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Chapter4
Cindy buzzed with nervous energy the next day as she cut hair, made conversation with clients, ran credit cards and booked follow-up appointments. It was like any other day at the salon, but nothing about it felt normal as she counted the seemingly endless hours until she could go to the Beachcomber and tell Jace what she’d decided.
Would he go for the one-month trial period, or would he hold out for something more definite? If she proposed the trial, would that change the easy groove of the friendship they’d formed over the last couple of months?
God, she hoped not. Her conversations with him had become such a source of enjoyment for her, and she looked forward to the time she spent with him, even if she had to share him with his other customers. She loved how he always made his way back to her once he’d tended to everyone else.
What if being roommates changed everything and not for the better?
Ugh, she couldn’t bear that.
“Are you all right, Cindy?” Linda McCarthy asked after a long period of silence. “You seem distracted today.”
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. McCarthy.”
“I told you to call me Linda, and don’t be sorry.”
The comment resurrected a painful memory of her father backhanding her brother Josh for calling an adult by his first name, even after the man had told the Lawry kids to call him Tom.
“Thank you, Linda,” Cindy said, undone by the recollection she’d much sooner forget. But that was the general’s legacy. He was always there, lurking beneath the surface, ready to undercut any progress his children made in escaping him. “And I’m fine. Sorry to be quieter than usual.”
“Don’t you worry about that. You’re not here to entertain me.”
“Aren’t I, though? I was taught a good haircut comes with a dose of gossip, or it’s not a good haircut.”
Linda laughed. “I love that.”
“I learned everything I know about this business at a salon called Laverne’s. It was right out of Steel Magnolias. You’ve seen that movie, right?”
“Of course. It’s a classic, and I can picture your Laverne’s based on the reference.”
“It was such a great place, outside of Dallas. Everyone knew everyone, and there was no such thing as privacy of any kind.”
“Sounds like Gansett.”
“I guess it does,” Cindy said, laughing. “So, what’s the latest news on Gansett?”
“Well, let’s see. With the season ending, everyone’s looking forward to things slowing down, as it does every year in September. We’re counting down to Big Mac’s nephew Riley’s wedding to Nikki Stokes in November, and the arrival of some more grandchildren this winter. Our sons Grant and Evan are both expecting with their wives, Stephanie and Grace. And then Adam and Abby are expecting quads in the spring.”
“I was talking to Mallory about that. I can’t imagine four babies.”
“Abby couldn’t either until there they were—and after she was told she probably couldn’t have kids.”
“It’s a miracle.”
“She’s trying to see it that way, but they’ll have five little ones all at once, counting their son, Liam.”
“Wow.”
“We’ll be there to help, though.”
“She’s lucky to have family nearby.”
“For sure. We’ll also be working on the new spa at the hotel and the wedding venue at the old alpaca farm.”
“You’ve got a lot going on.”
“We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
