Page 1 of Shooting for his Heart
As I finishedmy final client of the day, I twirled her chair around to the mirror so that she could admire my handy work. My feet were killing me, and rightfully so, after being on them for the past few hours doing makeup for a wedding party of twelve. That number didn’t include the doll sitting before me, gleaming with beauty and pride. Tasha was marrying her high school sweetheart. The love in her heart was apparent in her eyes.
“You look beautiful. Not that you weren’t absolutely stunning before I made my enhancements,” I said, complimenting her.
“Thank you so much. Girl… you’re gonna make me cry in my makeup,” she responded, fanning herself with the handheld fan I had given her prior to doing her face.
“Now you should already know I used waterproof mascara and eye makeup just in case.”
“Thank you, Vonnie. I don’t think I can say that enough.”
“You’re welcome, love.” I gave the blushing bride a soft smile.
“I’m so glad you could fly out to help make my big day special. I submitted your final payment this morning.”
“I wouldn’t have missed your big day for the world.”
Tasha and her husband-to-be were having a destination wedding on a beach in Miami. It was a short flight from my nearest airport with all expenses paid plus my fees for attending. I brought my girl, Jenna, with me to enjoy the rest of our weekend in South Beach.
It wasn’t often that I was able to take the weekend off. Most of my workload was done during the weekend. Since I was a makeup artist, I didn’t have the luxury of taking weekends off. My makeup line was slowly gaining traction, but until I was making Rihanna and Kylie money, I did whatever I had to do.
“See you in a few, beautiful,” I said to the bride-to-be as I made my exit from the cabana.
The crisp beach air danced around my body, blowing my flowy dress between my legs as I walked down the wooden plank to join the other wedding guests in the designated area. Tasha and Mike didn’t have a huge guest list for their wedding, but almost every seat was filled. I smiled at Jenna as I joined her in the seat she’d saved for me.
“The bride’s mother looks so good, girl. You almost can’t tell she drank a fifth of gin last night,” Jenna said with a snicker.
Jenna and I became close through a mutual relationship with her sister. Since Jahnae uprooted and moved across the country with her husband and kids, Jenna and I had gotten closer by default. She was always my girl, so I was glad that she could make some of these trips with me.
“I know, right? Some of those bridesmaids still look lifted. I can only do so much,” I replied jokingly.
Soon, all chattering ceased as the music changed. Everyone looked on in awe as the groom and best man walked in to take their places. Moments later, I admired my work as the bridal party made their descent down the aisle.
“This is so beautiful, Vonnie,” Jenna whispered once the bride and groom stood before each other.
“I know, right?” I said with a soft smile.
I had to agree with my girl. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Had I not seen fourteen other beautiful weddings this year alone, I might have been moved to tears. They were all lovely, but marriage wasn’t exactly my thing. I wasn’t looking forward to being a wife. I wanted to do my own thing.
I wanted to travel and make women feel pretty. The idea of being tied down, living a boring life made me sick to my stomach. My desire for freedom was the reason I worked for myself and started my makeup line. My spirit needed a sense of freedom for me to thrive. After dating losers for years, I had finally met a man who swept me off my feet and made me feel like a princess.
William and I had been dating for about a year, and for the past four months, I had been living with him. Although I loved William, some things about our relationship didn’t sit right with me. To him, being a wife meant being a housewife. I wasn’t sure if that was what I wanted. As much as I had expressed wanting a rich man to take care of me over the years, the reality was that I valued my independence more than I realized.
“If only this were in the cards for everyone,” I added.
“What… marriage?”
“No. Well… yes… but I mean pure, unconditional love. I don’t want conditions. I don’t think that’s in the cards for me at this point.”
“Why isn’t it? You and William at odds?”
“On and off. He doesn’t want me to work. He considers what I do a hobby. He thinks he knows best when it comes to every little thing. Tasha says Mike gave her options about where she wanted to live and if she wanted to keep working. He was completely fine with the fact that she didn’t want kids. They just want each other. Will came to me with a whole list of expectations. In a way, I get it. I wanted someone who checked my boxes, and he does.”
“Does he, though? Yes, he has a little money and is willing to take care of you?—”
“And he’s sexy, black, and the dick is A-1.”
“But he’s an asshole. You know you don’t have to settle for him, Vonnie.”
“I’m not settling… I’m just venting. He pissed me off before I came here. You know he’s salty about me taking this trip in the first place. Who’s going to have his mealspreparedwhen he gets home?”
