And then it was all for naught. The cell phone rang, vibrating as it made a sound like twittering birds. Anne jumped and smeared the mascara all the way to her eyebrow. She grabbed the purse and rummaged, finding the phone just in time.
"Where are you, Anne?" It was Melissa calling. Melissa was to be Kelly's bridesmaid. Cynthia and Anne were Kelly's special guests, a smidge short of actual wedding party status, since the groom had insisted on having only the one groomsman.
"I'm nearly there!" Anne said, fumbling with her phone while trying to wash the damaged makeup from her eye and start over. The black and purple smears would never come out of the hotel's white washcloth. Propping the phone on one shoulder, she redid her left eye, checked once more in the mirror, and hurried to the car, ready to follow the GPS in what must have been busy Friday night traffic in such a small town.
She found her friends already revved up and giggly after a few drinks. They had been in town since mid-week, while Anne had to work up until that morning. It was a rustic steakhouse and bar with a lively crowd that kicked on beyond meal time to the music of a country western band. Several couples were taking a turn around the knotty pine dance floor in the centre of the room, while others leaned against the pillars that resembled barely hewn tree trunks, sipping more drinks and growing livelier by the moment. The girls stayed at the table, picking at their food and gossipping. By ten, Melissa and Kelly had to leave, as they had quite a day planned to start early in the morning.
There were two cute guys who had worked their way from the bar to join Anne and Cynthia at their table. Cynthia was married and made that known, but she quite skilfully redirected any interest in Anne's direction. Anne was in the mood for attention too, and when the one particular guy she was feeling very attracted to saw his friend off and stayed on, she was virtually wriggling in her seat with excitement.
His name was Mike. His friends had been calling him Micky. He was tall and a bit thin, but handsome with his intelligent eyes, dark blond hair that showed an inclination to fade to ginger, and a smile that lit up the conversation. He was looking at Anne a lot, directing his chat towards her and watching for her reaction to anything said. Anne was indeed wriggling with excitement, but also because she needed the ladies room. At last she excused herself with a faint blush.