“What about the jewelry?”
“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.” Mel sifted through the pile of bags and boxes which her outfit had come in. She found the jewelry box. It held a pair of silver sapphire earrings and a matching bracelet. Vanessa herself was always wearing sapphires. Mel put them on.
“Is that it?” Jess picked up the empty jewelry box, frowning. “No necklace? That’s weird.”
“That’s everything.” Mel’s outfit seemed fine as it was. But Jess was the fashion expert.
There was a knock on the door.
“Elena must be here already.”
“Elena?” Jess asked.
“Vanessa’s driver.” Mel hurriedly put on the pair of strappy heels that Vanessa had sent her.
“Of course she has her own driver. No sports car this time?”
“Nope. Vanessa said she had to go early, so she sent Elena to pick me up. I’m meeting her there. Wherever there is.” It was all very mysterious. Mel finally got into her heels. She looked around for her purse.
“Here.” Jess handed Mel the clutch. “I’ll pack everything up and get out of here. I have so much studying to do.” Jess grinned. “I guess we’ve switched places, huh? I’m glad you’re finally letting yourself have a bit of fun these days.”
“Thanks, Jess. Wish me luck,” Mel said.
“You don’t need it.” Jess hugged her. “Vanessa is clearly head over heels for you.”
Mel looked out the car window. They were almost at the outskirts of the city. She located the button to roll down the privacy screen and pressed it.
Elena glanced back at her in the rear-view mirror. “Yes?”
“Where are you taking me?” Mel asked.
“Sorry, Vanessa told me not to say anything. And I’m sure you know how she is about people following her orders.” She winked at Mel in the mirror.
Mel flushed, causing Elena to chuckle. Mel decided to change the subject. “How long have you been Vanessa’s driver?”
“Five years or so.”
“What’s it like? Working for her?”
“I enjoy it. She doesn’t work me too hard and pays me very well. In exchange, I’m expected to do things that are well outside of my job description whenever she wants me to. Like picking up her dry cleaning. And tracking down things that she wants. Like I said, I’m basically her assistant. But I don’t mind. It keeps things interesting.”
“You must know her pretty well by now.”
“I do. I knew her before I started working for her. Vanessa and my wife are friends.”
They chatted away casually. Elena was a woman of few words, but she asked Mel lots of questions and listened intently to her answers. Eventually, the conversation died down and they drove along in silence.
After a while, Elena looked back at Mel. “You know, Vanessa doesn’t usually take anyone to these things.”
“What things?” Mel asked. They had been driving for almost an hour now. She was getting restless.
“You’re about to find out. Look out your window.”
Mel rolled down her window. They were on the grounds of a large modern mansion. The white house overlooked a huge, manicured lawn that was dotted with fountains and gardens. As they approached the house, Mel saw that there were groups of people milling around at the entrance. All wore evening gowns and tuxes.
The car stopped at the front of the house. Elena got out and opened the door for Mel, holding out her hand to help Mel out. Mel was grateful. Her heels and floor-length dress weren’t easy to move in.
Mel stepped out onto the path and scanned the crowd. There. Vanessa was standing near the mansion’s entrance, deep in conversation with a pair of older women. She looked so beautiful. Like Mel, Vanessa wore a floor-length gown, as black as her hair, which shimmered silver in the light. Silver heels and jewelry topped off the look. Her dark eyeshadow brought out the blue in her eyes, and her lips were a rich, deep red. Her loose hair flowed down her shoulders in waves.