Kennedy reached out and clasped Izzy’s hand. “Good. Come with me.” She towed her to the door and then down the stairs. When they entered a big, open room with the golden glow of sunset streaming through tall windows overlooking the back yard, she took in the group of women gathered there.
Her new friends.
A big cream-colored leather sectional sofa added a layer of that cozy comfort to the space that Kennedy mentioned, and there were layers of throw pillows in natural tones. A big round wooden coffee table with brass and glass accents had a big makeup box on it.
Sophie scooted over to make room for Izzy, and she took a seat with a smile.
“What’s going on, Kennedy? Does this have anything to do with the guys?” May got straight to the point. She pushed her long, dark hair over her shoulder in a nervous gesture.
Kennedy perched on the edge of the lounge portion of the sectional. “Yes. Things get tense around here when the guys go to the war room. Every one of us can feel it.”
The ladies all nodded…except for Izzy. She didn’t realize that the team was shut up in there. She had been so focused on herself that she didn’t see what was happening around her. What was happening to Hudson.
Looking toward the door, she felt that tension now, as if the whole house held its breath.
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
Sophie rested a hand on her arm, her expressive eyes filled with empathy. “We never know, but everything is going to be all right.”
Kennedy leaned forward and scooped up the box. “We’re starting a new tradition right now. Operation Distraction.”
Alyssa eyed her. “And we’re doing our makeup?”
Kennedy shook her head and popped the clasp on the box. Nail polish bottles were lined up in rows in all colors of the rainbow, from clear and nude all the way through vampy red and black cherry.
She beamed. “Anyone up for a mani?”
“Oh my god, yes.” May’s nervous energy immediately channeled into excitement as she reached for a deep burgundy shade. “I haven’t done my nails in months.”
Alyssa laughed. “You have to admit, May—being the weapons specialist for the team doesn’t exactly lend itself to manicures.” She was next to sift through the polish, selecting asoft pink that somehow managed to look both professional and feminine.
“We all need to take care of ourselves more. Our roles are vital to the team.”
Izzy dropped her gaze to her own fingers, her nails natural but shaped into the ovals she preferred. Except she wasn’t really seeing her nails. She was weighing what Kennedy said about being a vital part of the team.
Izzy wasn’t doing anything to support the team, her new friends…or the man who was becoming so important to her. She had spent so many years stuck in her own head—her own pain. It was high time that she made some changes.
The box made its way to her, and Izzy stared at the colors. She started to reach for the warm tan color that was her favorite, then pulled her hand back.
She darted a look at Kennedy, who unscrewed the cap on a shimmery gold polish.
Sophie held up two bottles, comparing a soft lavender against a bold coral. “I like the psychology behind this op. Colors can actually affect mood and confidence levels.”
Izzy found herself drawn to a molten silver-gray with a subtle shimmer that reminded her of Hudson’s eyes when he was being particularly intense. The color seemed to capture something essential about him—calm on the surface but with hidden depths that could pull her under if she wasn’t careful.
Maybe it was time she stopped treading so carefully. To stop moving through the world like she was waiting for the next bomb to explode, even though it was very, very possible that it would.
She twirled the bottle, watching how the hue picked up a new shimmer from the setting sun.
“That’s perfect for you,” Kennedy observed. “Very sophisticated, but with an edge.”
The ladies all added noises of agreement and approval. Kennedy laid out manicure pads around the coffee table, and they all sat on the floor around it.
As they settled into the comfortable rhythm of nail painting, the conversation flowed as easily as the polish. May regaled them with stories about trying to maintain any kind of feminine routine while working in various military facilities around the country, complete with dramatic reenactments of trying to apply mascara in a bunker without a mirror.
Her antics had them all laughing.
Sophie carefully painted her pinky nail a delicate shade of lavender. “I haven’t had my eyebrows done in so long that if I went now, the aesthetician would probably take one look at me and ask if I’m cosplaying as a gorilla.”
