3. Grace
THREE
Grace
“Are you ready yet?” Piper knocked at my bedroom door. “Hurry it up in there. Or at least let me in.”
“Just a sec.” I ran my fingers through my hair one last time, then smoothed my hands down the sides of my dress, enjoying the silky glide of the fabric under my fingers.
Here goes nothing .
I opened my bedroom door and stepped out. “What do you think?”
Piper’s red lips broke into a huge grin. “It’s a good thing we have a firefighter on the premises, because you are smoking .”
“Shush.” I put my finger over my lips. Niko and Darius were out, but Connor was playing video games in his room. Thank goodness Callum had another shift at Hearthstone Brewing tonight, like he had yesterday. “I don’t want to make this into a whole thing,” I said.
And if any of the guys saw me in this dress, it would be a thing.
Piper looked sleek and sophisticated in the purple gown she was wearing. If anything, it was on the conservative side. She had given me the racy red number with mesh cut-outs along the sides, placed in exactly the right spots so that I couldn’t wear underwear.
In our town, a nice sweater and leather boots were considered formal wear. Maybe with a hat or a shawl thrown in. Silver Ridge was far from high fashion, and I liked it that way.
“You look amazing, and you know it.”
Piper fussed over me, arranged my hair and smoothed out the straps of the dress. She’d twisted her blond hair into an elaborate updo. With her in low heels and me in stilettos, we were nearly the same height. I hardly ever wore makeup, but I’d used black eyeliner and mascara along with a rosy color on my cheeks and lips.
She pulled off my glasses. “Except these will not do.”
“What? How am I supposed to see?”
“Wear your contacts. You look beautiful in your glasses, but it’ll be hard to wear a mask to the masquerade ball if those frames are blocking your face.”
I glared. She laughed.
“You’re so much like Ashford when you scowl like that. Not nearly as scary though.”
“Oh, quiet.” I wasn’t a fan of my contacts. They dried out my eyes. But she did have a point about the mask.
“Don’t mess up the mascara,” she called out as I traipsed to the bathroom. “It’s perfection!”
“You are so demanding.”
“Love you too, babe.”
A few minutes later, my contacts were in. Piper handed me a slim black mask with long pieces of ribbon to tie it into place. Piper had a matching one, though hers was purple.
A wave of uncertainty hit me. “Are you sure we have to do this?” I asked.
“Stop. You used to get like this every Friday night before we went out in college, and guess who’d be dancing on the tables by the end of the night?”
“I have no memory of that.”
She winked. “Exactly.”
Handy-dandy, aka Hanson, texted when his truck pulled up outside. We dashed out to meet him and jumped into the warm cabin, Piper in the front and me in the back. It was cold tonight, but neither of us had wanted to bother with coat checks.
“You two look hot.” Hanson propped his arm on the back of the seat and turned to look at me, then whistled. “Damn, O’Neal. Who knew your usual clothes were hiding all of… that . Nice work.”
“Um, thanks?”
Piper smirked at me. “ Relax ,” she whispered.
I squirmed the whole drive up to the resort. The place was lit up like daytime, with a long stream of cars at the valet line.
In the lobby, we joined a crowd of elegantly dressed people waiting to show their tickets. Rustic iron chandeliers glowed overhead with a warm, flattering light. A fire roared in a massive, double-sided fireplace, and a string quartet played instrumental arrangements of popular songs.
It was like I’d been thrust into a scene from a movie or transported into a parallel reality. Like I wasn’t in Silver Ridge anymore.
I thought I recognized a few locals, but most everyone here seemed unfamiliar. Which made me think of that guy at the coffee shop yesterday morning. His gray eyes and megawatt smile. Or rather, think of him yet again, as I’d been doing off and on since we crashed into each other at Silver Linings.
I found myself scanning the people around me for his broad shoulders and dark hair. My chest tightened with anticipation, wondering if he’d be here. Maybe he’d arrived in town especially for this party.
But he was exactly the type of man I should stay away from. Smooth and charming and inevitably untrustworthy. Dangerous . Maybe not physically, since I’d been taking self-defense classes with Ashford at his martial arts school. I had moves. But I couldn’t take the chance of believing some guy’s pretty words and thinking they meant more than they did.
“Piper,” I said, turning to face her. “Do you?—”
I glanced back and forth, but I didn’t see her or Hanson anywhere in the sea of people. Too many women had purple dresses. Had she gone into the party without me? I didn’t want to go in and turn over my ticket until I found her.
The colors of the masks started to blur. Someone bumped into me. The energy of the room was suddenly too much. Overwhelming.
Then I saw a sign, like a beacon leading me out of the fog.
Restrooms .
The door of the ladies’ room swung closed, cutting off the noise in the lobby. Maybe this was a cowardly exit to take, but I just needed a few minutes to get my head together. And text Piper so I could figure out where she was.
I took my phone from my clutch—something else I’d borrowed from Piper—and jotted out a text, receiving a quick response.
Me
Where are you? Lost you
Piper
I lost you too! We’re inside. At the bar, then going to dance in the next room over. Come find us?
Will soon. Bathroom
Should I come get you? I will
No, I’m okay. Promise.
I set the purse on the counter and rested my hands on either side of one of the sinks, staring into the mirror. I didn’t look like myself with the mask on, so I pulled at the tie and took it off. With each moment that passed, I felt less sure of myself.
What am I even doing here?
This wasn’t college. I wasn’t twenty anymore. Twenty-eight felt like a different lifetime compared to our college days.
I stiffened when the door swung open and a woman in a strapless black dress walked inside. Her mask was far more elaborate than mine. Glittery red, with large jewels set around the edges of the mask and downy, red-dyed feathers. It didn’t look like a homemade craft project either.
She tugged off the mask as she approached the other sink. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her hands shook, and her chest moved rapidly with shallow breaths.
My own breath hitched in sympathy. “Are you all right?” I asked.
She inhaled sharply, head turning. Then her features smoothed out, and she tried to smile, though tightness remained at the corners of her mouth. “Didn’t realize someone was already hiding in here.”
I almost denied it, but I was totally hiding. “I guess it’s that kind of night.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”
She was probably in her twenties, like me, but she looked tired. Exhausted, even. Which didn’t fit with her perfect makeup or the diamond drop earrings hanging from her earlobes. Her waist was cinched tight, and her breasts nearly spilled from the top of her dress. But the most memorable thing about her was her hair. It was a vivid red that glowed in the bathroom lights. My hair had red tones to it, but hers was like neon.
Ms. Scarlet , I thought, since I didn’t know her name. She was beautiful. But she did not seem happy to be here.
Ms. Scarlet washed her hands. Then opened her purse and glanced inside, closing it quickly before she froze, as if she’d gotten lost in thought.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked. Maybe I was being too nosy, but it was obvious she was anxious.
She opened her mouth, pausing for a long time, before saying, “My date stood me up.”
“I’m sorry. That stinks. Do you need a ticket to the party?” I reached for my purse.
You’re just looking for an excuse to bail , a scolding voice said in my mind. But if this woman needed the ticket more than me, Piper would understand. I could bum around in the lobby listening to the string quartet until Piper and Hanson were ready to go.
“That’s nice of you, but I’m covered.” She licked her lips. “Just not sure I feel like staying. I haven’t decided yet.”
“You can still have a good time without a date,” I pointed out.
“Yeah. But have you ever felt like you’re just…questioning everything?”
I sighed. “Oh, wow. I’ve definitely been there. I told my friend I’d have fun tonight, but instead I’m hiding in the bathroom.”
I’d come to this party for Piper, but part of me had agreed to it because I did want a night for me . Just like Piper had said yesterday when she’d talked me into this.
Ms. Scarlet’s gaze had gone distant, like she was lost in her head again. In a way, it gave me courage. It was always easier for me to step out of my comfort zone if I was doing it for someone else.
“How about this,” I said. “We both put our masks back on, go into that party, and have a good night.”
I made the first move, picking up my mask and tying it on. But one of the ribbons snapped away from the mask, and the whole thing fell off.
“Dang it,” I muttered. “You’re kidding me.”
Ms. Scarlet stared at the broken black mask in my hand. Her gaze moved to the door. To me again.
Then she nodded once, like she’d made some decision.
“Take this one.” She picked up her bejeweled mask and held it out.
“I can’t do that. This looks expensive.”
“Not everything that shines is a real diamond.”
“Unlike your earrings?”
“Oh sweetheart, those are definitely fake.” She smiled, and her hands weren’t shaking anymore. Her eyes were brighter too. “Hold still. I’ll tie it for you.”
“But—”
She was already behind me, placing the mask over my face. “You’re doing me a favor. Your mask breaking was as clear a sign as I’m likely to get. This isn’t my night. I should just cut my losses and go.”
“Do you have a ride?”
“I’ll figure it out.” She shrugged as she secured the ties. “You should get to the party. Have fun. It’s liberating to wear a mask. You can be whoever you want, even if it’s just for a night.”
Just for a night . I did like that idea.
“Would you take my number though?” I asked. “In case you need a ride later or…anything?”
“I’ll be fine. You’re helping me out already.”
I didn’t see how. But if I was making her feel better, that was a win. Right?
Ms. Scarlet held onto my shoulders and gently steered me toward the exit. But just as I opened the door, she said, “Wait a second. You forgot your purse.”
“Oh. Thanks. That would’ve been bad.” I took it from her hand. “Have a safe night, okay?”
She flinched, such a small movement I almost missed it. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
We both left the bathroom, dodging a cluster of women just heading in. Then I watched, still bewildered, as Ms. Scarlet turned a corner and disappeared. I hoped she would be all right.
That had been really strange.
Yet the glittery red mask gave me a new burst of confidence. I could pretend, for one exciting night, that I wasn’t some nerdy bookkeeper with an abysmal dating history and zero trust in the male species.
Tonight was about feeling good in my skin and nothing else.
Ready or not, here I come .