Chapter 55

As I sat in the seat by one of the makeup stands and let one of the assistants there get a good look at me, I felt a little self-conscious again. It wasn't easy letting other women stare at you and judge what they saw.

Some women used the opportunity to make themselves feel better by putting others down. And while I knew they did it out of their own insecurities and fears, it never helped anyone.

"Oh my, you have such gorgeous long eyelashes, darling. And natural, too. With those big blue eyes of yours, I'm sure we can make you look stunning. Do you mind if I take everything off and start again?"

"No, go for it," I replied, feeling as if it was the expected response.

"Fantastic. I'm Beth. I understand you and Jack came in today to get some summer clothes."

"Yeah," I replied as she started wiping away everything I'd put on that morning. Admittedly, it wasn't much. I didn't apply much makeup on the best of days. It had never been anything I'd wanted to put much effort into, but I knew there was a lot of skill to the art, and it could really change how a person looked.

The makeup artist made small talk with me, and my assistant from before came back, having bagged up all my clothes. I tried to hide the shock I felt at the assumption that I was going to pay for everything and could do so. I still didn't know how much it would be, and I had no idea if I could afford it.

Trying not to worry about it, I looked away again and asked Beth something about the makeup as if I was more interested in it than I was.

She immediately started telling me all about it, making my head spin with details. At the same time, my assistant lined up little boxes and bottles of everything being used so I could see it.

I had a feeling they both hoped it would entice me to buy more from them, and a part of me considered it. If this was the level of effort the women Jack normally associated with went to, maybe I should go to these lengths as well.

While I'd been in Alma's room earlier in the day, I'd also noticed she had a lot more makeup than I did, and there were all sorts of different types to get a particular effect.

On top of that, a part of me was genuinely interested. Inside almost every woman was a little girl who wanted to look stunning. It was almost entirely ingrained in us. Could all these bottles and boxes give me that?

Despite all these thoughts and the advice of the ladies around me, I was still sitting in the chair half an hour later and beginning to feel like it was a lot more time and effort than I normally wanted to spend.

That said, it wasn't like I normally had much else to do. I was either with Jack now or single, and I was only writing. Would it hurt to spend more time on my personal appearance?

It wasn't long before I decided I was too emotional and tying myself in knots by overthinking it. I could see how things went, and if I decided I wanted to spend more time on it and enjoyed doing so, I could. Like anything else in life I did or didn't do.

If nothing else, I knew I didn't want to change me to please anyone else. I'd been doing that for too long with Greg, and he had turned into a monster when I'd stopped trying to fit into the box he had for me.

By the time an hour had passed, the makeup artist was finally done. A minute or so before, my assistant had rushed off, making me wonder if she'd decided to help another customer, but before I could get up, she reappeared with Jack.

He had another glass of iced tea in his hand and took a gulp as he stopped. I tried to smile at him but felt too nervous for it to come across properly, and I was pretty sure I grimaced instead.

"That took a while," Jack said, immediately making me feel even worse.

"Starting from the beginning often does, but I think it's worked wonders," the makeup artist said.

"Oh, it's a definite transformation. I'm not even sure where Juno is." Jack flicked me a wink as he grinned and put what was left of his drink down.

Trying not to worry about their opinions and the unreadableness of Jack's expression, I looked at my reflection in the mirror the assistant had picked up. Jack was right. I didn't look anything like myself. With contouring, they'd managed to make my nose look smaller and my eyes look even more doe-like. My complexion was also a lot smoother, and I looked soft in a way I had no idea how they'd achieved.

It looked strange to see my reflection in the mirror most of the time, but this was a whole new level.

"Do you like it?" the makeup artist asked when I continued to study myself.

"Yes, I think so," I replied, deciding to be honest.

"I can provide you with any elements you want to use in your own routine in the future."

I smiled, amused by the obvious sales tactic as I was interested in the idea.

"What do you think, Jack?" I asked. "Suit me?"

He shrugged, offering me nothing to go on. I looked back at my reflection for a moment, trying to decide what to do. I still didn't know how much the clothes cost, nor did I know if I wanted to look differently.

"I think I'd like a few hours to get used to it. It's very different to how I usually look. Could I get a list of everything?" I asked eventually, feeling a little sorry for her when she also probably worked on commission.

"Of course," the makeup artist said, but I could see her deflate a little.

"Or if you have a number I could call to order it through you later or discuss it further and what might complement my requirements going forward, that would work as well," I added.

Immediately, she wrote down her number and added her name, and she seemed a little less disappointed.

Not sure what to do next, I got off the chair and walked to Jack. I felt strange wearing new clothes and lots of makeup I didn't normally bother with, but Jack took my hand.

"All done?" he asked.

"I think so. And I'm getting hungry."

"Me too," he replied and then looked at our assistant. She immediately held up the bags.

"Do you want me to give these to you, or do you have a car nearby we can have them sent to?"

"Car. Usual one." Jack didn't hesitate with his response and then led me over to a small counter where I could pay for the clothes. I walked to it with trepidation and let her punch the numbers into the checkout system.

A five-figure sum came up, making me freeze in shock. I'd expected it to be four figures and higher than I wanted it to be, but it had an extra zero on the end of what my wildest fears had considered.

There was an awkward moment where the pair looked at me to resolve the situation and hand a card over, but I simply stared and didn't move.

Almost immediately, Jack reached for his own wallet, pulling a card with a quick precision I hadn't expected.

"No, it's okay. I've got it," I said, putting my hand out to stop him.

I'd told him I'd pay for the clothes, and I knew it would be wrong of me to back out now, but I made a mental note to never shop for designer brands again.

The whole time I reached for my purse and opened it to reveal my cards, I tried to decide if I even had one I could put that kind of money on. I only had one. The credit card I had recently acquired when leaving Greg.

It wasn't ideal. There was no way I was paying off the entire sum in one month's royalties, not with all the other bills I had, but I handed over the card and tried to appear as normal as possible. This had all been one very expensive mistake.

Next time, I'd choose the store I bought my clothes in and insist on knowing the prices before the bags were in the car, and I was on the hook to pay for them all.