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Aiden: Shoes are included. You don’t have to bring a thing. Just your beautiful self. See you soon. xoxo
I can’t help but smile. Obviously putting the ‘xoxo’ at the end of my text message wasn’t such a big deal after all. Sarah, being as nosey as ever, grabs the phone from my hand and reads the message.
“Hugs and kisses at the end, and he called you beautiful. What a sweetheart... when am I going to meet him?” she asks, putting her hand on her hip and jutting it out.
“Ahh… I don’t know? But I’ll let him know you want to.”
“Good. Now let’s get your hair and makeup done.”
I have complete trust in Sarah’s makeup ability. Our mothers work together as beauticians in their own salon. Sarah’s mother taught her everything she knows. My mother never taught me anything as I was never interested in the industry, and she never pushed me into it either.
Sarah gets to work fixing my look, and before I know it, she’s standing back admiring her handiwork. “What a masterpiece,” she marvels as she points to the mirror.
I stand making my way over. When I see myself, I double-take. I look pretty. Beautiful even. Sarah’s outdone herself—smoky eyes, hair down with loose curls, and a section pulled back with a bling comb in a pretty swirl pattern. I look like me, just a more made-up version. I didn’t know I could look like this, and I don’t even have a dress on yet.
“Thanks, Sarah. You sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself.”
“Jeni, you’re beautiful. Even without all… this.” She gestures to my makeup and hairdo. I roll my eyes and pull on some strappy shoes.
We both walk out to the living room where Chris is watching football on the television. The roar of the crowd streaming through the open space makes me smile.
“What do you think of my masterpiece, Chris?” Sarah asks, pointing at me. He looks up from the screen, then looks back to the television. Suddenly, his head whips back to me again. “Fuck! I wasn’t expecting that. You look great, Jeni.” He exudes genuine enthusiasm.
I laugh as Sarah claps. “I’m too damn good,” she chortles, doing a little dance.
“What time is he picking you up?” Chris asks casually, half paying attention, half watching the game.
“He said at five thirty. So, any time now, I guess.”
As Chris goes to reply, the doorbell chimes. “Have fun. Be safe. Be home by midnight, not a second later,” Chris jokes as I walk toward the kitchen.
“Thanks, Dad.” I chuckle while answering the door.
“Hi, Mike,” I cheer happily seeing his kind face.
“Good evening, Jeni.” He tips his hat as I turn to face Sarah, then kiss her cheek.
“Thanks for your help. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
She hugs me, hands me my purse, and pushes me out the door. “I won’t wait up,” she smirks as she closes the door behind me. Shaking my head, I walk with Mike to the car. He opens the back-passenger door for me to hop in, but I hesitate.
“If you don’t mind, Mike, I’d rather sit in the front with you.”
His eyes widen like he’s shocked, and then he draws his eyebrows together. It’s like no one’s ever asked him that before. “Ahh… sure thing.” He closes the back door and opens the front.
“Mike, I’m sorry about last night. I honestly had no intention of falling asleep and leaving you in the car like that. Actually, I never knew you were waiting. If I had, we wouldn’t have done that to you.”
He shakes his head. “Oh, don’t even worry about it. I’ve slept in far worse places than the back seat of a luxurious car.” He smiles. “Honestly, it’s all part of my job, and I love working with Aiden.”
I look at him inquisitively. “Is this while you’ve worked for Aiden? That you’ve had to sleep in the back of cars?”
“No, when I was a teenager, I used to sleep just about anywhere. It wasn’t until Patty, Aiden’s grandfather, took me in and made me see there was more to life than partying.”
I nod but don’t say any more. I don’t want to push him on the matter. “Do you know how many people are going to this function tonight?”
“Yes, quite a few, by the sounds of it.”
I tiptoe around my next question while fiddling my thumbs together. “Will all his family be there?”
