"The only string attached is free haircuts for life. That was his one request, which is obviously more than reasonable. That's what was happening just now."
"How often do you cut his hair?"
"Every two weeks unless, you know, he'll be leaving to go out of town."
"And he's no relation to you? You just met him at an old folks' home?"
"Yes. And as far as what became of my ex, he's still around. He lives in Cleveland. That's where I was living. Gabe's dad was in a home there. Gabe lives here in Pittsburgh, though, and he thought it would be good for me to just start over here so that Christian would leave me alone. It worked. I haven't seen or heard from him in over a year. Gabe may have threatened him, I'm not sure, but either way, he's off my radar."
"What happens if you can't keep your end of the bargain about the haircuts?" he asked.
She put a finger in the air while she chewed her chip and then said, "What would cause that?"
"What if you decide you don't wanna do hair anymore? What if you move?"
"Why would I do either of those things?" she asked, smirking at him. "Gabe's amazing. He's given me independence and the ability to plan for my future. He heard everything I was saying while I was hurting, and then he just made my dreams all come true."
"What about an apartment?" he asked.
"Oh, it's part of the house," she said.
"You live at the salon?"
"Yes. It's a duplex, so the third floor is my apartment."
Chapter 7
Savannah
EJ and I talked nonstop at that restaurant. We asked each other question after question. When one of us was chewing food, the other was talking, and so it went.
It was a lot of fun catching up with someone I hadn't seen in so long. We had spent weeks of long days together that summer, so I knew him in a way I didn't know other people. I was open and raw with him, and I told him all about my eight-year nightmare of a relationship. He asked me questions about it, and I didn't hold back. I knew nothing would ever happen between me and EJ, so I wasn't trying to impress him. I was completely honest and told him I wanted nothing to do with men.
EJ listened to what I said about Christian. I knew what had happened to me, and I knew how to prevent it from happening again. EJ understood how my history could ruin me in relationships. He had never been in a long relationship himself. He said his longest relationship had been seven months. His problem with women was that he didn't trust any of them enough to open himself up to marriage and building a life with anyone.
"What's at the root of it all?" I asked him. "Why don't you trust them?"
"Most women know about my family before they get to know me," he said. "My dad is famous around Chicago, and my brother and I played sports before we opened the gyms. I had a fairly good run with the Cubs before I got injured."
"You played for the Cubs?"
"Yes."
"The Cubs baseball team?" I asked.
"Yes."
"The Chicago Cubs baseball team?" I clarified.
We had already ordered and were well into eating our food by that point in the conversation. I paused between bites, feeling like this was information he could've shared with me an hour ago, or maybe even the last time I cut his hair.
"You're a professional baseball player, EJ?" I asked, gawking at him.
He grinned. Objectively, he was an incredibly handsome guy. If I had been prone to want to impress men, I would certainly want to impress this one.
"I was," he said. "I retired after only two seasons." He took a deep breath and made a thoughtful expression, glancing down at his food.
"Do you regret it?" I asked.
