House Rules 3: Glass Houses

Chapter 2

Guilt and giddiness were fighting it out in Becky's head after she left Hunter's office, but she was pretty sure the giddiness was going to win. She felt a bit bad about leaving Seth to weather Hunter's scrutiny alone, but she was still riding the wave of delight from the proposal, even if it had been a few days ago. They had told family and close friends first, then decided to wait until they could tell most of the locker room at once simply to save time. Now that most people in their lives knew, the weight of the secret had lifted and she could just enjoy the happiness like any other bride-to-be.

Or so she thought.

Becky had gotten dressed for her spot and was just about to turn the last corner to the make-up area and was preparing herself for an onslaught of Iconics-grade squeals when she heard the first jab. "I don't know what she sees in him," the first voice declared. "He's cheated on how many girls now?"

There was a clack-clack sound that Becky recognized as the sound of make-up brush handles being set out. It used to reassure her, signifying the last station she had to hit before doing an interview or heading out to the ring, but now it felt like a hammer to her skull. Maybe they're talking about someone else. . . , she thought.

"Not sure how he keeps getting women to date him, to be honest." The second voice was meaner than the first. "I mean, it's not like we haven't all seen the pictures." The laugh that followed was as brittle as the voice, as sharp as broken glass.

The first voice softened a bit, partially drowned out by the sound of a blow dryer being tested. "Well, she can't say she didn't know what she was signing up for, I guess. I hope she at least gets a nice ring out of it."

If the first speaker had warmed slightly, the second seemed determined to pick up the slack. "Eh, it wasn't that great. I saw it when I was in Catering. Looks like an old lady ring to me. That one he got for his first ex could damn near signal the space station."

Any kindness that had seeped back into the first speaker's voice quickly vanished, swept away as someone shook out a hair-cutting cape; Becky saw a flick of the fabric around the corner and scuttled back further so she wouldn't be spotted. "Maybe he learned his lesson. Save the big ring for an anniversary or a gift. The next girl he proposes to will probably get a Ring Pop." Then she laughed, almost as crudely as her co-worker had. "Might not be a bad idea, actually. You know, for practice? It's about the same size as—"

Becky was frozen in place and blazing with anger all at once, jaw clenched so tight she wasn't sure she would be able to open it again. But she forced herself into motion, rounding the corner before the slander could continue. The two make-up artists looked up quickly, and if Becky hadn't overheard them, she would never have known they were being so petty. "Oh, good," Becky said with false brightness. "I had a meeting with Hunter and I was worried that I wouldn't have time for the chair before I had to go do my interview."

"We'd always make time for you, don't worry about that!" Judging from her voice, the taller woman had been the first speaker, and she shared a quick look with her co-worker as Becky hopped up into the client chair. "Anything specific you want done?"

As she had eavesdropped on the gossiping women, even as she had rounded the corner, Becky had told herself she was going to behave. Now that she was in the chair, though, her anger burned hotter than ever. Seth was her friend, her fiance; he wasn't perfect—no one was, no one could be—but he didn't deserve to be insulted like that. "Just something simple," Becky replied evenly. "I know my forehead's oily, so if you could do something about that, that would be great. I don't want to signal the space station or anything." She gave a self-deprecating chuckle, but she was really laughing at how both women froze for a moment.