She smiled and took another sip of her champagne. “Look, there’s Jenny and Keisha.” Crystal pointed across the room.
My eyes followed her finger. Jenny and Keisha walked in side by side. Jenny was in a gorgeous long black lace dress with a deep V-neck. It hugged her body in all the right places and accentuated her strawberry-blond hair, which had an old Hollywood look to it tonight. Keisha was wearing a strappy gold sequin dress. It was long and tight, highlighting her perfect curves. Her naturally curly hair was even more glorious than usual. Her full lips were painted red, and her icy-blue eyes were heightened with shades of purple eye shadow and full sets of fake eyelashes, a new service recently added to Glow. As they walked toward us, heads turned.
“They come here?” Crystal asked.
“Yes. Jenny owns a highly successful business in the area, and she always brings Keisha as her date. Plus, they do touch-ups on their clients throughout the night. Jenny’s never not working.”
Crystal nodded. As Keisha and Jenny approached us, they both grabbed a glass of champagne from a server walking by, almost in unison. I had known Jenny very well, but as much as I saw Keisha, I didn’t know her like I knew Jenny. Our conversations had always been limited, small talk here and there and exchanges of pleasantries. But Keisha fascinated me. She was truly the most beautiful woman in all of Buckhead. She always struck me as talented, driven, and genuine, yet she was underappreciated and underestimated in our community. She knew it, but it didn’t seem to faze her. She was unapologetically herself, and she didn’t care who liked her and who didn’t. In a town full of insecure women and arrogant men, I found such quiet confidence mesmerizing. I had a feeling Keisha was going to achieve great things in life. It was just a matter of time.
“Hello, ladies,” Jenny said as she stopped right in front of us.
Keisha stood beside her with one hand on her hip. “Hey, girls.”
We all exchanged hugs and pleasantries.
“I heard about what happened last week with Olivia. I’m sorry,” I said.
I hadn’t been to the salon all week, because I had been preoccupied with doctor and therapist appointments as well as house showings. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with my hormones and referred me to a therapist to try to help uncover what was happening with my libido. So far, we were just scratching the surface, as my $500-an-hour therapist put it.
“You don’t have to apologize for Olivia. She actually called me up earlier tonight and did that herself.” Jenny took a drink.
My eyes widened. “Olivia apologized?”
Olivia’s apologies were always immediate. If more than an hour had passed, you’d never get an apology out of her. And you’d also know she’d always have it in for you. I swear she kept a hit list of some sort, of all those that had wronged her.
Jenny nodded.
“It seems hell has frozen over.” I laughed.
Keisha cracked a smile, forcing her pearly white teeth to make an appearance. She took a sip of her champagne, and there was a twinkle in her eye. I assumed she didn’t typically have fun at these events.
“So, everything’s good between you two?” Crystal asked.
“For now. Listen, I hope you know it’s not typically like that. Times are tense and stressful right now. It’ll calm down,” Jenny said.
I wasn’t too sure of that. Once Shannon found out that Olivia had removed her as chairwoman, all hell would break loose.
Crystal nodded. We clinked glasses, finished our drinks, and then grabbed another.
“Speak of the devil. There she is.” Keisha pointed across the room at Olivia. She was dressed in a lacy red halter dress with a train. The back was so low, you could almost see her ass crack. Her hair and makeup were beautifully done, so I assume she apologized to get Jenny to come over and fix her up for this event, because we all knew Olivia couldn’t do anything for herself.
“Be nice.” Jenny playfully swatted at Keisha. They exchanged tight-lipped smiles as if they had some sort of understanding as to how they were going to get through this evening. I wished I was in on it. I never enjoyed these types of extravagant soirees, but Olivia thrived on them. They reminded me of staging a home. It was all a fa?ade. When you sold the house and removed everything from it, it was empty. That’s how these events felt, entirely vacant. Olivia acted as if they were specially put on for her and not for the people we were honoring or the charity we were raising money for. She waved and smiled at people as if she were the queen of England.
“Olivia sure loves the spotlight,” Crystal commented.
“She thinks she is the spotlight,” Keisha quipped.
Olivia and Dean made their way through the crowd. Dean walked straight up to Bryce and Mark, who were still bellied up to the bar. They shook hands and ordered more scotch. Olivia waltzed up to us and said hello. She planted small pecks on our cheeks as she gave us these awkward half hugs. She was trying to make nice . . . or pretending to make nice. I couldn’t tell.
“I wanted to thank you again, Jenny, for coming over last minute. I have never felt more beautiful,” Olivia gushed, and I rolled my eyes. Olivia was the queen of handing out compliments to herself.
“It was no problem.” Jenny nodded.
“And I want to apologize to you too, Crystal, for my outburst earlier this week. There’s no excuse for my behavior, but I had just gotten my period and I thought Shannon was attacking you. I’ll always stand up for the weaker person. I’m sorry.” Olivia placed her hand on Crystal’s arm.
Olivia was also the queen of not actually taking responsibility for her own actions and adding a dig to everything.
“It’s fine.” Crystal took a large gulp of her drink.
“And Karen, I heard you closed on that mansion over on Foxcroft. Congratulations! You know I don’t work, but that sounds like it’s probably an amazing accomplishment,” she said with a toothy grin and a chuckle.
Another dig. But at least she tried.
“It is.” I took a sip of my drink.
“So, ladies, who are we saving this week?” Olivia laughed.
Jenny and Keisha exchanged looks. They slightly shook their heads and closed their eyes for a moment.
“The gala is to benefit at-risk youth throughout Atlanta,” I said. As vice-chair, she should know this, and as the new chairwoman, I worried for the future of the Buckhead Women’s Foundation.
“At-risk youth? They have their whole lives ahead of them. What are they at risk of? Being young?” Olivia laughed . . . at her own joke.
Crystal gave her a small smile. She was learning how to live in Buckhead. I downed my drink.
Olivia looked around the room and then at each of us, up and down, the way an art appraiser looks at a painting, searching for defects.
“You can tell the divorce had a negative effect on Shannon. This gala definitely suffered. I’m glad we made the tough decision we made. You know, end the suffering.” Olivia said, shaking her head.
Keisha, Jenny, and Crystal exchanged confused glances.
I tightened my eyes and then relaxed them. “I think she did a wonderful job. This is the most beautiful event I’ve ever attended.”
Olivia raised her chin. “Well, your taste has always been ordinary, Karen. And I mean that in the most endearing way.”
Keisha raised her chin to match Olivia’s. “I think it’s incredible.”
I placed my empty glass on a passing tray and grabbed two more. I handed one to Keisha. We nodded at one another, exchanging small smiles.
“I need one of those.” Olivia pointed at my drink, ignoring Keisha’s comment. “Excuse me for a moment.” She backed up to tap Dean on the shoulder but bumped into my husband.