So the price he had to pay for avoiding Zoe all evening long was a splitting hangover.
According to Lexi’s itinerary, the judges were scheduled for a tour of the historic downtown area. With the pageant being held at the theater on the property of Magnolia Palace, the contestants needed to rehearse without the judges around or spotting them on their way to the theater next door. Since the contestants were all local ladies from Southwood, housing was not an issue. Lexi insisted her staff enjoy the Magnolia Palace. The tour got the officials out of the place so they couldn’t be accessed by the contestants or develop a bias toward anyone in particular.
As he got ready for the day, Will tried to talk himself into being excited over the tour, but he could feel the skepticism as he showered. Dressed in a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a red-and-blue-striped polo, Will thought of his family and headed out of his room.
Call him biased, but Will was partial to Overtown. His great-great-grandparents had moved down south to work on the railroads with industrialist Henry Flagler. Back then, African Americans lived separately from their white coworkers. Fanny Ravens, Will’s great-grandmother, had had the great insight to bottle her mother-in-law’s products and travel to Miami to sell them.
Where his grandparents were raised was a historic city. Before the big highway boom, their successful business had stood on West Second Avenue. Back in its heyday, Will’s great-grandparents opened their homes to the women and men in their neighborhood. They offered a shave or beard trim for husbands and pin-curled hairstyles paired with the perfect shade of red lipstick for wives when they needed to get ready for picnics, outings or even for events held at the Lyric Theater. After World War II ended, many celebrities stayed at the Mary Elizabeth Hotel. Knowing guests at the hotel were going to need beauty supplies, Joe Ravens made a deal to have their products in every room. A round of applause brought Will out of his stroll down memory lane.
Zoe stood in the center of a group, pressing the pad of her thumb against one woman’s lips. “There you go,” Zoe cooed. “Now you can go all day and drink whatever. I promise that lipstick won’t smear.”
“And my lashes won’t smear against my eyelids.” The woman pressed what looked like a spoon into Zoe’s hand. “You’re a genius, Zoe. Thanks for this beatdown,” the woman said.
The terms women used for their makeup and outfits were violent. Beatdown? There was that word again. Will shook his head and tried to recall the woman’s name. Mack, or Makenzie, or Kenty. She’d come in with Ramon and helped out with dinner and was friendly. Will remembered her mentioning that Lexi put her in charge.
“No problem, Kenzie.” Zoe stepped back to admire the work she’d done. From the back, it appeared she wore a blue flowered sundress and a pair of blue flats.
“There you are, Will,” Kenzie said, eyes wide and long lashes fluttering. “Would you like some coffee or breakfast before we leave for the tour?”
All eyes turned to Will. The women and men—members of the talent search, directors, the emcee, and various coordinators—waited for him to answer, as they clearly had been waiting for him to come downstairs all morning long. Shoulder bags were hiked up on the ladies’ shoulders. The men not watching Kenzie were pacing.
“I’m fine,” Will said, clearing his throat. “I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
“You’re good.” Kenzie ambled over to him and grabbed him by the elbow. “We already paired off—except for Zoe, she was a little late, as well.”
The rest of the group began to move out the doors while Zoe lingered behind. This morning Will had made sure to listen for noise in their joint bathroom so he wouldn’t walk in on her. What had kept her lagging this morning? Will watched Zoe as he made his way to her, taking in the perfectly round bun at the top of her head. “So, you were late also? Hmm, did you oversleep?”
Zoe shrugged her shoulders and unapologetically said, “Never question a woman with perfect winged eyeliner about being late.”
“I have no idea what you just said,” Will admitted, smitten with her confident voice, “but it sounds nice.” He kept his voice on an even keel and made a mental note of her vast experience, which reminded him to keep his mind and hands off Zoe.