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“Then what’s the big deal?”

“For most women it’s not a full-blown crisis when they can’t have it.”

“Not true.” I hold up my hand. “How many celebrities do you see without their makeup?”

“You’re a celebrity now?” he asks.

I pull my foot up on the chair, scooting back. He’s so harsh. “No.”

He reaches toward his wife and pushes her hair behind her ear. “You see this? This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Her painting herself up doesn’t make it any more beautiful. Different, yes, but not better.”

Jesse dips her head, and I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her blush. Of course she doesn’t need makeup.She’sbeautiful.

“Well, if I looked like her, I wouldn’t need it either.”

He turns to me abruptly. “Do you think you’re ugly?”

I’ve stepped right into his trap. “Okay, yeah, I see where you’re going with this. I don’t think I’m hideous, but I’m not naturally beautiful like her.” I flick my hand toward Jesse. “I feel weird without it, okay? I think I have more urgent problems I could be working on besides my desire to wear makeup every day.”

“Like what?” he asks, luring me even further into his trap.

“I don’t know.”

“That’s a lie.”

My foot falls to the ground, and I jump to my feet. “You know what? I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t need to be interrogated right now.”

He grabs my wrist. “We’re not done. Sit.”

I want to throw a fit, but what good would it do? “Have my parents not called?”

I don’t understand how I’m still here. My parents surely want to get back to work. They’ll want to go over the list with me before they leave.

Dirk pulls his phone out with his other hand while keeping my wrist pinned. He clicks a few buttons, and then I hear it start to ring.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Jackson asks.

“Oh, it’s going. Lexie has a question for you. Go on, ask him,” Dirk says, nodding his head toward the phone.

“H … have my parents called yet?”

He sighs lightly. “No, hun, I’m afraid they haven’t.”

“Well, are you sure you left the note where they would find it?”

Another sigh. “Yeah. I left it on the kitchen table.”

“Oh. Maybe their flights were delayed, and they didn’t make it home yesterday.”

He’s quiet on the other end. “Lexie, I’m not going to lie to you. They’re there. JD and I drove over this morning to talk to them.”

“Oh, thank god. So, is someone coming to get me?”

“You mean your parents?”

“No. I know they have to get back to work, but I thought …” Something is happening inside of my body. I feel like my heart is slowly falling from the location that it is supposed to be lodged in. “They want me home, don’t they?”

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t I drive up there and we’ll talk about it?”