Page 73 of Our Broken Pieces
He nods, then places his hands on my cheeks. “Have fun, princess.”
“I will.” I raise up and kiss his lips. “Get fancy for me.”
“Planning on it.” He winks and drops his hands, walking into the room, greeting Aaron. Samantha leads me to my room and motions inside.
“Gigi, this is Carly. She’ll be helping with your transformation. If you need anything, please let me know.”
“Thanks, Samantha.” I walk inside, seeing the vanity with lights around the mirror. I’m a makeup artist, so I know the setup well. “Hi, Carly.”
“Hey, Gigi!” She sees my eyes scanning her set up. “I hear you’re a makeup artist, too.”
I grin. “I am. It’s fun to be on the other side of it, though.”
“I hope so! Go ahead and have a seat here and we’ll get started.”
I sit in the chair, and she starts my consultation.
An hour and thirty minutes later, my makeup is perfect and my hair is pinned up, a few calm curls framing my face and a blue ribbon pinned into the back. I look in the mirror. “I love it.”
“Coming from a fellow artist, that means a lot. Ready to get in your dress?”
“You bet! How does this work? Do I pick something?”
“Usually we would have a couple options for you to pick from, but Marcus had a dress sent in for you.”
“He did?”
“Yes, I haven’t seen it yet, though. It’s in the dress bag over there.”
I stand from my chair and walk over to it, grasping the zipper and pulling it down. As the bag opens, I see Cinderella-blue tulle and satin. Once I pull it out of the bag, I see it’s floor-length, with a full skirt of layers of fabric. The bodice is fitted, and it’s off the shoulder. It’s gorgeous.
Carly walks up behind me. “Wow, it’s amazing.”
I hang it up on a hook on the wall and step back, taking it in. “It really is.” I fight the tears so I don’t ruin my makeup. He bought me a dress. A Cinderella dress.
“Let’s see what it looks like on you.”
I strip down to my underwear and step into the dress. “How long have you worked in the park?”
“Almost two years. I love it.” My feet shuffle on the floor as she turns me away from the mirror. “I owned my own salon before I moved here. I was done with all the responsibility, the longhours. Now I get to make people’s little dreams come true, and it’s awesome.”
“I own my own place back in Boston. I know what you mean about stress. Your job seems like it would be so fun.”
“It is! It’s still long hours sometimes, but the fun I have makes up for it.” She pulls up the zipper in the back.
“I bet.”
“Well, if you and Marcus ever move to Orlando, hit me up, and I’ll give you a referral.”
“I’ll remember that, Carly.”
“Ready to see?”
I force out a slow breath. “So ready.”
She turns me toward the floor-length mirror and a gasp crosses my lips. “Holy shit, I’m a princess.” I swish back and forth, the dress moving around me. “This dress is beautiful.”
“Marcus did good.”
