The rest of the week, things began to settle down. Luke stopped avoiding us. Cy and Ash started spending time together painting the psych office. Cy helped Ash set up an office of his own. Then, on Wednesday, I was told to clear my schedule. That morning, the pair left to return Ash's rental car. Then, just after ten, Luke showed up with Faith.
The girl was a little too excited. "Dad said I can get my hair cut with you!"
Which explained why I had to clear my schedule. "I need to get mine dyed," I warned her. "It takes a while."
"That's ok. Dad said we're going to town." She looked back at him. "Maybe I can dye my hair."
"You sure cannot," he told her. "When you graduate and don't have to worry about school, we'll talk."
She grunted. "Not fair."
"We'll find something that works," I promised. Then I looked at Luke. "What would her mom think about a cut?"
"She said longer than her shoulders," he told me. "No bangs."
"Yeah, bangs are too much work." I winked at Faith. "But I have a few ideas. We'll have to ask the stylist, though, because that's one thing I don't do without advice. Takes a long time for hair to grow back."
Then I snuck out to get dressed. Since it would be an inside day, I found a pair of denim capris, my favorite pair of heels, and a cold shoulder top that let the tattoo on my arm peek out. Then I invited Faith up to put on her face with me. I went full-out. Faith tried her best to replicate what we'd done last time, then I added just a hint of glitter eyeshadow on her lids to spice it up and keep her looking twelve.
"What do you think?" I asked.
"I want to look like you," she said, leaning over my shoulder to look at both of our faces in the mirror.
"You'd have to be old first." I smiled at her. "I'm almost thirty."
"Dad said you're twenty-eight!"
"Which is almost thirty," I assured her. "Trust me, don't rush it. At your age, you can wear flowers and glitter. At my age, I can't." Then I stood. "Let's make sure your dad isn't bored out of his mind yet."
We didn't even make it to the door before Ash called out, "We're back! Time to go!"
The group of us piled into my Audi. Ash drove. Cy got the passenger seat. Luke, Faith, and I were packed in the back. There was exactly enough room - and seatbelts - for all of us. The only downside was that the drive wasn't short. It took almost forty-five minutes to wind through all the country roads before we arrived in the first civilization I'd seen in far too long.
"So," Ash said, turning down the radio so he could be heard over Brantly Gilbert, "I found a full-service place. Nails, hair, vivid dyes, highlights..." And he finger combed his own hair. "Plus waxing and lash extensions. If you like them, Vi, I'll put us on a schedule."
"I don't even know what half that stuff is," Luke admitted. "Lash what?"
"Extensions," I explained. "Like false lashes, but they last weeks. And you, mister, need a haircut."
"Oh, barely dating and I'm already getting cleaned up by my woman."
Cy chuckled. "Better than having Ash do it. Trust me." He turned to grin at Faith. "What do you think, should I do my hair pink?"
"Ew, no," she said. "Boys don't wear pink."
"I happen to like pink," he assured her. "The really bright kind. Like hot pink."
"Magenta," Luke mumbled.
"Yeah, magenta's pretty good too." He turned back to the front. "You should get magenta hair, Ash."
"Fuck off." Then he paused. "Sorry, Faith. Should've said shove."
"She's almost thirteen," Luke told him. "Pretty sure she's heard worse at school. She's also going to assure me that she never has, and would never say such a thing."
"Not me," Faith promised. "Mom makes Brody put a quarter in the swear jar, and then I get to use it to buy things at the end of the week."
"Huh." Cy turned around again. "You coming to talk to me again this week? Maybe tomorrow?"
