The Rooftop Party by Ellen Meister

Author:Ellen Meister
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MIRA Books
Published: 2021-03-19T19:22:55+00:00

22

“Sit still,” Jo said, as she slapped Dana’s fingers. “And relax your hands.”

Dana tried telling herself she wasn’t rattled by either of Sherry’s revelations, but here she was in the makeup chair, still struggling to get herself into the right frame of mind for her show.

“What did you do to yourself?” Felicia said as she stared into Dana’s face. “Everything is swollen.”

“I’m an ugly crier.”

Felicia thought for a moment, then disappeared into the bathroom. She returned holding a wet washcloth. “Lean back,” she ordered.

Dana did as she asked, expecting a warm, soothing compress that would help her relax. Instead, she was assaulted with an ice-water-drenched cloth.

“What the hell!”

“We need to get down the swelling,” Felicia insisted.

“What were you crying about, anyway?” Jo asked.

Dana wanted to rip the torturous rag off her face, but she knew she looked like a grown-up Cabbage Patch doll, so she balled her fists to help withstand the cold. “Doesn’t matter,” she muttered into the damp terry cloth.

“What did she say?” Felicia asked.

“I have no idea,” Jo said. “But if Ari broke up with her, I’m available.”

“It’s not about Ari,” Dana said.

“What?” Jo asked.

“I think she said she’s going to a party,” Felicia translated.

“A party?” Jo said. “What party? The Christmas party?”

“That’s not until next month,” Felicia said.

Jo clucked. “I heard they was going to cancel it because of...you know, Ivan.”

“No, they’re just moving it to Studio E. No more rooftop parties—at least for a while.”

“Is that what you was talking about?” Jo asked Dana. “The Christmas party?”

Dana took the towel off her face. “I didn’t say anything about a party. I said it’s not about Ari.”

Felicia looked thoughtful as she took that in. “Well, thank god,” she finally said. “But do me a favor—don’t do no more crying, at least until after the show. I’m going to have a hell of a job making you presentable.”

“The swelling usually goes down pretty fast,” Dana said.

“Not fast enough,” Felicia said, frowning. “It’ll probably go away while you’re on the air. And you know what’ll happen? The foundation will stick into the fine lines on your face and make you look like a hag.”

“Fine lines?” Dana said. She was aware she had them—everybody did. But she didn’t think hers would be an issue for several years.

“High-def can be a nightmare. But don’t worry. I know what to do. I’ll airbrush your makeup today. It’s a lighter coating and will give us less problems when your normal face comes back.”

For the next few minutes, Dana held still while Felicia applied a fine mist of foundation to her face. When she was done, the two experts stood back and assessed her.

“What do you think?” Felicia asked.

“Not too bad,” Jo said.

Felicia clucked. “But not great.”

“Can I see?” Dana asked.

“Shh, don’t talk,” Felicia said. “And don’t open your eyes for a few minutes. I need it to set.”

While Dana was waiting for her face to dry, the women launched into the latest company gossip, starting with the morning host’s new Botox treatment, and circling back to Ivan’s murder.

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