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“Oh.” I was at a loss for words. Learning that Seth was single caused my hands to sweat.
“You really should spend some time together while he’s here. Bury the hatchet.”
“I’m not sure if I want to go into all that with him. It’s so far in the past, and he’ll be leaving soon enough, and things can get back to normal.” My life was normal, safe, and rarely dished out a lot of drama.
“I’m still not convinced. Nothing is impossible. Especially during the holidays.”
But it was, wasn’t it? I replied, “You’re such a romantic.” Saying those words reminded me of the book I’d read last night.
“Hey, do you remember Miss Chambers from school?” I asked.
Sierra nodded. “Yes, she was super nice.”
“My dad brought a book from the old school library that she’d written.”
“Oh, you mean the one that guarantees its reader true love and a happily-ever-after?” Sierra grinned. “I remember hearing about it ages ago, but I’ve never seen it.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled, remembering the dreamy love story. “It is wonderful. Obviously, I don’t believe that about the happily-ever-after stuff, but it’s such a sweet story.”
“Maybe I’ll read it when you’re done. It couldn’t hurt, right?”
“I’d like to take a little more time with it and maybe re-read it. I’ll hand it off to you when I’m done.” I couldn’t wait to revisit the little book that had captured my attention so completely.
“Sounds good. Now that I’m all warmed up, I’ll get out of your hair so that you can get back to work.” Standing from the booth, Sierra re-wrapped the scarf around her neck.
“Stay warm out there.”
With the colder weather, I noticed that business was slower than usual, even for a Monday, so when Daddy came in, I opted to go home and take some time to prepare what I could for dinner tomorrow.
I stopped by the restroom on my way out, and when I looked in the mirror, I realized how badly I needed a haircut and color. It couldn’t hurt to call my hairstylist and make an appointment while I was thinking about it. I wasn’t super high-maintenance where my looks were concerned, so my hair didn’t usually take up much space in my thoughts.
I dialed Marti, my hair person, whose salon I’d frequented since high school.
He answered. “Hey there, sweet cheeks. Are you finally going to let me get ahold of your head?” Marti was a friend too.
“Hi there. Yes, it’s past time, isn’t it?”
“What are you doing right now? I just had a client cancel last-minute.”
“I was headed to Daddy’s house to cook some of tomorrow’s dinner. But I could come over there first, I guess.” The cooking could wait a couple of hours, I supposed. I would tell Daddy I’d be there for the dinnertime rush.
“Come on over then. See you in a minute, honey.”
Getting from the diner to the Cut ‘n Curl only took a couple of minutes on foot, as it was just down the street from the diner. The bells on the door jingled as I entered. “Oooh, look who the cat dragged in.” This came from Jimmy, Marti’s partner. They’d been together as a couple since the end of high school and opened the salon right after completing cosmetology school.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve already heard it from Marti.” But I winked at him, taking the edge off my words.
Marti was folding towels near the shampoo bowls and motioned me over. “Let’s get you shampooed, friend.” He pointed to the shampoo bowl beside where he stood.
I deposited my purse on the shelf beside it and sat. I dipped my head back into Marti’s capable hands. “Thanks for seeing me.”
“Whenever I spot you going in and out of that diner, I want to flag you down and drag you inside. I can’t wait to get my hands on your gorgeous hair. I heard Seth was back, so I assume you want the works, right?” He sounded positively giddy.
“Why would I need the works because of Seth?” Why did everyone keep acting like I was trying to somehow get Seth back in my life? I wasn’t.
“Oh, girl, I’ve known you since we were kids. And I remember how it was with the two of you.” He turned on the sprayer and proceeded to begin the shampoo.
“This isn’t because of Seth. I just need a haircut.” I shut that subject down but could feel myself relaxing under his massaging fingers.
