Page 18 of Dangerous Encore
"Difficult, but nothing I can't handle." She pulls back and takes a long look at my makeup. "Do youlikeit."
Maybe. I turn to the mirror for a closer look. It's a normal night look. A little foundation, concealer, grey smoky eye, blush, filled in brows. My lipstick is only two shades darker than my natural color. And no falselashes.
This is a lot of makeup for mostpeople.
But for me this isn't even workmakeup.
It feelsplain.
Ordinary.
Mom smiles. "It's beautiful, sweetie. You look beautiful." It's in her voice.Keep it like this. Stay normal. Benormal.
Maybe.
Or maybe that's inmyhead.
"You can always try more, Vi. Nothing wrong with seeing how you like the look." Piper motions to my wedding dress, currently wrapped in plastic and hanging on a hook on the wall. "Or try it on with thedress."
"Oh, this it." Mom lifts the plastic covering the bottom of the gown and runs her fingers over the tulle. She lets out a soft chuckle. "I can only imagine what Grandmawillsay."
Piper shoots me aconcernedlook.
"And my sister." Mom shakes her head. She's shaking it at her sister, and not at me, but it's hard not to feel the brunt ofdisapproval.
Piper jumps in. "Why don't you try alittlemore?"
"Yeah. Okay." I take my seat in the makeup chair and I nod toKelsey.
"That is a dramatic dress." Kelsey picks up a lipstick and holds it against my skin to check the tone. "You want to trymatchingit?"
Yes. But I don't want to look at my mom's reaction right now. "Let'stryit."
Kelsey motions for Piper to sit. "I'll turn on the curling iron." She grabs said curling iron from one of the drawers of the vanity and pulls it in. "Could you do me a favor, Ms.Valentine?"
"Sure,"Momsays.
"Could you grab some water bottles from the fridge?"Kelseyasks.
Mom nods and heads over to the kitchen. Her heels click againstthetile.
Kelsey kneels in front of me. She looks up at me in thatI'm examining your featureskind of way. "Don't worry. Brides are always tense when their momsshowup."
"Is it that obvious?"Iask.
She nods. "It's a lot of give and take, deciding if it's your wedding or if it's Mom and Dad's wedding, or if it's Grandma's wedding. And if the parents are paying for it—you wouldn't believe how often a trial run turns into a screamingfight."
"Yeah?"Iask.
She nods. "The bride wants an updo. The mom wants curls. All of a sudden, they're screaming about that time in the third grade where the bride lost Mom's necklace. Weddings bring up a lot of feelings." She fills a lipstick brush with color and applies it. "This is certainly your face. I say adorn it however the fuckyouwant."
"Okay."
"No talking yet." She dabs another coat of lipstick. "I always wait until we're doing lips to give my pep talk. There's no chanceforsass."
I can't help butlaugh.
"That is thedownside."
