“I’ll tell you later,” I said, eyeing my client in the mirror and narrowing my eyes at him.
Jackson crossed his legs and zipped his lips.
About twenty minutes later, Denise stepped out of my chair with a fresh blowout, running her fingers through her hair and smiling at her reflection. I gave her a quick wave as she left, then turned just in time to see Jackson standing up, eyeing me.
“Okay, spill,” he demanded.
There really was no escaping him. One time, he’d mentioned not liking his last salon because everyone was so boring. Once I’d gotten to know him, I’d wondered if they were boring, or just desperately attempting to hold on to a personal boundary.
“You were really holding that in, huh?” I asked.
“You were absent-minded the entire appointment. Denise and I talked more than you two did.”
I chewed my lip, debating where to start. He didn’t even know about the kiss the other night.
“What’s up?” Natalie bounced over, having just rung up her last client.
Crap. I was gaining an audience.
Miranda was the only person still working on someone’s highlights. I half-expected her to demand we go to the back, but she was lost in her own conversation, even throwing her head back to laugh occasionally.
“Oh, um, it’s nothing,” I said instinctively. Natalie was sweet. Honestly one of the nicest people I’d ever met. Which is exactly why I didn’t want to go full-force on her with all my drama.
“Tell us. Now.” Jackson glared at me. Natalie leaned against his chair, eyes wide with anticipation.
“Is it about Vermont? Have you figured anything out?” she asked. See? Sweet. Sometimes I didn’t even know if Jackson remembered my missing cat situation. He was a little self-absorbed like that. It was something I appreciated about him. Quick to gossip. Quick to forget. He was real.
“It’s not about Vermont. Not really.”
“It’s about Reid,” Jackson said, even though I hadn’t confirmed that yet. Funny, he forgot about my actual issues, but when it came to any sort of possible relationship drama, he had the memory of an elephant.
“Ruby’s brother,” Natalie confirmed. I remembered a conversation I’d had with Ruby and Natalie weeks ago over lunch. Ruby had mentioned wanting to set up Reid and Natalie. That they’d be perfect for each other. Given her soft, quiet demeanor, I couldn’t help but think Ruby was right. They would complement each other nicely. Unlike me.
“There’s nothing to tell,” I conceded.
Jackson squeezed his eyes shut and took in a dramatic breath. “Hazel, I swear if you don’t tell me what’s going on right now?—”
“Okay, okay. Geez. Don’t be dramatic.”
The two of them stared at me expectantly.
“We kissed,” I blurted it out. Jackson gasped and Natalie smiled. A genuine one. She probably didn’t even remember Ruby’s one-off comment. I only did because I couldn’t help but notice Ruby’d said nothing about settingmeup with someone.
“And?” Jackson pressed.
“And…that’s it. It was the night before last. He rescued me after a shitty night out and we got to talking, and next thing I knew we were kissing.”
“You kissed him, or he kissed you?” Jackson asked.
I tried to think back on it. Who had initiated it exactly? “Does it matter?”
“Yes,” he said while Natalie shook her head, “No.”
“I think it was him.”
“And you like him?” Natalie asked.
“I don’t know.” I chewed on my lip, tasting the lie. After a brief moment, I tossed my head back in defeat. “Ugh, yes, I do.”
