“Did you go to the doctor?” Grace asked.
“Yep. Emergency room, actually. Needed a few stitches. Hey, you wouldn’t be interested in fostering a pregnant cat, would you? Now that it’s spring, we’ve got pregnant cats coming out of the woodwork.”
“I’m allergic, sorry,” Grace said. She thought about her conversation with Addie and on a whim said, “But if you get any guinea pigs in, I’m your woman.”
“We occasionally take in the exotics, so I’ll keep you in mind,” Rayna said.
“Animals are, like, so gross.” The girl on the other side of Rayna, rolled her eyes. “They smell and,” she eyed Rayna’s shirt, “shed hair and, like, can’t keep their tongues to themselves.”
“Sounds like my Friday night date,” Rayna said.
Grace laughed as the girl rolled her eyes again before sticking her hand out. “Hey, I’m Arianna.”
She looked to be about nineteen and Grace envied her porcelain skin and sleek dark hair. She wore skinny jeans with a shirt that probably cost a month’s salary for Grace.
“Hi, Arianna, I’m Grace.”
“Nice to meet you. You work over at H&M Dental Clinic, right?”
“I do,” Grace said. “Are you a client?”
“Yeah, but you’re not my hygienist. Hey, do you know when Dr. Connor is coming back? He’s, like, so dreamy. He actually makes going to the dentist enjoyable.”
“He won’t be back for a few more weeks,” Grace said.
“Bummer. I’m thinking of asking him out.”
“Aren’t you a little young for him?” Rayna said.
She shrugged, “Age is, like, just a number. Besides, I have a smokin’ hot body, guys can’t resist me.”
Rayna looked her up and down. “Can’t argue with that logic.”
“I know, right?” Arianna said.
“So, do you do a lot of volunteer work?” Rayna was studying Arianna like she was some new and exotic butterfly she’d just discovered.
Grace couldn’t blame her. She hadn’t been around a nineteen-year-old in forever and the six-year gap in their ages suddenly seemed like twenty.
“Oh God, no. So,” Arianna waved her hand in the air, “I’m, like, a pretty famous social influencer and it keeps me really busy.”
“A social what?” Rayna said.
“Social influencer,” Arianna said. “I have a YouTube channel with, like, a hundred thousand followers, plus my Instagram is up to seventy-five thousand followers.”
“What do you… influence people on?” Rayna asked.
“Mostly, like, makeup and proper skin care and how to dress for your body type, that sort of thing. But I also offer some advice on relationships and making sure you’re valued as a, like, you know, person.”
She eyed Rayna critically. “You should come by my house and let me do a makeover on you. My followers would love it. You have, like, amazing bone structure. The right shade of blush will really make your cheekbones stand out and the correct eye shadow technique will make your eyes go from blah to beautiful.”
“Oh, um, I’m not really into makeup,” Rayna said.
“Obviously,” Arianna said. “But, like, a little bit of blush never hurt anyone, right? Just think about it. I could totally pimp your animal rescue out to my followers if you let me video the makeover process.”
“I’ll think about that,” Rayna said.
“Anyway, so my biggest competition is this horrible girl named Candace Werkenheimer. She lives in Willington and she is, like, a total hag. Her makeup tutorials are so early two thousands. But she’s constantly talking about how she volunteers for this and that and her followers, like, eat it up, you know? So, I figured, why should she get all the glory? I can, like, totally find a worthy cause to volunteer for,” Arianna said.
“Well, I’m very glad you chose this one, Arianna,” Wanda said. “I appreciate your help.”
“Like, of course. Cancer is so bad,” Arianna said. “Whatever I can do to make a difference. You’re still cool with me doing just a small video for my followers at the dinner, right?”
“Yes,” Wanda said.
“And you’re still on for the interview for my followers where you’ll mention about how, like, amazing I am at volunteering?”
“Yes, sweetie. We’ll do the interview after the fundraiser.” Wanda handed a glass of lemonade to Grace. “Here, Gracie.”
“Thank you, Wanda.”
“You’re welcome. Now, Warren, I know you’ve met her at the clinic, but, ladies, have you met Emsley? She just moved here two months ago all the way from Wyoming. She’s the new funeral director over at Harmony Falls Funeral Home.”
“Oh my God, you, like, touch dead people?” Arianna’s face turned a shade of green that Grace didn’t think was previously possible.
“Every day,” the slender brunette said with a grin. She took a handful of pretzels and her grin widened as she stared at Arianna. “Don’t worry, I wash my hands after. Mostly.”
“Oh my God,” Arianna put a hand over her mouth and Rayna elbowed her.
“She’s kidding, Arianna. Hi, I’m Rayna.”
“Nice to meet you,” Emsley said.
“Grace.” Grace waved at Emsley. “Welcome to Harmony Falls.”
“Thanks.” Emsley popped some pretzels into her mouth as Wanda smiled at them.
“Okay, so we’re just waiting on two more people… oh, there we go.” She hurried out of the dining room when the doorbell rang.
“So,” Emsley eyed Arianna over the table, “you’re a makeup expert, huh?”
“Yes,” Arianna said. “I have my makeup artistry certification.”
“I’m looking for someone with your skills,” Emsley said.
“Why?” Arianna stared at her in puzzlement. “No one but dead people see you all day and they don’t care if you’re wearing makeup. Plus, your skin is amazing… although,” she eyed Emsley’s face, “we could totally even your skin out with a little foundation. Just to, like, give you a bit of a dewier look.”
“I’m looking for a makeup artist for my clientele,” Emsley said.
Arianna glanced at Rayna and Grace. Her confusion was clear on her face. “But your clients are dead.”
“She means that funeral homes often hire hair and makeup artists for the viewings,” Rayna said. “Families don’t like to see their loved ones looking so…”
“Dead,” Emsley said.
Grace choked down a laugh and Emsley grinned at her as Arianna stared wide-eyed at the funeral director. “Wait, you want me to do the makeup for the dead people? Like, touch them and stuff?”
“Yup,” Emsley said. “The previous artist quit and, between you and me, she wasn’t the greatest at her job anyway. She had a tendency to make all the women look like hookers. High end hookers, but hookers.”
This time Grace couldn’t hold back her laughter and neither could Rayna nor Warren. Arianna leaned forward. “I can’t touch dead people.”