A Better Man(50)

"Now. Take a deep breath." Rashard demonstrated. "And once you've pushed all the air from your lungs, open your eyes."

Lucy gave up the fight.

Heart pounding, she did as instructed.

When her eyes managed to flutter open past the weight of the false eyelashes, she had no option but to gasp.

"Is that . . . me?"

On a daily basis Lucy knew she looked average, not dreadful. But for the first time in her life she looked . . .

"Gorgeous," Rashard confirmed.

"Stunning," Gloria clarified.

"Magical," Beatrice corroborated. "Cinderella has nothing on you."

Glasses gone, contacts in place, Lucy blinked. "You weren't kidding about being my fairy godmothers."

"My darling." Rashard took her now beautifully manicured hands in his. "It's impossible for a woman to look as dazzling as you do right now, every day. The trick is to do whatever it takes to feel dazzling. This proves you've got what it takes to look like royalty on the outside. You need to feel and believe that you are beautiful on the inside as well."

Guilty as charged. Lucy never gave herself much thought. The only time she'd ever really focused on herself had been when she was battling for her life.

"Now. I want you to step out that door feeling like a princess, because you certainly look like one. Let your heart be light and step into the arms of the man who wanted you to have this experience."

The man who wanted her to have this experience.

Gloria handed Rashard a sealed envelope, which he then handed to Lucy, then gave her an air kiss to each cheek. "Make us proud, my darling."

Lucy looked down at the envelope in her hands and the short bold strokes that spelled out her name. When she glanced up to thank her fairy godmothers, they were gone.

She spun around but they were no longer in the room. If it hadn't been for the sound of the front door closing, Lucy would question her sanity.

Slipping her finger beneath the flap, she withdrew the card inside.

Lucy,

Please come downstairs and join me for Wishes, Dreams, and Happily-­Ever-­After.

Jordan

Lucy's heart skipped.

Wishes, Dreams, and Happily-­Ever-­After?

What was going on?

Lifting the skirt of her floor-­length Cinderella ball gown, she sighed and looked at Ziggy, who lay stretched out on the foot of her bed. "If I'm not home before midnight, either promise I won't turn into a pumpkin or you'll call the cops."

Ziggy barked.

"Good enough."

When the doorbell rang Lucy nearly forgot everything she'd just been taught. Her heart sprang into action. While she wanted to rush off, she instead wiggled her toes in the sparkling high heels and carefully made her way down the stairs. With her hand on the knob she took a breath to quell her racing heart and opened the door.



       
         
       
        

Had she not had to admit that Rashard and the girls had done an amazing job of turning her into Cinderella for a night, the look on Jordan's face said it all.

And because of that, for the first time in her life, she really did feel beautiful.

"You're wearing a . . . tux," Lucy said as soon as she opened the door. "I don't know what to say."

For a moment, he didn't know what to say either. Because she simply stole his breath.

"No worries. I've got that covered." He took her hand and gave her a little twirl. "You look gorgeous."

When she blushed Jordan realized that he might not always say or do the right thing, but when he got it right, he nailed it.

The strapless lavender gown fit at the top in a sparkling cut that formed a heart-­shaped neckline at her lush cleavage, and the bottom of the gown floated out in an array of lilac ruffles. The gown fit her perfectly. But it was Lucy herself who made the gown spectacular.

Her silky hair had been left down in a carefree tangle of soft curls he wanted to wrap around his hands. Her makeup had been artfully applied not to mask her beauty, but to accent it. And her full, kissable lips were highlighted only by a swipe of shiny gloss instead of a dark color to hide them.

"You take my breath away, Lucy."

Her shoulders lifted on an intake of air. "You don't have to say that."

He leaned in and inhaled the sweet scent that drifted up from her warm skin. "Get used to it." Noticing her uneasiness, he smiled. "Because the way I see it, whether you're dressed like you're ready for a ball or walking the corridor of school, you're a stunning woman."

"Not that I don't appreciate it, but I'm wondering why you sent three strangers to my house. Other than the obvious."