“What do you mean he can tell? Damon didn’t actually say anything like that, did he?”
“Not exactly,” she replied. “But if Nick says he can see it in him, I believe him. It’s no different than me being able to tell you have a thing for Damon, or that Angel has a thing for Joey.”
Angel’s eyes grew wide and her nostrils flared. “I do not have a thing for Joey.”
We both looked at her with bemusement. It was obvious she did, and we both knew it. Del pointed to her and said, “See. That proves my point. Close, long-time friends can see things in each other even when the other person is trying to hide it. So even if Damon is trying to insist he doesn’t have a thing for you, Nick can tell he does. And I trust Nick’s assessment.”
“So, Damon said he didn’t have a thing for me?”
Angel rolled her eyes and flailed her arms. “Girl, are you not listening to anything she’s saying!?”
“I’m listening,” I answered, rapidly processing it all as I could see they were all hyped up and very impatient. “Okay, wait… Just wait a minute. Even if Damon really does like me...you know, for more than just a fling. If he’s saying he doesn’t, it’s obvious he doesn’t want to pursue it. I’m not understanding what all the fuss is about. You can’t force the man to admit something he doesn’t want to.”
“Like hell you can’t!” Angel cried.
Del grabbed me by the arm like I was some kind of lost puppy. “Nick said he’s so happy with me, he just wants to see his friends find the same kind of thing. That’s why he’s passing along the info. This is our chance to strike!”
“Strike?” I winced. Whatever they were plotting did not sound good.
“Damon will be having a business meeting later this afternoon, and I just happen to know what restaurant he’ll be at,” she explained. “Hence the clothes! It’s makeover time. We’re going to make you look hotter than ever, and then we’ll stage an innocent run-in. The best part is...you’re going to be on a date.”
My head started spinning in circles so fast, I thought I might fall over. Maybe it was good that Del was babying me and holding on to my arms. “Stop, Del. First off...NO! So much no to ALL of this. Second, what do you mean a date!?”
“A hottie came in earlier today,” Angel said excitedly. “A real tall, handsome dude. One that gives Damon a run for his money. We’re going to pay him to take you out to a late lunch. You’ll run into Damon there. He’ll see you looking so fine and with another dude at that, and it will make him think twice about being so coy about his feelings for you.”
“So, your solution to forcing me and Damon together is for me to go out with another dude!? And also...ouch! You have to pay the guy to go out with me?”
“Don’t go there,” Del wagged her finger. “We simply told him we’d pay for the meal. He’s in it for the company of a beautiful woman and a free meal. Hey, if you end up hitting it off with that guy instead...it’s still a win. Go for it. But otherwise, we’ll put Damon on his toes.”
“You guys, this is a terrible idea,” I shook my head. “It’s a stretch even for you two. This isn’t how this stuff is supposed to work. If Damon likes me, but is too scared to admit it or whatever is going on with him...then it’s not meant to be! I don’t want to start a relationship with all these head games. I mean, paying a guy to make him jealous! Really!? This is absurd!”
“What else do you have to do today?” Angel quipped sarcastically.
The front door chimed as some of the girls that worked at the salon next door came filing in. They locked the door behind them. Del was serious about this, shutting down her whole shop for the afternoon just to give me a makeover.
“Are you two really this bored?” I whined. “You have nothing more exciting going on in your own lives so you have to try to use me like some kind of puppet for entertainment!?”
We bickered about it for another fifteen minutes. All while I was eyeing the set-up of the stylists along with the outfits Del had laid out for me. There was no way I was going to go through with their whole ridiculous scheme, but I had already been thinking I needed a self-care day. I figured I could go along with the makeover to humor them and then find some way out of it or just sabotage the whole mission. I imagined myself calling them from the bathroom of the restaurant, lying through my teeth: “I don’t know what happened! Damon isn’t here! Maybe his meeting got canceled or you had the restaurant wrong?” I laughed a little to myself at the thought just as Del was shoving a glass of wine into my hand.
“Think of it as a fun girls’ day,” she told me. “We’ll have fun getting you all dolled up. You’ll look majorly hot. And then go snag yourself that man.”
“You’ve been spending too much time with Angel,” I groaned.
They ignored me and shoved me down into the chair where I was swarmed with a hairdresser and makeup artist. They certainly were committed, not leaving a single stone left unturned. I had my nails and toes done, complete with a facial mask and skin treatment. All in the back of Del’s little shop. It was quite the elaborate spectacle.
While they worked, I sipped my wine and tried to let go of my doubts and fears about everything that could go wrong. I had wanted to relax that day, and I was determined to do it...despite my friends’ pushy efforts to bring Damon and I together whether we liked it or not.
A couple of hours later, I was not disappointed in my decision one bit. They spun me around to reveal my reflection in the dressing room mirror. With my ends trimmed, a few highlights, and a straightened style, my hair looked better than it had in years. As I reached up to stroke the strands framing my face, I caught sight of the french-tipped manicured nails and thought, those will never hold up under my shifts at the diner.
They tore off the smock and shoved me into one of the fitting rooms, presenting me with a dress and shoes. By the end of it all, I had the confidence of the wine I drank and, what I had to admit, was a stunning makeover.
“Well, what do you say?” Del asked, wagging her eyebrows at me with a gleam of mischief in her eyes. “Gonna go through with it?”
I turned to look at myself in the mirror once more. I had to admit, I did look amazing. The kind of fresh amazing that makes you want to strut down the sidewalk and feel all the guys admiring you as you pass. I felt like I could conquer the world, or at least Cherry Falls.
“Okay,” I sighed finally. “I’ll do it."
9
Damon
Maggliano’s was an upscale Italian restaurant that had just opened up within a block of the building I would soon be converting into my nightclub. It was perfect placement. People would meet up for a nice dinner then walk over for some dancing and drinks. So it was the perfect place to meet up with the general contractor I had hired for the build-out. He would be presenting me with the final plans to sign off on. Which meant I would leave that meeting with an estimated timeline of when my club might actually open.
Things were moving fast, but I felt like I was on top of the world. I hadn’t realized how stagnant I had grown in my work until I was finally working on something I had a passion for. I was excited to get up every morning and hit the ground running, more than I had been in a long time.