Alisha hops off the counter and slides a bathroom drawer open. After rustling around in it, she pulls out a handful of brushes, eyeshadow palettes, and mascara.
“Michael told me you run a rescue,” I say to Jordan as Alisha holds different color palettes up to my skin and eyes. “How long have you been doing that?”
“Oh, gosh.” She leans back against the bathroom counter. “I think . . . three years now? It started off as a little thing, but Michael got involved, and he really helped me expand. Now Wag helps hundreds of homeless dogs a year.”
“That’s awesome.” I smile. “What about you, Alisha? What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a personal trainer,” she says as she leans in, eyeshadow brush poised and at the ready. I close my eyes and try not to laugh at the ticklish sensation of the brush sweeping over my eyelid. “And you’re a violinist, right?”
“Mm-hmm.” I try not to move my head while Alisha works. “With the LA Orchestra.”
“That’s so cool! Mike and I went to a show last year,” Jordan says. “Maybe we saw you.”
“You probably did. I’ve been with them since I graduated three years ago.”
“That’s sweet,” Alisha says. “I wanna hear you play. Now open your eyes.”
I do as she says, and she twists the cap off the mascara bottle and sweeps it over my lashes a few times.
“There. Gorgeous.”
I look into the mirror, and it’s still me staring back, but a different version of me.
My hair shines under the vanity light, and the eyeshadow and mascara make my brown-green eyes come alive.
“You’re a wizard,” I mumble as I lean closer to the mirror, and Jordan and Alisha both burst into laughter.
“Come on, let’s take a picture.” Jordan pulls her cell from her back pocket, and I stand to pose with them in the bright lights from over the mirror. She snaps the photo, and when we all lean in to see it, I’m weirdly happy with how I look, especially next to two gorgeous women.
“All right, let’s go.” Alisha throws her long braids over one shoulder. “I’m starving.”
“One sec.” Jordan taps something into her phone. “Nora, what’s your handle?”
I tell her, and a moment later, she finishes what she’s doing with a smile.
“Okay, now we can go.”
Jordan and Alisha head out into the master bedroom, but I pause to take one final look at myself, and my reflection smiles back at me.
“Nora, come on!” Alisha calls, and I can hear their footsteps heading down the stairs.
I quickly grab my coat and purse from the closet, hit the light switch, and walk back through the master bedroom and onto the upstairs balcony. Voices echo from the foyer below; everyone must be eager to go.
I descend the first set of stairs, and when I step onto the landing and come into view, everyone looks up at me. The power of their stares is enough to make me pause, and my eyes find Dex without me wanting them to.
He’s standing next to the door, hands in his pockets, a lazy slouch to his shoulders. His gaze sweeps up and down the length of my body, lingering for a moment, and when his eyes meet mine, a thrill goes through me.
He just noticed me, for real.
And I felt it like a burst of electricity running through my veins.
I can still feel his gaze as I descend the second flight of stairs and meet the others in the foyer.
“Damn, Nora.” Sebastian sidles over to me, and I give him an easy smile as he slips his arm around my shoulders. “You look . . .”
“Sexy,” Alisha finishes for him.
“I mean, I wasn’t gonna say it, but yeah.” Sebastian laughs that boyish laugh, and I laugh along with him, realizing I’m starting to feel more at ease around all of them.
“Can we go?” Dex snaps. “This is taking forever.”
“He’s been in a bad mood all day,” Sebastian says, his arm still over my shoulders. “Maybe he’s hangry.”
“I’m not hangry.” Dex yanks the door open, letting the cool air in. The storm passed, but the smell of rain still hangs in the air. “I just wanna go.”
The others head outside, and I take a moment to slip into my boots and zip them up. Then I pull my coat on, and when I look up, Dex is still waiting there, holding the door open for me.
“Thanks,” I say, and when I walk past him and into the evening air, I let my arm barely graze his.
He draws a small breath.
I don’t know why I did it. I shouldn’t have done it. But looking like this, feeling like this, gives me confidence. It’s not like anything will come of it, and as long as I keep clear on who and what Dex is, there shouldn’t be any harm in it.
Right?
chapter 9
THE DRIVE TO THE RESTAURANT is . . . exhilarating. I’m in the passenger’s seat in Dex’s Rover, and Sebastian is riding in the back. The others rode with Jordan in her Mercedes, so it’s just the three of us.
