“Mom and I came a few weeks ago. I can’t get enough of their flavored teas.”
They decided on what they wanted, then placed their order. Ria completely and totally relaxed as she drank in the Victorian surroundings.
“So, what is going on with you and Kristor?”
Sucker-punched. “Going on?”
Carly raised her eyebrows. “Don’t play coy.”
“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully.
“But you like him.”
“Yes, I do. If the circumstances were right, he’d be the ideal man.”
“And they’re not?”
Ria shook her head. “He wants me to leave with him. Go back to his…home. He’s leaving next week.”
Carly drew in a sharp breath. “You’re not, though.”
Ria didn’t say anything.
“You haven’t known him long. Please say you won’t go without letting me know. He could be here illegally or something.”
Here illegally? That was pretty much a gimme.
“I promise you’ll be the first to know if I decide to leave.” She really hated that she might have ruined their outing, but she wanted to prepare Carly for anything. Or was she preparing herself?
“She’s in the bathroom so I can’t talk long,” Carly told Donald. “Kristor is leaving next week, and Ria might go with him. We can’t let her. Not until we know more about this guy.”
“You called immigration, right?”
“Yes. I already told you that. They acted like they were bored and underpaid.” She frowned. They probably were. “Maybe I shouldn’t have hinted rather broadly that Kristor was an alien from another planet.”
“Why the hell would you do that?”
“I was desperate for a response from them and I thought they might pay more attention.”
His sigh came across the phone. “I’ll see if I can’t be a little more persuasive. Stay close to her, and find out everything you can about this guy.”
“I’ve gotta go, here comes Ria.” She snapped her cell closed and dropped it back in her purse. “Moms.” She chuckled, knowing it came out sounding strained.
“Let’s pay the bill, then run get a manicure and pedicure,” Ria said. “I feel the need for more pampering.”
“I’m all for that.”
Carly needed something to relax her jangled nerves. She was not about to let her friend leave town with a man from God-knows-where, to an imaginary country just so he could murder her or something. Even if it meant that what she was doing would end their friendship, she was willing to take that chance. Ria meant too much to her.
There was a place in the mall that took walk-ins. They were lucky and got right in. Maybe it would settle her nerves. What if Ria never spoke to her again? Her stomach did flip-flops just thinking about it. She glanced at Ria. What was she thinking? Did Ria suspect that her best friend had notified the authorities that Kristor might be here illegally? She didn’t look as though she did.
Ria eyed Carly out of the corner of her eye. She was starting to act a little funny again. Kind of nervous. Ria wondered what was going on with her.
But then, maybe she was just anxious about wearing her new clothes in public. The girl had looked seriously hot, though.
“What would you ladies like done today?” the receptionist asked.
Ria turned her attention away from Carly and glanced at the woman’s nametag: DEBBIE. “We’d like the works, Debbie. Manicure, pedicure, and eyebrow waxing.”
“I’m not sure about the eyebrow waxing, Ria.” Carly looked skeptical.
“It doesn’t hurt.” Okay, another small white lie. But Carly was looking bushy. Probably because she’d never had them plucked or waxed.
“You’ll barely feel a thing,” Debbie agreed. “Your eyebrows really need a trim.”
“Well, okay.”
Ria breathed a silent sigh of relief. “Let’s do the wax first.” Might as well get it out of the way. By the time Carly finished with her manicure and pedicure, maybe she would have forgotten about the waxing.
They followed Debbie to a chair in the back and Carly made herself comfortable. Debbie spread the sticky solution around the eyebrows and in between.
“That’s warm,” Carly said. “Kind of nice.”
When Carly closed her eyes, Debbie and Ria exchanged looks. Co-conspirators. Debbie smoothed on the little pink pads, pressing them down nice and firm.
“Ready?” Debbie asked.
Before Carly could ask ready for what, Debbie pulled the first pad off. Carly’s mouth dropped open and she sucked in air, but before she could say anything, Debbie jerked on the other pad.
Carly glared at Ria. “You said it wouldn’t hurt!”
“It doesn’t, if you’re not a bushman.”
“I just need to do a little plucking,” Debbie said, holding up a pair of tweezers.
“It will be so worth it. I promise.”
“Pluck you,” Carly growled, but laid back and closed her eyes, wincing as Debbie shaped her eyebrows.
But the transformation was unbelievable. Ria had tried to talk Carly into doing this years ago, but she always refused, wanting to keep her look natural. It was another lie one of her dumbass brothers had told her: That natural was the best look.
Maybe the thought that Neil liked her had changed her mind, and that’s why Carly wasn’t protesting overly much.
Ria parked in front of her house, put the car in park, and turned the key off.
“You mean you’re not tired of my company yet?” Carly asked.
“Never. I have plans.”
“What kind of plans?” Carly’s smile slipped.
“Good plans. Trust me.”
“The last time I trusted you…”
“Carly!”
“Okay, okay.” She laughed.
“And bring in the bag with your new clothes.”
Carly groaned. Ria only hoped she would thank her in the morning.
They went inside, taking the packages to the bedroom. Ria glanced at the clock. They had an hour. “Go ahead and change into the black jeans and that little white top.”
“And what will you be doing?”
“I’m changing, too.”
“Oh, we’re going out together?”
“Yes.”
Carly relaxed and smiled. “A whole day together. We haven’t done that in a long time.”
Ria pushed her toward the bathroom, then hurried to the kitchen and poured two glasses of courage— merlot, to be exact. She wanted her friend nice and relaxed for their evening out. Yeah, she knew Carly thought they would be alone, and her friend might want to kill her when she learned the truth, but it was worth taking the chance to see Carly finally happy with a guy.
When she returned to her bedroom, Carly was just coming out of the bathroom.
“You really look hot,” Ria said and handed her one of the glasses.
Carly faced the full-length mirror. “Wow, I do look pretty good. Who would’ve thought waxing your eyebrows could make that big of a transformation?”
“How many years have I been trying to tell you that?”
“Okay, okay, you were right and I was wrong. Correction—my brothers were wrong.”
