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It’s another crazy weekend at the salon and Damien seems extremely distracted.
Chapter 16
Bella
“I want to speak to your manager.” Spits the extremely hairy woman in front of me.
“I am the manager, and I am asking you and your family to leave.” Mike appears behind me.
“You heard the boss, out!” The woman, her daughters and god knows who else the other three family members were she brought to one of her daughters haircut appointments, finally leave the salon.
“Right guys, I need this whole area sterilising along with the equipment and trolley, the gown needs going on a boiled wash. In fact, just bag it and bin it.” Seriously, I will never understand some people.
My last client was a teenage girl. She came into the salon with a full family entourage.
The appointment was for a cut and blow dry. I seated her at my station and started to carry out my consultation. When sectioning the girl’s black hair, the underneath looked grey. Confused I looked closer and to my horror realised that the hair was so covered with head lice and eggs it had made her hair look grey.
I was very polite at first but there’s no getting through to some people, it went something like this:
“I’m so sorry, I will be unable to do your daughters hair today, she has headlice.” I say to the mother as quietly and respectfully as I can. The woman looks at me in confusion. I can tell her first language isn’t English, so at first, I am not sure she has understood, but she eventually speaks.
“I know this. This why we come for haircut. To get rid of insect.”
“I can’t carry out any services on her hair for risk of cross infection unfortunately. There’s a chemist just down the road, they will recommend suitable products. If you get her treated, I will gladly book her back in and restyle her hair.”
“No, you cut her hair now. We no leaving until she had haircut.”
And you know the rest. I feel extremely sorry for the girl. She must have had those lice for a long time. It must be extremely uncomfortable. It’s child neglect really.
Saturday evening Damien takes me out for dinner. Frank takes us again and I’m starting to wonder why. Frank is not just a driver, he is a trained bodyguard, unlike our usual driver George. Damien must still be fearing for my safety. It will probably be because of the situation with Chloe. The sooner they find him the better for all of us. Frank takes us out of town to a little family-owned Italian restaurant. Italian is my favourite.
Damien opens the door for me and pulls out my chair for me to sit down. Always the perfect gentleman. The restaurant is typical old Italian, with its red, green and white tablecloth and napkins. The candles are in the top of old wine bottles and there are different colours of hard wax dripping down the sides. It’s a lovely cosy atmosphere. We are seated at a table for two. Damien’s big knees touch mine under the table. He takes my hand in his and looks at me with those big, deep, dark eyes. Tingles spread throughout my body making me warm inside.
“I love you Bella King.”
“Love you too Damien King.” I know he can be a grump and lose his temper, but he would never hurt me or our baby. I trust him with all my heart and if he thinks we need protecting for whatever reason, I won’t fight him on that.
Monday comes around and I am out shopping with my new friend Anna. Anna is really lovely. She tells me all about her husband and he’s very much like Damien. He has a demanding powerful job and a short fuse but is always exceptionally kind to her. This is their first baby too and she is the same weeks pregnant as me give or take a few days. It’s like she was sent from Chloe to look after me until she returns. I have been feeling so lost without her. Katie and Tiffany are great, but I don’t feel I can share any personal details about my relationship with Damien with them, as technically I am Katie’s boss and Damien is Tiffany’s.
We meet at Starbuck’s and get Caramel Frappuccino’s, which seem to be becoming a craving of mine. Then we go to Mamas and Papas and coo over all the baby stuff. It’s so nice having someone to do this with. We stop for lunch, and I notice Frank lurking about outside.
“So, what’s the deal with your driver then? He hardly takes his eyes off you. It seems wherever you are, there he is a few feet behind?”
“He’s kind of a bodyguard as well as a driver.”
“A bodyguard? What do you need a bodyguard for?”
“Nothing really, Damien is just really overprotective.”
“A bit over the top I’d say.” I don’t expect Anna to understand, and I won’t be explaining myself to her in any more detail. I don’t want to go through the whole ‘John’ scenario. I change the subject back to babies and we continue with our lunch.
“Let’s have dessert?”
“No honestly, I’m full up.” And I’m actually feeling a bit sick.
“I think I’m going to go home if that’s ok Anna?”
“Sure, I’ll see you on Thursday at yoga?”
