The Nice Girl Gets Even novel · Chapter 19 of 24

Chapter 19: Ball Night

I wore black.

A fitted black jacket over a long black skirt, with white ruffled cuffs at my wrists that my grandmother wore to the ball in 1979.

Gussie did my hair at her kitchen table with forty bobby pins and a can of spray older than me.

"You look like trouble," she said. "The expensive kind."

"I look like a manners teacher."

"Same thing, tonight."

She wasn't coming.

She had no ticket, and she said she'd rather watch it on the TV station's livestream in her robe with a beer.

The civic hall was lit up.

There were men at the doors in white gloves, and two more in dark suits who weren't there for the gowns.

One of them had a sheet of paper.

He looked at it, and at me, and stepped into my way.

"Ma'am. I'm sorry. I've got instructions."

I didn't argue.

I opened my purse and handed him the cream envelope with the silver crescent.

He read the card.

He read it again.

He looked across the lobby at a woman in silver satin with pearls the size of chickpeas.

Mrs. Gaillard was already coming.

← Chapter 18 · All chapters · Chapter 20 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend