Page 37 of The Finder

“No, this is great. Thank you,” Emma said earnestly.

Emma gave her a hug and left the shop. The ride back to the house with Kevin and Levi was quiet. When they got back to the house, Emma went right to her room and opened her envelope. There was fifteen hundred dollars in there. Emma counted it again to be certain. She couldn’t believe it. For less than a month’s work, she felt really good about it. She closed her eyes and took a breath. It was so good to have her own money now. She wouldn’t have to be so dependent on everybody else.

After putting the money away, she changed and went to the basement. Madison put her right to work.

“How was work?” Madison asked during one of their breaks.

Emma smiled. “I got paid.”

“That’s great,” Madison said with a big smile.

“It feels really good, like maybe I can make it after all and am not such a loser,” Emma said.

Madison frowned at her. “You shouldn’t feel that way.”

Emma just shrugged. “It’s just nice to have money now to be able to pay my own way. Speaking of which, I need to start paying rent of some sort if I'm going to be staying here.”

It was Madison’s turn to shrug. “You can take it up with Garrett,” she said.

Emma nodded. They got back to training. Before she knew it, it was already four. “Oh,” she said standing up. “I’d better get ready for my date.”

“Okay,” Madison said.

Emma looked at her for just a moment before going upstairs. Was it just her imagination or did it seem like everybody was treating her funny ever since she said she was going on a date? She pushed the thought aside and ran up the stairs to take a shower and get dressed for her date.

After her shower, she began combing her closet of new clothes to figure out what to wear. She went through at least a dozen outfits before she realized she needed help. She left her room and went to find Madison. She found her in the living room, reading. “Madison, I need help. I don’t know what to wear on a date. I’ve never done this before. Will you help me?”

Madison looked at her for a moment then sighed. “Come on,” she said begrudgingly. Madison stepped into her room and started looking through her clothes.

“Okay, let’s try this.” She pulled out a black long-sleeved black cable sweater. Emma remembered trying that one on. It was really pretty. It had a round neck and wore slightly off the shoulders. The top and the cuffs had detail work. Madison gave her a pair of dark wash skinny jeans next. “Okay. Put both of those on. I’ll be back in a minute.”

When she left, Emma changed into the sweater and jeans. Madison knocked and came in a moment later. “See if these fit. Hopefully, we’re about the same size.” She handed Emma a pair of black suede boots with a heel and a buckle on the sides. Emma slipped them on over her jeans. They were a tiny bit big but close enough. The heel wasn’t too high either.

“They fit great. Are you sure it’s okay if I wear them?” she asked.

“Of course.” She was rummaging through Emma’s stuff again. “Here,” she said. She handed Emma a pair of silver hoops. Emma put them on. “Perfect. Now let’s work on makeup and hair.” She led Emma into the bathroom. “Where’s all the new makeup we got?” Emma gathered it up and plugged in the new straightener Madison had talked her into getting.

Emma put on moisturizer, foundation, and powder. Madison took over from there. She finished Emma’s makeup; then worked on straightening her hair. “You have such pretty hair. How come you never leave it down?” Madison asked.

Emma shrugged. “I’m usually working, so I keep it up.”

“It’s a beautiful color. It needs a cut though. Would you be up to going with me to my hairstylist when I get my hair done? I think a nice cut would make your already beautiful hair gorgeous,” Madison said.

Emma shrugged. “Sure.”

“Let’s leave it mostly down. I’ll just pull a little bit up on the sides.” Madison worked her magic. “All right. I’m done. Want to see?”

Emma nodded. She turned around in the mirror and stared at herself. She didn’t recognize herself. “I really like it,” she told Madison with a smile. “It’s pretty but not too much,” she said. Madison had done her makeup in neutrals, giving her a natural look. She wasn’t used to her hair being down.

“You’re right. It really does need a trim, doesn’t it?” Emma asked, eying her hair. She hadn’t straightened it in a long time.

“Yeah,” Madison said. “We’ll get it taken care of. For now, let’s do this.” She took the bobby pins out of the sides and reworked Emma’s hair. She turned it into a cute messy side bun that Emma would never be able to replicate in a hundred years. She nodded when Madison was done.

“Much better,” she said.

Madison agreed. “Yeah, you look great.”

A knock sounded on her door. “Emma, you going on your date or not?”

---