Match Made In Paradise by Barbara Dunlop (black female authors TXT) 📕

“Going the extra mile for Raven. Her stress level has dropped since Mia stopped working there.”

“I know we need Raven in top form.” Silas started his checklist. “The entire operation falls apart without her.”

“My world falls apart without her,” Brodie said, a reflective note in his voice.

Silas couldn’t help but remember what Mia had said about Brodie having a thing for Raven. He’d thought the idea was crazy, but now he was curious.

“How so?” he asked.

“Well, for one, the dinner with the transportation commissioner. According to Hugh Oberg, I’m not enough to close the deal on my own.”

“That’s not how I picture Raven.”

“Picture her?”

“As eye candy at a dinner meeting.”

Brodie looked insulted on Raven’s behalf. “She’s not eye candy.”

“I know. That’s what I’m saying.”

“Hugh wants it to have a personal feel, multigenerational Alaskan business owners who influence the vote and deserve government support.”

Silas put on his headset. “It’s not the worst idea in the world.”

Brodie put his on as well, and they switched to intercom. “She could be eye candy if she wanted.”

“Sure,” Silas agreed, fighting a smile at Brodie’s sudden defense of the multitalented Raven. “She can be anything she wants.”

*   *   *

“Well that’s three hours I’ll never get back,” Raven said as she studied herself in the mirror.

“The girl does not know how to do a spa day,” Breena said to Mia.

Mia grinned. Yolanda’s beauty salon in the back of the Butterfly Boutique wasn’t the most luxurious she’d seen, but it was more fun than she had expected, and the services were top-notch.

“My nails feel fantastic, Yolanda.” She held out her hands to gaze at the new lilac shimmer. It was refreshing to have them redone. “They look great too.”

Yolanda seemed pleased with the compliment.

Raven had gone with a sheer cashmere pink on her nails.

It didn’t surprise Mia that she’d gone with something subtle. Unless she moved her hand under the light, you could barely tell it was there.

Raven’s hair on the other hand, well you could definitely tell she’d changed her hair. It was the same color, mostly light brown. But the way Yolanda had combed and dried it, it looked thicker, sort of halo-like, and her natural auburn highlights were more pronounced.

“It’s lighter since I took off an inch,” Yolanda said, fluffing it up.

“I can’t get used to my face,” Raven said, wiggling her chin. “Hugh’s not going to recognize me.”

Mia smiled as she lifted her glass of wine. Everyone had seemed glad she brought a couple of bottles along for refreshments.

“You’re still you,” she said to Raven. “You’ve always been this gorgeous.”

Raven tilted her face one way, then the other.

“She’s right, you’ve got beautiful features,” Breena said earnestly.

“You just needed to want it a bit,” Mia said.

“I’m not the one who wanted it,” Raven complained.

Mia stood and wrapped an arm around Raven’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Don’t fuss so much. Just enjoy the girlie part of you for once.”

Their gazes met in the mirror.

Raven’s eyes looked darker than usual, bigger and a deeper blue. Her skin tones were perfectly even, with her cheeks ever so slightly bright. Her brows were perfectly shaped and her lips were a brick red, not too bright, just enough shine to make them more prominent.

“Hugh will be blown away,” Mia finished. “And so will anyone else who gets a look at you.”

Mia was happy with her own makeup as well. It was sharper than she did at home but more subtle than her look on the runway. Yolanda’s assistant, Bette, had given them facials and brought an artistic flair to the makeup.

Breena seemed pleased too.

“Show us the full package,” Breena said to Raven, taking down the gray plastic dress cover hanging on the wall.

Mia liked the idea, especially since she’d been the one to pick the outfit. She didn’t want to miss seeing the full effect. “Try it on. We’ve got half an hour.”

“Fine,” Raven agreed a little reluctantly, taking the outfit behind an opaque screen.

Mia had picked an all-purpose skirt, high-waisted and short, made from charcoal-colored fabric, with a slight flare. She’d combined it with a mottled burgundy and purple silk tank top with flat black lace on its scooped neck. A thin cropped burgundy cardigan with pushed-up sleeves would keep Raven’s shoulders warm if the temperature dipped. And it all went on top of black leggings and high heeled ankle boots.

“Ta-da.” Raven came out doing a pirouette in the outfit.

“That’s killer,” Breena said in awe.

“Why don’t you dress like that all the time?” Bette asked.

“Are you kidding?” Raven asked. “It took a team of skilled professionals a whole afternoon to get me looking this way.”

“You could easily learn how to do it.” Mia took a look from several different angles. “I’d love to update your style while I’m here.”

“My style’s fine.”

“Your style is early warehouse.”

Breena laughed. “And you never know who might be visiting Paradise.” She gave Mia a wag of her newly sculpted eyebrows.

Mia hadn’t been thinking about the matchmaking women. She was excited about Raven’s dinner with Brodie—more excited about it than Raven seemed to be. But that was okay. Mia was confident Brodie would be very excited . . . impressed . . . maybe in awe when he got a look at the updated Raven.

“Now we really are running late,” Breena said, looking at the clock on the wall.

Raven hopped back into her jeans, and the three of them raced for Breena’s truck, Mia squeezing into the middle of the bench seat, Raven with the plastic-covered outfit on her lap.

“Are you excited?” Mia asked, fishing for information as they made their way out of town.

“Excited about dinner with the commissioner and Hugh?”

“And Brodie,” Mia said. “It’s a little bit like a date.”

Raven snorted. “It’s nothing like a date. We’ll be talking about road repairs.”

“While looking like a million bucks,” Mia said.

“All they’re going to care about are the facts and figures.” She pointed to her temple. “I know all the details of Galina’s business. I hope they give me a chance to rationalize spending taxpayer dollars on