Chapter 59

There are only two days left before my ball.

So I decided to have a Spa Day to get ready and relax. Amy came over to my house early in the morning and we got started.

“I’ve got something for you, Amy,” I said as I reached into my closet and pulled out a garment bag.

Amy grinned and clapped her hands. “Oh, goody! Is that what I think it is?”

“Yep. It’s your ball gown.” I held the garment bag up and slid the zipper downward.

Amy clapped her hands again and got up from the bed to help pull the dress from the bag.

“It’s gorgeous,” Amy said. She was right.

The sage, green satin material shimmered as we laid it across the bed. We admired the material for a moment, and then I held the dress in front of Amy.

The dress had a halter top, a fitted waist, and a full skirt. It was well-made and beautiful.

“It should fit you perfectly,” I told her. “Jennifer had it tailored to your measurements.”

Amy held the dress up and looked at her image in the full-length mirror on the back of my door. “This feels like a wonderful dream. I can’t believe I’m going to a ball wearing this beautiful dress.”

“You’ll look like a princess,” I said.

“No, you are the princess,” Amy giggled. “I’m just your lady in waiting. But I’m going to a ball!”

I hugged her. “I’m so glad that you’re going to be there. I couldn’t do this without you.”

Jennifer arrived with two manicurists, a skincare expert, a makeup artist, and a masseuse.

Soon we were in the middle of manicures and pedicures while our faces were covered with special facemasks.

Next were the massages. The middle-aged woman masseuse looked strong enough to play football with William. But after I dared to lie on her table, I discovered why people raved about getting a massage.

It was fantastic. Within a few minutes, the masseuse had me so relaxed I almost fell asleep.

I woke up to Amy’s giggling. “It’s my turn. I could use a nap.” Amy traded places with me, and I went into the next room so the makeup artist could begin my makeover.

I had no experience with makeup beyond a little lip gloss and some powder on my nose. It made the idea of wearing a full face of makeup a little unnerving.

But I sat on a high, comfortable stool, and the make-up artist went to work. It was strange to have someone touching my face, and a tool she called an eyelash curler was a little scary, but she was finished before I knew it.

Jennifer had been watching, and when the woman was finished with my makeup, she spun the stool toward a large mirror.

I stood, gaping at myself. I couldn’t believe it was me. The woman in the mirror was pretty, and there was a resemblance to my mother.

Amy appeared in the doorway. “Daisy… just…wow! You look amazing!”

“But how am I gonna look like this on the night of the ball?” I asked. I could never apply makeup with such skill.

“I watched everything she did, and I’m positive I can reproduce this look for you, Miss Wilson,” Jennifer said. “You look very lovely, Miss, and you will look even lovelier after I do your hair the night of the ball.”

I walked over and put my arm around Amy’s shoulders. “It’s your turn. I bet you look prettier than me.”

“I doubt it, but I’m willing to try,” Amy said with another giggle.

Despite Amy’s fear of the eyelash curler, she looked great when the woman was done with her face. And Jennifer promised to do her hair on the night of the ball too.

“Take a picture of me so I can send it to my dad,” Amy requested and handed me her phone.

After Amy texted the photo to Mr. Gray, we went downstairs to dinner. I was surprised to see Victor in the dining room. But he seemed more surprised to see me.

“Amazing,” he said after studying my face for a moment. “You look fantastic, Daisy.”

“You look gorgeous, sweetheart,” Alex added. “Your mother would be so proud.”

“Thank you, Alex. That’s a wonderful thought.”

Amy and I sat at the long table, and the meal was served. I was directly across from Victor, while Amy sat next to me. She kept trying to whisper something I couldn’t hear, and she kicked me in the shin twice.

“What?” I hissed in her ear.

I wondered if it was something important, but Victor and Alex were loudly discussing business, and I could only hear every other word she said.

“Oh, wait till we get upstairs,” she whispered back.

After large slices of chocolate cake with whipped cream, Amy and I excused ourselves and went upstairs.

“Now, what was so important that you had to give me a black and blue mark on my shin?” I asked.

“I wanted you to see how Victor was looking at you,” she replied and flopped down across my bed.

“How was he looking at me?” I joined her and lay back against my headboard. I had an idea of what she was going to say. Amy had some crazy notion that Victor was in love with me.

“He looked like he wanted to jump across the table, carry you away, and make love to you,” Amy said.

“Amy Gray! I’m surprised at you, talking like that!”

I knew she was gonna say something about Victor. “He wasn’t looking at me in any special way.”

“I know what I saw,” Amy insisted. “Victor has the hots for you, and he might even be in love.”

Amy rolled onto her back. “Tell you what, the next time he’s looking at you like that, when you’re looking away, I’ll take his picture with my phone and show you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, okay, you do that.”

“Fine, don’t believe me,” Amy said and sat up. “I hate to take off this makeup, but it’s almost time for bed. And I want to take a bath in your huge tub with the water jets.”

“Go ahead. Do you want me to call Jennifer and have her draw you a bath?”

This time, Amy rolled her eyes. “Nope, I can take a bath all by myself. I’m a Beta, remember?”

“Come on, Amy. You know that stuff doesn’t matter to me. Why did you have to bring it up again?”

“I’m sorry. I know it doesn’t matter to you,” she said. “But our childhood is almost over, Daisy, and there will be times that it will matter to others around you.”

“It won’t matter to me,” I insisted.

“But there will be times that it could hurt you or hold you back in life, and I won’t do that. I love you too much.”

I didn’t know what to say. We had gone over this many times, and I was tired of the same arguments.

“Amy, we will always be friends as long as you want to be my friend. I will never push you away.”

“When we’re older and married and maybe have our own families, we won’t have much time to see each other.”

“Are you planning to get married already?” I teased.

Amy sighed. “I met a guy. He’s so hot and so smart. Oh, Daisy, I could fall in love with him so easily.”

I drummed my feet on the floor and clapped my hands. “Amy, that’s terrific. Has he asked you out yet?”

She nodded. “We’re going on a picnic Sunday.”

I stood and hugged her. “That’s fantastic. Did you want to invite him to the ball so that you can dance with him?”

Amy shook her head. “Nuh-uh. No way. Nobody except us would want him here, and he would hate it.”

“Why?” I was a little bit worried. What kind of guy did Amy fall for?

“Daisy, like me, he’s a Beta.”

“I’m still thrilled for you, Amy. After you get to know him better, I’d like to meet him.”