"You're gonna be an aunt," Kalen sang when I answered the phone. "I heard the heartbeat today. The baby is strong and healthy."

"I'm happy for you, sis, I really am." I tried to sound upbeat for her sake.

"There's one little problem, though. My doctor wants me to take it easy, no stress. Remember when I agreed to attend that conference in Atlanta?"

I plopped down on the couch with a vague recollection of a conversation we'd had. Kalen had agreed to give a presentation on behalf of Natural Beauty, a hair product line we used at the salons. In exchange, they used some of our models for their advertis.e.m.e.nts. It boosted our clientele overnight.

"I remember. What happens if you cancel now?"

"That's just the point. The conference is a week away and I'm locked in. Angela is counting on me, and I've already paid for the hotel. It's like five hundred bucks a night."

"Must you always travel deluxe?" I asked, calculating what we'd already spent.

"Yes, I must," Kalen said unapologetically. "I work my a.s.s off, and when I have to leave home, I expect to be pampered."

"So what exactly are you asking me to do?" I hoped she wasn't going to confirm my worst fear.

"I told Angela that you'd stand in for me. Are you there?"

Kalen asked when I didn't respond.

"I'm gonna have to start wearing diapers along with your baby because lately every time you open your mouth, I want to s.h.i.t in my pants."

"You're such a big t.i.t sometimes, Shannon. You can do this."

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*"Why can't Blitz do it?"

"Because she's got like twenty studs in her face, and she's not exactly the public speaking type."

"And I am? Kalen, I've never given a speech in my life!"

"I'll coach you, everything's already written. You can bring a couple of my Valiums if that'll help. I can't take them anymore."

"Call it off. Tell Angela that we'll have to catch her on the next round. I don't care if we lose money on the hotel."

"Now listen to me," Kalen said, sounding a lot like our mother. A tone she would no doubt use on my future niece or nephew. "You've been telling me lately how you're doing things on your own, and this time you have to take the reins for me."

"I'll think about it."

"No, there's no time to think about it. We have to prep you for the presentation and buy some suitable clothes for you to wear. Look, you can bring Marvin. He can chat up everybody at the booth. All you have to do is give the speech. Surely, you can handle that."

My brain started screaming. I'm packing my s.h.i.t and hightailing it out of here. She's going down.

"You can do this," Kalen said, softening her tone. "I've always done things like this because I knew you hated it, not because I thought you were incapable. I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was important. Angela is counting on us, and you have to at least acknowledge that she's done us a huge favor already."

"I want the Valium."

"Deal. Now drop whatever you're doing and come pick me up. We have a lot of shopping to do."

11.

Chapter 18.

When in doubt-fake it.

The week went by like a blur. We shopped like madwomen, and I had a new wardrobe consisting of three suits, three pairs of slacks, and a few blouses. One of my suitcases alone was filled with nothing but shoes. I might've been scared s.h.i.tless, but I looked like a million bucks. I hoped-and I think Kalen did, too-that the finely tailored clothes would give me the appearance of someone who had her c.r.a.p together.

Hailey had not returned home, nor did she answer any of my messages or calls. And being in Atlanta knowing that's where she lived and worked before she came to New Orleans made it worse.

I was constantly reminded of her.

Kalen had the room upgraded to a suite. Though she swore it was only a nominal difference, I doubted it. Marvin and I had our own rooms and a s.p.a.cious area to lounge in when we weren't at the conference. I watched as he moved around the room touching everything like a child.

"Look at this bar." Marvin opened the gla.s.s doors to the cabinet filled with liquor and crystal gla.s.ses. "This is a sw.a.n.k place."

I browsed through the itinerary as he poured a couple of club sodas. "There's a social at four. Do I have to go to that?" I asked as he handed me a gla.s.s.

Marvin took a seat across from me on the sofa. He sat with his forearms resting on his thighs and stared down at his drink.

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*"I have to be honest with you, Shannon. Kalen told me not to say anything, but I think you need to know that she gave me very strict instructions to make sure you were present for all events. You're the face of the company right now, and you have to mingle."

She'd given me the same speech, but it still rankled me that she'd given Marvin orders to enforce it.

"I know you're shy," Marvin continued. "So I was thinking that I'd do most of the talking and kind of open things up for you to step in when you're comfortable."

"Okay, but you have to promise not to leave my side because the minute I find myself alone, I'm outta there."

Marvin seemed relieved that I wasn't bucking the idea. "Deal, but be patient if I have to go to the bathroom."

We ordered a late lunch and went over the itinerary. Drinks that day, exhibition hall Sat.u.r.day and half the day Sunday, and the presentation would be given Sunday night before the conference wrapped. Monday morning, I'd be on my way home, and that couldn't come soon enough.

"I know you're dreading the exhibition hall as much as the presentation, so I'll try to make it easy on you," Marvin said.

"Kalen said Angela doesn't expect you to be in the booth the whole time. Spend a couple of hours in the morning extolling the virtues of their products, then you're free for a few hours before you come back in the afternoon."

"I don't know anything about their products except that we use them and we get great discounts."

"But I do," Marvin said with a smile. "You'll defer to me and I'll sing their praises."

"I don't know what we're paying you for this yet, but did Kalen offer you a bonus at least?" I asked, grateful for his company.

"Y'all paid for my new clothes," Marvin said with a beaming smile, "and I get a bonus when I get back."

"Speaking of clothing, how should I dress for this social thing we're going to?"

"Let's see what you've got."

He followed me to my room and went through my closet, humming as he pulled out a pair of navy blue slacks, matching

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*pumps, and an azure blouse that b.u.t.toned up only so far. I liked the color and cut but was a bit timid about showing the cleavage that the shirt would reveal. Marvin held it up and looked over at me.

"Did you bring a chemise?"

"No, Kalen said that these shirts," I pointed at the row of them, "are made like this for a reason. I'm not happy about it."

Marvin put a hand on his hip as he looked closely at the blouse.

"It's gonna look awkward if you try to pin it. You're gonna have to keep your shoulders back. No slouching like you're doing now."

I sat up a little straighter and began to feel anxious.

Marvin glanced at me and smiled sympathetically. "I'm going to make you a b.l.o.o.d.y Mary while you shower. You can sip it while I do your hair and makeup. You'll be relaxed by the time we go downstairs."

As I showered, I counted myself lucky to have a gay man to take care of me. Left on my own, I probably would've tried to wear my Mickey Mouse sleep shirt under my top to hide my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. I could apply my own makeup, but if Marvin could do with my face what he'd done with my hair when he cut it, then I wouldn't look half bad.

With my robe on, I sat on a padded stool while Marvin went through the cosmetics that Kalen had thrown into my suitcase. "I don't like a lot of color," I said to him as he perused the eye shadows.

He smiled at me. "I'm not saying this because you're my boss.

You, my dear, are a good-looking woman without any makeup.

I'm just going to enhance what you're working with. Trust me?"

If he hadn't already transformed me with a single haircut, I probably wouldn't have been sitting there. I took a healthy swallow of my b.l.o.o.d.y Mary. "Work your magic." And magic was what he made. When he'd finished my hair and makeup, a different woman stared back at me in the mirror. I may've been a ball of nerves on the inside, but outwardly, I looked like a model.

The foundation he used blended with my skin tone and hid what the sun had spent a lifetime doing to my face. He'd conservatively used a pale brown eye shadow and black mascara that made my dark eyes shimmer. The lipstick a shade darker than my lips added the final touch.

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*I turned my head from side to side, taking in what he'd done with my hair. It was wispy and gave the impression that time had been taken with it, but it wasn't carefully coiffed. "You are amazing," I said, smiling back at my reflection.

He patted my shoulders, apparently pleased with my comment and his handiwork. "It's going to take me about thirty minutes to get dressed. Enjoy the rest of your drink, then put on your clothes right before we have to leave. That'll spare you a few wrinkles."

I followed his instruction to the letter. I met him in the sitting area a while later. Since coming aboard with us, Marvin had toned down his look. He no longer wore fingernail polish, though it was obvious he spent time with the manicurist. The faux hawk had grown out a bit on the sides, and the longer portion in the middle of his head had been trimmed and blended in. His hair was parted on the side and pushed back off his forehead.

Marvin not only knew how to dress me, but he knew how to make himself look spectacular. His b.u.t.ton-down white shirt was tucked into a pair of stylish black slacks with a matching pair of shoes. "I didn't want us to look like twins," he said as he twirled.

"And you can't go wrong with black and white."

When we walked into the reception, I felt my stomach drop.

I looked over the large crowed and felt immediately intimidated.

Marvin took my hand and looped it around his arm. "Let's make contact with Angela first, then we can mingle for a little while.

Then if you're about to go insane, we can sneak out."

I discreetly pointed toward Angela, who stood with a couple of men. As we made our way toward her, she excused herself and met us halfway. "No offense, but I almost didn't recognize you,"

she said as she gave me a brief hug. "I think the last time I saw you, you were wearing a ball cap."

"You have Marvin to thank for my appearance," I said, smiling at him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Angela said with a smile as she shook Marvin's hand. "Look, I hate to cut to the chase, but I need to tell you that I'm under a lot of pressure right now. Sales are down and heads are rolling. The man in the gray suit that I

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