Second Chance Girl
Page 56
There was only one thing missing.
She thought of the small glass giraffe Mathias had made for her. Until this second she hadn’t realized how much she’d been hoping he would have made another one for the event. Perhaps it wasn’t fair of her—he was an artist and maybe he couldn’t produce on demand. Not something so incredible.
Her gaze moved to Ceallach’s abstract piece and she wondered how much its presence had changed everything. In a room filled with promise and joy, his vengeful heart was a dark shadow sucking the life out of all it touched.
* * *
CAROL WORRIED THAT her curling iron was lonely and bitter and determined to punish her for lack of use. Or maybe the more realistic problem was that she got it out it all of once or twice a year, so she simply forgot how to maneuver it without burning herself.
She stood in her bathroom and carefully curled her short, red hair the way Violet had suggested. With enough product and attention, she could manage a decently fluffy style that was far more festive than her usual wash and go-ness. She’d already applied makeup—another beauty ritual she did her best to avoid. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how, it was that she rarely saw the need.
Violet was a big help, keeping her up-to-date on all the latest trends and guiding her toward the most foolproof ones. Whoever had invented crayon-like eye shadow deserved an award. No more fussing with oddly long brushes. No more shading. She simply swiped it on, smoothed it with her finger and she was done. The same with a bronzer-highlighter kit her sister had found. Two colors, two brushes and a little diagram showing her what went where. Honestly, if she didn’t already love her job, she would look at starting a company called “Makeup for the beauty challenged.”
She put down her curling iron and studied her hair. The curls were perky and even, her bangs straight. She reached for her can of hairspray and gave herself two coats, just to be sure, then went into her closet to finish dressing.
Atsuko had said to aim more toward cocktail party attire than anything too formal. While Carol didn’t want to be the center of attention, Millie was her girl, so at some point she was going to have to speak to everyone, which meant dressing appropriately was important.
So was saying the right thing. The thought of having to address the crowd had been keeping her up for days, but again, she was the giraffe representative. She’d finally gotten her remarks down to a couple of paragraphs. She talked about Millie, then thanked everyone involved. The end.
She’d practiced enough to have her little speech memorized, but had notes, just in case her mind went blank. Which seemed fairly likely, given how nervous she was going to be.
She slipped on a simple black cocktail dress. It was sleeveless with a scooped neck and a slightly flared skirt. Growing up in New York City had meant going to lots of different events with her mother. Violet had loved dressing up, while Carol would have rather stayed home and read. Regardless of her wishes, she’d been dragged along.
Every year her mother had bought each of them a new black cocktail dress. Somewhere along the way, Carol had learned it was better to be prepared for the unexpected. While she didn’t get a new dress every year, every third or fourth, she ordered a few online and kept the best one or two.
There was no way she could manage high heels, but she had a pair of classic pumps that worked in a pinch. At least she would be able to stand all night without twisting her ankle or limping.
She checked her small clutch and made sure she had her house keys and her speech. With three minutes to spare, she made her way to the front of the house.
Mathias pulled up right on time. He’d texted her earlier, offering her a ride into town. She was grateful not to have to arrive alone, but nervous about seeing him. It would be the first time they’d been alone since her emotional discovery. She was terrified that now that she knew she was in love with him, she would somehow give it away. Like as soon as she saw him, the truth would be written on her forehead or something.
Hoping fate wasn’t so unsupportive, she crossed to the front door and pulled it open. Mathias was halfway up the front walk. He stopped when he saw her, giving her a chance to admire his lean, muscled body in something other than jeans.
He’d put on a black suit. The jacket had been tailored by someone who understood and admired the male form. His shirt was also black, as was his tie. He looked sexy, handsome and just a little dangerous. Fluttering started deep in her belly and worked its way out. Her chest tightened and she knew she was going to have trouble breathing.
“You’re stunning,” he said, moving toward her. “No one’s going to notice the artwork.”
“I hope you’re wrong. We’ve already spent the money.”
He chuckled, then lightly kissed her. “Nervous?”
“Desperately.”
“You’ll do fine.”
“I have a speech prepared. It’s short.”
“Those are the best ones.”
He put his hand on the small of her back and led her to his car. Carol exhaled with relief. He hadn’t figured it out—her secret was still safe. Now all she had to do was get through the rest of the evening without tripping, spilling or making a fool of herself in any other way. Tomorrow she would figure out what to do about being in love with Mathias.
* * *
THE GALLERY LOOKED different with nearly a hundred people filling the space. Or maybe it was the lighting or the delicious smells of the appetizers. Or maybe it was the sudden and total terror that gripped her and promised to never let go.
Carol stood just inside the front doors. Mathias gently urged her inside, but she couldn’t seem to move or breathe. No way she could do this, she thought frantically. She wasn’t the right person to represent Millie to all these people. She’d never spoken to a crowd before—the closest she’d come was the other twenty-seven students in her college freshman speech class.
“You’re beautiful, accomplished and this isn’t about you. It’s about Millie. So think of her, take a breath and smile.”
Mathias’s quiet words were whispered in her left ear. Until this second she would have sworn there was nothing she would rather hear from him than I love you desperately. But given the situation, this was even better.
She thought about the beautiful, lonely giraffe depending on her, reminded herself that as Millie’s representative, she had to make Millie proud, sucked in air, then smiled.
“That’s my girl.”
Was she? Despite the sudden need to know, Carol reminded herself about what was important.
“Thanks,” she said quietly. “The freak-out has passed. I’ll do better now.”
Before Mathias could respond, Atsuko descended. She wore a slim black pantsuit with gorgeous buttons that had a slight giraffe motif. Carol had a feeling Violet had done well with the sale.
“You’re stunning,” the gallery owner announced, sweeping in for an air kiss. “The crowd is hot. I can feel it. We’re both going to make so much money tonight.” She smiled. “While yours is the more worthy cause, I still have bills to pay.” She turned to Mathias. “You’ll keep our star circulating.”
“I know the drill.”
“A thousand thanks.” Atsuko sighed happily. “Ed and Ted are doing their part, which is lovely. Now I’m going to do the same. Chat up the big money folks while making everyone feel special.” She beamed. “How I do love an event.”
She thought of the small glass giraffe Mathias had made for her. Until this second she hadn’t realized how much she’d been hoping he would have made another one for the event. Perhaps it wasn’t fair of her—he was an artist and maybe he couldn’t produce on demand. Not something so incredible.
Her gaze moved to Ceallach’s abstract piece and she wondered how much its presence had changed everything. In a room filled with promise and joy, his vengeful heart was a dark shadow sucking the life out of all it touched.
* * *
CAROL WORRIED THAT her curling iron was lonely and bitter and determined to punish her for lack of use. Or maybe the more realistic problem was that she got it out it all of once or twice a year, so she simply forgot how to maneuver it without burning herself.
She stood in her bathroom and carefully curled her short, red hair the way Violet had suggested. With enough product and attention, she could manage a decently fluffy style that was far more festive than her usual wash and go-ness. She’d already applied makeup—another beauty ritual she did her best to avoid. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how, it was that she rarely saw the need.
Violet was a big help, keeping her up-to-date on all the latest trends and guiding her toward the most foolproof ones. Whoever had invented crayon-like eye shadow deserved an award. No more fussing with oddly long brushes. No more shading. She simply swiped it on, smoothed it with her finger and she was done. The same with a bronzer-highlighter kit her sister had found. Two colors, two brushes and a little diagram showing her what went where. Honestly, if she didn’t already love her job, she would look at starting a company called “Makeup for the beauty challenged.”
She put down her curling iron and studied her hair. The curls were perky and even, her bangs straight. She reached for her can of hairspray and gave herself two coats, just to be sure, then went into her closet to finish dressing.
Atsuko had said to aim more toward cocktail party attire than anything too formal. While Carol didn’t want to be the center of attention, Millie was her girl, so at some point she was going to have to speak to everyone, which meant dressing appropriately was important.
So was saying the right thing. The thought of having to address the crowd had been keeping her up for days, but again, she was the giraffe representative. She’d finally gotten her remarks down to a couple of paragraphs. She talked about Millie, then thanked everyone involved. The end.
She’d practiced enough to have her little speech memorized, but had notes, just in case her mind went blank. Which seemed fairly likely, given how nervous she was going to be.
She slipped on a simple black cocktail dress. It was sleeveless with a scooped neck and a slightly flared skirt. Growing up in New York City had meant going to lots of different events with her mother. Violet had loved dressing up, while Carol would have rather stayed home and read. Regardless of her wishes, she’d been dragged along.
Every year her mother had bought each of them a new black cocktail dress. Somewhere along the way, Carol had learned it was better to be prepared for the unexpected. While she didn’t get a new dress every year, every third or fourth, she ordered a few online and kept the best one or two.
There was no way she could manage high heels, but she had a pair of classic pumps that worked in a pinch. At least she would be able to stand all night without twisting her ankle or limping.
She checked her small clutch and made sure she had her house keys and her speech. With three minutes to spare, she made her way to the front of the house.
Mathias pulled up right on time. He’d texted her earlier, offering her a ride into town. She was grateful not to have to arrive alone, but nervous about seeing him. It would be the first time they’d been alone since her emotional discovery. She was terrified that now that she knew she was in love with him, she would somehow give it away. Like as soon as she saw him, the truth would be written on her forehead or something.
Hoping fate wasn’t so unsupportive, she crossed to the front door and pulled it open. Mathias was halfway up the front walk. He stopped when he saw her, giving her a chance to admire his lean, muscled body in something other than jeans.
He’d put on a black suit. The jacket had been tailored by someone who understood and admired the male form. His shirt was also black, as was his tie. He looked sexy, handsome and just a little dangerous. Fluttering started deep in her belly and worked its way out. Her chest tightened and she knew she was going to have trouble breathing.
“You’re stunning,” he said, moving toward her. “No one’s going to notice the artwork.”
“I hope you’re wrong. We’ve already spent the money.”
He chuckled, then lightly kissed her. “Nervous?”
“Desperately.”
“You’ll do fine.”
“I have a speech prepared. It’s short.”
“Those are the best ones.”
He put his hand on the small of her back and led her to his car. Carol exhaled with relief. He hadn’t figured it out—her secret was still safe. Now all she had to do was get through the rest of the evening without tripping, spilling or making a fool of herself in any other way. Tomorrow she would figure out what to do about being in love with Mathias.
* * *
THE GALLERY LOOKED different with nearly a hundred people filling the space. Or maybe it was the lighting or the delicious smells of the appetizers. Or maybe it was the sudden and total terror that gripped her and promised to never let go.
Carol stood just inside the front doors. Mathias gently urged her inside, but she couldn’t seem to move or breathe. No way she could do this, she thought frantically. She wasn’t the right person to represent Millie to all these people. She’d never spoken to a crowd before—the closest she’d come was the other twenty-seven students in her college freshman speech class.
“You’re beautiful, accomplished and this isn’t about you. It’s about Millie. So think of her, take a breath and smile.”
Mathias’s quiet words were whispered in her left ear. Until this second she would have sworn there was nothing she would rather hear from him than I love you desperately. But given the situation, this was even better.
She thought about the beautiful, lonely giraffe depending on her, reminded herself that as Millie’s representative, she had to make Millie proud, sucked in air, then smiled.
“That’s my girl.”
Was she? Despite the sudden need to know, Carol reminded herself about what was important.
“Thanks,” she said quietly. “The freak-out has passed. I’ll do better now.”
Before Mathias could respond, Atsuko descended. She wore a slim black pantsuit with gorgeous buttons that had a slight giraffe motif. Carol had a feeling Violet had done well with the sale.
“You’re stunning,” the gallery owner announced, sweeping in for an air kiss. “The crowd is hot. I can feel it. We’re both going to make so much money tonight.” She smiled. “While yours is the more worthy cause, I still have bills to pay.” She turned to Mathias. “You’ll keep our star circulating.”
“I know the drill.”
“A thousand thanks.” Atsuko sighed happily. “Ed and Ted are doing their part, which is lovely. Now I’m going to do the same. Chat up the big money folks while making everyone feel special.” She beamed. “How I do love an event.”
