After ending the call, I check my appearance in the visor mirror and then head inside the salon, instantly transfixed bythe beauty of the space. I’m so disappointed that I can’t afford any services right now because I would love nothing more than to relax and pamper myself for a bit.
Unfortunately, I’m choosing to be a responsible adult at the moment.
“Elodie?” Laney walks over to where I stand in the waiting area. Olive green chairs line a few walls along with shelves of products, the small room slightly closed off from the rest of the salon. The walls are white, which make the space look open and fresh, each stylist station has black framed mirrors hung in front of each chair, and the gray floors provide the perfect soft background to bring the whole look together. Past the hair stylist stations on both sides of the room are three separate spaces—one for the nail technicians, one for the massage services, and one for facials and skin care.
“Hey.” My throat is still tight from the emotion of this morning, but I fight to keep my composure. “Sorry to just drop by like this.”
“Nonsense. You’re always welcome here. Everything okay?”
“Well…” I can feel myself about to break, and luckily, Laney senses that.
“Yvonne?” she calls out to an older woman with a long, dark braid with streaks of gray in it.
“Yeah?”
“You still have a while before your next client?” Laney asks her.
“About an hour. Why? What’s up?”
Laney wraps her arms around my shoulders and leads me past the receptionist counter and over to Yvonne. “This is Elodie. She’s Henley’s new nanny, and she looks like she needs to relax.”
Yvonne drops her eyes up and down my body. “Yeah, she does seem tense. Let me work my magic on you, sweetheart.” She wiggles her fingers in the air.
“Oh, that’s nice of you, but I can’t really afford a massage right now,” I say with a hint of embarrassment in my voice, but there’s no sense in trying to make up an excuse.
Laney and Yvonne share a look before Laney looks back at me. “It’s on the house.”
“What? No, Laney. It’s okay. Really…”
“Nope.” Shaking her head, she leads me forward as we follow Yvonne to the massage rooms. “You’re my friend and you look like you need a moment, so I’m taking care of you. And then, you can take my keys to my house and wait there until this afternoon for Dilynne and me.”
“You really don’t have to do this.”
Her smile is comforting. “I know I don’t. But I have a lot of experience with being mad at a man, and judging by the look on your face and how early you’re here in the day, I’m guessing Henley did something Dilynne’s going to want to kick his ass for.”
I laugh as my eyes well up. “How did you know?”
“Again, I spent years being mad at Fletcher.”
Yvonne tsks. “She used to call him Lucifer if that gives you any indication of how she felt.”
I chuckle through my tears. “Okay. Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” She rubs my back and then leaves me alone with Yvonne. “Uh, I’ve never had a massage before.”
Yvonne rubs her hands together. “Oh, honey. You’re in for quite the treat then. Let’s get you ready and then leave the rest to me.”
Even though this is the last thing I expected coming into the salon this morning, I’m really grateful that Laney could read me so well. The only other person that’s ever been able to do that is Lennon.
And in that moment, I remember her words from earlier. This is all happening for a reason—including my argument with Henley—which means I need to embrace what I’m supposed to learn from it, even if that means what I’m learning is that a man disappointing you is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to mean that you can’t stand up for yourself in the process.
***
The sound of a key turning in a lock startles me from my slumber. When I open my eyes and see Laney and Dilynne walk through the front door of Laney’s house, I push myself up from the couch and clear the sleepiness from my eyes.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Dilynne says as she holds up two bottles of wine in her hands. “Well, technically it’s the evening, which means drinking is acceptable, and Laney’s dad owns a winery, so you know this shit is good.”
Laughing, I clear the dryness from my throat. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.”
