But then Faith’s trill of laughter breaks into my thoughts, and I come to my senses. My friend would laugh hysterically if she knew of my crush on her dad, and then probably kill me if something actually happened. After all, Marcus Randall is her father, and my fantasies are nothing but a dream.
4
Bella
* * *
“Morning, Bella,” my coworker Lizzy sings as I walk into Crème. I’m fifteen minutes early as always, but it’s easy to be early when you love your job.
“Hey, Lizzy. How’s it going?”
She yawns. “Not bad. I’m exhausted because I was up late last night playing that video game I was telling you about.”
“Nice. You mean the one where you do dance moves while simultaneously battling lethal assassins?”
She brightens, my humor lost altogether.
“Yeah, that one!”
“Did you beat it yet?”
She grins. “I’m so close! I just need to perfect my Gangnam-style horseback jig, and then I’ll be ready for Terminator Xtra. He won’t be able to handle the jig.”
I giggle while shaking my head ruefully. Looking at Lizzy, no one would expect her to be a mega nerd because she has straight blonde hair, perfectly-done makeup, and pretty much only wears super-feminine clothing. I know the truth, though. After Lizzy’s finished with work, she goes home, puts on her sweatpants, and kicks ass at whatever new game she’s playing this week. I think she usually competes against a bunch of fourteen-year-old boys, but hey, who am I to judge?
But more often than not, Lizzy is yawning through her entire shift because she only slept a couple hours. She never changes, and it’s endearing as well as exasperating.
“I’m sure you’ll destroy the game tonight.”
She brightens and crosses her fingers.
“Here’s hoping. I’m going to take my break now that you’re here. Is that okay with you?”
“Sure thing. Take a nap in the back. I hear Cardine’s not coming in today, thank god.”
Lizzy grins. “I know. Our manager is the worst. She seriously needs to get that stick out of her butt.”
I quickly drop my bag in the break room and head out onto the sales floor. It’s already pretty busy at Crème today. The store is small, but it’s got the best selection in the county. We carry a ton of brands, but in addition to the usual lines, Crème actually has its own house brand that can’t be found anywhere else. It’s really good, and I wear a lot of the lipsticks and eyeshadows from the Crème line. Suddenly, a voice comes from over by my elbow.
“Hi, can you help me? I’m looking for a new concealer because the one I have just isn’t working for me anymore.”
The young woman in front of me is quite lovely, but I can see the color difference between her skin and her concealer. There’s literally a line near her jaw where her flesh changes from orange-toned to pink-toned. Normal people probably wouldn’t notice, but I have an eye for this kind of thing. It’s why they hired me as a make-up consultant. When I was sixteen, I wandered in to window shop, and I ended up helping some customers. The owners took note and offered me a job on the spot.
Now it’s two years later, and I still love what I do. I’m only a sales associate, but ever since I turned eighteen, I’ve been hoping to do some of the cosmetic consultations that Crème specializes in. People come in for make-overs, and it’s really fun because I’ll get to paint their faces using many of our latest products. I’ve been dying to start but Cardine’s been hesitant because of my age. Hmph. It’s not like she’s so old herself.
Meanwhile, I turn to the young woman at my side.
“Happy to help!” I say. “I think I know exactly what you need.”
I bring her over to our concealers and search for the one I’m looking for. We have a sample of it, so I squeeze some on the back of her hand and it comes out a blowy, pinky-peach.
“See how it matches your skin tone almost perfectly?”
Her eyes widen as she smears it into her hand. It disappears while also rendering her skin flawless. “Oh my gosh, you’re a miracle worker. This is amazing!”
I smile. “No problem! Is there anything else you’re looking for?”
She thinks for a moment.
“Well, since I have you, what would you recommend for mascara? I’m so sick of the drugstore version I have right now because it clumps up way too much. I’ve been using it since I was fourteen, and it’s time for a change.”
I smile.
“Trust me, I know exactly what you mean. Well, the Crème mascara is my personal favorite. It’s what I’m wearing right now.”
I flutter my lashes to show her how smooth yet thick the mascara goes on. I’ve never had issues with clumping. She nods enthusiastically.