But he hadn’t asked her to reserve a date or make a reservation or—
“Thank you, Felicity.” Macks’s voice had regained its self-assured, slightly superior tone. She gracefully reached around and opened the front door. Felicity’s cue to leave.
“It was lovely meeting you,” Macks said. “I’m sure this won’t be the last time we’ll see each other.”
* * *
“This makeover was a great idea,” Felicity said. “I’m glad you roped me into this hair show.”
“I didn’t intend to rope you into anything,” Maia said as she swiped the blending brush over Felicity’s face before stepping back and admiring her work like a master artist.
“Roped or not, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here tonight if not for the hair show.” Felicity stared at herself in the mirror, turning her head this way and that. “Even if it was a ploy, it’s okay.”
The makeover was subtle. The cut made her hair bouncy. The modest highlights made it shiny. Maia had applied just enough makeup so that Felicity looked polished and put together. This new, more professional look would come in handy when she started interviewing for jobs at the end of the month. Because if Austin had a girlfriend, she did not want to watch it unfold from the front row seat of Fortune Investments.
Even if the money was good, mooning over her boss and his new girlfriend wasn’t. She’d been at Austin’s beck and call since she’d started working for him. Her job had dominated her life. She hadn’t even dated anyone seriously since college. Sure, she’d told herself that she didn’t have time to date. And to what end?
Even if Macks had called her pretty, ultimately, she’d sized Felicity up and decided she wasn’t a threat. Of course she wasn’t. Austin Fortune dated women like Macks Cole, not Felicity Schafer.
She ran her fingers through her honey blond hair, letting the locks fall through her fingers and cascade onto her shoulders. The highlights were understated. They looked natural, as if her hair had been kissed by the sun.
The FI charity ball was two weeks before her graduation. She would focus on getting through the ball and then put her energy into finding a new job and hiring her replacement.
She nodded as if confirming the plan to herself.
“So, you like?” Maia asked, handing Felicity a mirror and turning her around so she could view the back of her head.
“I love it. I have to admit, I was a little bit skeptical. I didn’t know what to expect. I thought you might do something a little more extreme for the show tomorrow.”
It was a relief compared to what she’d feared as she’d watched Maia cover her head in foil rectangles that fanned out in all directions, making her feel like some kind of a space-age creature that could transmit radio waves.
Maia smiled at her approvingly. “Didn’t I tell you? This show is about everyday, polished looks. There are some shows where they want looks that are pretty out there. But this is you, only better. Right?”
“What? Like Felicity 6.0?”
“More like Felicity 10.0.” Maia laughed. “Don’t get me wrong. You were perfect exactly the way you were. You’re lucky, you can pull off the no-makeup, girl-next-door look, but it doesn’t hurt to change things up every once in a while. Who knows, maybe this will make the Beast finally notice you.”
Heat flooded Felicity cheeks.
“Maia, shhhh.” Felicity pressed her index finger to her lips and looked around to see if anyone in the bustling salon was listening. As if anyone knew who the Beast was or would be interested in a twenty-seven-year-old woman’s secret crush. Her cheeks warmed again at the ridiculous thought.
Still, she didn’t want to talk about him in the busy salon. The last thing she needed was for someone to recognize her as his assistant and put two and two together and report back that she’d been talking about him. Stranger things could happen.
Austin was a prominent New Orleans business figure. More than one magazine had named him one of New Orleans’s most eligible bachelors. During the time she’d been his assistant, one woman had befriended her with the ulterior motive of getting closer to Austin. Another woman had been more up-front about her purpose. She’d approached Felicity in a restaurant bathroom and said, “You’re Austin Fortune’s assistant, aren’t you?” It was more than a little creepy since she’d never met the woman. She’d handed Felicity her card. “Will you please have him call me?”