VANESSA FOUND HERSELF counting the minutes after she managed to wrangle the bathroom away from Cat. While her family joked that Vanessa always spent forever primping, Cat had greatly extended her time getting ready since moving in with Vanessa. She couldn't help but wonder if there was someone Cat was interested in at school, but figured she'd tell her in her own time, if and when she wanted to. At least today she'd been quick, not making much effort with her appearance in preparation to see a strange woman in her own house. That had given Vanessa plenty of time for herself. She'd paid more attention to her makeup than usual, trying to highlight her eyes. She wasn't sure why, but chalked it up to wanting to look more impressive. She always felt more confident with a full face of makeup and
