Page 56 of The Dreidl Disaster

Which was enough for Naomi to translate. “Right. Fifty date, fifty professional. Okay.” At which point Naomi grabbed her hand and dragged her into the bathroom and turned on the light.

“Just a little to zhuzh you up a bit.”

Liv nodded, because she knew better.

This was, of course, part of Naomi’s job. Translating clients’ beauty standards and random inquiries into event-ready looks. And she put herself into her sister’s hands, opening and closing her eyes, turning her head, bending down and then lifting up. Liv felt like she was in a workout video.

But this was different.

After what felt like ten minutes or ten hours, Liv wasn’t touched and hadn’t moved, which meant Naomi must have been looking critically or something to that effect.

“Okay,” Naomi finally said. “Look.”

And look she did, in the horrible mirror in the bathroom she had refused to change over the period she’d lived in the town house. But it served its purpose, at least this time highlighting the work her sister had done.

Even she could see it.

The changes were subtle but made all the difference: the subtle additions to the hair and the makeup Naomi had made helped her achieve the look she wanted.

Someone going on what felt like a professional date that wasn’t as professional as she was trying to make herself believe. “This is wonderful,” she managed.

“Thank you, ma’am,” her sister quipped. “You look gorgeous.”

She wouldn’t go that far, but nice was enough, and for that moment, she felt just right. She definitely owed her sister.

“Thank you,” she managed.

Naomi nodded, pride in her expression. “You’re welcome.” And then she paused, and Liv met her sister’s eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“Are you ready?”

Liv looked at her watch and nodded. “Yeah. Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Naomi followed Liv into the cold winter night, their destination Liv’s car and the pop-up in Rivertown. Liv was about to unlock the car when Naomi’s phone buzzed.

Her sister looked down before looking up, an indecipherable expression on her face. “Hold on,” she said.

Liv nodded, hoping desperately that this wasn’t one of Naomi’s work emergencies; the work of a party planner was never done. But the phone call was quick, and when Naomi ended the call, something like a sigh emerged from her sister’s mouth.

“What’s up?” Liv asked. “Nothing too serious I hope?”

“Not really,” Naomi replied. “We just need to wait a little bit.”

Liv raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

At which point, whether in answer to her question or not, a horn honked. Liv looked up only to see a gray SUV pulling into the complex. “Huh?”

“I couldn’t stop him,” Naomi said.

Was that fear? Nerves…what?

“Who?” Liv asked.

“It’s fine,” Naomi answered, sounding ridiculously frazzled all of a sudden. “He’s my guest?”

Liv had no idea what was happening and had less when the car pulled up to where they stood, and the window rolled down, revealing Jason, the closest thing that Asher had to a little brother. And one of the owners of Greenblatt’s Knish Shop.

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