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Brian Bradshaw—too good to be true.
She banged her skull back against the head rest. She had believed all the things he’d said, wanted to believein him.
Whenever they spoke, he really looked at her. Listened to her. As though he could see into her soul. Like he appreciated what made her unique. What a fool she’d been getting sucked in by his niceness, his consideration, his patience, his empathy. His hotness.
His whole brand.
Was any of it real?
The only thing she should have put her faith in was the power of the blue wall. Cops stuck together. The proof was right in front of her, wrapping up their football game.
Brian slung an arm around Seth, clasping his shoulder, like they were close chums. All the guys headed to the parking lot.
A little knife twisted in her chest. He had been holding out on her. Not telling her every little detail was understandable. This was major. Tantamount to lying.
In an hour or two, Seth would probably be at the. The idea of Brian being there with him, and the rest of the fellas, made her stomach turn.
Then it struck her. That’s why he had given her a key. So he didn’t have to wait at his house for her and was free to hang out with Seth. His good pal. She wanted to spit the disgust from her mouth.
Well, she’d be there, too. It was time she found out what was going on inside that club and why Aubrey had lied to her.
No more lies. She was going to get to the truth.
She backed out of the lot across the street from the field and drove to a salon she’d been to a couple of times. Hair Dreams and Beyond. They specialized in makeovers and wigs.
At the reception counter, she put down her credit card. “I don’t have an appointment. But I need someone to make me look totally different. Like a new person. Right now. Whatever the cost, I’ll pay double.”
The receptionist spun in her chair. “Carey! I’ve got a client for you. She wants the Lover’s Quarrel special, and she’s in a rush.”
“Let me grab a pop! Send her back.”
The receptionist whirled back around. “Go on. Last chair on the right.”
Charlie marched back and plopped down in the chair. She dumped her purse on the floor and drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair. And waited.
She remembered she’d told Dustin she would close tonight. Now her plans had changed. Groaning, she dug her phone out of her handbag and called him. “Hey, do we have anyone scheduled for any training sessions tonight?”
“We did. But they called to cancel, and I just finished the last group class of the day.”
“And no word from Teddy?”
“Nope.”
She shook her head in frustration. “He’s been dodging my calls, not picking up.” She didn’t want to fire the guy in a voice mail, but it was looking like that was what she’d have to do. “Get out of there. Post a note on the website and on the front door. Say that we’ll be closing early for the next week.” She’d have to call any clients scheduled and apologize for the inconvenience. “Then lock up and skedaddle.”
“Okay. Sounds good. Don’t forget that I have to leave by four tomorrow. You’ll have to close.”
“Sure. No problem. I appreciate how flexible you’ve been.”
“Enough to give me a raise?” Dustin asked in a hesitant voice.
Well, she was down a trainer. Why not reward the dependable one. “We’ll talk about how much, but yes. You’ve earned one. Thanks, again.” She clicked off.
Finally, someone strutted through the hanging string beaded curtain, holding a can of Coke. “Bonsoir, cherie. My pronouns are they, them and theirs,” Carey said, wearing a low cut, formfitting top, slim pants and chunky platform boots. “What can I do for you? Do you want me to transform you into someone else or are you looking to slay, become so drop-dead gorgeous that we call it revenge?”
Deep down, slaying sounded like it’d be satisfying. She was angry enough to spit nails. “I need to look like a different person for a few hours. Nothing permanent. Feel free to wave your wand and add in the gorgeous, too. But I need you do it fast.”
“All possible, sugar. Although looking at you, I’m picking up way more spice than sweetness. How do you feel about going to the dark side?”
