Shortly after my arrival, I received a call from the lab. There were no drugs in Mayan’s system.
After scarfing down some food, I took Mrs. Hudson for a walk and a quick game of “fetch your cow girlfriend,” then I jumped in the shower to scrub off my travel grime.
Beyond the obvious color scheme for the dress code of the Black and White Ball that night, it was also formal attire, so my options were limited. None of my black dresses were fancy enough and even if I had the time or money, I had no inclination to buy a gown that I’d never wear again. With a shudder, I rummaged on the side of my closet containing clothes that Talia had sent over for one event or another until I hit scratchy fabric.
Gritting my teeth, I pulled out a white confectionary of a dress. My mother, in a moment of either wild optimism or temporary amnesia about who her kid actually was, had purchased it for a university graduation party she’d wanted to throw me. We’d compromised: I didn’t burn the damn thing and she’d moved the event to a nice Italian restaurant, where I didn’t have to dress like a swan.
The top was a fitted bodice covered in white sequins with a ruffled ballgown skirt made of poufy layers of crinoline. Even Disney Princesses tossed their heads in disdain at how hard this dress was trying.
Mrs. Hudson took one look at it and raised her leg. I whisked the dress out of the way and she gave a little whine and lowered her leg again.
“Right sentiment, wrong night, dog.”
I wriggled into the outfit with zero enthusiasm, then, holding the abomination against my chest so it didn’t fall off, stomped into the kitchen. “Help.”
Priya choked on her mouthful of cereal. “That is beyond my skill set.”
“Shut up.” I sucked in a breath as she zipped me up.
“I can’t believe you still have that dress.”
“It was an out-of-sight-out-of-mind kind of thing.”
She tugged gently on one of my locks. “What are you doing with your hair?”
“Nothing? I’m wearing sparkly eyeshadow and foundation. My face is already suffocating. Can’t that be enough?”
Priya rolled her eyes. “Come on, Cinderella.”
I dragged my feet as she pulled me into the bathroom. “Do I haaaaave to? It’s a work night.”
Priya shoved me down on the closed toilet seat lid, while Mrs. Hudson seated herself on the bathmat, watching the proceedings with doggy enthusiasm.
“Levi is going to be there,” Priya said. “Levi’s ex is going to be there. And she isn’t going to look like an escapee from an Off-Off-Broadway production of Frozen.”
“That second ‘off’ was unnecessary,” I said.
“If you’re gonna do this, then own it.”
The next ten minutes were torture. Priya curled, pinned, and twisted my hair into a frothy updo. It was also kind of great because Priya filled me in on the latest love saga of one of the regulars at Higher Ground, which meant she’d gone out to work while I was away. I gave my usual non-committal grunts and tried not to let my grin slip free.
“You really should have a date for this,” she said.
“I do. Rafael. Ouch.” She’d stabbed me with a bobby pin.
“I didn’t realize you two had that kind of a relationship.”
“My fake fiancé, who incidentally would have reported my every move back to his hero, is out of the country. The man I’m sleeping with, who I can’t be seen in public with, is going with his ex. That didn’t leave a lot of last-minute options.”
“Hmph.”
“You want to ask him out,” I said.
She pinned my last curl in place. “I’m thinking about it. He was such a shit to you that initially I planned to simply have some fun and throw him off-guard, but I actually enjoyed talking to him. Is that a problem?”
“Maybe wait until he’s settled in and we’ve got a working rhythm with Team Jezebel.”
And I’d found some other solution to calm my cravings.
“All right.” Priya stepped back and studied me critically. “There’s just one thing missing.”
I followed her into her bedroom. She opened her underwear drawer and pulled out a square jewelry box, opening it to reveal a tiara of tiny flower-shaped crystals nestled on blue velvet that had been for her big princess wedding.
“And here you gave me crap about this dress when you hung onto that thing?” Priya scowled at me. “Sorry,” I said. “I don’t understand. That time in your life was so painful. Why would you keep a memento of it?”
She ran a finger lightly over the crystals. “Part of me believed that as long as I kept it, my happily-ever-after was still possible. I know better now.”
I winced. “You’re dealing with trauma. Don’t give up.”
She smiled gently. “I’m not. I know you’ve been worried about me, but as scary as that kidnapping was, it’s not the reason I’ve been pulling back. I’ve needed—I still need—time to figure out how I want to live moving forward. Ravi and I had a lot of passion, and a lot of problems that we never addressed. When that ended, I decided my romantic happiness was best served if I was in control of the relationship.” She half-laughed. “That didn’t work either. When I do decide to date again, it’ll be from a place of looking for my equal. More importantly, I’ll know that whatever happens, I’m my own happily-ever-after.”
“That’s a pretty good realization.” I eyed the tiara dubiously. “Are you still going to keep it?”
“Damn straight. I look amazing in bling. I’m going to wear it to the supermarket, to work, for my massage therapy appointments… It’s my reminder that I’m not a princess. I’m a queen. And tonight?” She placed the tiara on my head. “You need to remember that, too. Just bring it back.”
I tilted my head from side-to-side and smiled. Mayan could suck it. “I’ll return it safe and sound. I promise. Am I
