “Open it.”
Smiling, I slowly opened the box to find a glimmering diamond necklace resting on white silk. It glowed, reflecting the dim light of the restaurant. With tears in my eyes and mouth agape, I lifted it from the box and held it up to show Dallas who clapped his hands in praise.
“Good choice, darling,” he said to my mother.
He took her hand and squeezed it with a smile which caused a pang of jealousy to ripple through my gut. I had almost forgotten that they are still married. While they smiled at each other, I pulled my hair aside and snapped the necklace in place, admiring the diamonds that decorated the length of the chain.
“You’re a Diamond now,” announced my mother.
“Maddy Diamond,” said Dallas.
“I like that nickname,” said my mother. “Maddy.”
A new appearance called for a new nickname and I commended them for the choice. Maddy Diamond sounded more like the daughter of a famous Hollywood producer than merely Madison. She was no more. I’m Maddy Diamond and I am a princess.
Chapter Four
During dinner, my mother received a phone call which led to a heated conversation that she ended up taking outside the restaurant. I gave Dallas a questioning look who shrugged. When my mother came back, she looked flustered.
“I have to head into the studio because one of our actors is having a meltdown,” she informed us. “It shouldn’t take long. Dallas; can you drive her home?”
“Of course, darling,” he responded while standing to kiss her cheek.
My mother turned to me.
