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“Yeah, but you always have that silly straw hat on your head,” Hannah pointed out.
Her girls knew her well when she tried not to expose much of her life. She supposed she did a good enough job telling the things that didn’t matter for them to never suspect there was more.
“It wasn’t on for some of the day,” she said. “And you are never here early, Cat. Why are you?”
“I couldn’t sleep last night and figured I might as well come in and do something with my hair.”
“What are you doing this time?” Hannah asked.
“I think I’m going teal. It’s a nice summer color. I need a change,” Cat said. “I was hoping you could help me get the bleach on my ends before your appointment today and then I can take care of the rest myself.”
“Of course,” Vivian said. “Go mix it up. I’ve got Camile Shields coming in first thing this morning.”
“I can help too,” Hannah said. “I’ve just got Blair coming in.”
“Maybe Blair will have a dream for one of us,” Cat said. “I love when your cousin comes in and tells us what she’s dreamed about.”
“We know what yours will say,” Hannah said.
“What’s that?” Cat asked as she mixed the bleach for her hair.
“Time to change your color again and go out and have some fun,” Hannah said.
Cat snorted. “That is pretty much my life. Though there isn’t much around here for me to have fun like I’m used to. I think a trip into one of the cities is in store soon.”
By that, Cat meant, NYC at the least, but normally Boston for the weekend. Vivian was still stunned when Hannah rented the chair to Cat from NYC. Vivian was the first one here, then Cat, and last Jenna.
Cat had been living in New York City and she’d acted as if she was the life of the party when she walked in with bright green and yellow hair, long dangling earrings and bold glaring eyeshadow matching her hair.
The more Vivian got to know Cat, the more she realized that was exactly who Cat was, but sweet with it.
Cat had insisted she needed a change of pace even if Vivian wasn’t sure how it would work out. Cat explained that life had to slow down for her. She came from a long line of drinkers and partiers and she’d seen one too many stumble into the rabbit hole and drink their life away.
Cat wasn’t going to do that, and to prevent it from happening, it meant she had to leave the action that called her in.
So Colonie it was.
“You should treat yourself,” Hannah said. “You and Vivian made the biggest life changes moving here. I never did find out why you wanted to, Vivian.”
She always avoided this conversation as best as she could. “I needed a change. I know you girls like to say I’ve got a polished look or the big city on me, but Chicago never felt right for me.”
It wasn’t a lie. She went and she stayed because she had no choice. And with her only family no longer with her, then there was nothing holding her there either.
Would she have loved to go back to California? Maybe, but not LA. The wine country possibly. Rolling hills, fewer people, the quiet life.
Being on the other end of the country, she hoped to have that plus the anonymity.
Cat finished mixing everything, then sat in a chair with a smock on and Vivian got to work quickly painting the lightening mixture on Cat’s hot pink ends.
“The grass isn’t always greener,” Hannah said.
“Yes, it is,” Jenna said, walking in with a box of donuts. “I’m PMSing and I need sugar and chocolate. Don’t let me eat all these. And what are we talking about with the grass being greener? Anything is better than here.”
“No, it’s not,” Vivian said. “And don’t eat all of them or you’ll have a stomachache and be complaining all day and the customers don’t need to hear it.”
“I won’t eat them all,” Jenna said. “As long as you guys have some. Oh, what are you doing with your hair, Cat?”
“Teal. Time to change it up.”
