The Romance Report Read Online Free Page A

the glass Quinn presented him and
sipped. “Mmm…that’s good. It has enough kick to put my creative juice into
overdrive. Shawna, the most sought after queen in the city, is gonna give you a
makeover. By the time I’m done with you, no one will recognize you, not even
your mama.”
    “I’m not sure about you giving me a makeover, Sean.
I don’t do the heavy eyeliner and flashy sequins thing,” Quinn protested. She
imagined herself with Tammy Faye eyelashes and platform heels tottering into a
five-star restaurant.
    “Puhlease!” Sean waved his hand at her. “Like you
could carry that style. No. I’ve got a friend whose mother is a buyer for some
big department store. She gets tons of clothes and doesn’t even wear half of
it. She’s begging me to take it and give it to some of the other girls in the
business. Carrie is about your size so most of it should fit. In the meantime,
let’s do something about your hair.”
    “What’s wrong with my hair?”
    “It’s black,” Indie said. She had settled her tiny
frame cross-legged on top of the pile of black clothes.
    “I am not dyeing my hair blue or purple or green.”
    “What’s your natural hair color?” Indie asked.
“I’ve known you for ten years and have no clue.”
    “What makes you think it’s not black?” Indie
raised one skeptical eyebrow at Quinn. “Alright. It’s boring brown.”
    “Give me a minute to grab some supplies from
downstairs, and I’ll turn you into a goddess of love.”
    Sean went out the door of Quinn’s apartment to the
ground floor where he lived with his grandmother. His grandmother, Reyna Garza,
owned the building and had lived in the brownstone since she married in the
late 1950s. Her husband had passed away fifteen years ago, but until recently,
she was able to manage on her own. A fall down the icy front steps last winter
had prompted Sean to give up his apartment in the Fan District and move in to
care for her while she recovered from a broken ankle. His grandmother didn’t
know about Sean’s other persona, Shawna, and he had no intention of telling
her. She believed Sean worked as a bouncer in a nightclub. The truth was that
Sean aka Shawna headlined at Hello Sailor! Nightclub in downtown Richmond three
nights a week. Under the smoky lights of the club, Sean transformed from a
handsome young Latino to a raven-haired minx with a sultry voice belting out
1940s wartime ballads.
    “Do not let him turn me into Dolly Parton,” Quinn
begged Indie. She took a big gulp of her drink and gasped as the heat of the
jalapeno mixed with the vodka washed down her throat. “I still want to be me
after he’s done.” A fine sheen of sweat broke out on her brow. She wasn’t sure
if it was from the jalapeno or the fear of the pending makeover.
    “Do you even know who the real you is?” Indie
asked. “I’m serious. It seems like everything you do is tied to your mother’s
approval. Your degree, your décor, even your wardrobe. Your only act of
rebellion was quitting your job at the paper and taking off to Europe with your
uncle. What happened to that girl?”
    “I don’t know,” Quinn said in a small voice.
“Grandma Rose went into the nursing home and living at home with my parents
wasn’t an option if I wanted to keep my sanity. I think Mom and Dad were gone
for work so much that I want a way to connect with them. Besides, I’m
twenty-six years old. Jetting off to Europe was fun, but I have to have a job
and an apartment. I have to be a grown up.”
    “Grown up doesn’t mean giving up who you are,
Quinn,” Indie said gently.
    “Ladies, I’ve come armed and dangerous,” Sean burst
into the apartment toting to round cases festooned with 1950’s pinups. “Have
comb and will travel for any hair emergency!”
    Quinn held her empty glass out to Indie. “Fill her
up. I’m going to need it.”   
    Quinn leaned her head over her kitchen sink and allowed
Sean to rinse the strange goo he’d smeared all over her