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Mara
Confession: I’m a romance writer, but I don’t believe in love.
I woke up to snoring.Not my own. The bed wasn’t mine either.
Hayden’s arm rested over my middle, and I gently peeled it off of me, not disturbing his snoring even for a moment.
I rolled out of the bed, landing on my knees, and peeked at him, the better half of his body covered in his mismatched bachelor sheets and blankets. He was good-looking, with his muscles visible even in his relaxed state. And when I tell you he had a package that made up for the snoring...
My phone vibrated from under my clothing, and I lifted up my dress from the night before to see a group call from my best friends, Birdie and Henrietta. “Hello?” I whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” Birdie asked. “Do you have someone over?”
“No, I’m leaving Hayden’s.”
“Now?” Hen asked, stunned. “You have to get ready!”
I pulled the phone back, glancing at the time. “I have plenty of time. My girl at Sephora said she’d do my hair and makeup for the show.”
“Nice,” Birdie said. “I take it Hayden won’t be coming along to support you.”
I slipped my dress over my head. “Ha ha.” I snagged my heels and tiptoed out of his room. As the snoring continued, I slipped on the heels and walked out the front door, locking the handle behind me.
“So how are you feeling?” Henrietta asked. “Nervous?”
“Not really.” Warm summer wind wrapped around my body, lifting my hair and the edges of my dress. The sun was bright, and the whole world felt full of my energy. “It feels like my whole life has been leading up to this moment.”
I could hear a smile in Henrietta’s voice. “I love your confidence. I’m not so sure I’d be that brave on stage.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be so brave working with a bunch of high schoolers or managing a bunch of crazy renters. We all have our talents.”
They laughed and Birdie said, “True.”
“I wish I could be there,” Henrietta said. “You’re going to be amazing.”
“No big deal. You can always catch the replay online. They said they’re streaming it live.” I reached my pickup and opened the door to get in. The car salesman I bought it from had tried to sell me on something smaller and sleeker.Perhaps something to fit car seats in later,he’d said. All I’d done was laugh. I loved sitting behind the wheel of mysingle cabtruck, feeling like I owned the road. Plus, between the bed and the long seat, I had plenty of room to do whateverand whomeverI wanted.
It easily fired up, and I asked Birdie, “How did Cohen feel about cutting the honeymoon short so you could make it back in time? You didn’t have to do that, by the way.”
“Girl, please, we’re going to be married forever. We’ll have plenty of chances to take all-inclusive vacations in Cancun. My best friend only goes live on television to talk about her first movie deal once.”
“True,” I admitted, driving down the now familiar roads of Brentwood, California, toward my favorite Sephora. I’d been so lucky to get this deal, and even luckier that the studio was already in talks for a sequel. “I know it’s crazy to say for someone who doesn’t even have a GED, but I feel like I was made for this.” I wanted every girl who grew up like I did, being told she was too sexy or promiscuous or too much in general, to know that she deserves to live life the way she wants. “It’s like my life’s purpose is finally coming true, even if it took me thirty years to get here.”
“Some people never find that,” Birdie said. “We’re so lucky.”
I grinned. “I’m lucky to have you both.” I pulled into the Sephora parking lot and stopped the truck. “I’ve got to get beautified, but I’ll see you at the studio, Birdie?”
“I’ll be there,” she promised.
Henrietta added, “We can all celebrate how great it went tonight.”
We hung up, and I went inside, ready for the transformation of a lifetime. Kell, the girl who’d managed to sell me hundreds of dollars of just-right products greeted me with a hug and a kiss and a “tsk tsk tsk.” Okay, so maybe staying up late with Hayden hadn’t done my under-eye any favors.
She got to work, barely pausing to talk as she cleaned my face and washed my hair and balanced my skin tone and curled away until I looked as good as I ever had in my life.
“Oh my gosh.” I gently fluffed the waves in my hair. “It looks amazing.”