Page 35 of Beautiful Harmony

Ariana had applied small purple butterfly appliques at the top of each cheekbone, and they sparkled in the light.

But it was the left side of her face that she couldn’t stop staring at. Her birthmark was gone, hidden beneath a layer of foundation that Arianna had carefully blended on her face and down her neck to where it ended just below her collarbone.

“So, you can see my blending technique on your birthmark here,” Arianna pointed to her collarbone, “but I don’t think anyone will notice unless they’re up close and personal with your breasts.”

Emma continued to stare at herself but caught Arianna’s worried look from the corner of her eye. “Oh no. Do you hate it? I went a little extra on the eyeshadow, but, like, it’s Halloween. You’re supposed to exaggerate the look.”

Arianna turned to Rayna. “She hates it. She totally hates it.”

“I love it.” Emma’s voice sounded hoarse and a little thick. She couldn’t stop staring at her smooth and even complexion. She was tempted to smear away the makeup just to remind herself that the birthmark was still there, but she resisted.

“Are you sure?” Arianna gave her an uncharacteristically anxious look. “If you’d rather I didn’t cover up your birthmark, I can quickly change it. Because you’re, like, beautiful with it too, but I thought maybe you’d like to have a change for tonight or just have options for covering it if you wanted, you know?”

Emma stood up and hugged Arianna. “I love it, and it’s perfect. Thank you.”

Arianna returned her hug. “You’re so welcome. Let me know how your skin does with it, and if it’s good, then I can order you a bottle of the foundation.”

Emma glanced over at Rayna, who had suspiciously bright eyes. “I think I’m ready to go if you are?”

“I am.” Rayna cleared her throat and picked up Emma’s wings. “But first, let’s get your wings on, fairy girl.”

CHAPTER10

Lucas parked and turned off the engine. He was about half a block from Grace and Gideon’s house, but the number of cars parked in their driveway and on the street suggested the party was a little bigger than he’d anticipated.

He considered just going home before climbing out of the car and walking in the brisk air toward the house. He could go home, but then what? Just sit and think about Emma all fucking night? And not in a fun ‘masturbate into a coma’ way, but an ‘I fucked up our friendship’ way.

His stomach churned, and bitter bile crept up his throat. Fuck, he’d messed up so badly by kissing her on Sunday. The worst part was as much as he regretted it - and fuck, did he regret losing her friendship - he couldn’t stop thinking about how good it felt to kiss her. How soft her lips were, how perfect her body felt under his.

Stop it. If you want any hope of fixing your friendship with her, you have to purge that shit from your head.

Easier said than done. Which is why, after finishing early in the New Cassel office, he was here at a Halloween party without a costume or any real desire to party. But getting drunk and watching other people celebrate was as good a way as any to keep Emma out of his head.

He knocked on the front door, shoving his hands into his pockets and waiting patiently. It opened, and Grace, wearing a Queen of Hearts costume, grinned at him. “Lucas!”

“Hey, beautiful,” he said. “I’m late and don’t have a costume, but can I still join the party?”

“Of course you can!” Grace gave him a quick hug before pulling him into the house. “I thought you were in New Cassel until tomorrow?”

“Finished early, decided to come back for the party,” he said. “I heard it was going to be epic.”

She laughed. “I’m not sure if epic is the right word, but… Tank down!”

The giant fawn coloured Great Dane pushed his way past her to lean up against Lucas. He braced his feet and patted the dog’s side before studying the pink tutu the dog wore around his waist. “Hey, big guy. I like your tutu.”

“Doesn’t he look so cute?” Grace said. “It’s a child’s costume. None of the dog costumes at the pet store would fit him.”

“I still think we should have gone with the Winnie the Pooh costume.” Gideon joined them, slipping one arm around Grace’s waist and holding his free hand out to Lucas. “Hey, Lucas.”

“Hi, Gideon.” He shook the sheriff’s hand. “Nice parrot.”

“Thanks.”

The sheriff was dressed like a pirate, complete with an eye patch and a fake stuffed parrot on one shoulder.

“Head into the living room, and I’ll grab you a beer,” Grace said.

Lucas made his way to the living room. It was chocked full of people and, despite his sour mood, he couldn’t help but grin when he saw Connor and his girlfriend Kira standing by the far wall and wearing matching Ghostbuster costumes.

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