Page 55 of No One Like You

“Yeah, if you want to. Really, don’t feel like you have to.”

“No, it’ll be fun. And if it isn’t, then Maria is watching Sophia and we can have a girls night.”

“Oh, good call, Megan!”

“Thanks!” Megan grinned at her. “Oh, is there a dress code or anything?”

“Nah, casual,” Tasha said, thinking of her red dress and surprising Megan.

CHAPTER 35

ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK

Maria eagerly awaited Megan and Sophia’s arrival. She knew that she only had about two hours to implement her plan, so the timing was not ideal, but she knew that she could make this work.

Oh, this is going to be delightful! I hope that Megan doesn’t put up too much of a fuss, though. Any delay could throw everything off.

Thankfully, Megan was punctual. Maria watched as she parked and bundled Sophia out of the car. She opened the door as they approached. “Sophia! Megan! Welcome! It is lovely to see you both again.”

“Hi, Maria!” Sophia said.

“Thank you for watching Sophia,” Megan said. “It’s very kind of you.”

“It’s my pleasure! It will be nice for you and Tasha to have a girls night. I’m sure that Sophia and I will have a wonderful time.”

“I hope so. Sophia, thank Ms. Rodriguez for watching you.”

“Thank you, Ms. Rodriguez!”

“You are quite welcome, Sophia. I see that your mom brought some books and games. I do like games! Maybe you can teach me one!” Meanwhile, it’s time to set my own little game in motion. Maria turned to Megan. “Are you planning to wear that, dear?”

“Oh, this?” Megan surveyed her jeans, blouse, and cardigan. “Tasha said that it was a casual event.”

“It is a holiday party, and that is definitely more ‘working mom’ than festive.” And now to set the hook. “Hmm, I think that I have just the thing for you.”

“Uh, that’s okay, Maria. Maybe I should just run home and change. I have plenty of time to do that.”

“No, I won’t hear of it. Come along.” With that, Maria strode off, heading for the staircase. She’d long ago realized that confidence and the unspoken assumption that someone will do as asked often led to them doing as asked. As Maria expected, Megan and Sophia followed along in her wake. Once upstairs, she led them to a well-lit guest bedroom.

As Megan entered, she saw the other people in the room and stiffened. “Maria, what’s going on?” she asked warily.

“It’s a surprise for you, my dear! I felt that you deserved something special for your first evening out alone with Tasha, so I brought in some friends to help. Just sit in that chair and these ladies will get you ready for a night out!”

“This is too much, Maria!”

“Nonsense, Megan. Their last show just wrapped, so we’re helping them with a bit of holiday bonus cash, and you’ll look stunning.”

“Show?”

“Yes, Portland is much cheaper than Los Angeles, so we often get TV shows and movies filming here. Now you’ll get the same hair and make-up treatment as the stars!”

“I can’t!”

“Of course you can! Sophia and I will be right over here playing a game while you sit back and relax and let them work their movie magic on you.” Maria turned to Sophia. “It will be fun to watch your mom get made up like a movie star, won’t it, Sophia?”

“Yes, Ms. Rodriguez!”

“See, Megan. Just relax and let them work.”

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