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“Shit,” I hiss, tossing my phone down on the bed. Holly is my hair stylist and I got so caught up thinking about Lucas that I forgot she was meeting me here to do my hair and makeup. Rushing into the bathroom, I quickly strip and turn on the shower before rushing through washing my hair and face. When I step out, I glance up at the clock and whisper another curse as I grab the silk robe off the hook in the bathroom and slip it on. My dress has a keyhole back so I’m not able to wear a bra but I slip a sexy pair of panties on underneath my robe just as someone knocks on the door. “Shit.”
I check my reflection in the mirror, just to make sure I’m decent before running to the door and throwing it open. “Hey.”
“Um… hi, crazy eyes.” Holly laughs, arching a brow as she looks me over. “What the hell are you doing? Running a marathon?”
I nod. “Feels like it. I lost track of time and had to rush to shower before you got here.”
“Ah, the things we do for beauty,” she muses as I stand back and hold the door open for her. As I close the door, she pulls the chair away from the desk in the corner of the room and gets her bags set up on the bed. “So, what are we thinking for your hair today?”
“I’m not sure. I was kind of thinking something half up but maybe you should look at my dress and tell me what you think.”
She nods, pointing to the garment bag on the bed. “Let’s see it.”
Nodding, I cross the room and grab the hanger before hanging it on a hook by the closet and slowly pulling the plastic up to reveal the gorgeous midnight blue hand-beaded tulle trumpet gown I found in a little shop downtown. It feels very vintage with its illusion cap sleeves and neckline over a sweetheart bodice and the keyhole back. Holly gasps and I smile.
“Oh…my…god… that dress is stunning and I’m totally getting a vintage vibe from it. Like a nineteen twenties, Great Gatsby thing.”
I nod. “That was exactly what I was thinking.”
“Okay, so we’ll do a low bun with curls and I’ve got the perfect band to put in your hair,” she says, pulling out a headband with blue and white stones that complements the dress perfectly.
“That’s gorgeous,” I tell her and she nods as she gestures for me to sit in the chair before pulling a blow dryer and extension cord out of her bag.
“Come sit down and let me work my magic.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I answer, crossing the room and plopping down in the chair, eager to see how I look when she’s finished with me.
“So,” she says as she pulls my hair out of the towel and starts running a comb through it. “How’s life?”
I can’t hold back my smile as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. “Really good, actually.”
“Well, look at you! You’re glowing!”
“Am I?”
She slaps my shoulder playfully. “Yes, you are. What is putting this smile on your face?”
“Life is just good, you know.”
My phone buzzes on the bed and I grab it, my heart skipping a beat at Lucas’s name on the screen. I open the text and laugh.
Lucas:
Do I get a sneak peek of the dress?
Me:
Nope. You’re just going to have to wait.
“Lucas, huh?” Holly asks and when I meet her gaze in the mirror, she wiggles her eyebrows. “Does he have anything to do with why your life is so good lately?”
A blush creeps up my cheeks. “Maybe.”
“Well, in that case, let’s make sure you knock him off his feet tonight,” she answers with a determined look in her eyes and butterflies dance around in my belly as I think about seeing Lucas tonight and my plans for after the gala. The nerves are still there but so is this deep, steadfast feeling that tonight is going to be nothing short of perfection.
* * * *
“Wow,” I whisper, inspecting myself in the mirror as Holly stands back with a proud smirk on her face.
