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Nat took the glass in two hands, rubbing it over her forehead before downing half of it greedily. “Nursing for two has turned me into a camel. Thanks. So what’s up?”
“Can’t I just hang out with my favorite almost-sister-in-law?” Frankie picked at the tear in her jeans.
“I’m your only almost-sister-in-law, and most conversations begin with one person inquiring about the life and times of the other. But most hang-outs don’t leave you looking like you’re about to toss your cookies… Oh my God! Are you pregnant?”
“What? No! Jeez, I know you and Fi have babies on the brain, but not everyone is leaping into parental bliss!”
“Well, it has been speculated that there’s something in the water and someone in your bed, so it’s not so far-fetched. But okay, not pregnant.” Natalie eyed her carefully, like she could see inside to Frankie’s soul. “Just nervous, then. Spit it out. What do you need?”
“I need girl lessons.” Frankie’s cheeks heated, and she was sure her normally olive skin had flushed dark red.
“Girl lessons? I thought we had established that you are not pregnant.”
“But we have also established that I have someone in my bed.”
“Right now? Girl, why are you even here? Go!”
Frankie laughed and the tension she’d been holding on to dissolved. “Not right now, but I’d like to keep him there.”
“There are all kinds of girls in this world. And you are the one he’s choosing to be with, just the way you are.”
“I know. I just…I need to know how to do the girly things, you know, all those things you are a professional at doing. I need to be able to put on the polish from time to time. Sofia tried to teach me when we were younger, but I didn’t care back then so I didn’t pay attention.”
“And you care now?”
“Well, he invited me to a thing, and I need to look professional-level girly.”
Jake always looked so put together. It was clear he valued order and image. After what he’d told her in the cellar, she could understand why. She’d never had that kind of public pressure. With the show taking off, she tried to grab a clean T-shirt instead of a dirty one when she ran out to the grocery store.
Now, she was going to be stepping into that life, even if it was temporary. She wanted to make a good impression at the network. But more than that, she wanted to show Jake she could thrive in his natural habitat.
Could he picture her in his life? Beyond the end of their show? The closer they got to the end of construction, the more she realized she didn’t want their relationship to end with it. Happier than she’d been in years, Frankie wanted this to work. She wanted Jake to want that too, and if it took a little eyeliner to make that vision more attractive, well, she’d put in the effort.
“Well then, my skills are your skills, but you’ve got to let me film it. It’d make a great series, and you’ll never remember it all without it.”
“Deal.”
Frankie approached the salon chair Natalie had tucked into the corner of the master bedroom in front of a stage mirror. It was still set up for filming her popular online makeup tutorials. Her flawless face and the scattered cosmetics meant she’d just finished a new one.
“We don’t have to do this now if you’re tired.” Frankie took half a step in retreat before Natalie tugged her into the white swivel chair and spun her around.
“Nonsense. I’m fine.” Natalie checked her watch. “I’ve got an hour before the little ones need to eat again. Plus I get another episode without having to scrub my face off, and you get a copy you can watch again later.”
Frankie could admit that would be helpful when she tried to do this in LA.
Natalie draped her with a salon cape and steamrolled right ahead, not allowing any doubt to root in Frankie’s mind. “Sit right here, and we’ll get started. Were you thinking glam or more natural?” Natalie bustled around her, straightening her pots and sticks, wiping down brushes and setting the phone up to record.
Frankie shrugged. “It’s a Fourth of July thing, but fancier? Maybe?”
“So mostly natural, but we can vamp up your eyes a little bit. Okay, here we go.”
Frankie fidgeted through Natalie’s opening patter. This had seemed like a good idea in her head, but now it felt like it was spiraling out of control. Story of her life, lately. First the build, then the party… Now even a simple favor was turning into a production. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She was grateful to have Natalie’s help, even if it meant sitting in front of a camera again.
“Hello, friends. As you know, our motto here is ‘Makeup doesn’t make you beautiful. It lets the beauty inside shine.’ You might recognize my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Frankie Valenti, from her hit show Million-Dollar Starter Home. She’s more likely to be covered in plaster dust than powder, but today we are going to help the outside match her inner beauty. She’s been so busy filming her new show, Valenti Vineyards, that she needs a little pampering today. We are going to start with this special cooling avocado mask, and then we’ll move on to a look guaranteed to knock that special guy flat on his ass.”
Frankie smiled for the camera as Natalie began to smear a cold, goopy, glittering green gel over her cheeks. It reminded her of the time Gabe had wiped a booger on her face when she was five and wouldn’t quit pestering him. She valiantly resisted the urge to cringe and wipe it all off.
“So what’s the occasion?”
