“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, listen up!” Alexis bellowed to be heard above the kitchen chatter. “It’s three o’clock, and that means it’s time for everyone to get made up for tonight’s gala.” She looked pointedly at the boys, and said, “Right now, you are definitely not needed. That means you can go out on the terrace, dry off the furniture since it stopped raining, and moan and groan to your hearts’ content. A suggestion if you are interested. Eat! Unless you want to chow down on the kids’ menu at the gala. Your duds are in the spare room at the top of the stairs. Everyone is to be down here ready to go at five-fifteen, when our limousines arrive. If any of you have questions, ask someone else because I’m too busy to answer them. Now GO!” She winked at Espinosa, who burst out laughing.

“At least it stopped raining,” Myra said. “We should be thankful for small favors. I for one hate going to a black-tie affair in the rain. So, who is going first?” The women squabbled good-naturedly for a few minutes before Yoko stepped forward. No one objected.

The dining-room table was full of pots, jars, flats of makeup that resembled an artist’s palette, bottles, and brushes by the dozen. The women could only stare in amazement at what they were seeing and how Alexis moved from one brush, pot, bottle, or jar to another at the speed of light. And then there were the spray bottles and cans that spewed out glitter and flakes of something that shimmered and twinkled under the lights of the chandelier. Next to the dining-room table was a serving cart that held Myra’s and Annie’s jewelry, which Tiffany’s would have envied. Noticeably absent was Annie’s multimillion-dollar tiara. The girls were told to pick what they wanted but to make sure whatever they chose would go with their evening gowns, to which Kathryn replied, “You’re joking, right? Diamonds go with everything.”

“Where’s Amalie?” Nikki asked.

“Upstairs. Alexis wanted her separate and sitting quietly so all that adhesive and stuff she mixed up dried properly. She’ll be down shortly,” Isabelle said, looking at her watch. “I saw her, and let me tell you, she looks exactly like she did before her surgery. Even if her husband went nose to nose with Amalie, he wouldn’t be able to see the difference. Alexis is a miracle worker, there’s no doubt about it. Wait till you see her. Better yet, wait till Jack Sparrow sees her.”