I’d gone all in defending Bree, and in their eyes, I’d probably just hammered home the idea that she had me wrapped around her finger.
28
BREE
Three weeks passed without incident.
No more Lucky Charms. Minimal whispered comments pitched loud enough for me to overhear when I walked past. No pointed looks from women whose names I barely knew but whose opinions had somehow become valuable to me.
People still talked. They’d probably fall over dead if they went a whole day without gossiping about somebody, but the specific, targeted cruelty that had destroyed Mom’s car had run its course.
Either people had found something else more interesting to discuss, or the universe simply decided I’d taken enough hits and called a temporary ceasefire.
Whatever the reason, I’d take the quiet reprieve.
The renovations were moving along, and the pub looked better than ever. Ronan was finishing up the patio today, and I’d skipped out at lunch for a much-needed haircut and a walk around town. By the time I made it back, Finn would be finishingup his shift at the fire house, and we might even have a chance to go upstairs after closing up.
We hadn’t been together often these last few weeks. I’d been too traumatized over Tammy’s comment, and they’d respected my wishes to have a little space. I didn’t want to give them up, and I loved that they gave me space when I asked for it.
But it also created a little hollow behind my breastbone that nudged worry deep down where I couldn’t shake it.
I’d find out later. A smile bloomed in full, cheeky glory when I spotted the salon with its “walk-ins welcome” sign out front.
My hair had been staging a quiet rebellion for the better part of a month. The ends had gone dry and ragged from too many late nights and not enough conditioning, and the weight of it gave me tension headaches from pulling it out of my face when I worked the bar.
Time to shake things up and get back to my usual self with a nice wash and blowout.
The bell above the door chimed when I entered the salon, and a teenager at the front desk looked up from her phone, dragging her gaze away from the screen in increments. Must have been on some more doom scroll marathon. “Do you have an appointment?”
“No.” I pointed at the sign. “Does anyone have time for a walk-in?”
She huffed and tapped the screen in front of her. “Kayla will be with you in a minute. Take whichever chair you want.”
I picked the one at the far end, away from the window but with a nice view of a bookshelf covered in romance novels. I took one atrandom and flipped through the pages while tapping my shoe to the country music crooning from speakers in every corner.
A door opened, and the smell of coconut and burned skin wafted out, followed by a woman with a fresh layer of tanning bed lines at her eyes. She grinned at me and pointed. “Good book. I recommend checking out page fifty-eight.”
“Thanks.” I flipped to the suggested page and began reading. Heat flamed across my entire face at the descriptive sex scene. I mean, it wasn’t even close to things I’d done, but I couldn’t imagine being able to keep a straight face reading this with a stylist behind me.
The woman cackled and waved, the bell announcing her departure.
Okay. Enough of that. I returned the book to the shelf.
Another door opened in the back, and a woman around my age, with Kayla stitched across her pink apron, walked out. She smiled. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I slid into the salon chair. “Sorry to walk in.”
“No problem.” With a grin and a wave, she walked around behind me and draped a cape over my chest and shoulders. “So. What are we doing today?”
“Just a trim.” I gathered my hair and lifted it to show the ends. “Get rid of the split ends and maybe add some layers so it’s not so heavy. I want to keep most of the length, so nothing dramatic.”
“Got it.” Kayla started the water in the sink and checked her scissors, lining up what she’d need on the counter.
“Oh my goodness.” The high-pitched falsetto sent my head spinning so fast it reminded me of whiplash. Bethany stood at the front desk, her hands clasped beneath her chin. “Bree. I’m so glad to see you here today. Kayla, give us a minute.”
I locked eyes with the woman I was coming to despise. My heart hammered loud and fast, and I swallowed the sticky feeling in the back of my throat. I hadn’t spoken to Bethany in weeks. Hadn’t even glanced her way when she brought her friends into the pub. I hadn’t taken my concerns to the police, and I’d done my best to live my life like she didn’t exist.
She sashayed over to me. I didn’t have any other word for the way her hips moved, like she thought she could charm any living person with that alone.
