by Lola Kidd
Mr. Hart nodded. “I had no idea you guys were so serious.”
“We are,” Dottie said. “I love Wy.”
It always sounded like music to Wyatt’s ears when she said that. She leaned over and kissed him.
“I love her too,” he added. As if it needed to be said. She was his mate. What he felt for her was more than love.
“Well, that’s nice to know,” Mr. Hart said. “We should go and check on the food.”
Dottie’s parents made a quick exit. Wyatt hoped the food would be done soon. He was starving now.
“This is going well.” He kissed her. “I like your parents.”
“I think they like you too,” Dottie said. “Thanks for coming.”
“Thanks for inviting me.”
The night wasn’t going to be a disaster, after all. Wy didn’t know why he had been so worried. Dottie loved him, and that was more than enough.
Chapter 11
“You’re going to have to leave very early today, don’t forget,” her mom said from the bathroom doorway. She was wearing her robe and clutching a cup of coffee.
“I know.” Dottie added a deep blue liner to her lower lash line and smudged it.
It had snowed more than four inches overnight. The roads were going to be a slick mess. She hadn’t even heard a plow go down the block yet. Her dad had been out snow-blowing since early that morning so she’d be able to get to work on time.
The weather wasn’t cooperating with her plans, but she wasn’t going to be deterred this morning. Dottie had woken up extra early to do her makeup. This was the first time she wanted to try out her new pastel elf look. She had practiced it by herself a few times, but she hadn’t been able to get the look right. It had taken almost two weeks to get it so she looked more like a glittery fairy elf than a glitter explosion.
She hadn’t even shown Wyatt her finished look yet. She couldn’t wait to see his reaction. He had loved the glitter explosion look, but she was sure he’d love the final look even more.
Her mother rubbed her eyes and yawned before staring at Dottie intensely. “What are you doing?”
Dottie was putting on her fake eyelashes and didn’t want to break her concentration. She paused with the lashes balanced precariously on the edge of her tweezers. “I’m trying a new look for work.”
She could see her mother’s deep frown in the mirror.
“Are you sure you want to do that? I thought they wanted traditional makeup for the elves.”
Dottie got the lash to stick and held it firmly in place for a few seconds. “No. We can wear whatever makeup we want as long as we’re wearing the costume.”
“But what you’re wearing is pastel. Don’t you think it would look better if maybe you used some red or green eyeshadow? That would be a nice way to add color without going too far.”
“This isn’t too far. Blue and silver are traditional holiday colors.”
“If you’re sure.”
The look on her mother’s face said she didn’t think so. It made Dottie question herself for just a moment. Was she going too far? Blue and silver were winter colors, but pink wasn’t very Christmassy.
No. This was just right. She had been practicing this for weeks, and she was ready to show the world.
“Wy is going to pick me up for work. He says the roads are bad, and my car might not make it through the unplowed streets.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” her dad said from the hallway behind her mom. “The plow just came down our road and pushed a whole bunch of snow into the driveway. I don’t think I’ll be able to get it cleared again before you have to go to work.”
“That’s okay, Dad. I can walk to the street to meet Wy.”
Her father’s brow furrowed, and he frowned. “You’re very sparkly this morning.”
Dottie sighed. “It’s fine.”
“You should take some regular makeup with you, just in case.” Her mom put some eyeshadows, brushes, and lip gloss into a small traveling case. She handed it to Dottie. “Here, you can put this in your bag just in case.”
Dottie snatched the bag away and went downstairs. What did they know? She looked amazing, and they weren’t going to tell her any different today. She trusted her parents’ opinions on everything, but this time they were wrong. It wasn’t too much glitter or too untraditional.
Wyatt called to let her know he was out at the curb. “I’m not going to come in. Tell your parents I said hi.”
“I’ll be out in just a minute.”
Dottie swallowed some coffee and took a hardboiled egg from the fridge.
“Wy is here. He says hi. I’m leaving,” she yelled up the stairs. She quickly pulled on her boots and coat before dashing out the door.
The wind was so strong, it almost slammed the door back in her face. The path her father had cleared for her was already partially snowed over. It was going to be nasty today. She was glad she’d taken Wy up on his offer to drive her to work. His truck was much better in the snow than her little car.
“Good morning.” He kissed her hello. “Wow. You look amazing. I’m glad you went with this look. I was starting to think you weren’t going to do it.”
“It took a long time to make it look perfect,” Dottie said happily. “But I’m really satisfied with the way it turned out.”
She and Wy talked all the way to work. Even though they had just seen each other the day before, they still had a lot to say to each other. One of the best things about being his girlfriend was that it never got boring. They always had something to say to each other.
“I’m going to put my stuff away, and then I’ll meet you at the Toy Shop,” she told him when they got to work. She kissed him goodbye, and they went to their separate dressing rooms.
“Oh, Dottie,” Jennifer said from behind her when she was at her locker. “Your makeup is so pretty, but I don’t think it’s going to fly in the Toy Shop.”
“What’s the matter with it?” Dottie asked. She took her mirror from her purse and checked her face. There wasn’t a speck of glitter out of place. She looked perfect.
“I think you look really nice. But look at all the rest of us.” Jennifer pointed to each elf in the dressing room. “We all look similar. You usually fit right in, but now you look too different. I don’t think Tim’s going to like this.”
Dottie waved her hand. “Oh, I thought you were saying my makeup was messed up. I can ask Tim later.”
Jennifer shook her head. “We should ask him now. You don’t want to get out there, then change midway.”
Dottie didn’t want to ask him at all. She knew she looked good, and she didn’t need any confirmation. But Jennifer was already walking out the door.
Jen returned a few minutes later and found Dottie. “Could you come outside?”
Dottie followed her friend outside, where Tim was waiting, smiling. “Hey, Dottie. Jennifer said you wanted me to look at your makeup.”
Dottie nodded nervously. She did not want that, but it was too late now. Tim scrutinized her and looked from her to Jen. Jen was twisting her hands and smiling nervously the whole time. Dottie had never seen her look so unsure of herself. Usually, the statuesque brunette walked around like she was trying to win Miss Congeniality.
“It looks really nice, but I don’t think it works for the Toy Shop. Could you wipe it off, please? Maybe stick to something classic tomorrow. If you want to do glitter, you could do red and green,” Tim suggested. “I just don’t want you looking too different from all the rest of the lady elves. It’ll make you stand out more than you should. I think it would pull people out of the experience if you stood out too much. Sorry. I’m sure you spent a lot of time on it.”
Dottie nodded sadly. “That’s fine. I’ll go change now. I have more makeup with me.”
Jennifer went into the ladies’ room with her. “What if we pick up some red glitter after work? I know a great place. I could come to your house tomorrow, and we could get ready together. I really like the glittery lo
ok. I think if we used something more Christmasy, it would look really great.”
“No, that’s okay. I don’t really want to try glitter again.” Dottie wiped lotion onto her face to help dissolve the makeup and glitter.
“I’m sorry. I know you worked hard on that.” Jennifer bit her lip. “Maybe you could wear it out this weekend? You should come out with us. That makeup is perfect for Saturday night.”
Dottie could tell that Jen wasn’t going to give up. It wouldn’t be so bad to go out on Saturday with Jen and her friends. They usually hung out at the same bar Wy went to.
“Sure. That sounds like fun.”
Jennifer smiled brightly. “Great! I’ll text you all the details once we figure them out. We’ll probably go the Brazen Bull and then after-party at one of the ladies’ places.”
“Cool. Thanks for inviting me.”
“No problem. See you at the shop.” Jen started to walk out and then stopped. “You’re not mad at me, are you? I didn’t mean to hurt you or get you in trouble. I thought it would be better that you didn’t have to go out first. I would be so embarrassed to be sent back to change. You understand, right?”
Dottie shook her head and managed a small smile. “I’m not mad. I do understand.”
Jen nodded. “Okay, good. I’m sorry again. I still feel bad. I’ll buy you drinks all night to make up for this.”
After she had changed her makeup, Dottie went and met Wy outside the Toy Shop.
“What happened?” he asked when he saw her. “Why did you change your makeup? Did you get wet or something?”
“Tim said I had to change.”
“Are you kidding me?” Wy hugged her around the shoulders. “Screw him. You looked great. He just has no imagination.”
“Maybe. We should get inside.”
She didn’t feel like arguing, but Tim did have imagination. He had thought up this whole Winter Wonderland thing. He had said the same thing that her parents had said about her makeup.
Dottie had made the wrong choice again. She was so embarrassed. She should have just listened to what everyone was telling her. She was lucky she had people who were willing to correct her before she made a fool of herself.
In the future, she would listen to them. If she and Wy liked something, odds were that it wasn’t a great idea. They were two oddballs. They needed people like Jen and her parents to look out for them.
She wouldn’t forget this anytime soon. Her own judgment was suspect and couldn’t be trusted.
Chapter 12
Dottie looked amazing. Most of the times that they hung out, she was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt or in her elf costume. This was a completely different ball game. He had never seen her dressed so sexy. Of course, he preferred it when she was wearing nothing at all, but if she had to be dressed, he liked this look best of all.
She was wearing a tight black dress that looped around her neck. Her black heels were high and made her ass look amazing. Every curve on her body was calling his name, and he couldn’t wait until they got home and he could get his hands on her. His gorilla was more impatient. It wanted to take her in the car before they even made it to the club.
Wyatt thought that was an amazing idea, but he held himself back. It had probably taken her a long time to do her makeup and hair. He didn’t want to ruin it all before she got a chance to show off her handiwork.
“You look so amazing.” He squeezed her thigh, and she bristled under his touch. He frowned and took his hand off her thigh. “Is something wrong?”
“No. I’m fine.”
Her words said she was fine, but the tone behind them made him think she was lying. Wyatt didn’t want to push her, but something had to be bothering her. She never moved away from his touch. Maybe she was nervous about the dress. Maybe she was dressed to impress him and not in a way that she liked. He had told her the other night that he was excited to see her in a sexy dress. He hoped it wasn’t the case that she didn’t like dressing this way.
He was so excited to finally be introducing her to the whole gang. If she was uncomfortable and sad, it might ruin her night.
“Do you like your dress?” he asked.
She looked down. “Yes. I love this dress. I bought it especially for tonight. Why, do you not like it?”
“I like it a lot. I love it,” he told her quickly. “You just seem a little…strange. I don’t know. Like something is wrong.”
“I told you, I’m fine,” she told him again. “Jennifer is meeting us at the door. She saved us a spot at her table.”
“Great. We all usually hang out with her.”
Wyatt had to park down the block because it was so crowded. They were going to have to walk down to the bar.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you?” he asked her as they got out of the car. “Those shoes don’t look too comfortable for a long walk.”
“I’ll take you up on that offer at the end of the night. By then, my feet will probably be killing me.” She grabbed his hand as they walked. “But I can walk now. Thanks for asking.”
“If you wanted to, you could always wear sneakers,” Wyatt suggested. “Jack won’t care what you wear if you’re with me.”
“It’s really fine. I can endure it for one night. I don’t wear heels often, and it’s fun for a night,” Dottie said resolutely.
She sounded like her old self. Whatever was wrong, it seemed like it had passed quickly. It was perfect timing.
There was a bouncer outside who quickly waved them in. Wy was a regular and never had to wait in line. Over the last year, his quiet favorite bar had become much more popular. It was a good thing that his friends were already there. There wasn’t a table open or even any space left at the bar. The place was packed.
“I’m so glad you guys came!” Jennifer ran toward them and gave Dottie a hug. “You look so hot.”
“Thank you,” Dottie said. “I spotted this dress the other day, and I couldn’t resist buying it. Thanks for inviting us.”
“I can’t believe it took you this long to come to Jack’s,” Jennifer said. “This is the only cool place in the entire town. Come on, we’ve got a table.”
Jennifer led them both to a table in the middle of the room. All of Wyatt’s friends were there. Even Blair had managed to make an appearance. She gave Wy a thumbs-up after smiling at Dottie. He bit back a cocky smile and hung his head. He didn’t want to look like a smug douchebag, but he was with the hottest girl in the whole bar, and that was saying a lot. All of his friends had really hot wives and girlfriends, but Dottie was easily the most beautiful woman in the room.
“Do you know everyone?” Jennifer asked Dottie.
“This is her first time meeting everyone,” Wyatt explained. He introduced her to the entire table. He could tell his friends were impressed, as they should be. He’d been talking her up for the last few weeks.
“So many names to remember.” Dottie frowned. “Sorry if I mix some of you up.”
Wy took her hand and squeezed it under the table. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to learn them all now. Want me to get you a drink?”
“Sure, I’ll take a Sex on the Beach.”
“I’ll be back in a flash.” He kissed her before asking Jen if she wanted anything. Everyone else was set for drinks, so he went to the bar alone for their orders.
“Is that the special lady?” Jack asked at the bar.
“She sure is.” Wy turned to look at her across the room. It sent a shiver down his spine to look at her, even all the way across the bar. Blair had taken his spot and was leaned in close talking with her. She must have said something funny, because Dottie put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.
“She’s gorgeous,” Jack said as he handed Wy the two mixed drinks and a beer. “I’ll come over to meet her the minute it dies down a little up here.”
Wy pulled out his wallet, but Jack waved him away. “Drinks are on me tonight. It’s a special occasion. The first time meeting your mate is a reason to ce
lebrate.”
“Thanks,” Wy said.
He carefully made his way back to the table with his drinks. When he got there, he saw that Jack’s wife Macy had joined the two women. He let the girls talk and took Blair’s spot next to Nate and their friend Cade.
“She is so pretty,” Nate told him. “I’m glad you finally decided to listen to Blair. I was starting to get sick of her going on about you every night.”
“It couldn’t have been every night.”
Nate raised his eyebrows. “Really? Have you forgotten who I’m married to? Once she has a project, she goes after it full force.”
“Maybe you should be thanking me, then,” Wy said. “Now that I’ve got a mate, she’s going to need a new project.”
Cade laughed and patted Nate on the shoulder. “He’s got you there, man.”
Nate shook his head. “It’s almost time for the Presidents’ Day sale at the store. She’s going to be busy with that for the rest of the month, and then we have to start getting ready for the baby.”
At the mention of babies, Wy glanced over at Dottie, something Cade didn’t miss.
“You’ll get there soon enough,” Cade told him. “We’re really happy for you. Even though we’ve missed you at the bar for after-work drinks, we’ll forgive you once you’ve left Couples Land. It’s great you finally decided to try LK Brides.”
“They really are great,” Wyatt told everyone. “I just can’t believe that I found my mate so easily.”
“It really isn’t fair how quickly you guys all got your mates,” Cade sighed. “But you two have to come over sometime. Kira’s been nagging me to pin you down for dinner plans for two weeks.”
“I would love to see the baby again,” Wy admitted.
Cade and Kira had the cutest little cub. He was just starting to shift, and Wy seemed to be the only one who could put up with his biting. Plus, the little guy wasn’t afraid to wrestle around when they were both shifted. There was nothing a little cub could do that would hurt Wy’s gorilla, so it was fun for both of them. It really had been too long since he’d last visited. He knew Dottie would love the baby, too.