Nadine's smile widened each time Dominic braided the sides of her hair and combed through it with delicate fingers. Dominic had always had a fascination with her hair even before they began dating. He dreamed and dreamed of how he would love to have a baby girl so he could sit her down every day before she could go to school and braid her hair for the day. Nadine was sure he would spoil a girl child so thoroughly when they got one.

Dressed in only jean shorts, he pinned colourful beads on the braids he did. The red band was the last hit to the outfit and he smiled to the mirror as she stood up. He took her hand to allow her step into his full view. She was never sure what he found so stunning about her hair but she loved the attention he showered on it every day. Nadine looked at him with wide eyes and a bright smile, trying to use his enthusiasm to boost herself for the day planned.

"Married an angel didn't I." He spun her around and she moved to hug him after she made her full pirouette. He smacked a kiss on her forehead and smothered her cheeks with a few more. "Hmm. You smell good babe —fruity— I am getting hungry. Look if you are not sure about this?"

"I am more than sure." The outing she had planned with Cassandra and her friend was not the hardest thing in the world. "Besides, they promised the last stop would be an art store where even though they suck at art, their words not mine, they would make an exception for me."

That dropped a grin on his lips as he kissed her. "Taking up painting again. That has to be the best news I have heard in a while. I hate that you forgot your dream after you started the charities. Amazing as they are, painting was one of the things that you loved about yourself."

Dominic was never aware that she stopped painting because of the loss of their first child. He had tried so hard to absorb her pain but she was not selfish enough to give him all of it, he bore enough so she soaked in the part he did not see. Her hand moved to his face, tracing the crease on the sides of his eyes and pinching his cheeks. Dominic lowered his head to rest his forehead against hers.

"You really sure about this?"

"Yah!" she breathed.

Not wishing to address the situation further and she opened her eyes, dropping her arms to his waist. They stayed quiet for a moment before he slapped her gently on the back and pulled away with another laugh.

"If you are not out of here before Harrison comes in then you are going to hang out with the guys for the rest of the day."

Feigning fear, she stumbled back, grabbed her purse with mirth, and rushed towards the door. The elevators closed and Nadine assessed herself in the reflective doors. Her hair had lengthened considerably since she had left home. Back when she was younger she enjoyed cutting it to the length of her shoulders, she thought it looked chic. Nadine curled one strand around her fingers, straightening her spine when the elevator slid open.

The sun in the city was relentless, bright and scorching in the morning sky. Nadine walked out of the building; using her hand to shield her eyes from the intense light as she walked towards the parking lot. Cassandra was already waiting there, leaning against a beautiful red Chevrolet.

"A Corvette ZR1."

"Woman knows her cars." A new addition quipped, leaning out from the door of another car parked beside the red beauty. "Ignore the simplicity of my car because she dabbles in wheels and I rock in heels. Check out these bad boys on the block."

Nadine dropped her gaze to catch the glinting of the new woman's royal green, diamond studded platforms. Even married to the wealthiest man in their town, she always worried about the amount of money she spent every day, worried that people would see it as if she were after his money. Always worried about their opinion that she never even let Dominic spoil her to his own satisfaction. These women did not seem to care for any comment that could follow their expensive sense of fashion.

When had she stopped living without care for how people saw her?

"Hi. Good morning. I am Nadine."

"Shantel. At your service." She grinned at Nadine, standing from the seat of her low riding car to offer Nadine a hand. Nadine shook her hand with a smile of her own then turned to enter Cassandra's car. Cassandra closed the door as Nadine slipped into the passenger seat while Shantel leaned down through the window. "I am here in case your tour guide runs out of fun ideas for her 'day of excitement'. Not spilling the beans here but without me this woman could be engaged to her office."

They laughed at the joke with Cassandra sticking out the middle finger to her retreating friend. Nadine smiled to herself, watching Cassandra rev the car to life and mentally prepared herself to relax. The women were kind and ultimately, welcoming, she steeled herself against any discomfort. She needed this, to have fun, to see new places and new faces for a change.

"Look, trust me; new people are weird for me too. No matter how far I have come with my fiancée and even with Shantel, I like the normalcy of small circles." Their eyes met for a brief second before Cassandra returned her attention to the road. "Don't over think this or try to force yourself into it. When you don't feel right just let us know, we are all here to have fun. No fun if one of us in anxious."

"Thank you." She replied with a thin smile of her own. "I am sorry. I didn't think my discomfort was so easy to spot."

"Ah don't sweat it." Cassandra turned the wheel of the car, smoothly turning into a new street with Shantel's car following close behind. "It takes one to know one. Trust me, I am one."

"Okay." She laughed a little, watching the roads for a while in silence. "If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to choose the Cinderella theme for your wedding?"

Cassandra turned again from the road for a split second with a shrug. "To be honest I am not sure why I chose that particular theme but the events leading to it were... complicated. I wanted to do something different, at least to stand out, so I originally wanted to put on black gown while my husband wore white. My first wedding was a really big one, only I didn't get married that time."

"I am sorry."

"Don't be. Probably would have divorced him after I met Harrison." They laughed. "Any way, it still was a big wedding with so much planning going into it. I decided that this time I would do crazy but simple. The black wedding dress was a good idea to me but it felt like I was burying my fiancée not marrying him. So Cinderella was born."

Nadine turned away from the window to look at Cassandra. "Why Cinderella exactly though. If I recall correctly, there are other princesses from the Disney movies you could have gone with."

"True. Jasmine is my favourite princess since I was a child but she was actually a princess. I didn't want to use that. That left me with Cinderella and Belle but Belle's wedding was more like my first one so I cancelled that out too. Leaving me with a glass slipper and an amazing wedding dress."

"Fair enough."

"You?" Another look passed between the two, "Not to meddle but it must not have been an easy wedding for you and your husband? It is never easy for anyone to marry a prominent person in society."

At that, Nadine came close to a full blow laughter but settled for a mirthless chuckle as she faced the windows. Her personal life was not something she enjoyed dangling in front of people but there was no denying the facts. Truths were truths, and her husband's position had never been the reason for the bumps in their relationship.

"No. he...umm... He wasn't a mayor until after we got married."

"Wow. Will you look at that, a good luck charm sitting in my car? Maybe I will nap some of that goodness and get some good luck on my side today."

Nadine's lips twitched, she returned to watching the city from the window of the car. The city was in no way quiet, unlike the town but Nadine felt more at peace than she had been in years. The flashing lights and cameras where for someone else now. To the people in Santa Montes, she was just another face in a large crowd, no story, nothing of interest to them. Nadine enjoyed it.

"Don't get quiet now." Cassandra encouraged, stepping out of the car after she parked. "I am not good at conversations so this has to be some kind of team effort. Shantel on the other hand will talk your ears out of existence. I mean that with love by the way. Julia, another friend of mine would join us later in the day but for now all you have to deal with is Shantel and myself."

"I'll try." She replied.

The women passed their keys to the valet and with a shared smile went into the store. As planned, they bought the best wine and champagne for their get together. Shantel ushered Nadine to a rounded sofa, positioned in front of one of the many dressing rooms. The plan for the morning was apparently to pick the best lingerie and summer outfits for Cassandra's honeymoon. A string of staffs wheeled in long racks of clothes, shoes, hats, glasses. Rolling in tables of various types of jewellery.

"Here." Shantel tapped on Nadine's shoulder, offering her a flute filled with sparkling champagne. Nadine accepted it muttering her thanks before she lifted it to her lips. "Good right?"

"It tastes amazing."

"Non-alcoholic too. So we can drink as much as we want and still be able to speak English by the end of the day." Nadine nodded in agreement. Taking another long sip of her champagne. Shantel lowered her flute to the table, standing to strut over to the racks of clothes. "Cassandra is going to try and say no but we are dressing her sexy all through her honeymoon."

"Sure." Nadine called back, her eyes roaming around the clothes. "How sexy?"

"No measurement."

Nadine laughed, almost spitting out her champagne. Cassandra walked back into the room, talking to another member of the staff as she moved along. The woman acknowledge them for a quick moment before she left and Cassandra rushed forward to get herself a glass of champagne. Nadine excused herself to the bathroom when the women stopped to go over some of the clothes, promising to make her run quick and short.

"Breath Nadine. You have to breathe."

Nadine scolded herself softly, pushing the door open and plucking herself down in one of the stalls. Her life needed to continue, she had to get over herself and move on before she destroyed herself with sadness. She wiped the tears from the sides of her eyes and continued to slow her breathing down as she waited for her heart rate to recede.

She walked out of the cubicle to place her purse on the sink of the bathroom. As she looked on at her own reflection, she smiled.

"You are having a good time, don't overthink. Don't overthink."

She leaned over the sink to splash water over her face then dried it off with some towels. When she got back to the room, Cassandra was in a lacy pink lingerie that barely hit her knees. Shantel had a large grin on her face, they both turned when they noticed Nadine walk in.

"Shantel!" Cassandra called, raising her arms above her head at her giggling friend. "This is ridiculous."

"It is yours."

"Yours?" Nadine asked, taking her seat and watching the drama from the rim of her flute.

"Yes. My company makes lingerie but I think it is cynical to wear my own product to my honeymoon. I might as well just throw in some from Harrison's side and make this a complete freak show."

"Harrison makes lingerie too?"

Shantel nodded, using her hand to shield her lips from Cassandra's view as she whispered. "Match made in heaven."

The day moved along, Cassandra ended up with bags of clothes, and lingerie in the back of her car before the morning was over. They drove to the pool, a spa and even stopped by a sporting centre to play tennis and try their hands at basketball. Although the champagne they drank was non-alcoholic, Nadine felt herself relax into the day them more they talked. Cassandra and Shantel were a good mix and clash of personalities but they worked together. Nadine loved watching them together.

By four in the afternoon, Cassandra and Shantel dropped off their cars. The rest of their trip was in the back of a limousine with more champagne and stories to fill a whole novel. Nadine returned to her hotel room at eight in the night to find Dominic laying on the bed with a book on his stomach. Not bothering with her shoes or clothes, she sank into the bed beside him. Dominic laughed at her lazed movements; he watched her turn on her side of the bed but did not say a word. Nadine closed her eyes for a moment but the day caught up with her again and within seconds, she was out cold.