I stand and move a little closer, inspecting the short parts framing her face, as well as the jagged edges at the bottom that have been bitten by Cheese, making it look uneven and messy. “Hmm, I think that’s called karma,” I say, which gains me a slap on the chest from Flo, who’s trying not to cackle.
“Yep, and you’re going to help me fix it because going to a hair salon will cost a fortune. I’ll get my scissors.”
“Me? Why am I getting roped into this?”
One stern look from Flo has me shutting my mouth.
Ten minutes later, and Flo’s sitting on a chair with three cushions underneath her, so I’m eye level with the back of her head, with an old towel wrapped around her neck and a pair of scissors in my hand like I’m running some secret pop-up hair salon from the comfort of my own home.
The only issue, minus the fact that I don’t have insurance, is that I know absolutely nothing about cutting women’s hair.
“Come on, Flo, can’t you just get it fixed professionally? I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.”
“And fork out a fortune for a ten-minute haircut?”
“I canpay—”
She’s already waving her hand to stop me from talking. “Don’t even go there. If you won’t do it, give them to me. I’ll try.” Flo attempts to reach back to take the scissors from my grasp, but I edge away.
“No, you won’t be able to see the back, and you’ll probably cut yourself. I’ll do it.” Taking a deep breath, listening out for Leo’s laughter from his room, I let out a curse word.
“Don’t take too much off. Keep what you can.”
“So… a Rapunzel brown bob kind of thing? Got it.”
Flo quickly turns to narrow her blues at me. “You know aboutthat, but not Squidward? You’re a strange man, West.”
“Hold still, or I’ll accidentally slice your vocal cords.”
“Yeah, sure,accidentally,” she mumbles under her breath as I use the comb she gave me to brush her hair out, snipping at the ends.
With one hand on her shoulder to balance myself, I wield the scissors carefully. I should be focusing on her hair, but all I’m able to zero in on is how her rounded shoulder feels underneath my palms. Flo’s skin is smooth and hot. The rhythm of her heartbeat shifts, the quiet thumping calming me. It’s a simple touch, a way to make sure I don’t fuck up her hair, but my pulse reacts as if it’s something more.
Electricity surges through my digits.
“Evan?”
“Yes?” My voice is ragged.
“You haven’t cut for like thirty seconds… is it okay?”
Oh, shit.
Focus, Evan. Get back to it.
“Yeah, I was just making sure it was even.”
Releasing her shoulder, I come to the conclusion that if I’m touching this woman, I can’t pay attention to anything else, so my hand needs to remain by my side.
The ends are a little blunt once I’m done with the back, but I do my best with the tools I’m given. Luckily, Flo doesn’t have any layers—I believe that’s what Gracie calls them—so it makes it easier for me to cut off the jaggedness created by the fluffball upstairs with my son. There’s no need to take it too short. It now sits just below her breasts, which, in my opinion, is still far too much hair to be able to handle every day.
Although it’s still long enough to wrap around my hands when—
“Okay, what do you think? Cut a fringe?” Flo says as she stands, pulling the shorter, wispier parts out from behind her ears. The shorter length of them actually looks intentional, and frames her face pretty well.
“You wantmyopinion? A man?” I tilt my head at her.
Smirking, Flo pries the scissors from my fingers and laughs, beginning to snip at the slightly uneven ends of the front pieces she’s holding. “Okay, no fringe. Thank you.”
