Wynter woke up the next morning, slightly hungover, but feeling refreshed. She had a short-term goal of changing everyone's perception of her. It gave her something to focus on instead of her past mistakes- like trusting her stepsister around her man, believing her dad would finally stick up for her, and sleeping with the pastor's grandson. She put them all behind her and focused on her truth and the person she wanted to be today.
Liberty and Grace already left Valentina's place early in the morning. Liberty had to set up for the party at her family's house and Grace had to tend to her horses. Wynter left the guest bedroom to find Valentina in the kitchen, preparing food for the party.
"Hey, can I help with anything?" Wynter asked.
"Don't offer unless you wanna work," Valentina said, not looking up from whatever she was whisking.
"Put me to work girl." Wynter joined her in the kitchen.
Valentina got her set up washing, peeling, and chopping fruits and vegetables. In between Valentina critiquing her work, they sang along to the classic R&B music Val loved and she gave her a rundown of who all was going to be at the Mayor's tree trimming party. The Mayor threw the party every year and invited all the business and land owners, close friends, and family to his home to kick off the holiday season. It was always a lively, elegant event and Valentina told her it was the perfect setting to reintroduce herself to the town.
Once they were done, Wynter pulled out her laptop and showed her the completed website. Wynter watched Valentina's eyes widen in excitement as she showed her the site and walked her through the different functions.
"It's perfect!" Valentina beamed. "I wanna launch it right now!"
Wynter smiled, "Let's wait until the week it opens- that way we can put a countdown timer and take reservations online."
Val nodded with a grin. "Makes sense"
Wynter then revealed the extra work she did on the menu, signage, and packaging. "If you don't like it we can scratch it and start over." Wynter explained as she showed her.
"No, I love it! I can see it." Valentina said, her voice cracking up with emotions. Wynter looked up to see tears in her eyes.
"Val, what's wrong?"
"Nothing! It feels really real. Like this is really happening. It's amazing and frightening at the same time." Val wiped her eyes, shaking her head.
"You are the real deal. Amazing... and a little frightening. That's how I know it's going to be a success. You won't accept anything else. I'm so proud of you cuz!" Wynter hugged her tightly.
"Thank you Wynter." Val exhaled, hugging her back.
After Valentina got herself together, Wynter and Val started loading up Val's car to head to Liberty's dad's house. Once the car was loaded, Wynter said goodbye to Val and went back to her aunt's house to get ready for the party. She agonized over her wardrobe before she decided on black fitted slacks, a mesh black blouse with red roses, and black heels. She pulled her hair back and added extensions for a sleek ponytail. Her makeup was natural with a bold red lip and her only accessories were diamond studs in her ears and a thin red hairband with tiny roses, courtesy of her mother. She thought she looked great and felt even better when her aunt Amira complimented her on how good she looked. She complimented her aunt's green wrap dress and made her take photos before they left.
Wynter's confidence wavered slightly when she saw the amount of people going into the mayor's beautifully decorated house. She reminded herself this was Liberty's home; she had nothing to be nervous about. They went inside and were immediately greeted by a warm and inviting atmosphere. The foyer was adorned with a grand Christmas tree, decorated with only twinkling lights. Everywhere there were festive touches from garland on the staircase, a wreath over the crackling fireplace, and stunning candles on the mantelpiece. Soft classical Christmas music played in the background and the entire house smelled like peppermint. Wynter had been to her cousin's house numerous times, but nothing compared to the beauty and magic of the house during Christmas time.
Wynter automatically wanted to pull out her camera and start taking pictures, but Aunt Amira took her to make the rounds, introducing Wynter to all her friends. Once her aunt got caught up in a conversation with her spades group, Wynter snuck off to hang out with Grace in the living room. She was sitting on the couch next to her grandpa Elliot, speaking to ranch hands Robert and Adam about a new horse they were breaking in. Wynter tried to keep up with the conversation but eventually got restless. After she refreshed her grandpa's bourbon, she went into the kitchen to see if she could help Valentina with the hors d'oeuvres. Valentina promptly kicked her out, letting her know she did not have the patience for amateurs in the kitchen and reminded her she needed to go mingle with the townsfolk.
"Remember, you are the real deal. Amazing... and a little frightening! You got this." Val encouraged her.
"Wow, that sounds familiar," Wynter smirked.
"Hey, it worked for me, now get the hell out." Valentina kicked her out of the kitchen.
Wynter found Liberty and mingled for a little bit. She met the fire chief and his son, all the members of the church choir, and a few teachers from the high school. At first, she did feel like everyone she met handled her warily, but she remained cordial and engaged. A lot of the guests were extended family, so it helped that they knew the truth and treated her ordinarily. Eventually, the forced smiles and polite conversations got old fast. It reminded her of all the nights she spent portraying a perfect family image with her dad's family in Houston. She retreated to her comfort zone of taking pictures with her camera instead. She tried to take as many candid pictures as she could but got caught numerous times. She smiled and directed them to pose for the camera instead. She was taking a photo of the sheriff and his wife when Liberty pulled her away.
"You're supposed to be mingling, not photographing everyone." Liberty hissed in her ear through a pleasant smile.
"I was doing both. So many people asked me to send them the pictures." Wynter explained.
