Page 26 of Given to the Prez
“And what is that?”
“I kind of need your makeup artistry advice.Please, I have this client inside right now, and she is asking for something and I have no idea what to do.”
Maeve wanted to tell her no, but Kristin was always a nice person.She hated saying no to nice people.
“Sure, you know, why not?”She made her way into the hair salon, and the moment she did, she saw the problem.“Did you do this?”she asked.
“In my defense she wanted purple, and I have all the purple blush and everything.”
Kristin hadn’t pre-blended the blush, so there was a stark, almost clownish stain of purple on the woman’s cheeks.Maeve didn’t recognize the woman, so she must have been from out of town.She also had red eyes, as if she was trying not to cry.
Rolling up her sleeves, she could not handle a woman mid-meltdown.No woman deserved to feel that way.
“Hey, honey, I’m Maeve Summers.I am a professional makeup artist.Would you like me to show you any references or credentials?”
The woman shook her head.“I know who you are.I follow you on social media.I’m not sure I will be able to afford it.I really need to get this job, and I asked her to make me stand out.”
Maeve put her hand on the woman’s shoulders.“Don’t worry about it.This is free of charge.Kristin has always been a big help to me over the years.So, you’ve got a job, and you want to stand out.”
“Yes.I live out of town, and my Ritchie got hurt at work, and he keeps hurting himself attempting to get to work, and I just want him to stop worrying.He has provided for us for over fifteen years, and it’s time for me to take care of him.”She looked ready to burst into tears.
“Don’t worry.You may not think it, but I can fix this.”
“My appointment is in two hours.”
“And you’ll have plenty of time to get there.Let me work my magic.Trust me on this.”
The woman looked at her and then let out a sigh.“Okay, yes, please fix this, because they would just laugh at me looking like this.”
Maeve knew Kristin meant well, but this was a disaster.For the next forty-five minutes, Maeve removed all the previous makeup, prepared her skin, and then got to work creating her a flawless makeup look.This was taking her natural beauty, enhancing it, and giving her a pop of color.
She didn’t allow the woman to look in the mirror.Maeve preferred to work on her clients without them seeing.Over the years, she loved to do the reveal at the end.As she spun the chair around, she watched her client open her eyes, and saw the shock on her face.This was not terrified shock.She loved the way she looked, and she watched that smile spread across her face.
She was a happy client.During her work, Kristin had several customers come in.None of them had greeted Maeve, but she gave them a wave and nodded at them now.When she got focused on her work, the only two people that existed were her and the client.This is how she did her best work.
It felt good to do someone’s makeup again and not have anyone else bombarding her with commands.She had a whole list of clients who allowed her to give them the looks they required.In recent months, she’d taken on a lot of brand work, and company work where she was not the boss.She’d been told what to do, was shouted at, and that kind of work just didn’t appeal to her.Makeup was not supposed to be stressful.It was meant to be calm and relaxing, and enhancing a woman’s beauty.
“You look happy,” Kristin said.
“I am.”
“I will pay you for that today,” Kristin said.
She held her hand up.“No, don’t worry about it.”
“But there is something I would like to talk to you about.How would you feel about working here part-time?”
This surprised her.“I don’t do hair.”Maeve could do hair.She’d taken all the classes, and it was part of what she did, but it wasn’t the fun part.
“No, not hair.There has been more call for makeup, creating certain looks around prom and special occasions, and it is the one service I can’t seem to keep a good makeup artist.They mess up and have gotten bad reviews.I know you’re a busy woman, and I know you do amazing work.I’ve seen what you’re like at all the fairs.”
“Thank you,” Maeve said.
“I know it’s a lot to take in right now.You’ve got your whole career, and this is just a small town, but think about it.”
Maeve agreed to think about it, and she left the shop a little taken aback.Her life was incredibly busy, or at least it had been with work.She never wanted to give up her clients, but her work had started to lose its hold on her.The fun had stopped.
Life had become all about work, and as she made her way back toward her and Eden’s home, she couldn’t help but think about their parents.They rarely saw them.They could go days where all that was left was a note from them.That sucked more than she cared to admit.
