January
Another weekend,another bridal show.
It wasn’t that Cara minded the wedding shows so much. She was just exhausted. In addition to school, she was working a variety of freelance jobs for photographers and hair salons—this bridal show for example.
Luckily, because Georgia licensing laws weren’t as strict as some states, she was allowed to do basic makeup applications even though she hadn’t finished her courses. But she was tired of applying lashes and the same dewy, ultra-natural, no makeup-makeup look to one pretty face after another.
“Be sure you use the setting spray.” Stephanie, the owner of the salon, reminded everyone as she spritzed hairspray onto one of the models’ ringlets. She stepped back, eyeing the woman’s hair before quickly assessing the hair styles on the other models seated in a row in front of her. Stephanie frowned.
“Has anyone seen Melody?” The woman consulted a clipboard where she had a list of all the models her salon was responsible for. The other stylists shook their heads, and Stephanie muttered something about it not being her problem.
The model she was working on got up from the tall chair, and Cara set her brushes to the side, scanning the crowd. Not seeing anyone headed her way, she put her arms over her head and stretched. She’d been doing makeup for over two hours and was dying for a break.
Cara picked up one of the society magazines that had been left and flipped through the glossy pages, stopping on a collage of pictures from a black-tie event. Laughing up at her in full color was her ex-boyfriend, Erik, and his parents.
Rage burned hot in her stomach as she stared at his happy smile, before fear gripped her. What was Erik doing in Atlanta? Only after she flipped the magazine over to check the date did she exhale. The issue was from last month, but it made her skin crawl to think he'd been in the same city.
“Hey! Are you free? I’m sooo late!” Cara snapped the magazine closed as a beautiful but harried woman hopped up on her chair.
Cara blinked hard, banishing the memory. The woman in front of her was stunning. Thick, black hair had been pulled up into a soft chignon, with several curled tendrils framing her dark eyes.
She dropped the magazine in a nearby trash can. “Sure, I’m Cara. Are you already prepped?” Technically, Cara wasn’t supposed to apply moisturizer, but makeup on dry skin was a nightmare.
“Melody. Yeah, though feel free to hit me with a spritz. I was up a little late last night.” She peered closely at Cara. “Do I know you?”
Cara’s stomach sank, but she was saved when Stephanie spotted the new arrival.
“We aren’t going to have time to do your hair, Melody,” Stephanie snapped.
Melody flashed the woman a saccharine smile. “Already done.”
It was plain that Stephanie wanted to say something about the fact Melody had clearly done her own hair but was distracted by one of the bridal shop employees calling her over to repair someone’s hair.
Cara squeezed a small amount of primer onto her sponge and began dabbing it on the model’s face while assessing the woman’s skin. The dark circles shouldn’t be a challenge to cover up, and her skin was smooth with an even tone. Easy! Up close, Cara detected a few more fine lines around Melody’s eyes than the other models.
The majority of the women in the show were in their late teens and early twenties. At first glance, Cara had put this woman in the same category, but now with her face only inches away, Cara suspected she was closer to her twin brothers’ age—early thirties.
“You’re a little dehydrated, but I don’t think it will be a problem.”
“Cool. I just don’t want to look cakey in the pictures.”
Obviously a pro, the woman sat still as Cara went to work applying the different layers the designer had asked for. She’d done it so many times that morning, her mind began to wander. She slammed the door shut when it tried to veer to Erik and forced her brain to work on her more immediate problem.
She’d never admit it to her brothers, but her plan hadn’t worked out quite as well as she’d hoped. Cara liked what she was doing, but after the first month, it was clear that her budget was going to be tighter than she’d anticipated. She’d made it work these last six months, but now she had a whole new problem to deal with.
“What?”
Cara paused blending the cream blush onto the woman’s high cheekbones.
“You’re frowning. Is something wrong with my look?” Melody asked.
“Oh no! Sorry, I was just thinking about my roommate.”
Melody wrinkled her nose. “Ugh. Roommates are the worst! If they aren’t late with the rent, then they’re taking your Adderall or accusing you of taking their Chanel knockoff.”
Cara kept her face neutral.
“My roommate’s moving her boyfriend in, and in her words, they needprivacy.” Like that had ever stopped them before! “I’m going to be homeless at the end of the month.”
