She was behind the mirror looking at her face, a brush in one hand and bronzer in the other. Am I really already 50 years old was the thought she couldn't escape from all day. She searched her face closely for wrinkles, thinking there was no way she could be 50. I am too young to be 50. She wanted to be more adventurous, go hiking and skiing, sailing-all that stuff she and Brock said they would do together after Jake moved out. Now she was alone in her bathroom, looking at herself, wondering where her life went and why was she so terrified of this dinner tonight. She put her eyeliner on, a little bit of blush, and some mascara. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Brock, handsome as he usually was, staring at her.
"Don't just stare, get over here and zip me," she said, noticing him wearing that devilish looking smile.
"Turn around then," he commanded gently, amused by her sass. She turned her back to him and continued doing her make-up.
Brock's fingers slowly traced the line from the top of her neck to the zipper of the dress in the middle of her back and watched her reaction. He slowly pulled it up as she smiled and closed her eyes. It was the first time he'd touched her since the divorce, and she was shocked at the tingling heat that shot from his fingertips through her entire trembling body. It felt like he was unzipping her, not the other way around. She felt hot and a bit flushed but she quickly snapped out of it because she knew the consequences of giving in to the desires of his touch, of forgetting oneself. She slowly opened her eyes, looked at him with regret that she invited him to zip her and continued doing her make-up. When he finished zipping her dress, his hands found their way to her hips. Before he could contemplate his next actions, he turned around, walked to her bedroom door and leaned on it.
He watched her, a satisfied smile on his face, while she put the rest of her make-up on. Why is she so beautiful, now more than ever? Brock thought to himself. He knew he had to dance with her tonight. He had to give her a glass of champagne and tell her she was beautiful and she was glowing.
Her dress was killing him. She started wearing more sexy clothes again, he thought. She is being bold and seductive, she is owning her body and age again. Was that for me or did she meet someone...The beige sequined dress, hitting her right at the knee, was perfect for her body; it hugged her in all the right places and left little to Brock's imagination with the low cut neckline. It wasn't Reba's style at all, but she mentioned it was on sale and so she bought it before she thought too much about it. He knew that was intentional. It had to be because she was not an impulsive buyer; sometimes he thought Reba forgot how well he knew her.
His gaze moved from her cleavage to her long legs and found her wearing the sexiest shoes ever; a black high-heeled number. He was certain that the pair wasn't hers; maybe they were Cheyenne's.
"I'll be ready in a minute. Wait for me downstairs," she replied while she put on the last touch of her lipstick.
Her words of dismissal put Brock out of his daydream. He was a little taken aback at her harsh tone; it was unexpected. Before he left, he took one last glance at her, committing the way she looked to memory. Finally, he said, "Hurry up, the kids are waiting on us."
Reba looked at herself one last time, then stood to leave. As she turned away from the sink, Cheyenne ran into her bathroom, almost knocking her over.
"Hey honey, your dad is waiting on you downstairs," said Reba while closing the bathroom door.
"Mom," said Cheyenne, almost running out of breath from running, "I found it,"
Reba gave her daughter a confused look and replied, "Found what?"
"Your necklace from dad!" Cheyenne said, amused.
Reba looked at her daughter's hand and noticed the little silver diamond infinity heart pendant necklace. When she looked at it, her heart stopped for a minute and she gasped. The necklace had been missing for about 10 years. Where did she find it? Brock gave it to her on her 40th birthday. It was the last gift he ever gave to her and it meant the world to her because it was also the last time they made love. The memories were still there and she fought hard not to get all flushed around her daughter.
She once lent the necklace to Cheyenne and never saw it again, until now.
"Where did you find it?" Reba asked.
"It was in my drawer, right next to my wedding ring! I thought I lost it too," Cheyenne smiled. "You have to put it on, Mom."
"No, sweetie, we are late and I already have earrings on, I don't need anything else," Reba told her daughter and walked out.
Cheyenne yelled at Reba, "Oh c'mon mom, it's so beautiful and it will really compliment your dress!"
Reba turned around and sighed, "Okay, but I need to change my hairdo then."
Cheyenne looked at her mom and said, "Just put your hair up and it will be perfect."
Reba put her necklace on, looked at herself again and took one long breath. She exhaled and rested a finger on the necklace, feeling like her whole body was on fire. She hoped Brock wouldn't notice it and think that she's rethinking all of his feelings- which he had told her last night.
Brock was pacing the floor and thought to himself, what is she doing upstairs? She was nearly ready when he was up there. He wanted to yell her name but when he looked up, he saw Cheyenne and Reba walking down the stairs. They locked eyes, but Reba couldn't help but notice the up and down glance he gave her when he first noticed her. She saw lust and possessiveness in his eyes and in that moment she felt like the most beautiful woman in the world. Brock nearly choked on his own breath when he saw her. All dressed up, she moved slowly, seductively, down the stairs. He knew that she was doing it on purpose, but the only thing he saw was her "lost" diamond necklace and her sparkling blue eyes. He was ruined for the whole night.
"Wow, Mom, you look beautiful," Jake moved to hug her, an unusual action for him now that he was a teenager. He looked like quite the young man in his black suit. She smiled at him and hugged back her youngest; he was the most thoughtful son.
"Wowza, Mrs. H, you look hot…" Van muttered but didn't finish his sentence when he saw the murderous look his wife was giving him.
"Okay, everybody, hop in the car and let's go," Brock corralled his family as he grabbed his car keys off Reba's desk and led everyone, but Reba, out the door.
Reba looked into her purse for her keys and phone while everybody went out. Kyra came behind her and whispered, "Is all this glam just for him? He nearly had a heart attack when he saw you, you know," and walked out.
Reba was kinda shocked that her youngest daughter almost saw right through her. Was her teasing him like that not the best decision? She just wanted to see his response and feel his lust wash over her once more. She was giving him all this just to see what he was missing-she looked better after he left her…
Reba slid her hands alongside her dress and took a deep breath, exhaled, and walked out of her house.