Chapter 41. Game on, Thompson

Joan POV

I'd taken a few days off from work to help Rhoda plan her birthday party. When I wasn't planning, I was writing. Shayne had reached out to me a couple of times to ask how the manuscript was coming along. She was the best editor—when she wasn’t micromanaging me. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen often.

Rhoda had gone all out with the decorations, as if she'd forgotten it was Aaron's house she was using. Speaking of Aaron, he’d given her a second chance to host the party and, surprisingly, hadn’t made an issue about me attending. But then again, Aaron wasn’t a man who repeated himself. If he said something once, he meant it.

“You think this makeup suits my skin tone?” Rhoda asked as we sat in the salon. The makeup artist was applying finishing touches, her brow slightly furrowed as if she were silently judging Rhoda's doubt.

I glanced up from my phone, taking in her face. “It’s perfect. The color really works for your sk