Chapter 18

After making her purchases, Beaux and Betty drove back to Betty's apartment, where she deposited her purchases. She carefully hung up the outfits, feeling that the change was for the better after looking at some of her older wardrobe pieces. She then made sure the Beaux Jacques had adequate food and water before speaking to her pal. "Okay, Commander. I would take you with me to Charlotte's, but I don't know how long we'll be there. You eat dinner and go to bed. It's girls' night, so don't wait up."

Beaux Jacques grumbled, then allowed Betty to pat his head. He then began wagging his tail appreciatively and licked her hand before going to his spot in the corner of the living room and curling up on Betty's old college sweatshirt for another nap. "Okay, Beaux. See ya later." Betty took her keys and bag, getting back in her car and driving the short distance to Charlotte's house. Along the way, she did remember to pick up a bottle of wine to go along with Charlotte's finger food sampler, and also stopped at the town's small drugstore to purchase her hair dye. After Brittany suggested it, Betty considered it and decided that going red was just the change she needed.

Betty arrived at Charlotte's, and she opened the door excitedly. "Betty! I'm glad you're here. Come on in and tell me about your trip? What did you end up getting, and isn't that the best shop you've been in?'

"Haha. It's good to see you too, Charlotte. I brought the wine. Honestly, I had a really good time, and well… you'll have to wait to see some of the changes I've made. The stuff I got was, well… different for me."

"Good! No one likes a dull girl, Betty, remember that. Are you hungry?"

"I'm famished."

"Excellent, just what I'd hoped. Come in and make yourself at home. I have you a plate waiting in the kitchen. "

Betty followed Charlotte to the kitchen, where she presented Charlotte with both the wine and the hair color. "I hope you can work with this."

"Oh my, what a gorgeous color! This is going to make your eyes pop…wow. Yes. I can definitely work with this. The wine is a nice bonus too."

"Haha! I figured it was time for me to finally pay homage to the local culture since so much of the community is invested in the wineries around here."

"Well, it's certainly a staple in our community for certain. We will definitely make use of it tonight. Can you grab a couple glasses?"

Betty walked to the counter and took down two of Charlotte's wine glasses from their rack and watched as Charlotte expertly popped the cork. They both whooped in excitement, and Charlotte poured each of them a draught. Both swirled the liquid counterclockwise in the glass, letting the dark red stain the insides in a circular pattern. Charlotte then said, "I'd like to propose a toast. Here's to my new best friend, and some changes we both desperately need."