She stood, the gown dropping to the floor at her feet. Without looking, she stepped over it, leaning in toward her reflection. Is that really me?
She’d thought her look earlier knocked socks off, but nothing compared to what Margarite had done. She truly had worked a miracle.
“How? What?” She didn’t even know where to begin. What to say. How to thank her.
Margarite smiled at their reflections. Jared took a few steps closer. His eyes darkened, and he tugged at his collar but remained quiet.
“I want to give you a little advice, along with this bag of goodies.” Margarite grabbed a bag with her boutique name emblazoned on the front and shook it as if she were calling a herd of cats in for canned tuna. “This contains everything you need. Remember what I told you when I was doing your hair?”
“Blondes look best in softer tones.”
Margarite nodded. “Stay away from reds and burgundy. Everyday makeup should be light and natural. Pink or beige eyeshadow. Avoid black mascara and go with brown. For your lips, stick with a rosy blush or a sheer gloss. That’s really all you need, Allison. You’re drop-dead gorgeous, and the little bit of makeup brings it out. All you need to do now is hold your head up high and be awesome.”
“I don’t feel right calling myself gorgeous—”
“You are, so you better get used to it.”
Allison chuckled. She could hear her own discomfort in the tinny sound. She didn’t like all the attention, but at the same time she savored it, letting the sensation roll through her until it smoothed across her body like a second skin. “I can’t believe it’s me.” Silence echoed through the room as she turned her head from side to side, her hair caressing her cheeks, her smile growing larger with each passing second.
“You’re beautiful.” Jared’s voice filled the silence.
She shifted beneath the weight of his stare. He’d told her the same thing a couple of times, but for the first time she allowed herself to believe him. She needed to let go of her insecurities and trust in Margarite and Jared. Her body warmed at the heated look in Jared’s gaze. Was that really for her? She suddenly felt dehydrated. As if she could read her mind, Margarite handed her a cup of water from the nearby cooler. Allison downed it in one swallow and licked her lips, turning back toward the mirror. Not that she was conceited, but she couldn’t stop staring at herself. Each time she looked, she discovered something new.
“I feel beautiful.” She waved her hand in front of her face to cool down her sudden burst of emotion. Colleen might have a freaking coronary when she saw her. “No, that’s a lie. I felt beautiful this morning, but now. Well, now…”
“Just like Jared said a moment ago, you are beautiful, Allison.” Margarite came to stand behind her. “And your hair. Do you like? I didn’t take off a lot of the length or change up the color too drastically. Just gave you some layers and shaped it around the front so it’d frame your face, and the highlights bring out your skin tone. This should be an easy way for you to wear it. And you can still put it up or pull it back if you want.”
“I love it.” Allison smoothed down her hair, luxuriating in the feel yet again. She might never stop touching it. Whatever shampoo, conditioner, or spray that Margarite had used changed the entire texture. She could run her fingers through it all day. Never before had she looked more feminine—or felt more feminine—than she did now. A tiny giggle escaped, and she made a conscious effort to not bounce on the balls of her feet from the giddiness invading every inch of her body.
“Anything you’d change? Any questions?”
She spun around and hugged Margarite with such force they both lost their balance. “Sorry. Sorry.” She released the other woman and stepped back. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from all the smiling. “And no. Nothing I’d change. I can’t believe it’s me.”
“Oh, it’s you. It’s always been you. Now you know how to show yourself off using all your attributes.” The woman shifted her weight to one hip. She fluffed the ends of her outrageous hair as she shot Jared a smile and a wink.
Allison couldn’t keep her hands off her hair, or her eyes off her new look as she turned to face the mirror again. To think she’d always had the potential but didn’t know how to make her eyes, hair, or full lips stand out amazed her. Anyone could be as beautiful once they learned a few tips and tricks.
She shook her head. “I don’t know what to say except thank you.”
The woman blushed, shaking her head. “You are very welcome.”
Allison frowned, rubbing at her widow’s peak. “I guess I do have one question. Is there any way to get rid of this?” Her entire life she’d hated her hairline. The main reason she’d preferred to wear her hair down had been because she could hide it to some extent, but the way Margarite had blown out her hair seemed to make it more noticeable than ever.
Margarite tsked gently. “We all have things about ourselves, inside as well as out, that we don’t like. It’s sad, really. We need to learn to embrace our differences and imperfections.”
Her words were so simple but true. She’d have to remember that some of her insecurities were more in the way she looked at herself than how others looked at her.
Margarite slid her hands down the edges of Allison’s hair, on either side of her face, stopping at her chin. “Your widow’s peak is a bonus. It shapes your face and gives it definition. This makes Allison, Allison.”
“Your face is a heart, Al,” Jared whispered.
Butterflies spun around in her belly, and she swallowed them down.
Hers and Margarite’s eyes widened at the same time as they regarded him in the mirror. He didn’t seem to notice. All his concentration settled on Allison, and a little of her self-consciousness returned.
“A h-heart?” she stammered. His soft voice had sunk deep into her bones. But his eyes…
The way he stared sent her body on high alert. Her skin prickled, but at the same time a dizziness fogged her head. She closed her eyes, but when she opened them he still stood staring at her.
Is this what sexy felt like? She had an inner glow of empowerment, the warmth spreading through all the nerve endings in her body. The feeling was definitely new and thrilling. Although she expected her new look might get her some attention, and she would have to get used to it, she hadn’t realized how much she’d like it. Devour it. Especially when it came from Jared.
She scrutinized her reflection and then darted her attention between Margarite and Jared before landing on her own image once again. She traced the shape of her face with her eyes, repeating Jared’s words in her head. A heart described her perfectly. How come she’d never noticed that before? And for some reason the fact that Jared had, sent a chill down her backbone.
Margarite punctuated the excitement in the air with a solid peck on Allison’s cheek. “Thank you for trusting me to make you over.” She turned toward Jared and stepped up onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “And you, Jared. Thank you for trusting me to help your friend. I’m so happy you called me.”
“You were the first—the only—person I thought of.” He squeezed the woman’s hand and then smiled at Allison. “Do you believe me now?”
She couldn’t speak, transfixed by his eyes. They shone so brightly and, along with his words, seemed to hypnotize her. At the moment, she’d believe or do anything he said or asked.
“I have one more tip for you, Allison.”
She turned toward Margarite, although her peripheral vision lingered on Jared. “What’s that?”
“Jared told me you are trying to find your confidence. He mentioned you plan on changing your look, your wardrobe, and your life. Are you doing this for you or a man?”
“For me. To improve myself. And if it leads to…” Did she really have to get into such personal terrain? She loved what Margarite had done for her, but she didn’t necessarily feel like she should bare her soul. “Why?”
“Just remember, always own who you are. Even if you think you’re weird or dif
ferent, if you own it, you’ll have confidence.” Her smile covered her face. “And if you ever need a lift to your confidence and are struggling, remember this one piece of advice.”
“What’s that?” Allison held her breath.
“Walk like you’re being followed by three gorgeous men that you want to bed.” Her husky laughter shook her shoulders, and both Allison and Jared laughed, too.
“Good advice.” Allison’s face heated as she released a stream of air.
But for some reason Jared’s laugh sounded forced, and she didn’t miss the flicker of something she couldn’t quite identify in his eyes, although he’d quickly concealed it. Had it been unease, surprise, or her imagination?
...
Jared could barely peel his eyes off Allison. His best friend’s sister. The thought should’ve brought him back down to earth with a thud, but it didn’t even faze him. She had suddenly become something more than Nick’s sister or his employee.
He rolled the words over and over in his mind. As if that would stop the attraction—yes, attraction—from awakening all his senses.
All this togetherness might not have been his best idea.
The more he revealed Allison’s different layers—got to know her—the more he liked her. But that didn’t mean he’d act on his attraction, so he didn’t have to worry about betraying Nick’s trust. Because he wouldn’t.
No. Way. In. Hell.
He could control himself. Then how come the unsteady pounding of my heart and my body temperature tell another story?
Fuck. He’d meant it when he’d told her earlier how beautiful she was, but standing back and watching her with Margarite blew that news right out of the ballpark. The anxiety mixed with excitement in her eyes, that damn adorable snort when she laughed that told him she was a ball of nerves, the way her hands flittered about—not to mention her stunning smile and sexy eyes—hit him over the head like a brick. She was one of a kind.
Sexy? Hell yes, Allison Hall is sexy. He regretted that he’d never taken the time to get to know her before. Shit. He regretted that she worked for him. That she was Nick’s kid sister.
His skin crawled with self-accusation. His gut knotted. All his thoughts were so wrong. On so many levels.
She was beautiful, and now that she’d recognized that fact and her confidence could only go up, he feared the reactions she’d get from other men. Would they see her for more than the way she looked, or would they be surface dwellers only? The thought more than disturbed him. He balled his fists and then made a conscious effort to stretch his fingers several times to ease the cramp. For some reason he wanted to keep her all to himself. Just for a little while. But that wasn’t fair. She wanted to change her life, and he wouldn’t stand in her way. No matter how much he wanted to protect her.
That’s it. Everything I’m feeling isn’t attraction. I just want to protect her. Because she’s Nick’s sister.
He could tell himself that lie six ways to Sunday, but it didn’t stop this new awareness from eating him up. He’d just have to learn to deal with it. He wouldn’t muck up her chances of finding happiness because she suddenly appealed to him.
But if I’m attracted, why can’t I…
Because I can’t. Don’t even go there.
She’d said it herself, they were polar opposites. And no matter that opposites attract, it didn’t always make it right. He closed his eyes, and Nick’s stern face appeared, warning him to keep his distance.
“I hate to push you two out the door, but I have an appointment with another client.” Margarite turned her wrist and tapped the face of her gemstone-encrusted watch. “She’ll be here in less than ten minutes, and she doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
“I hope I can remember everything you showed me so I can duplicate the look.” Allison hugged the other woman, her soft features glowing as Margarite squeezed her tightly in return.
“Thanks again, Mar.” Jared pecked her cheek as she broke their hug. He turned toward Al, his thoughts still a jumbled mess. If he were smart he’d suggest they head back to the office. Work would get his mind off her. At the same time the idea of sharing Allison with everyone else made it difficult to breathe. What the hell was happening to him? “You ready?”
“Ready.”
The moment they stepped outside onto the sidewalk, she turned and enveloped him in a bear hug. She squeezed him tight, digging her fingers into his back and making a little grunting noise as she rocked him back and forth. Her gesture took him by surprise, and her warmth wrapped around him like a snug blanket. A favorite blanket. He breathed in her scent with lungs that had shrunk to the size of kidney beans as he attempted to control his body’s reaction. He stiffened in all the right places, and a few of the wrong ones. But that didn’t stop him from gathering her closer, relishing the feel of her in his arms. He shut his eyes.
“Thank you, Jared. I love Margarite, but I have a hard time picturing you two together. You don’t seem to fit.”
She stepped out of his arms, and he instantly wanted to tug her back but resisted the urge.
“Me and Margarite?” He laughed.
“You two dated, right? I mean, that’s how you know her?”
He barked out another laugh. “You’re more Margarite’s type than I am.”
“Are you saying—?”
“I’m saying Margarite lives in my old apartment complex with her partner Nicole.”
“Oh. Well, that explains why I can’t picture you two together. I was bamboozled at the thought.” She winked.
“Bamboozled?” He grinned. Every once in a while she turned a cute word or phrase, and it knocked him sideways. “Where do you get some of your words?”
“Gramps. He kind of rubs off on you after a while.”
He nodded. True, Grandpa Hall walked to the beat of his own drummer, but he’d never noticed that it was also Al’s habit. Until now. Was it wrong to suddenly be attracted to a woman you’d known for years? Not because she’d changed her looks, but because she seemed to be coming alive. Blossoming.
He couldn’t keep dwelling on these new feelings. After today they’d go back to the way things used to be. Wouldn’t they?
He shrugged in answer to his own question, glad that Allison didn’t seem to notice as they fell into step and made their way down the sidewalk toward the parking garage.
“Should we grab some lunch before we head back to the office?” he asked. Part of him wanted to get back to work, but another part—a more persistent part—wanted to prolong their time together.
Her footsteps slowed, and she licked her lips. “I thought we’d taken the entire day off.”
“We finished early.” And I need to put some distance between us. Even though I don’t want to.
He caught her smile up at him from the corner of his eye.
“Do you feel good about helping me?”
“I do,” he said, stretching each short word out as long as he could because the way she slowed down, and her inability to look at him longer than a couple of seconds, told him something more was coming.
“I was thinking,” she said, lingering over each syllable as she gripped his fingers, swinging his arm with hers as they resumed their trek down the sidewalk, “after lunch we might as well go shopping. Really make a day of it. You can help me—”
“Our agreement didn’t include shopping.”
She stopped, frowning up at him as several passersby veered to either side of them. Then she smiled, and his heart stalled.
“I know, but you did say we’d take the day off, and my mind is already acclimated to not working.” She giggled, resuming their walk and tugging him along beside her, because his feet had suddenly decided they didn’t know how to work. She moved in closer to him, touching the side of his body with hers.
His throat went dry, and he attempted to swallow as a slow burn rippled across his left side. He took a step to the right, but she gravitated toward him. “Really? So, you get a new haircut and a few makeup ti
ps and all of a sudden you’re all flirty?”
Her little squeak sent shivers across his flesh. “Flirty? Am I really being flirty?”
“Yes.” Or maybe I’m only hoping. Wishing.
She shrugged, raising her eyebrows and poking her tongue against the inside of her cheek. “Good to know. I’ll have to file that away for later.”
Not something he wanted to hear. Or know.
“Anyway, we should stick to the main plan. No work today.”
“Hmm.”
“You’re being very non-flirty.” This time when she laughed she gave a soft snort, and her hand flew up to her face. She cleared her throat, then shot him a smile. Complete with the flick of her tongue wetting her lips. “You know how they say ‘clothes make the man’?”
He nodded, too dumbfounded to speak by the effect of her smile and his own thoughts about kissing her.
“Well, they make a woman, too.”
The sparkle in her eyes hadn’t lessened since they’d left Margarite’s. Even her walk seemed lighter, her hips swayed, her hair bounced. And he’d already wanted to slug a few guys who’d passed by and turned their heads to check her out from the rear.
And that was the deciding factor. He wasn’t sure he wanted to let her out of his sight now—even though that voice in his head told him he was playing with fire and there wasn’t an extinguisher nearby. He didn’t care. Damn being cautious. And damn to all the attention she drew. Nick would want to kick his ass for helping her when he realized what type of reaction she’d be getting from the opposite sex, and at this rate he might let him.
“Fine.” His voice sounded reluctant; he was anything but.
She tugged on his arm as she bounced up and down. “Shoes, too?”
Already pulled in, he couldn’t have said no if he wanted to. And he didn’t want to. Nothing else in the world compared to seeing her so animated as she chattered nonstop while they strolled down the sidewalk hand in hand. Excitement lit her eyes—her entire face—or maybe it wasn’t excitement but her newfound confidence. Something inside him wanted, no needed, to be by her side as she continued to make changes.
A Friendly Flirtation (Friends First #3) Page 6
