"It is," I promised, feeling more certain with each passing second. "It's about Cade. For Cade." That was all I needed to say. At the mention of her name, Ryder's entire demeanour shifted,his movements becoming more purposeful as he followed me down the hallway.
"Is she okay?" he asked, concern edging his voice. "Did something happen?"
"She's fine," I assured him quickly. "She's with Luce. But I overheard them talking, and... I think I know something we can do to help. Something small, but maybe important." Ryder's keys jingled as he pulled them from his pocket.
"You're being cryptic as fuck, Cole."
"I know. Just trust me on this one."
As we descended the stairs, I caught a glimpse of the living room where Cade and Luce were still huddled on the couch, now looking at something on Luce's phone. Cade's back was to us, her faded blonde hair falling limply around her shoulders. Another pang of determination shot through me. We slipped out the front door without disturbing them, the January air hitting us like a physical blow after the warmth of the house. Ryder unlocked his Audi with a beep, and we both slid inside, the leather seats cold against the back of my thighs.
"Alright," Ryder said as the engine purred to life. "Where are we going, and what's this brilliant idea of yours?" I fastened my seatbelt, organising my thoughts. "Courts House first. We need Melody for this. I need to call her to make sure she's home."
"Melody?" Ryder frowned, pulling out of the driveway. "What does she have to do with this?"
"She'll know what we need," I explained, already pulling out my phone to find her number. "It's about Cade's hair."
"Her hair?" Ryder's confusion was evident, but I held up a finger as Melody's phone began to ring.
"Cole?" Melody's voice came through, surprised but warm. "Is everything okay? Is Cade-"
"Cade's fine," I interrupted, not wanting to spark unnecessary worry. "Or, well, as fine as can be expected. But I need your help with something. Are you home? Ryder and I need to stop by." There was a pause on the other end of the line.
"I'm about to head out, actually. What's this about?"
"It's about Cade," I said, glancing at Ryder, who was listening intently while navigating through the streets. "Specifically, her hair. You know how it was purple before... everything?"
"Of course," Melody replied, her tone softening. "That signature violet was her trademark. I even suggested adding in some pink once, and she looked at me like I’d told her to strip naked and streak." I couldn’t help smiling at the image of Cade even considering pink.
"Well, it's all faded now," I continued. "Just blonde with barely any colour left. And I overheard her telling Luce how much that bothers her. How looking in the mirror and not seeing her purple hair makes her feel like she's lost another piece of herself." Understanding dawned in Melody's voice. "And you want to help her get it back."
"Exactly," I confirmed, relieved she'd caught on so quickly. "But she's not ready to leave the house yet, so we can't take her to a salon. I thought maybe we could bring the salon to her, but neither Ryder nor I know the first thing about hair dye." Melody chuckled, the sound warm with affection.
"So you need my expertise. Where should we meet?" I glanced at Ryder, who had been listening to my side of the conversation.
"The beauty place on Oakwood Drive?" he suggested. "The big one by the supermarket?" I relayed this to Melody, who agreed readily.
"I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes. And Cole? This is a really sweet thing you're doing." Her words sent an unexpected flush of warmth through me.
"See you soon," I replied, ending the call.
Ryder was grinning now, his earlier suspicion replaced with something close to excitement. "Her hair," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Of course. How did I not think of that?"
"You've been a bit preoccupied," I pointed out, not unkindly. Ryder had been the one constant in Cade's life since her return, barely leaving her side except when absolutely necessary. If anyone had a right to miss the significance of her faded hair, it was him.
"Still," he insisted, taking a sharp turn that pressed me against the door, "it's brilliant. Her purple hair was like... her personality, you know? Her way of telling the world to fuck off."
"I know," I agreed, remembering how she'd stood her ground against Logan's attempts to change it. "That's why we need to help her get it back."
The drive to the beauty place passed quickly, filled with speculation about what shade of purple would be best and whether we'd need to bleach her hair first, given how dark her roots had grown in. By the time we pulled into the parking lot, Melody was already waiting, bundled in a thick coat against the January chill. She waved as we approached, her expression a mixture of amusement and approval.
"I never thought I'd see the day when the mighty Regents of Covenant House would be buying hair dye," she teased as we reached her.
"Desperate times," Ryder replied with a shrug, but his smile was genuine. It struck me then how long it had been since I'd seen him smile like that, carefree, without the weight of guilt and rage that had been his constant companions since Cade's abduction.
Melody led us into the store, which was mercifully quiet given the late hour. Rows upon rows of hair products stretched beforeus, an overwhelming array of options that made me grateful we'd thought to bring in reinforcements.
"Okay," Melody said, all business now as she led us toward the hair colour section. "Cade's natural colour is a medium brown, right? And her hair now is mostly blonde, where the purple has faded out, with dark roots growing in?"
