Daisy waved dismissively. “That’s different. I’m your sister. I get to ask the prying, embarrassing questions. So spill. At least tell me what this hot playboy bachelor who lives next to you is like. I’ve seen his pictures, you know. Does he have a revolving door of women coming in and out of his place? Are any of them supermodels? I heard he used to date that British supermodel, Kyra something or other.”
“Henry is…Henry. Handsome, rich, used to getting what he wants.” Although she wasn’t sure if that was as true as she’d thought. And even though he had his own motive for helping her get a date with Luke, he had been more than cooperative. Helpful, even. “He’s not all bad, though. Has a darling little niece he helps out with.”
Benny explained Henry and Ella’s unexpected arrival in her examining room the other night—purposefully withholding the meatier details about their deal and his help with this makeover, since she didn’t know how she’d even tackle explaining why she’d asked his advice in the first place. She could see Daisy melt a little at hearing how sweet he’d been with Ella. Then Daisy’s eyes turned more speculative as she looked at her sister. Her smile widened. “Sounds like maybe he has some deeper layers than you thought, huh?”
“Don’t look at me like that. I am not, one hundred percent not, interested in Henry Ellison. He goes through women faster than your household goes through a roll of toilet paper.” Which, with three kids, Benny knew was fast. They’d spent one afternoon at her place and gone through an entire roll. “I am not looking to be another notch on his bedpost. Can you imagine how awful it would be to have to continue seeing him after a breakup? Talk about awkward.”
Plus there was the fact that he’d taken off earlier with particular urgency, not even interested in seeing how the whole haircut and makeup thing went. It was like he’d said—a man either wanted to sleep with you or he didn’t and was content to be friends. Men like Henry would only peg Benny in the friendship camp. Which was fine. She could always use more friends.
“You seem to have already done a great deal of thinking about this prospect already,” Daisy teased, breaking into Benny’s thoughts.
“Shut up. And if you don’t stop, I’m going to start asking all my single dads if they’d like your phone number,” she threatened back, even as Daisy laughed.
The back door swung open, and Natalie came running in, her face soaked and tears in her eyes. Conversation over, Daisy rounded the kids up and started their baths while Benny enjoyed her pizza and thought about more reasons why Henry was someone she would never be interested in in a hundred years.
…
Henry wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he headed down the hallway to Benny’s door later that night. He’d only known that when she first arrived at the salon, even without her hair fashionably styled or her face touched by an iota of makeup, she’d caught his attention the moment she’d walked in. Which had kind of irked him, since he had a date with Ursula, one of the models from the last ad campaign they’d done for that fitness wear company, who should have been occupying all of his attention. But instead of eyeing the door, eager to meet the sultry platinum blonde, he’d actually been reluctant to depart, wanting to see what Benny Sorensen would look like after Katrina got ahold of her.
The fact that he was home unconscionably early, having begged off after dinner with Ursula pleading an early morning, had nothing at all to do with seeing how things had gone with his pesky neighbor. He was really and truly tired, and he did have an early call at eight.
But…while he was home at a respectable hour, it wouldn’t hurt to see how things had come along.
From the blaring television coming from the other side of her door, he guessed she was still up. It was only nine.
“Coming,” he heard her say inside before the door whipped open.
He lifted his brows as he stared at her.
She was back in pajamas, this time blue plaid pants and a hoodie sweatshirt. Her hair in a ponytail, of course, and her face freshly washed and clean.
For some reason, he actually chuckled, not entirely surprised. “Really? This is the big reveal?”
“It’s after nine. What did you think, I was going to sleep in that stuff?”
“Good point. How did it go, though? Did Katrina do a good job? Do you like it?”
She shrugged. “It was okay, I guess.”
“Okay? You guess? You’re killing me, you know that.”
She had the temerity to smile. “Okay. It was more than just okay. Although I don’t know if I’ll be able to repeat the magic in the morning, I’ll give it my best try.”
He studied her closer, noting that even though she was makeup-free and her hair was drawn back, there were still subtle changes. Like the fringe of bangs that made her blue eyes nearly pop from her face.
There was something else about her eyes, though… “You have two distinguishable brows now. I’ll take that as a victory either way.”
She slugged him, and he rubbed his arm at the surprising strength in the small woman’s punch. “Ouch.”
“Serves you right. Besides, I had good reason for being leery before about tweezers and plucked brows. You didn’t see the infamous makeover fiasco of ’98.”
“So I am not the first one to attempt it, I see. Well, it’s getting late and I should let you get back to whatever dire and serious programming you’re watching.” He glanced behind her to the television screen that was now paused.
“It’s Property Brothers. Haven’t you ever watched it before?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
“This is one of the best episodes. The homeowner is totally OCD and it’s hilarious. You’ve got to watch it at least once. Come on, you’re not going to bed straight away. I can tell you all about the horrors of overplucked eyebrows and blue eye shadow.”