My hands were beginning to shake, so I hugged myself tightly as I looked around the room. I’d left the liquor I’d brought along in the trunk of my car, and I was pretty sure that I was out of the mini travel-size bottles I’d had in my purse. I picked it up and rummaged through it anyway, just in case I’d missed one.
“Hey,” Ginger called softly, causing me to look up to see a knowing look on her face. “You wanna have a drink before bed? I’m sure Momma has something to warm our bellies.”
“Sure,” I replied, trying to sound nonchalant, instead of relieved at her words.
She grabbed my hand and led me out to the kitchen. My hip bumped an end table and causing the ceramic elves on top to shake perilously, but luckily, they remained intact.
I let out a long breath and tilted my head to see Ginger smiling at me.
“It’s like a maze,” I said under my breath, causing her to smile to broaden.
“I know where the super glue is,” she whispered with a wink, then continued on to the table and gestured for me to sit.
Ginger opened a cupboard and looked at me over her shoulder.
“Southern Comfort, Jack Daniels, or some sort of cheap tequila?”
“Jack,” I responded, my mouth starting to salivate like Pavlov’s Dog, at the knowledge that the brown liquid would soon be passing my lips.
She set the bottle and two shot glasses in front of me, then took the seat across from me and poured two shots.
We picked them up and raised them to each other.
“Welcome to Dallas,” Ginger said with a jaunty grin, then we both brought the shot glasses back down to tap them on the table, and knocked them back.
My eyes watered as the alcohol burned down my throat and made good on Ginger’s promise of warming my belly. I closed my eyes and let my body relax, then opened then with a brisk nod when Ginger asked, “Another?”
Chapter 10
Neecey was a miracle worker.
My mousy, too long, brown hair was transformed into a healthy head of shiny, chestnut locks, in just a little over an hour. She’d cut it into long layers and styled it in loose curls that cascaded down my back.
After another hour, and some serious elbow grease, my feet and hands were scrubbed and polished, and my nails were a delicate pink.
I felt rejuvenated, and pretty, for the first time in well over a year.
I heard a sharp whistle, and turned to see Ginger grinning at me from the doorway. She’d been in the back getting washed for her cut, when Neecey had finished with me and hustled me off to get my mani/pedi done, so she hadn’t seen the final product. Judging from the wicked grin on her face, I’d say she liked the new me almost as much as I did.
“Look at you!” she exclaimed as she walked in a circle around me. “I love it!”
“Me too,” I gushed, then took her appearance in and gasped. “You look gorgeous.”
And she did. She had long bangs, and layers, fringing and framing her face, and her red hair flowed straight as a blade down to the middle of her back.
Ginger blushed at my compliment and brought a hand up to touch the ends of her hair.
“Thanks. You ready?”
She’d had her nails done first, so we were both made up and made over. Next we were heading to pick out some new outfits for tonight. I still wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to go through with Ginger’s plans for me tonight, but I was looking forward to having drinks in an honest-to-goodness country bar. It had been way too long since I’d been dancing and surrounded by cowboys.
“Yeah, let’s go,” I replied as I gathered my things and went to the front counter to pay.
Money wasn’t an issue for me anymore. I wasn’t a millionaire by any means, but the insurance payouts that came after Ricky died ensured I’d never have to work again if I didn’t want to. I doubted that I’d be able to live without working, or having something to fill my days, but at least it was one thing in my life that I didn’t have to stress over.
We left the car parked and walked a few blocks to the shop Ginger wanted to take me to. I was laughing at something Ginger said, my head down as I followed her in, so I didn’t notice that she’d stopped and I barreled right into her.
“Whoa, what…?” I stuttered out as I held on to her shoulder to keep from toppling over. I brought my head up and peered around her to see what had caused our abrupt halt, and my mouth dropped at the gorgeous man standing two feet in front of us.
His hair was so dark, I couldn’t tell if it was brown or black. He wore it longer than was conventional, with the dark tips brushing the top of his shoulders. His dark eyes were rapt on Ginger’s face, but his expression was unreadable. He was tall. Really tall, towering over the two of us by a good foot.