“Um...” I bit my lip. Maybe I could find something in town. I looked around at the Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and a couple of Rolls-Royces. Even if I managed to somehow find a dress shop, there's no way in hell I would be able to afford anything that would let me even remotely fit in. I was going to stick out like a sore thumb if I tried. This was why I had tried to leave. I wasn't any good at these rich events. I didn't want to embarrass Bastian by showing up as a ragamuffin.
“Oh, good! You didn't bring anything. That makes this so much easier,” Charlotte answered for me, a knowing grin crossing her face. She looked like a cat in the cream. “It's always better to work with a blank canvas anyway.”
“What?” I was now imagining an Emperor’s New Clothes scenario. I was not going naked. I was okay with being a blank canvas, but not a naked or semi-naked one.
“I've got just the designer for you,” Charlotte said, looking me up and down and practically cackling with glee. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”
I looked at her confused and she just grinned wider. Taking my arm in hers and grabbing my bag, she dragged me into the house. There were people milling around looking at all the pieces up for display before the auction. They stared as she pulled me along, but Charlotte just kept going like they didn't exist.
“I am going to make you the Belle of the Ball,” Charlotte promised as we started up the stairs. She turned and grinned, her eyes bright with mischief. “Come with me.”
***
The girl staring at me was wearing a dress that had come straight out of a fairytale. Or a dream. Or both. The girl looked like a princess.
The dress was made of soft gold that flowed over her hips and made the woman in front of me appear lush and slender at the same time. A gold lace overlay started right at her hips and continued down the length of the gown to create a train that was both romantic and stunning. Her dark red hair was pulled back and clipped with a gold comb that matched the dress and brought out the shimmer of the woman's hair.
I swallowed hard and the girl staring back at me swallowed too. I made a face at the mirror and the princess in the amazing dress made the same face back. It was difficult to believe, but I cleaned up pretty good.
The three hours in the hair and makeup chair had done magic, and I was fairly sure that Charlotte had switched out the mirrors in the bedroom with magic ones to make me look this good in a dress. I no longer looked like the small-town girl from nowhere and instead looked like a movie star.
I looked like someone who could be with a billionaire.
“Holy crap,” Charlotte whistled, peeking her head in the door. “I do good work.”
Charlotte opened the door wider and came in. She was wearing an off-the-shoulder gown with a subtle mermaid tail in royal blue. With her dark hair and eyes, she was breathtaking.
“You look gorgeous, Charlotte,” I told her. She grinned.
“What? This old thing?” She grinned. Charlotte looked like she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine. She circled me, evaluating my dress and appearance. She reached up and adjusted the comb in my hair. “Sebastian’s going to lose his mind when he sees you.”
“You're sure he'll be happy to see me?” I pressed my knuckles against the lace at my stomach. The butterflies inside of me were going mad and for a moment I thought I might be sick. What if he didn't feel the same way about me?
Charlotte sighed. I'd asked her this at least a dozen times while getting ready. “He's been the moodiest, most grumpy man I've ever had the misfortune of being around since you left. He hasn't even gone out paddle-boarding in the mornings. Just keeps talking about the dark.”
My heart ached for the pain I had caused. “I'm just nervous. I don't want to screw this up again.” I bit my lip and promptly tried to stop. It would mess up the lipstick Charlotte's makeup artist had just spent twenty minutes perfecting.
Charlotte came over and took my hands in hers. “He has been a mess without you. A broody, heartbroken, love-sick mess. He's going to be overjoyed to see you. I promise.”
“You know Bastian and I had a fight, right?”
Charlotte reached up and carefully fixed a stray strand of hair. One red lock kept falling out of my up-swept hairdo and falling across my forehead no matter how much hairspray we used.“Yes. I know.”
She took both my hands in hers. She smiled gently, her eyes meeting mine and making sure I heard her words.
“I said some terrible things...” My lower lip quavered.
“He loves you,” she stated. “I know Sebastian. And I've never seen him the way he was with you. He was happy. And this past week...” she shook her head and grimaced slightly. “This past week has been a nightmare without you.”
“How could I have been so stupid?” I whispered. My eyes started to water. I had let the man of my dreams go because I hadn't believed in myself. It was the stupidest thing I had ever done. I just hoped he could forgive me.
“Don't you dare cry,” Charlotte admonished. “It may be waterproof mascara, but I will not have you messing up all the work we just did.”
I sniffed and looked up, forcing the tears back up. “Sorry.”
“Sebastian Belrose loves you. I think he was smitten from the moment he saw you,” Charlotte said with a smile.
“I don't think it was that fast. The first moment I was kind of a jerk,” I replied.
Charlotte laughed. “This is going to work out. I promise you. Just come downstairs.” She smiled and checked the delicate silver watch on her wrist. “You ready?”
I looked over at the movie star in the mirror. No, I wasn't ready. I closed my eyes and thought of Bastian. How he had said I was beautiful. And now I looked it. I could do this.
I nodded, not trusting myself to use words. There was a very good possibility that if I opened my mouth I would try and back out. She took my hand and led me out the door.
The hallway was dark and quiet. I could hear the murmur of a lot of voices and music downstairs. If this went poorly, I didn't think I would survive. I was already planning on how to walk out into the ocean as my backup plan, and I knew that didn't bode well for me.
“Show time,” Charlotte whispered as we came to the top of the stairs.
I nodded and let go of her hand to wipe my eyes before she could yell at me for ruining my makeup again. I went to the top of the stairs and looked down at the party.
I saw Chad first. He was standing in a cheap suit trying his best to ingratiate himself with a woman twice his age and wearing a diamond mine around her throat. It was easy to see that he was angling for her money, and by her fluttering eyelashes she was falling for his slimy charms. At least I wasn't the only one. I wanted to back out and run. If Chad was here, I wasn't sure I could do this. Luckily, Charlotte was standing right behind me and had her hand on my shoulder.