Ember's scream filled her house and what felt—to her neighbors—like the entire block. She set her eyes on Bel who was rubbing her ears as if her eardrums had been ruptured, how dramatic.

"This is why we do not text men back, Bel! Who the hell even says it's a date, who even says that?!" Ember's chest was heaving and while she may have sounded angry her face displayed at least three shades of bewilderment.

"It's just a turn of phrase," Bel argued.

Ember shook her head, taking a deep breath and steadying herself against the counter. "I don't even have anything to wear." She looked at the digital clock on her oven, "oh my god, we have to meet him in three hours!"

She ran up the stairs to her bedroom headed for her closet and began pulling clothes off their hangers, "How about this?" Ember held up a red T-shirt and a denim skirt.

"Uh... that's a no," Bel stepped into the closet and assessed Ember's wardrobe, "What about the dress you wore to that dance senior year?"

"You mean the Prom?! I'm not wearing a gown to Wicked Brew, are you nuts?"

"I'm just sayin', your boobs have never looked better than in that dress."

After an hour and a half of looking, Ember had exhausted all her options, with Bel providing no help other than to suggest low-cut tops and old skirts that she wouldn't be able to bend over in. "I have to cancel, why did you do this to me?!"

"First of all, you started typing before I even touched your phone, and second, isn't your ex-boss like obsessed with you dating? Maybe, she has something you could wear. That woman is fantastic, she could dress a fire hydrant and I'd make out with it."

Ember's eyes went wide, "You actually are nuts!" Bel's ideas were normally outlandish, but this one took the cake. How on earth was she going to call Amara after she'd screamed at her and walked out on her job? Hey, Amara, mind dressing me for a hot date with your friend? Absolutely not!

"It's a good idea," Bel said, looking insulted, "friends with that kind of closet do not just fall from the sky."

"I'm just gonna cancel."

"And then what? You just become an apartment person, and we let Miranda thin-lips Milton have everything? You worked for your happily ever after, don't let some bottle blonde control your happiness."

Ember narrowed her eyes at Bel. Her best friend knew her too well, she knew that the idea of Miranda succeeding in her campaign to destroy her was out of the question. "Fine. I'll call her, but if she says no I get to cancel."

"Deal."

Ember dialed the number to the shop and Eric answered on the second ring.

"You Had Me at Merlot, this is Eric!"

"Hey Eric, it's Ember."

"It's Ember!" he whispered and she could hear a distant gasp and then another male voice shout for Amara.

"Ember, darling, thank goodness you're alright. Believe me, I myself feel it's very therapeutic to have a semi-public meltdown every decade or so. But that's all wine under the bridge now, I do hope we will still be seeing you tomorrow?"

Thank god. Ember didn't even know where to start with an apology and that was if she managed to muscle past her crippling anxiety. Luckily, Amara's rainbow of word vomit somehow sewed that all up pretty quickly, so much so that Ember found herself trying to find her words and apologize in some less eloquent babbling of her own.

"Um, yes, wow thank you so much, I couldn't even begin to think about who I was mad at, and I'm sorry I yelled, and again thank you. I did call for another reason though..."

"Oh?" Amara's voice sounded almost sinister and Ember second-guessed her decision to make the call.

Bel noted her hesitation and nodded furiously, mouthing the words: Just do it!

"I uh... I texted Jude back and I thought it was just business drinks, but he said: It's a date... and then I screamed. But, the problem is all I have in my closet are some costume gowns that show too much chest and not enough of anything else. And, and... I was wondering if you could... Help. Me?"

"Say no more! My closet and I will be on your doorstep within the hour!" The line clicked, and Ember was left perplexed. Had Amara said her closet?

As if she'd set a timer Amara stood on Ember's doorstep exactly one hour later with both Eric and Henry in tow, each carrying large steamer trunks. Amara burst through the door makeup case in hand, "Where can I set up? You there, tall girl, grab me a glass for my wine and a chair for your friend. And how long until he expects you?"

Ember stuttered her answer of 8 p.m, just as Bel slipped the chair behind her and she fell back into it.

"Two hours and change, I can work with that."

"No, 8 not 8:30. He'll leave and I'll-"

"He will wait if you're late, you're worth at least an hour, and if he doesn't he wasn't worth your time now was he? I'm sure he'll be understanding once he sees you."

Amara had more makeup than Ember had ever owned in her entire life and she hoped she wasn't about to cake layers of it onto her face.

In less than thirty minutes Amara was finished and having Bel uncork her third bottle of wine. She assessed Ember, tapping a thin finger on her chin, "I know!" She flipped the lid open on one of the trunks and pulled out a black garment bag, handing it to Ember and shooing her off to change.

Ember hung the garment bag on the back of her bathroom door and unzipped it.

"Holy shit!"

She pulled out the hunter-green dress, it was silk, and strappy, and she had no idea how she was going to squeeze into it. She shimmied into it thanking god that the zipper was on the side and not the back. It fit like a glove, holding her in all the right places, accentuating her breasts, and cinching at her waist giving her the illusion of an hourglass figure. She looked at herself in the mirror and turned to the side, staring down at the long slit up her thigh. She couldn't believe how amazing she looked, her red hair flowing over her shoulders and complimenting the color of the dress, her makeup expertly done in gold and brown hues, her lips glossy and her eyes bold, framed by a midnight black liner. But most importantly, for the first time in a long time she didn't feel self-conscious, she knew she looked hot.

"Wow, wow, wow!" Bel cheered when Ember entered the kitchen, "Em, I say this with all the love in my heart, but you have never looked so effing sexy, damn girl!"

Amara sipped her wine, a sparkle in her eye and a smirk on her lips. "Am I good or what?"

"So good." The twins said in unison.

Ember felt so wonderful she wasn't even angry about the events from earlier in the day. Who knew a new dress and some makeup could make you feel like you didn't have a care in the world?

"You're amazing, thank you so much!" Ember nearly squealed in delight. "Just one thing... I don't have any shoes."

"Taken care of," Amara snapped her fingers and Eric rushed forward hooking the straps of a pair of silver high heels onto Amara's fingers, "I guessed your size," Amara shrugged, "Let's see if I'm right."

She slipped the heels on and they fit perfectly. It was as if Amara were her fairy godmother, coming to her aid and dressing her up for a night on the town with a prince. She wondered if she'd turn into a pumpkin if she didn't make it home by midnight.

"Perfection." Amara purred. "But you, Miss Bel, you'll have to do something about all that if you insist on tagging along."

Bel wasted no time digging through the clothes in Amara's trunk and settling on a black dress and red pumps, followed by using the makeup from Amara's case like an excited schoolgirl.

"I didn't know I'd be helping two lost souls, but Olympus be damned, I'm a sucker for love." Amara winked, "Also, you'll take my car." She tossed her keys at Eric.

"Eric's driving us?"

"He's my date for the night," Bel grinned and slipped her arm through his.

"Bel," Ember groaned. "This isn't supposed to be a date!"

Amara sighed, "Sweetheart, beauty is a tool not everyone is blessed or cursed with. You have it, and I'm not saying you need to abuse it, but it's one hell of a thing to waste. Now, If you'd be so kind as to drop me off at Club De-Lux on your way to the Wicked Brew. I have Grecian triplets waiting for me, so to the chariot before you really are late! I don't want to have to share my triplets."