Page 19 of A Simple Regret

She chuckles. “You think? I mean, as a parent, you want your child to be polite and not shy. Theo’s never met a stranger. It was part of the reason I decided we were better suited for small-town living. There’s a lot of strangers in the city, and it scared me.”

I don’t have time to reply to her statement, because it’s our turn to order. “Next? Hi, Camden,” Catie, the owner of the coffee shop greets.

“Hey, Catie. Can I get a large black coffee with two creams and two sugars, and…” I turn and look at Maren, my eyebrow raised.

She looks at me for a brief second, and I honestly think she’s going to decline my offer. Whatever. I don’t care. Either way, the moment I have my coffee I’m gone. And I can distance myself from her once more.

Except I told her I’d take a look at her little SUV later…

CHAPTER

SIX

Maren

“Earth to Maren.”

I blink and make eye contact with my client, Rosa, through the mirror. “What?”

She chuckles. “You’ve been zoned out and brushing that same part of my head for a solid minute.”

My eyes widen and I move to set the brush down. “I’m so sorry. I’m distracted. I’m not usually this unprofessional,” I insist, grabbing the straight iron and preparing to add some volume to her dark hair.

She giggles and asks, “Is it at least a man? I mean, if you’re going to be distracted, let’s hope it’s because there’s a guy.”

“Oh, uh, no,” I reply, adding straightener curls. “Nothing like that.” Even though it’s kind of exactly like that. “My car wouldn’t start today.” My eyes automatically flick over to the coffee sitting on my counter.

“Ugh, that sucks. Things like that can really fuck up your whole day,” she says.

“It can, for sure,” I readily agree, still trying to not think about my short time with Camden this morning.

“At least you got coffee,” she adds, her dark eyes sparkling.

“True.” I leave out the part it was the man I’m trying not to think about who purchased said coffee.

“Good coffee always makes everything better. That and chocolate.”

I grin and complete her curls. When I spray down her hair with a flexible hairspray, I gently pick them apart, which gives her hair a nice, natural look. “What do you think?”

She beams at me through the mirror, turning her head to the side. “I love it,” she proclaims.

I hold up a mirror so she can see the back, and when she nods her approval, I return the mirror to the hook and remove the cape. Once I have that hanging too, I hold the chair while she stands and follow her to the front counter.

“Would you like to book a next appointment, or do you prefer to reach out when you’re ready?” I ask, even though she’s already told me she tries to get her hair cut every eight weeks.

“Let’s go ahead and book it now. This way it’s on my calendar,” Rosa states, pulling out her cell phone and her calendar app.

I give her a few days and time options, and considering I’ve just started at the salon this week and I’m building my clientele, it’s wide open. Of course, I’m not going to tell her that outright. Rosa picks her date and time, and it feels good to slowly be adding clients to my schedule. I know it’s going to take time, but thankfully, there’s enough business to add another stylist to the mix, and from what Jenn told me, I’ll still be able to pay my bills and put food on the table.

For now, I’m happy to take the walk-ins, and there have been a handful each day. Mostly men, but that’s fine with me. I’m happy to give them a quick cut and keep them moving about their day.

After Rosa leaves, I swiftly clean up my station, sweeping up the hair and wiping down my chair.

“Maren, there’s a request for a cut and color this afternoon. I don’t see anything on your schedule. Do you want it?”

“Yes, please,” I reply, my heart beating fast at the thought of getting two appointments in one day. “I’ll make it work.”

She nods and returns to the phone.