The girls, at least, gave her sympathy. Between the four of them, they managed to scrounge temporary places to work. It took a few hours, lots of phone calls, and an order of Chinese food to get everything right.
“So Tommie and I will be out in Green Lake,” Rena recapped. She and Marla had gone to cosmetology school together and been friends ever since. “Stella, you’re filling in at Winnie’s.”
“Yep.” Stella munched on a second helping of cashew chicken. “Works for me.”
“And Nicky, you said you’re going to work out of your house?”
Nicky sighed. “It’s not ideal, but I did that before I joined you. And I’d rather be there for my kids when they come home from school. We’re having homework issues lately.”
“Okay then.” Rena sighed. “That took a lot of work. But we’ve updated the clients, so it looks like we’re all set…for however long it takes to get the place fixed.”
Thinking about the hell they’d gone through and how hard she’d worked to fund her store and find the right location made everything seem unbearable.
“Whoa. Now you cry?” Tommie pulled her into a hug.
“What’s up,chica?” Stella asked, joining the hug. “We’ll be good. You’ll see.”
Nicky nodded. “It’s hitting you, isn’t it? I thought you seemed pretty calm. Hell, I’m feeling stressed too.”
Embarrassed she’d lost it when she’d been doing so well, Rena reached for the box of tissues and grabbed one. She blew her nose and everyone backed off.
“Whoa.”
“Ew.” Tommie made the sign of the cross. “What demon just screamed through your nose holes?”
“You mean her nostrils?” Nicky rolled her eyes. “But, yeah, that big old blow ain’t very ladylike.”
Rena snorted, then her eyes leaked some more. “It’s not just the salon.”
“Let me guess.” Stella said some words in Spanish. “Heller’s being a dick.”
“Kind of. He’s confusing the crap out of me.” Rena wondered how much to share, then decided to share it all. When had she ever not? “Axel’s been so supportive. He’s been kind and sweet. And even though his gifts are weird, he means well.” Which made her sad because she hadn’t gotten anything today. She didn’t care about the actual present; she loved the thought behind the gesture. “I mean, last night he was nothing but supportive. He ran me a bath and held me when I cried. And he told me how pretty and great I am. Then this morning he lookedthroughme and told me to get out. He needed space.” She sighed. “I just don’t understand the man.”
Stella shrugged. “Does he take medication?”
“Stella.” Nicky shook her head.
“What? It’s a thing. I’ve got a few friends who need medication to balance their moods.”
“Well, I guess that’s true, he could have a condition.” Rena frowned. “But I don’t think that’s it. He was fine until his brother showed up.”
The room grew silent.
“Oooo.” Tommie leaned forward. “What’s his brother like?”
Rena had to smile. “Like Heller but without the facial hair, wearing a killer suit, with a killer haircut and looking like a million bucks. They look like twins, except Maksim, his brother, is maybe an inch or two shorter.”
Tommie fanned herself. “I’m in love.”
“His brother arrived, so I left them privacy with an excuse about grabbing a shower. But I made it a fast one because I didn’t want to miss too much. They were arguing in German, so I couldn’t really understand anything. But Axel sounded so mad. Then I think his brother saw me because he switched to English and said that their dad would hate me.”
“Oh boy.” Tommie winced.
Stella’s eyes narrowed. “What did Heller say?”
“That’s what’s weird. First he said, ‘Fuck him.’ Then when Maksim asked if that was why Axel was with me, because his dad wouldn’t like me, Axel switched back to German.”
“Frankly, I can’t see Heller doing anything he doesn’t want to do,” Stella said.
