Page 67 of My Girlfriend is Not the Father

The journalist had sent a list of preliminary questions a few days ago. Things ranging from what made her salon unique to why she thought the community gravitated towards it, how she’d managed to grow the business so quickly, and what made her the proudest about her salon. One question, however, was what made her decide to move here from Chicago. She emailed and asked if she could strike that question as it was a ‘personal family matter’. This interview was not the time to dive into her gut-wrenching divorce and need for a fresh start.

Jade cleared her throat. Rehearsal time. ‘Honestly, I think the community rallied so much because when you step into the shop, it feels like family.’ Ugh. Did that sound idiotic? She’d said this line twenty times in the past few days, but now she was questioning every word.

The word family didn’t flow. She tried to ignore the drop in her stomach as her thoughts turned to Shayna. Since Jade had fired her, she had not heard one single word from Shayna. Every time Jade thought about the situation, she turned queasy. She really hadn’t taken the time to process what happened, the betrayal, and the sadness that followed.

But she’d taken action. That was the most important thing, right?

She shook her head and pulled into the parking lot. ‘The stylists try hard to learn the names of regulars, even if they aren’t clients. And the rumour is that I have the best tea cookies in town.’ That was supposed to be funny, but maybe people would get confused. Should she talk about having the quickest balayage application in the Midwest, or keep it about the cookies? Ugh.

After turning off the ignition, she checked for mascara flakes in the vanity mirror. She paused and looked at herself. ‘You did it,’ she whispered with a grin. Damn right. Without Elizabeth, without her family, even without Lucy. The community had nominated her for this award based on her hard work, merit, their love for her salon, and Jade’s grit. She had something that was truly just hers.

I fucking did it.

If the fresh snow hadn’t been a potential safety hazard, she would’ve skipped across the parking lot.

A solid cup of coffee down, two clients completed, and the door jingled.

‘Mrs Dieterman.’ Jade held out her arm. ‘I got fresh cookies for you.’

Mrs Dieterman whooshed away the comment and gripped Jade. ‘Today’s the big day, huh?’ She had an uncharacteristic smile. ‘Getting interviewed by the paper.’

Her chest fluttered, and Jade bit back a grin. Last week, after her weekly shampoo set, Jade had mentioned the article in passing.

And Mrs Dieterman had remembered.

Mrs Dieterman’s gaze flickered up and down Jade, from head to toe, a deep frown on her face. ‘Tell me you’re not wearing this outfit for the pictures.’ She sat in the shampoo chair and lowered her head slowly back into the sink. ‘Promise me you’ll wear a nice shirt, for God’s sake. Not much we can do about that pink hair of yours, but at least a button-down should help.’

God, Jade loved her brutal honesty. Reminded her of her shoot-from-the-hip grandma, who was borderline rude, sure – but always full of good intentions. Jade laughed and tugged at her off-the-shoulder, ripped Nirvana sweatshirt with a black bralette. ‘So … not this?’

Mrs Dieterman scowled but quickly softened. ‘Back in the day, the a.m. radio station interviewed me. That was a huge deal, you know.’

Jade lathered Mrs Dieterman’s hair and began scrubbing. ‘What were you interviewed for?’

‘I had won a barrel shooting contest at the local county fair. Beat out the men, too. I ended up going to five different county fairs that year to compete and won four of the five.’

Wow. Mrs Dieterman’s cool factor had just skyrocketed. ‘No way. That’s really impressive. Wish I would’ve been around to see it.’

Suds rolled down the drain, and Jade brought her back to the station.

‘The attention after the interview surprised me,’ Mrs Dieterman said, settling into the chair. ‘I was a local celebrity, if even for a moment. You have all these news stations, and this internet crap. Back then, we didn’t even have television. People glued themselves to their radio just like you kids glue yourselves to your phones.’

‘Such a different time, huh?’ Jade snapped the cape around Mrs Dieterman’s neck and grabbed the rollers.

‘So, I say, you better prepare yourself for some stardom.’

A blush swept Jade’s cheeks. ‘I don’t think it will be quite like that. I suppose we might get a few new clients from the article, but …’ Or maybe more?

Jade had come into her happiness last year, after mending her heart and stepping into her life here. Getting the salon off the ground, meeting Lucy, the dads, even Chucky … Jade was blissfully content. Her mind drifted, and for the first time in forever, she dreamed.

What if this article did kickstart something bigger? Maybe it would bring in so many clients that she’d have to expand or, or!, she’d open a chain. Years ago, she’d created a mood board, cutting out pictures from hairstyling and décor magazines, envisioning what a second salon’s name would be. Jade the 2nd? Or Jade’s East? Jade Part Two? The thrill had energised her for weeks until reality set in and marriage issues took over. When she moved to Minnesota, Jade had tossed that board into the trash and scolded herself for being so naïve.

But what if this article, or perhaps winning the award, was the key turning point? Maybe that mood board would become reality after all. Maybe it was time to pull that dream out of the garbage …

‘Well, I tell ya. I’m just real proud of you,’ Mrs Dieterman said. ‘Be as humble as you want, but don’t sell yourself short on what a big deal this is. There are hundreds and hundreds of salons in the Twin Cities and beyond. Tough competition. And you are a damn finalist. Be proud.’

God, if it wasn’t straight out of the ‘what not to do with a client’ handbook, Jade would’ve hugged Mrs Dieterman and squeezed for an uncomfortably long time. Be proud. Where had she last heard those words? She wracked her brain. Maybe when she was a freshman in high school and her team won the basketball championship? After bucking her parents’ life plan for her, they definitely didn’t say they were proud when she graduated from ‘beauty school’, or when she opened her salon, or started a new life.

But suddenly, these words were filling a hole that she hadn’t realised even existed.