“You might need an appointment.” Chelsea chewed on her lip.
Theo peeked inside. “Only one other customer in there. Might as well do it now. They close in a couple hours. Let’s check.”
As he took a step through the doorway, he shouted, “Hey, Rhonda. You got time for a few girly haircuts? It’s a twofer deal.”
“Always time for Jordan and any friend of hers,” the perky blonde replied. “Come on in.”
Jordan dragged Chelsea inside and over to the chairs. As he reached in his pocket for his wallet, Chelsea stopped him.
“I have plenty of money. I can afford to pay for my haircut and my daughter’s.”
Rhonda’s eyes got wide, but she didn’t say a word. Working here, she heard a lot of gossip. Luckily, she wasn’t the type to pass it around.
“I’ll take care of them, Theo. You come back in an hour, and they’ll be ready.”
“Thanks, Rhonda. When I return, perhaps you’ll both have your appetite back, and I can take my two pretty girls to lunch.”
As he exited, he heard Jordan say, “This is my Mama, and we want the same haircut, so we look ‘zactly alike.” That would get tongues wagging. Especially since the other customer was Mrs. Narlee, who had to be the first person to know anything in this town and the first to tell everyone.
Even without similar hair, the two could hardly be thought of as anything but mother and child. It was why they’d gotten so many stares today. Chelsea had only been around for four months the summer they got married. And he’d kept her to himself, not wanting to share. Most people hadn’t met her.
Heading back toward the Village Green, he decided he would check in at the information center there. A new volunteer had started, and he wanted to make sure she was working out okay.
It only took a few minutes to walk there, make sure she had everything she needed, chat with some locals, and leave. He had time to kill, so he headed toward the harbor and took a seat on a bench in Agamont Park. Typically, bench space was at a premium, but since it was only the end of April, he found a few open.
The harbor was beautiful, and the view of Bar Island and the other small islands spectacular. There were a few dozen small fishing boats scattered throughout the harbor. The luxury boats and summer charters hadn’t arrived yet.
It gave him time to think, although maybe he shouldn’t. If he did, he might get too upset over the years where Chelsea wasn’t here. Jordan had been deprived of a mother. He’d been deprived of a wife and partner and someone to help him raise their child. But, God, Chelsea had been deprived of her baby. At least, he’d always had Jordan. It didn’t matter what he did now, Chelsea and Jordan would never get that time back. It made him want to punch a hole in something…or someone. But that someone was already dead.
Inhaling the fresh ocean air, he relaxed his tight muscles and tried to clear his head. Memories of when he and Chelsea had first met and fallen in love still surfaced and washed over him like a huge wave. So much for relaxing. But it had been nearly an hour, so he took one last look at the peaceful scene and headed back to Cottage Street.
A familiar red sports car pulled up to the curb and parked as he approached. Dina. Seriously? Could there be worse timing? Maybe if he stayed back, she wouldn’t notice him. Right, and a cat wouldn’t notice a newly opened can of tuna.
“Theo. How wonderful to see you out and about and in your civvies.” The look she gave his jeans and Henley was like a lion checking out his next meal. “Does someone else have the darling girl today? If so, maybe we could do lunch. I’ve got a quick appointment in here first.”
Glancing at her hair, all poofed and sprayed, he wondered what she could possibly be getting done. His curiosity must have crossed his face.
“Need my nails filled in,” she said, holding out her red claws. It was still a mystery how she managed to type with them.
“I’ve got plans for lunch, sorry. Jordan’s in here getting her hair cut.” Maybe he could extract them quickly while Dina was busy with the nail thing.
When Dina latched onto his arm and pulled him inside the shop, he knew he had said the wrong thing.
“Let’s go see the precious girl and what Rhonda has done for her.”
“Perfect timing,” the salon owner announced as they wandered inside. “Two beautiful girls exactly as ordered.”
Dina’s red claws tightened on his arm at Rhonda’s words. Extracting himself, he strolled toward the chairs where Jordan was having her cape removed. Chelsea picked the little girl up, so she could look in the mirror.
When they turned toward him, Chelsea holding Jordan, their faces so close together, air froze in his lungs. Good God, they looked alike. Jordan’s hair was mostly trimmed up, but Chelsea now sported long bangs that fringed the top of her eyebrows and shorter hair bobbed under, barely brushing her collar. Like the day they’d met. The day he’d fallen in love with her.
Color rushed to her cheeks, and she tucked a strand behind the shell of her ear. She’d blushed often when they’d first met. It had been apparent she hadn’t been all that experienced, but he’d been pleased to help her learn. Slowly. It had taken most of the summer and lots of time spent together, but he’d finally kissed her, and she’d blossomed in his arms. By the middle of August, he knew he couldn’t live without her and had proposed. Especially after she’d mentioned she was going back home soon.
Proceeding closer, he knew he needed to find out exactly what happened. Having Jordan around made it harder to find time to do this, since it wasn’t a kid-friendly topic.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Theo?” Dina purred next to him, her talons somehow finding their way back to his arm.
Dina already knew who this was. She had to. Why was she playing games?
