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feelings for Luke, but Lainey wisely left that well enough alone.
    “Now that you’re giving the new hair and clothes thing a try, I think your dating life should be a fresh start, too. Who do we know that’s single? Heroes, of course.”
    “On other teams?” I thought about it. “I don’t know. Desmond’s kind of cute.”
    “Desmond the Comet?” At my nod, she frowned. “Isn’t he dating that Brazilian supermodel?”
    “Like they all don’t date supermodels at some point.” The guys in our set were nothing if not predictable, either dating the drop-dead gorgeous female heroes whose uniforms looked like lingerie, or dating the women that actually modeled lingerie.
    “What about the Illusionist?”
    “We hooked up once when the EHJ and the Justice-bringers had to team up to stop that villain who was poisoning everyone with mind-control spores. He maintained the illusion that he was a decent guy until the next week, when he kept dodging my calls through his secretary.”
    “Well, what about someone who’s not a hero?” Lainey resolved.
    “What, like a villain? Interesting thought.”
    She laughed. “No, like why don’t you date a hot underwear model? Or a quirky movie actor? Heaven knows you’ve attended enough social gatherings with celebrities.”
    “They don’t like smart women.”
    “What about a scientist then? You’re always helping them out.”
    “They don’t like women smarter than them.” I sighed. “There really aren’t any quality single men in this town.”
    The stylist shot me a glare. “What am I, chopped liver?”
    “No quality, single, straight men,” I amended.
    “With this new look, they’ll be flocking to you. You won’t have to hunt them down.” The stylist took my drape off with a flourish and turned me toward the mirror. “Ta-da!”
    I hardly recognized my reflection. I had been transformed from someone trying to rebel into someone, well, glamorous. Nowhere near as glamorous as Kate or Selena, but someone less hard and more feminine. My wavy hair was now a dark chocolate brown with red highlights dancing among the waves, and the light blonde around my face somehow made my eyes bluer.
    Lainey was grinning. “I love it! Do you love it, Min?” She looked nervous.
    I was still staring at the stranger in the mirror. “Wow. I’m…pretty.”
    “Never knew you had it in you, huh?” The stylist grinned. “Make sure you sing my praises now.”
    After practically promising the stylist to skywrite his name, and paying roughly the same amount as that would cost, Lainey and I headed out onto the street, pushing Emily in her stroller while managing my shopping bags and browsing stores I hadn’t already visited. The pursuit of my new, more stylish look had resulted in the dropping of vast amounts of cash.
    I pointed out a lingerie shop. “You should go buy something.”
    “You know I’m never wearing that as a uniform ,” Lainey replied.
    We both cracked up. “No, I meant for Wesley.”
    “But then it won’t be on long.” She winked, and we started laughing again.
    And that’s when the jewelry store across from us exploded in a shower of shattered glass and smoke. Alarms were going off everywhere; people were screaming and staggering away. A man in blue armor came clunking out of the hole in the window, arms laden with jewels. His armor might be protecting him from any damage he might incur should the cops get there in time, but it also slowed him down. A lot. Dummy.
    “Who’s that?” Lainey asked, checking to make sure Emily was all right.
    “No one I’ve ever seen. Must be a new one.” The EHJ kept a database of criminals and heroes alike, and it usually kept us in the know. “It’s almost cute when some random slob gets delusions of grandeur.”
    “Can’t we even enjoy a simple afternoon off?” Lainey complained, but her eyes shone and I could tell she loved it. She didn’t get out heroing much since becoming a mom, and, well, if I were honest, even