Local Flavour: Big Apple (Book 3, the Local Flavour Series)

Part 8: Diamonds on the Floor

Lucy had arrived.

"Could you give me just a minute," she asked the driver, who had just lowered the partition. Some limo drivers kept the partition down and liked to chit chat but the young guy up front was very formal with her and kept the partition up the entire way. Lucy didn't mind a bit of conversation, but it was also nice to feel ensconced in the back seat, sipping champagne while she gawked openly at the city lights. This ain't Halifax, she mused, gazing at the iconic skyline as she was whisked away to the mysterious party.

She wished that she and Quinn could have gone together, but she understood. His restaurant was in crisis mode, lurching from one disaster to the next. He was used to everything falling into place; success came easily to Quinn. She knew it was hard for him to watch his first restaurant struggle. She hoped this latest problem was just a blip and not a full-blown catastrophe.

Lucy took her compact out of her clutch and checked her makeup, but it was already flawless. Her dark eyes were accented in smoky indigo, and her full lips were painted an inviting, movie-star red. She was glad she splurged on the mani/pedi and facial and decided to get her makeup professionally done along with her hair.

Her long, dark mane was loose and curled around her shoulders and her dress was storybook perfect: ice-blue silk and off the shoulder with a plunging neckline, it skimmed over her hips and hugged her generous curves.

She fell in love with it and tried the largest size they had in the store, hoping for the best. She was shocked to find it was too large, and she had to go down a size, and then another. This one fit perfectly.

All that running had paid off, she supposed, although she stopped weighing herself over the past year. She stepped up her running, channelling all of her grief into her daily jog on the beach. Rain or shine, she was out there on the beach every day in the early morning hours. Sometimes Quinn joined her, but mostly, she went alone.

But that was to get stronger and feel like she could face the day ahead, not to lose weight. She knew that Quinn loved her as she was, and that was enough. Going down in sizes would have thrilled her years ago, but it was something she wasn't chasing anymore. Besides, Quinn loved her curves and his constant attention and compliments on her body made her see that she had nothing to be ashamed of. She began to love her body, too.

For someone who struggled with her self-image for so long, she was amazed to find she could finally look in the mirror and know that she looked good. The night felt like a triumph already.

"Take your time, Miss. If I might say so, you look very nice." The driver glanced in the rear-view mirror for a second before training his eyes ahead.

"Very nice?" Amused, she snapped the compact shut and tucked it into her clutch before smoothing out her dress. From the mediocre response, she wondered if her dress might be too plain for the evening ahead.

"Yeah. I'd say beautiful, but we're not supposed to make personal comments like that. It's my first day on the job." He glanced at her again on the rearview before quickly looking away. She smiled.

Aww. "Thank you, that's very sweet," she said, gathering her matching silk wrap around her shoulders.

"I hope you are not offended."

"I definitely am not." She took a deep breath and stared at the impossibly huge mansion. Every room in the place was lit up, the massive brick building and acres of surrounding gardens nestled on its very own island. Faint strains of Chopin danced on the night air.

After a day of pampering, Lucy was fizzing with excitement. She couldn't wait to enter the grand house, rub elbows with the city's elite and be joined by her own handsome prince later. She had business cards in her clutch just in case she made some important contacts. She'd love to have some new consulting clients from New York City.