Zuri glanced down at her heels. Man, this was such a bad idea. The shoes were too high. She hadn’t worn heels in ten years. Edward hated for her to dress up. He was a laid back person and wanted her in flip flops and shorts, not in dresses and heels. At first, she’d argued with him, but eventually decided he was right.

Those were more comfortable. They never went anywhere she needed to dress up, and for a long time, she didn’t even talk to her family. It wasn’t until after the marriage ended that she realized he’d isolated her from her loved ones and from who she was. She’d become who he wanted and that had done nothing for their marriage.

“Come out, already!” Isaline yelled. “Is it dinnertime yet?”

“Seriously, Isaline,” Sage said, “I think you have a tapeworm or something. You need to get that checked out. Nobody can be hungry 24/7.”

Zuri let out a nervous breath and walked out of the bathroom. “Okay, so what do you all think? Is it too much? Should I put something else on?”

“Oh my god,” Mirabel gasped. “You look…”

What? She looked what?

“Amazing,” Sage ended. “Absolutely.”

“Gorgeous.” Isaline grinned. “You’re so gonna get laid tonight!”

“Isaline!” Sage admonished. “Hopefully, she meets a decent guy.”

“Then gets laid,” Mirabel added.

Zuri laughed. Her mother was incorrigible. “You’re sure I look okay?”

“Not okay, honey, gorgeous,” Sage told her. “This dress looks fantastic on you.”

Zuri glanced at herself in Sage’s full body mirror. The dress was gorgeous. A silver satin that hugged her curves and somehow managed to make her ass look amazing while the wrinkly waistline detracted from her belly. The strapless neckline and built in pushup bra made her boobs look fifteen years younger. She felt like she was going to prom all over again.

“I admit, it’s a lot more comfortable than I thought it would be.”

Sage smiled widely. “And that powder cream will help your thighs not rub so you don’t have to wear those ugly shorts underneath.”

“Yeah. I always wear them with dresses, but it would have been noticeable with anything this tight.”

Isaline fluffed Zuri’s long dark curls and sighed. “Those blue eyes and that dark hair on that peachy skin are going to drive men crazy. Those shifters are gonna lose their minds over you.”

“And then she’s gonna get laid,” Mirabel laughed.

“Mom!” Zuri shook her head. “We get it. You want me to get laid.”

Mirabel nodded vigorously. “And pregnant, if at all possible.”

“Mother!” Sage laughed. “Do you want the pregnancy before she gets to know the guy or after?”

“She’s thirty-nine, I don’t think it matters at this point.”

She picked up her evening bag and met her mother’s gaze. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The evening was cool. It was getting to the point that the daytime heat and evening cold made a person need a ton of layers when leaving the house. Thankfully, she had a wrap and took it with her. No way in hell she could drive in those heels, so she slipped them off to drive. She had twenty minutes to get her mind in order. Don’t be a baby. You got this.

The town hall building was lined with vehicles. Men and women in evening wear walked inside. She sat in her car, watching the crowds. Fuck. She glanced at the passenger seat where she had put her wrap and noticed something on the floor.

A quick reach and she realized it was a small bottle of cotton candy vodka with a note tied to the neck.

I know this is not the best way to get you going, but it might help calm your nerves. You’ve got this. Love, Isaline. P.S. I hope the food is good.

She laughed, her hands shaking so hard it took a few tries to finally get the bottle open. She didn’t sip, she guzzled that shit so fast, she felt like someone had lit a fire in her chest down to her stomach.

Holy fuck! She’d never had liquor straight up. She took a few deep breaths and after…uh…whatever number of minutes, she left the wrap behind because she was hot and got out of the car, slipped the heels on and straightened her spine. She could do this. She could definitely do this.

The walk to the building wasn’t long, but she swore she heard Eye of the Tiger playing in her head. Why in the world that would be the theme song for this night, she had no idea. The front door was manned by a group of tall men in black suits.

Their eyes gave them away. That golden glow told her they were shifters. All four sniffed, inhaling her scent as if to see if she’d bathed. Her mind went blank. Had she bathed? Of course, she had! How could she forget? It had been less than an hour ago.

“Gentlemen,” she cleared her throat. “Good evening.”

“Ma’am,” one of them said with a smile that would make Isaline want to reach for a pork chop. “Are you alone this evening?”

She nodded, watching them once again inhale deeply. She wanted to do the same, just to see if she could smell whatever it was they were smelling.

“No need to be nervous, my dear,” one of the men said. “I met my mate at this event last year. We recently had our first child.”

She smiled politely. “Thanks.” Then she frowned. “How, um, how did you know I was nervous?”

They all grinned at her at the same time. “We’re shifters.”

Right. Like that answered every mystery in the damn universe. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll go inside and…”

“Just walk around, meet people and chat. Have fun,” the same guy said. “We’ll be out here if you need anything.”