Page 9 of Fatal Thrill
She had no more hung up the phone than a knock sounded on the door. “B, it’s me. Savanna. I have acrisis!”
The door swung open before Beatrice could tell the woman to come in, and Jaya’s mouth fellopen.
Savanna Bunkett, the investigative reporter of the famous TV news show,The Bunk Stops Here,marched into the office with another woman on herheels.
Savanna Bunkett looked model-gorgeous as always in a deep purple trench coat and black Louboutins, but the stress around her eyes and mouth said she was freaking out. The other woman, who looked a lot like Savanna without makeup, and who wore a sensible puff coat and riding boots, chewed her bottom lip, but otherwise seemed unruffled by thedrama.
The reporter didn’t look Jaya’s way, but the other woman did, smiling at Jaya and Sloane. “Hi,” she said, walking over to the rug. “I’m Parker. Are you the newnanny?”
Parker had a nice smile and kind eyes. Jaya took her proffered hand and shook it. “No, I’m…” She couldn’t present herself as Jon’s girlfriend exactly. “I’m JayaO’Sullivan.”
She decided to leave it atthat.
“It’s my stylist!” Savanna seemed completely oblivious to Jaya, pacing in front of Beatrice’s desk. “Tylee broke both her wrists in a skiing accident. Can you believe it? Both wrists! She can’t do the hair or makeup for the wedding, and it’s too late to get anyone else booked. What am I going todo?”
Parker unzipped her coat and sat down on the rug, making cooing noises at Sloane. “My sister’s getting married on Saturday,” she whispered. “I’m maid of honor and Beatrice is abridesmaid.”
Beatrice, as unperturbed as Parker, got Savanna a cup of coffee from the credenza. “I’m sure we can find someone to do yours and each of us can do ourown.”
Savanna accepted the cup and plunked down into the chair Jaya had vacated. “No, no, no. I’m marrying the man of my dreams—Mr. Perfect! This is my fairy tale wedding. The hairstyle I picked out is intricate and detailed, and the bridesmaid style is similar!” She put her forehead in one hand. “I can’t believe this. I wanted to look beautiful forTrace.”
“You’re innately beautiful, Van,” Parker said. “Trace wouldn’t care if you showed up with bedhead dressed in a T-shirt. In fact, he’d probably like thatbetter.”
Savanna flipped around to glare at her sister. “He’s going to be in uniform, Parker! Have you seen him in his Navy whi—” She frowned at Jaya, seeming to notice her for the first time. “Oh, hi. Are you the newnanny?”
Jaya drew in a patient breath. “No, I’m Jaya. Just a…friend of one of theguys.”
“Your Shelby’s friend!” Savanna seemed to shift gears from diva to regular person. She stood and hustled over, hand out. “I’m Savanna. Nice to meet you. Shelby told us about what happened in Good Hope and how much it meant to her for you to come back to DC and supportJon.”
Savanna Bunkett knew who she was? “I, uh, was happy to helpout.”
Parker nudged her with an elbow and winked. “I bet it was real difficult to nurse Jon back tohealth.”
Beatrice cleared her throat. “I will make a few calls, Savanna, and see what I can do. Meanwhile, don’t you need to get to thestudio?”
“I just left there.” Savanna returned to the desk, rubbing her temple. “The Kensington assassination coverage has been going nonstop and the network is short on reporters. I’m going home for a couple hours of rest before I head back. Is Trace homeyet?”
“The team landed a few hours ago. He’s probably there waiting foryou.”
“I just don’t know what I’m going to do.” Savanna’s voice held a tinge of panic again. “I hate to be such a drama queen, but I had everything planned out. It was going to be such a perfect day, and nowthis.”
Jaya got to her feet. The first time she’d done a friend’s hair and makeup, she’d been the ripe age of ten. Shelby had been preparing for the Miss Oklahoma Youth America beauty pageant and her stylist had made her look like her mother. Shelby had been in tears and Jaya had taken a brush and can of hairspray and redone the elaborate beehive into something that matched Shelby’s spunky personality. She’d also switched out the deep red lipstick on Shelby’s lips for a raspberry pink. All in all, Shelby went from being her mother’s look-alike to a fifties glam girl. Her mother had hated it, but guess who’d won that night and went on to win many, many morepageants?
That’s when Jaya had known what she was meant to do with her life. It was her mission to make women feel beautiful and confident. “I can do your hair and makeup,” she found herselfvolunteering.
All three women looked at her as if she’d just morphed into an alien. “You?” Savannasaid.
“Not sure how much Shelby told you about me, but I own Cherry Bomb Skincare.” Jaya pulled out her phone and found her folder of pictures labeled Weddings. She held it out to Savanna. “I have a spa in Good Hope, and we do the works—nails, hair, makeup. Beauty pageant queens, like Shelby used to be, come to us from all over to brand their look, and weddings are a huge chunk of mybusiness.”
Parker and Beatrice crowded around Savanna as she flipped through the pictures on the phone. Parkeroohedandahhedand Beatrice nodded her head as if putting her stamp of approval onJaya.
Savanna looked up and handed the phone back. “You’re hired,” shesaid.
The door flew open and Jaya turned to see a surprised Jon pull upshort.
The aftereffectsof any mission left Jon a bit out of synch with the real world. Walking into Beatrice’s office and seeing Jaya standing there made that intensify a hundredpercent.
“Jaya?” He scratched the back of his head. His hair was still wet from a shower and hung loose, the ends grazing his shoulders. “What are you doinghere?”
