Page 110 of Against the Clock

I tug the boned bodice up a little, and everyone does a little sigh at the same time when I finally turn.

“Is it good?”

“Good? This is a knockout. Touchdown. Homerun. Whatever the football one is,” Christophe says. “You look amazing. You’re going to be the belle of the Beaver Ball.”

“I truly don’t know how anyone says that with a straight face,” I mutter. My eyes widen as I notice the slit that goes well past mid-thigh. “Holy leg.”

“Yes, mama, work that skirt,” Charles says. “Now get over here and let me get those curlers out.”

A pair of gold heels emerges from a black duffel hanging on the rack, and Christophe straps me into them as Charles uses his fingers to comb out my new curls.

“Goddess,” he finally says, and when they give me the mirror this time, I do a double-take.

“Knock ‘em dead,” Charles says cheerfully, packing up his stuff.

And within ten minutes, with lots of hugs and thank yous, the glam squad departs, leaving me alone in my apartment to grapple with my makeover and the amount of money Daniel must have dropped to make it happen for me.

I love him.

I can’t wait to tell him tonight.

CHAPTER 42

DANIEL

The tux feels like a foreign object around my body. Despite the best tailoring possible, I’ll never be comfortable in shit like this. The Matthews brothers seem similarly uncomfortable, and Jacob in particular looks especially out of his element.

“Where are your dates?” I ask them, and they both glower at me. “I see the resemblance.”

Jacob walks off, his ankle much better thanks to ice, rehab, and likely a shit ton of injections.

I roll my shoulder. I know how that goes all too well.

“I didn’t mean to be rude,” I tell Ty.

“He’s sensitive tonight. He knows he’s going to see his ex.”

“Cameron. Kelsey’s best friend.” God, I can’t wait to see Kelsey. It’s been a little over a week since we both were able to carve time out for each other, and I’m half-feral with need for my girlfriend.

“Yeah. They dated in college, he wanted to propose, she didn’t want to get married. He never got over her.”

“What about you? Why didn’t you bring someone?”

Ty’s face crumples, and then he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Things are, uh, complicated with my… my girlfriend. Too complicated.”

“It shouldn’t be hard,” I say, thinking back to my ex-wife, then my famous ex-girlfriend. “If it’s hard, it’s not right.”

“She’s not the problem… it’s uh, it’s her job.”

“Oh. She’s busy.”

“Something like that.” Ty squirms, and I narrow my eyes at him.

“What does she do?”

“All kinds of things,” he says vaguely. “Hey, holy shit, there’s Kelsey.”

I look away from the receiver towards the entrance.

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