The Beauty and the CEO

“Oh. I didn’t go to prom.” Zoe beamed. “Comic-Con was going on that weekend in California.”

“I commend your priorities.” Will nodded his head. She figured he would understand. Part of what she loved about her job was that pairing the right shade of lipstick with the right woman could really have that woman feeling like she had superpowers.

“My mother was not happy. She forced me to attend this party in Diego Martin called a gradz. It’s a Trinidadian version of a prom.”

Will scooped up some of the ice cream. “What happened? Didn’t win prom queen?”

“That would require a tiara and a gown. The school had neither. But we celebrated the end of the year together and that counts, right?”

“This is the saddest story I’ve ever heard,” Kenzie added.

Kathleen Royal, judge and the former Ms. Wheelchair South Georgia, nodded. “I had the best time at my prom. The best date, too.”

The two ladies clinked their glasses together and Zoe shook her head. She caught Will’s eye again and her heart raced.

“Do you recall your date?”

Zoe felt the coy smile spread before she could stop it. Will caught it as well, and began to grin.

“Clearly you remember him all too well.”

“Now, now,” Zoe said, shaking her head. Was that a bit of jealousy in his voice? “It was so long ago.”

“Not that long, I’m sure,” said Will. “Go ahead and tell me about you and Mr. Gradz. Let me guess, you were crowned the gradz queen.”

In order to not answer, Zoe ate another bit of brownie with the cream. Before she could take another bite, Will pressed his spoon down on hers and pinned the utensil against the white plate. “What?” Zoe asked, batting her lashes.

“No more dessert until you tell me about Mr. Gradz.”

“Mr. Gradz,” Zoe drawled out, “is doing just fine. I had lunch with him just the other day in LA.”

“You flew out to see him?”

Zoe snickered at the frown across Will’s face. “I flew out for a client’s movie opening.”

“Seriously?”

“I am a makeup artist, remember?”

Will shook his head as if he didn’t believe her. “But you had our interview the other day.”

Out of pride, Zoe inhaled deeply. “Believe it or not, I am in high demand. My job has me flying across the country on a weekly basis.”

“And I thought the life of an athlete kept me on the road,” said Will.

“Which is why I am looking for a permanent job.” Zoe bit her bottom lip. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make that sound pitiful.”

“No worries.” Will’s wink warmed her soul just as it had outside the restaurant. She still couldn’t get over the fact she’d almost kissed him. Thank God he came to his senses. “It must be nice for your job to give you the ability to drop in on your exes.”

Although she had no reason to explain further, Zoe felt she needed to. “He and his wife are lovely company.”

“Wife, you say?” Will straightened up, then exhaled a deep breath and his shoulders slumped. “That makes me feel better.”

“About?”

“Never mind,” Will mumbled and went back to the dessert. “Tell me how you got started in cosmetology.”

Zoe licked some fudge off her bottom lip. “You have sisters, right?”

“I do, a set of twins.”

“Did they ever use doll heads to practice fake makeup and hair?”

Will nodded. “I believe they each got dolls for Christmas.”

“Well, I got one for Christmas as well, and by the following year I’d gone through at least twenty-five of them.”

“I understand the doll’s face is washable,” said Will. He set his spoon down on the edge of the plate.

“They are, but after I got in trouble for using all of my mom’s, I created my own makeup with food and crayons and used it on a few of them, and didn’t know how to make it washable.”

“Wait.” Will pressed his hand on the table. “You made your own makeup as a kid?”

Didn’t he read anything on her résumé? “I did get a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and an MS in Cosmetic Chemistry.” Zoe rolled her eyes. “I’d like to think my childhood products inspired the first vegan products.”