Page 118 of The Last Second Chance
Joey frowned. “Boobs. Butt. Hand…and what?”
“Foot.”
“Okay, foot. I feel completely unnatural.”
“Then you’re doing it right,” Didi smiled. “Do the walk again and then plant in this pose.”
Joey tried it a half dozen times before Didi was satisfied. “You’re going to look like a natural when they shove those cameras in your face.”
“Uh, yay?”
A knock sounded at the door. “Five minute warning, ladies,” Jax said through the door.
“Yikes! I’d better call my car,” Didi said. “I’m going to go out first and you wait a minute so you can make your entrance.”
“My mom isn’t on the other side of that door with a camera, is she?” Joey asked.
“Trust me, the entrance is the most memorable part.”
Didi slipped through the door and Joey could hear her chit-chatting with Jax and the rest of the crew. She took one last look at herself in the mirror. She looked pretty freaking great. The makeup was all soft hues that played up her features without making her look like a drag queen or a reality TV star. And the dress, oh the dress.
She felt beautiful, maybe even a little stunning.
Joey counted to ten and took a few deep breaths before opening the bathroom door. Jax had his back to her, but she could tell the second he sensed her presence. That tingle of awareness at the back of his neck. He turned to her, a glass of scotch in his hands. The smile slid right off his face as his mouth fell open. He set the glass down on the edge of the table with a snap almost missing it completely.
In his crisp suit, he looked every bit the leading man. He’d gone with a skinny tie instead of a bowtie and he left his jacket unbuttoned. He looked debonair and dashing with that hint of rebel just beneath the slick surface.
“Wow,” she said.
Jax moved to her, his hands reaching for her and she took them. They stood at arm’s length studying each other for a moment until Joey heard the click of a camera phone. Didi grinned at them from across the room. “Don’t worry, I’m texting it to y’all.”
Joey turned her attention back to the still speechless Jax.
“So what do you think?” Joey asked him, nerves fluttering in her belly.
“I think you look like a goddess,” he said, bringing the knuckles of her hand to his lips. “I’m still not sure I deserve you.”
Joey gave an unladylike snort. “Maybe you should stop trying to deserve me and just start enjoying me.”
“Maybe I should,” he agreed, reeling her in.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Didi cried rushing over. She put her hands between them. “Don’t you dare mess up her hair and make up. She looks absolutely perfect and if you put your big ol’ paws on her she’s going to get to the premiere looking like a wilted flower.”
Jax’s eyes glinted, a hunter reluctant to give up his prey.
“Okay, posse, let’s head out,” Didi announced to her entourage. “Joey, you look stunning. Don’t let him wreck you until after the red carpet. Got it?”
Joey threw a mock salute. “Got it.” She surprised herself by wrapping Didi in a hug. “Thank you for everything, Didi.”
“Awh, aren’t you a sweetie. This one’s a keeper, Jax,” Didi announced as she made her way to the door with her team. “I’ll see you at the theater!”
Joey said her thanks and good-byes to the rest of the crew and then they were alone.
“You know, we could just skip this whole thing,” Jax began.
“No freaking way, Ace. I think the world deserves to see me in this dress.”
“But I’m the one who gets to take you out of it,” he told her.
