Behind her closed eyes, Beth's distress began welling up.
"Damn, damn, damn! You're twenty eight now and those days are supposed to be well over," she agonised to herself. "What on earth made you do that?"
Rehearsing at least three profuse apologies at once, she eased her guilty eyes open. The flaring off the open fire was dancing all over the beautiful startled face, now a good two feet away. Serious startled dark circles stared back. The foundation brush began shaking in her right hand. Panicking, Beth wished she could go back an hour and start again.
She'd just had what seemed like the longest afternoon in her salon making up five teenaged girls for a debutante ball. At the time, the frantic juggling had made it seem more like twenty. Towards the end, she had forgotten that morning's gloomy realisation view that she was being deserted again tonight and was looking forward to a peaceful Friday evening at home.
She recalled just two hours ago being already in her flannelette pyjamas and a thin robe, phone to her ear, trying to hear over her husband James' clattering in the neighbouring storeroom. At the other end had been Vanessa's oafish husband, Brian, whinging that she had been held back at work and was refusing to come home by public transport.
"In the dark? Sure, you idiot!?" she remembered interjecting mentally.
He had asked if Beth would be a dear and tell James he had to pick her up and bring her home and explain he'd be at least an hour late because of her.
Why not bring her straight here instead, she'd suggested. Check with Vanessa first of course, but she'd be most welcome to stay here overnight. Provided she's okay about just staying indoors and having a quiet evening. Just a pizza or nibbles and a glass or two of wine. I can easily rustle up a set of pyjamas.
When Vanessa herself had rung shortly after, Beth had quickly dismissed both her apology and her profuse thanks, explaining they would both benefit by not being alone at home on what was a freezing Friday night.
"Jeez, women! It's getting like a bloody furnace in here," were Brian's first words as he burst inside the front door. As he hurtled off in search of James, the young woman trailing behind Beth flashed her usual vivacious smile as she unbuttoned her coat.
"I'm really well Brian, thanks. And you?" Beth had muttered in his wake as she hung the coat up, rolling her eyes. "Women? Men!"
Gratefully, Vanessa had sidled over to the fire and turned her back to it, palms outspread. Beth shook her head that the girl could look so fetchingly beautiful in a bank uniform. She had got an eager nod from Vanessa as she held up the bottle of sparking white wine.
Just as Beth had finished pouring, James and Brian rampaged back, putting two cartons of beer stacked inside the front door to their shoulders.
With a joint "See ya," both husbands sped out the front door and two car door slams later, Brian's car was whisking them off to Eric's farmlet in the country for their usual fortnightly Friday all-night session of darts, snooker and cards.
Beth had passed one glass to Vanessa, raising the other. "To a quiet night alone," she ruefully toasted. "Yet again," came Vanessa's resigned response as the glasses clinked.
"I've got an idea first up if you don't mind being a guinea pig," Beth had suggested after a sip. "I'm thinking of adding a brand new line of foundation powder for use in the salon. It's meant to make your face glow. Want to try it out?"
"Would I? Great!" had come the eager acceptance.
"But in case it gets on your work clothes ..." Beth had added, pausing there. Standing her glass on the table, she'd purposefully fled from the room, emerging back a minute later with a neat stack in her hands. She'd passed the large white business shirt on top of pyjamas to Vanessa's free hand. "The shirt's an old one of James'," she'd explained. "Put the pyjama bottoms on, but throw the shirt on instead of the top, just while I do the application."
"You change while I'll grab the powder and a brush," Beth had continued over her shoulder pausing on her way out again. "The lounge room light's a bit full on, isn't it? The dimmer's over there if you think so too. But remember, I'll need some light to be able to see your face."