Her relief was instant and as she took a shuddering breath, she realized that she was farther into things with Cliff than she initially thought. She was all in hook, line, and sinker.
The women stayed and sprinkled her with more gossip and stories as Kelsey twisted up Alexis’ hair in thin pieces of tinfoil. She was sure that if she stood outside, she’d get reception from Asheville. While she waited for the highlights to set, she made a plan with Sydney and Dylan to use the shooting range in town to practice. Though she had been in the all-clear from Logan regarding her shoulder, she had been wary of using it as she had before, relying on her non-dominant arm to do most things. But now that her father was closing in, she wanted to make sure that she was up to par with her skills.
A timer on the vanity sounded and Kelsey helped to unravel the metallic mess from Alexis’ locks, smiling as each light brown wave came spiraling down. When her head was set free, Kelsey guided her over to the sinks to wash and shampoo the dye from the strands then took her back to the vanity for some styling.
Alexis wouldn’t admit it, but as she looked at herself in the mirror, she liked what she saw. She couldn't let the girls have the pleasure of knowing that tidbit. Kelsey put a slight curl in her mane and the caramel highlights set off her naturally tanned skin. The color made her eyes look wide and bright, or maybe that was from the earlier thoughts of Cliff.
After the styling, Cassidy had pulled out a plastic container that Alexis hadn’t seen since the late 1990s and began contouring and highlighting Alexis’ freshly cleansed skin.
What stared back at her in the mirror was nothing short of a miracle. She couldn’t remember ever wearing more than a swipe of mascara, the thought of the makeup aging her always at the back of her mind. But what Cassidy had done made Alexis look young and refreshed. And her hair only complimented it.
“Now, for the dress,” Cassidy stated as she closed the lid of the container.
“What?”
Everleigh stepped forward with the red dress Alexis had admired from the stack Cassidy had brought to Cliff’s home. She had complained that she had nowhere to wear the beautiful garment.
“You didn’t think we’d let you get all dolled up and have no place to go, did you?”
“I just thought. . .”
“Well, Cinderella, you thought wrong. Come on now, your prince awaits.”
Shocked, Alexis looked around the room, meeting the knowing gazes of the women she hoped to call friends. “You all set me up.”
Piping in, Norah said, “Yeah, we’re really good at that. Come on. I can’t wait to see the look on Cliff’s face.”
“Oh god, I’m going to need more than hair and makeup,” Alexis exclaimed. Her heart pounded inside her chest, sounding like a freight train to her own ears.
“What, why?” Cassidy asked as she took the dress from her sister.
“Because I’ve never been on a date.”
She was going to throw up. Alexis was going to upchuck every morsel of her lunch all over this gorgeous red dress and black strappy shoes that were by far the prettiest things she’d ever had on her feet.
Standing on the sidewalk outside of the salon, Alexis shifted from foot to foot as she waited with the gaggle of women behind her, their glasses of wine still firmly held in their grasps.
“Guys, I can’t do this,” she told them, turning around and trying to push past them to go back inside the building.
“You can, little ninja. You can and you will,” Cassidy told her as she gripped Alexis’ shoulders and turned her back around. “Besides, your man is pulling up now.”
With her eyes downcast, she allowed her friend to push her back to the front lip of the sidewalk as an unfamiliar grey sedan pulled up in front of her. Confused, Alexis took in the sleek lines of the Porsche Panamera and wondered who had parked front of her, until the driver’s side door swung open, revealing a slacks-wearing ex-Army Ranger.
Cliff.
She almost didn’t recognize him with his dark hair slicked back, a light blue dress shirt pulled tightly against his chest with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and light gray slacks. She was rendered speechless as he moved to stand in front of her. Cliff was by far the sexiest man she’d ever met or had the pleasure of laying eyes on, but him dressed up took his appeal to a whole other level. Damn, he was panty-melting.
“Wow,” she breathed out, Cliff smirked at her assessment.
“You look beautiful, Alexis.” Reaching up, he grazed the back of his hand across her cheek in a touch so gentle it was as if he was afraid she’d disappear into thin air.
Their gazes met and Alexis couldn’t look away, she was pulled to him with a force that she’d never known - it was electric.
“Damn, I think I just came,” one of the women murmured. Nikki, she presumed. The women all joined in confirmation.
“Let’s get to dinner, sweetheart.”
With a gentle press on her back, he escorted her to the passenger side of the car and helped her slide onto the luxurious bucket seats. As he moved around the front of the vehicle, Alexis smiled as she took in the way his pants cupped the firm globes of his ass. She really did love his backside.