“You already do,” I murmured, rising up on my toes to kiss him.
When I pulled back, his ears were still pink but his shoulders had relaxed completely.
“Just like you take care of me.” He pulled me close for one more quick kiss before we headed out.
Lou’s house sat tucked between aspens about ten minutes from the ranch, a small white bungalow that had belonged to her grandparents. Elowyn and I climbed the wide stairs to the porch together, and I could already see Penny through the front window, coloring at the kitchen table.
“She’s been excited all morning,” Elowyn grinned, knocking once before pushing the door open. “Lou! We’re here!”
“In the kitchen!” Lou called back. “Come on through!”
The inside was cozy and well-loved, with photos on the walls,Penny’s artwork on the fridge, and a pair of pink cowboy boots by the door.
Lou appeared in the doorway, blonde hair pulled high into a bun, wearing an old t-shirt with bleach stains. “Hey! Perfect timing. I just finished mixing everything.”
“This is way more organized than most salons I’ve been to,” I took in the setup. Towels were laid out, foils already prepped, and bottles of color lined the counter.
“Lou takes this very seriously,” Elowyn settled into a chair at the table. “I learned that the hard way when I suggested we just wing it once.”
“You wanted me to freehand your highlights,” Lou shot back. “Without sectioning. Like some kind of animal.”
I laughed, my shoulders relaxing.
“Okay,” Lou gestured to the chair near the counter. “Who’s first? Alex, you want to get your roots done while I’m setting up El’s foils?”
I sat down, and Lou draped a cape around my shoulders, securing it without strangling me.
“Just the roots, right? And maybe a trim?”
“Yeah. I’ve been up here over a month.” My cheeks warmed. “Usually, I’m at the salon every four weeks like clockwork.”
“Well, we can’t have that,” Lou started sectioning my hair with clips. “El’s good with scissors. Between the two of us, we’ll get you sorted.”
Elowyn was already pulling out her phone, showing Penny something that made her giggle.
“So,” Lou began as she started applying color to my roots. “How’s everything? Elena leaves today, right?”
“Yeah, this afternoon once her last session with Finn is done.” I relaxed into the comforting feel of the color brush against my scalp. “Overall, everything went well. Really well, actually. She gave us some tools, validated a lot of what he’s already been doing.”
“And how are you doing?” Elowyn asked from the table.
“I’m good. We’re good. It was hard for a bit there, but we’re in a really solid place now.”
“Good,” Lou said simply, sectioning off another piece of hair. “Both of you deserve to be happy.”
The conversation flowed easily after that, moving from Finn to ranch gossip and Penny’s upcoming school year. Lou finished my roots and moved on to setting up Elowyn’s foils while I sat with the color processing, the chemical smell familiar and oddly comforting.
“Those tents near the tree line at the ranch,” I said after a while, catching both their attention, “I’ve love to know more.”
“My glamping project.” Elowyn’s face lit up. “What about them?”
“Finn said they’re not quite ready for guests yet, but...” I took a breath, committing to being direct. “Is there any chance we could use one? For the Fourth?”
The silence lasted maybe two seconds before Lou and Elowyn made nearly identical faces.
“Oh,” Lou’s smile was immediate and knowing. “Oh, El thishasto happen for them. Please.”
“Say no more,” Elowyn was already grinning. “I’ll make sure everything’s perfect. Which one do you want? There’s one with the best mountain view, or there’s the one that’s most private—”
