Ultimate Concealer, A Toni Diamond Mystery: A Toni Diamond Mystery (Toni Diamond Mysteries) by Nancy Warren
Authors: Nancy Warren
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always wanted to sing.” She pushed out her already more than ample chest and said, “A lot of people say I look like Dolly Parton.”
“You do,” Brent said politely.
Before her daughter arrived on the scene, Toni asked, “Do you know what kind of trouble Dwayne’s in?”
Sunny looked at her and said, “Dwayne courts trouble the way other men court women.”
“And vice versa,” Linda muttered.
Toni knew there was a lot he wasn’t telling her, but she also suspected that now wasn’t a great time to be asking. He was probably keyed up about performing. She remembered from when she’d been with Dwayne that he was always even more self-obsessed than usual when he had to perform that night.
So, she nodded. “I’ll see how Tiffany’s doing.”
“You missed a spot,” Linda said.
“Pardon?” Both she and Sunny turned at once, but Linda was looking at Sunny’s chest.
“You missed a spot when you were shaving your chest.” She came a step closer. “And that’s a nasty rash. What kind of moisturizer are you using?”
Toni held her breath but Brent/Sunny seemed happy to talk sensitive skin. When she left the room, her mom was already digging in her bag for a sample of the Lady Bianca sensitive skin moisturizer. “And if I may say so, I think we could find you a better palette of eye shadows for your skin tones.”
“Really?” Brent/Sunny said, waving a well-manicured hand toward his eyes. “Because I am not in love with this purple.”
“No. It’s all wrong for your coloring. We don’t have time tonight, but tomorrow I can bring over my kit and we’ll see what we can do.”
“And you think you’ve got something that won’t irritate my skin?”
“Lady Bianca says put the drama on the skin, but the skin itself should always be calm. Well, she says it better than that because she’s English, but you get the idea.”
Toni found Tiffany’s room by following the sound of a blow dryer, as she’d suspected. She knocked on the door and found her daughter had already managed to scatter her belongings all over the guest room. But Toni also noted that she’d made an effort with her appearance. She’d put on some makeup in a color other than black and removed the traces of funereal nail polish.
She wore her usual tight jeans but on top she wore a green shirt that brought out the color in her eyes. Toni might feel a stab of irritation that it was her no-account father who was responsible for the change, but she wasn’t going to argue with the improvement.
She was also too smart to comment.
“Grandma’s downstairs and I think she’s trying to talk Brent into a makeover.”
“Oh, my God,” Tiffany said, jumping to her feet and grabbing her black Toms off the floor. “She’s been here for like five minutes and she’s already pimping makeup?”
“That’s your grandmother. Never miss an opportunity,” Toni said with pride.
Out of respect to Tiffany’s vegetarianism, Toni and her mother skipped the steakhouse they both would have preferred and settled on a restaurant that gave a great view of the strip.
Considering how upset she’d been with her daughter, the meal was surprisingly fun. She suspected that Tiffany had not enjoyed taking this trip all on her own as much as she’d anticipated she would. And, while she was a long way from seeing Dwayne in a clear light, she must be wondering why a respectable man would get beaten up in broad daylight and then refuse to go to the cops.
Toni didn’t want her to see Dwayne as the complete loser he was, but she did want her daughter to realize that he was not a good man to idolize. She knew she had to tread carefully.
So, when Tiffany announced, “I have a surprise, well, really it’s Dad’s surprise,” she kicked her mother under the table before she could engage her mouth and asked, “Oh? What is it?”
“Dad’s got our names down so we can get into his show for free tonight. Isn’t that great?”
Dwayne might not be the
“You do,” Brent said politely.
Before her daughter arrived on the scene, Toni asked, “Do you know what kind of trouble Dwayne’s in?”
Sunny looked at her and said, “Dwayne courts trouble the way other men court women.”
“And vice versa,” Linda muttered.
Toni knew there was a lot he wasn’t telling her, but she also suspected that now wasn’t a great time to be asking. He was probably keyed up about performing. She remembered from when she’d been with Dwayne that he was always even more self-obsessed than usual when he had to perform that night.
So, she nodded. “I’ll see how Tiffany’s doing.”
“You missed a spot,” Linda said.
“Pardon?” Both she and Sunny turned at once, but Linda was looking at Sunny’s chest.
“You missed a spot when you were shaving your chest.” She came a step closer. “And that’s a nasty rash. What kind of moisturizer are you using?”
Toni held her breath but Brent/Sunny seemed happy to talk sensitive skin. When she left the room, her mom was already digging in her bag for a sample of the Lady Bianca sensitive skin moisturizer. “And if I may say so, I think we could find you a better palette of eye shadows for your skin tones.”
“Really?” Brent/Sunny said, waving a well-manicured hand toward his eyes. “Because I am not in love with this purple.”
“No. It’s all wrong for your coloring. We don’t have time tonight, but tomorrow I can bring over my kit and we’ll see what we can do.”
“And you think you’ve got something that won’t irritate my skin?”
“Lady Bianca says put the drama on the skin, but the skin itself should always be calm. Well, she says it better than that because she’s English, but you get the idea.”
Toni found Tiffany’s room by following the sound of a blow dryer, as she’d suspected. She knocked on the door and found her daughter had already managed to scatter her belongings all over the guest room. But Toni also noted that she’d made an effort with her appearance. She’d put on some makeup in a color other than black and removed the traces of funereal nail polish.
She wore her usual tight jeans but on top she wore a green shirt that brought out the color in her eyes. Toni might feel a stab of irritation that it was her no-account father who was responsible for the change, but she wasn’t going to argue with the improvement.
She was also too smart to comment.
“Grandma’s downstairs and I think she’s trying to talk Brent into a makeover.”
“Oh, my God,” Tiffany said, jumping to her feet and grabbing her black Toms off the floor. “She’s been here for like five minutes and she’s already pimping makeup?”
“That’s your grandmother. Never miss an opportunity,” Toni said with pride.
Out of respect to Tiffany’s vegetarianism, Toni and her mother skipped the steakhouse they both would have preferred and settled on a restaurant that gave a great view of the strip.
Considering how upset she’d been with her daughter, the meal was surprisingly fun. She suspected that Tiffany had not enjoyed taking this trip all on her own as much as she’d anticipated she would. And, while she was a long way from seeing Dwayne in a clear light, she must be wondering why a respectable man would get beaten up in broad daylight and then refuse to go to the cops.
Toni didn’t want her to see Dwayne as the complete loser he was, but she did want her daughter to realize that he was not a good man to idolize. She knew she had to tread carefully.
So, when Tiffany announced, “I have a surprise, well, really it’s Dad’s surprise,” she kicked her mother under the table before she could engage her mouth and asked, “Oh? What is it?”
“Dad’s got our names down so we can get into his show for free tonight. Isn’t that great?”
Dwayne might not be the
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