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“It’s a couples party,” she began to explain and proceeded to tell me all the details about it. It was at one of the private villas here at the resort, just after dinner, so we didn’t have to worry about it starting too late. That sort of thing. By the time she finished hyping it up, I was honestly starting to feel like maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.
If there was one thing my husband needed, it was some fun to take his mind off the disasters that had occurred since we arrived.
She reached into her purse and handed me a fancy invitation.
“So, it’s a masquerade ball?” I asked after scanning the embossed sheet of paper, and she nodded. “That sounds pretty fancy…”
“Don’t worry about dressing up,” she said, and a cheeky grin consumed her mouth. “Heck, you could show up naked, and as long as you have a mask on, no one would care.”
I laughed. “And it’s just for couples?” I didn’t want to have to worry about some weird woman hitting on Kline when I went to the bathroom or deal with him getting jealous if some guy happened to pay me too much attention. We just needed to be able to enjoy each other.
“Yes,” Paula answered. “It’s actually an annual event for couples. Frank and I come to Cabo every year for it as a celebration of our anniversary. Fifteen years this year.”
“Wow! It’s that good that you guys go every year?”
She nodded again, eyes a complicated combination of serious and enthusiastic. “It is fantastic, Georgia. You will have the time of your life.”
Man, maybe this was the kind of thing we needed to turn the whole trip around.
“You justhaveto go,” Paula encouraged, gently tapping her hand to mine again. “You will love it.”
I smiled. By the time the bartender set Kline’s and my drinks in front of me, my mind was made up. We needed some fun and we needed it ASAP, and this sounded like just the ticket. Hell, even the invitation was gold, just like Willy Wonka intended.
“Okay, Paula,” I said as I stood up from my barstool with the drinks in my hands. “We’ll be there.”
A few hours later, I found myself in the master bathroom of our suite, fresh out of the shower and thinking about all the events that had occurred since we’d landed in Cabo less than forty-eight hours ago.
First, a hibachi grill dinner and what was supposed to be a romantic evening with Kline had turned into standing in the hotel lobby for three hours while the fire department worked to stop our hotel room from spreading a fire that lit up the whole resort.
And today, my husband had to pay an obscene amount of money to a mariachi band that had been hired to stalk us.
Basically, if two plus two equaled four, then last night plus today equaledshitshow.
Truthfully, this morning at breakfast, when Bobo Buttons and Mr. Boots were stealing pieces of my pancakes and everyone in the restaurant was giving us strange looks, I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt more embarrassed in my whole life.
And I was friends with Cassie Phillips.
So, that was saying a lot.
It truly felt as if the universe was giving us all the fucking signs that anything revolving around Valentine’s Day was not for yours truly.
Frankly, I grew more and more convinced by the minute, but what could I do? Tell Kline to pack our bags and get us on the next flight home?
That option made me feel far too bad to consider.
Which explained why I was currently getting myself ready for a night out instead of curling up in the fetal position and trying to go into a hibernation coma until our flight departed on Sunday.
Plus, my new friend Paulahadmade this couples party sound like a good time…
I stared at my reflection in the mirror as I did my makeup.
Tonight’s exciting plans called for sexy drama—smoky eyes and red lips.
I lined my eyes first, and then I finished my lips, turning them from a pale pink to a bright red in a matter of minutes.
Once my hair was perfectly in place, I added the final touch of a sexy, masquerade-style mask I managed to find in one of the resort’s boutiques. It was completely black, only covered my nose and eyes, and had hints of shimmery gold. The mask paired perfectly with the floor-length black silk dress and strappy heels I’d chosen for tonight’s shindig.
Once I was certain I was ready, I headed into the living room of our suite, where Kline waited for me. In another sharp black suit and crisp white shirt, he lookedgood. But then again, my handsome husbandalwayslooked good.
