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bugged her eyes at me to respond to people when I was at a loss for words. Was it me, or was every person on the conference call line waiting, biting their fingernails, to hear my answer? It was my turn for silence over the headsets, but I didn’t have an excuse.
    Taking a drink of the water, I swallowed. Then choked out my words, “Sure. Okay, ten then. How ‘bout we meet at the …”
    “Do you know where the Canadian Mountie water ride is?”
    “Ah huh.” Numb, I nodded in time with my answer – brain dead and redundant all at the same time.
    “Aces. I’ll meet you under the waterfalls. I’ll be the one in the vampire costume. Might even bring my katana with me.”
    Cheers, whoops, hollers, and attaboys flew around us in surround sound.
    A single tear trickled down my cheek when the finality of what I had agreed to do set in. I took a deep intake of air, not knowing how long I’d held my breath, and blew it out with puffed cheeks. I decided to sit on the floor and hug Beano, rocking us both back and forth for comfort.
    Did I just agree to meet Roxas? At Halloween Scream Night? In stilettos?
    “Well, dudes, on that note, I must whisk Caz away for the night.” Dakota, with her impeccably timed charm, called in the dogs. “We need to get dressed in our costumes and get Cinderella here ready for the ball.”
    Harris foleyed kissy noises into his microphone. Briggs didn’t help matters much when he started to gangsta rap the old nursery rhyme about kissing in a tree and baby carriages.
    “Padme, close conference line.”
    The call terminated with Briggs at mid-sentence before he used the words marriage, Roxas, and Cheyenne in the same sentence.
    I wished I had the same guts of my online avatar. Lady Caz wouldn’t have any problems meeting Roxas, but in reality, I was just plain ole Cheyenne O’Cuinn. Just another computer programming geek who loved to play games and sucked at relationships.
    Harris is soooo dead.

Chapter Six
    “ H ey , Chey. That was rude. Why did you hang up on them?”
    “Because I didn’t want them to hear over the mic how I am going to kill you, Harris, and Briggs for what you did to me!”
    I threw off my headset and chased her through the hallway. Dakota screamed like we did when we were little girls as we ran through the rooms squealing.
    We ran around the whole house, dodging corners, and skating on hallway carpets. Enjoying the animated energy in the house, Beano barked like a crazy dog.
    “Oh. My. God,” we chanted.
    Our laughter vibrant and contagious. My body surged with endorphins – it felt fabulous to run, laugh, and jump. My body felt more alive in the past couple minutes than it had in years. My heart ecstatic, I was going to meet Roxas.
    “Oh, Chey, can you believe it? He’s going to meet you … TONIGHT !” She flopped on the couch. “We’ll have to go all out on your makeover. You haven’t had the works since …” She looked at me and winced. “Oh hell, Cheyenne, when have you ever had the works? We gotta to go.”
    “Go where?”
    “Girlfriend, you have a date with my magician beautician, Armand.”
    I didn’t care if she submerged me in mud or what she dressed me up in. At this moment, this very instant, my heart sang with joy and I couldn’t wait to meet this man. I felt like Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.
    A makeover? I was about to be poked, prodded, colored, curled, waxed, clipped and plucked – but pluckophobia be damned tonight. Finally, I was meeting Roxas, and truthfully, I probably needed the makeover.

    * * *
    B ack from Armand’s beauty makeover, I stared back at the reflection of my new haircut, highlights and manicure in my bedroom mirror. I hoped the red puffiness of my eyebrows would go away soon.
    “Hey, Chey, what if you already are acquainted with him, ya know like on You’ve Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan,” Dakota mused.
    “I never thought about it, truthfully. There isn’t anyone else I know with an English accent.