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NATALIE
“Lucy, your hair looks so good!” I say, watching her put a few more pins in. She’s got her normally stick-straight blonde hair curled and pinned in a low bun on her head.
“Thank you! It’s the only way my hair will stay curly.”
“A million bobby pins?” Megan grins in the mirror at her.
“Pretty much.” She laughs.
We’re in Megan and Todd’s bathroom getting ready for the gala tonight. I’ve been at the convention center every day the past few days, decorating and getting the space ready.
Emily is there now, meeting the caterers and making sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be, and even though I trust her to handle it like a pro, I’m nervous about not being there in person.
“Can someone help me zip my dress?” Quinn asks from the bedroom.
“I gotcha, babe,” Sara says, walking out in her robe to help Quinn. I’m working on curling my hair because it’s the only thing I’m capable of achieving for a fancy night out. I don’t usually do this shit, but for one night every year, I get all fancied up and have a blast with my friends. With a drop-dead sexy man on my arm, this year is looking to be the best one yet.
I can't wait to see Tucker in a suit. I already know it’s going to take every ounce of willpower I have not to rip it off of him the minute I see him.
“Hey, Meg, will you help me with my makeup?” I turn to look at Megan where she’s sitting on the closed toilet, finishing her own makeup in the vanity mirror.
“Absolutely, I’m just about done.”
I pull one side of my hair back and pin it with the sparkly jeweled clip my mom gave me for my first gala. I wear it every year and always make sure my dress matches.
When Megan is done with my makeup, Sara and I help each other into our dresses, hers a beautiful silver sheath and mine a sparkly green mermaid-style dress. With the way it shimmers, it makes me feel a little like a mermaid.
I look around Megan’s room, taking in each of our appearances. “Damn, we look good.” I scan the girls, all of us dressed to the nines, and they grin at me. “Everyone ready?”
They nod their assent, and we head down to find the guys.
I’m in the lead as we clomp down the stairs in our heels. I can hear the guys chattering and laughing in the kitchen. The sight coming into view as I turn into the kitchen almost has my mouth gaping.
Todd, Levi, Tucker, Cooper, and Max are all in black tuxes and look so delicious it’s amazing any of us women are able to continue standing.
“Goddamn,” Sara says next to me, and I see each of the girls staring at the sexy array of men in front of us.
At Sara’s exclamation, the guys turn, and their reactions are just as good as ours were. All of their eyes bug out, and I hear each one mumble a variation of “damn”.
Each of us walks to our man with the exception of Sara. She and Levi are going to the event together, but despite how much we’ve tried to get them together, they’re just friends. Levi is a couple of years younger than the rest of us but has always been a part of our group.
“You look beautiful.” Tucker grins at me, his eyes dark and melty.
“You’re looking pretty fine yourself, mister.” I take in his large frame tightly squeezed into his tux. His shoulders are so wide I’m a little worried he might bust out the seams of his jacket. His hand traces down my exposed shoulder from the halter straps of my dress and down my arm, sending tingles down my spine. Our eyes are locked, every emotion passing between us. Lust, love, vulnerability. It’s the most open I’ve ever seen him, and I fall even harder.
“Everyone ready?” Cooper asks, pulling Tucker and me out of our own little world.
We all nod our heads and begin gathering our things, the girls putting on coats and the guys grabbing our bags before we walk outside.
Navigating out of the driveway takes a few minutes with so many cars, but we finally get on the road and head toward the convention center.
The crazy thing is I almost booked the gala at the rec center but ended up picking a conference center a little outside of town because it was bigger. I cannot even imagine what would’ve happened if I’d gone with the rec center and then had to deal with the fire. That would’ve been a nightmare.
“I haven’t heard anything from Emily. I hope everything is going okay,” I say into the quiet cab of the truck.
“I’m sure she would’ve called you if there was something wrong.”
“Yeah, I know... The gala is just so much bigger than it’s ever been. I feel a little bad about leaving her by herself to figure things out.”
