There were seven of us out—Linda, Rachel, Charli, Vivi, Toni, Gail and myself. Toni and Gail didn't work Fridays but still liked joining the girls for drinks. They were clearly used to socializing together and wasted no time launching into the latest gossip and catching up on each other's personal lives. I had no choice but to quietly listen in.
Rachel was in a long-distance relationship with someone in Denver and was considering moving there within the following year. I made a mental note that I would probably need to replace her if that was the case. Linda and her husband were saving for IVF. I tuned out when she started going into detail about her fertility cycle. Charli had just come out of a long-term relationship and was dipping her toe into the dating pool. She asked me for advice, and I almost snorted my drink out. She'd have better luck asking a nun.
Vivi, Toni, and Gail were happily online dating and were attempting to talk Charli into signing up. I’d done online dating for a week before I realized that most of my matches were dudes I’d already fucked. Commitment-phobes, despite what lies they carefully curated on their profile. Or maybe they just weren't interested in a relationship with me.
The conversation thankfully shifted topics without the girls badgering me about my personal life. They spoke briefly about work and chatted about our clients. I didn't mind them confiding with each other in private about the various personalities we served in our chairs; but I was very clear that in a public setting, we had to treat our customers with respect and discretion.
Working a service job was physically and emotionally draining. There were certain clients who treated us as their personal therapists and disclosed some truly heavy shit. Since we were basically kept hostage for sometimes upwards of ninety minutes, we had no choice but to listen as they trauma-dumped, whether we wanted to hear it or not.
Thankfully, my girls kept things impersonal, sticking to treatment advice and sharing tips. By the sounds of it, they had all built a great rapport with their usual clients. It made my chest swirl with pride and a little protectiveness that they were happy at my salon.
For the first forty minutes we were there, I sat quietly and just listened to their loud chatter. Some of it bored me after a while, so I let my eyes wander around the familiar decor of Malley's. The last time I’d been here was the night I met up with Logan. As humiliating and degrading as that experience was, a part of me was glad it happened. I had finally hit rock bottom, and the only way out was up.
I knew by now that I equated sex with love. A habit that started young and followed me well into adulthood. I always thought that if I gave myself sexually and succumbed to a man's every whim, then they would eventually fall in love with me. I had no idea how to break a habit that was ingrained in me from a young age, but I seemed to be doing well. All I had to do was keep away from my usual vices—namely, men.
I did briefly look into therapy, but I wasn't sure if it was right for me. The thought of making myself vulnerable and confiding my issues with a stranger didn't quite sit right with me. I already self-realized my problem, so I was already on the right path. Sure, I got slightly off-center with that asshole, Brian, but I was confident that I was back on track.
A peal of laughter pulled me out of my thoughts, and I instinctively plastered a polite smile. My legs were itching to leave, but I forced myself not to be rude. I turned my body towards the group more in an effort to appear relaxed.
As I glanced around the table, all six girls were looking me with expectant expressions.
"Sorry, what was that?" I belatedly asked. "The music's kinda loud." They were too polite to call me out on my lie.
"Are you planning on taking any vacation leave soon?" Rachel patiently quizzed. "Gary and I are thinking of heading to Aspen for the long weekend. I don't remember the last time you took time off."
"Ah, no." I grabbed my drink and took a long sip, finishing the contents. I placed it back on the table and observed everyone's eager faces, waiting for me to expand.
My eyes bounced around the group. I wasn't exactly sure what they expected from me but it was clear by their fading smiles that my lack of answer wasn't it. Linda cleared her throat in the awkwardness, no doubt regretting inviting me out.
"Well, shall we -"
"Being a business owner doesn't allow me much free time," I jerkily started.
I shook off my discomfort as I played with my paper straw. If I wanted to feel included within my team, I knew I needed to make an effort with them.
"But, there's a seminar I was thinking of attending in New York. It's run by the Sassoon Academy, and I was hoping to take Charli and Gail with me since they're our newest recruits."
A working vacation was right up my alley, and brushing up on the latest trends didn't hurt.
The two girls bounced in their seats, and I hid a wince as they both squealed. "Oh, my god, I've always wanted to attend one!" Gail gushed. "Please tell me you'll make it happen."
Charli reached across the table to grasp my hand, and it took everything in me not to jerk back at the touch. Instead, I worked at returning her infectious smile. Their enthusiasm was endearing, I had to admit.
"I'll make it happen," I promised. It wasn't for another eight months, but it sold out fast. I made a note to purchase tickets when I got home tonight.
Charli and Gail grasped hands and did another ear-piercing squeal as they jiggled in their seats. My bored mood lifted as Linda waxed on at them about how informative and fun the seminars were. I'd paid for her to attend one over a year ago. I echoed Linda's sentiment and started an in-depth conversation about the latest hair and makeup trend we discovered last season.
The girls were glued to me as they soaked in every technical detail I shared about my time at the academy. The conversation shifted to our social pages and I chatted a bit about how I applied marketing ploys on our social media page. I was a novice when it came to TikTok but I found my rhythm with casual tutorials that were gaining popularity. Gail, the crew's youngest and apparently a social media aficionado, volunteered her services to me which I readily took her up on.
While I was showing Vivi and Toni a YouTube tutorial on an up-and-coming eyebrow trend, I felt a shiver go down the group. I glanced up and tensed when I spied a blonde woman glaring at me.
"Lissa." I paused the video and placed my phone down as I cooly observed my former friend—and former employee.
Her blue eyes were dull and glassy as she glowered at me with such trained hatred it caused a trickle of dread to snake down my spine. She was swaying slightly on her feet, clearly drunk. Jesus, it was barely 8 PM.
"Maria," she snickered. She glanced at everyone before letting out a bark of conceited laughter. "Well, isn't this just fucking precious! Lost all your real friends, so you're left with this boring bunch of losers."
Rachel flinched next to me, and my temper soared in their defense. "Watch it, Lissa," I warned.
