If I got a new sign, met with the division heads, and understood the operations better, I could probably turn it around if I tried. How bad could it be?
I paused my thoughts there, rubbing a fist to my heart. A small trickle of excitement flared. I hadn’t even bothered to take a polish rag to the desks in my clinic. So why did this house feel worth putting effort into? Maybe the OG Simone was still buried under layers of despondence.
“I’m going to be excited about this. This is a positive change in the right direction. Clouds may come, and storms may rage, but they will pass. I will receive a sign that this is going to work out.”
I wasn’t much one for toxic positivity, but choosing to focus on the bright side out loud did make me feel better. As if it agreed, the storm cloud dissipated, and the sky brightened.
Weird, but I would take it.
The front door opened with a groan, and a woman stepped out. She had the kindest smile I’d ever seen. Her straw-blond hair fell below her shoulders in cute, blunt layers. Her makeup was minimal but tasteful, and the peachy tint to her skin made me think of fresh fruit and picnics. The straight, loose yellow dress she wore completed the effect. This woman embodied all the best parts of summer. Her awkward little wave charmed me.
“Are you going to come in? I promise anyone that might bite you isn’t here today.”
I had to laugh at the strange wording. Whoever she was, she had an aura that soothed me, like I was about to meet my very best friend. Maybe this was my sign.
“Sorry,” I called out, still lingering on the sidewalk. “I was sitting with my emotions. Well, technically I was standing with them.”
Her smile softened, and a sympathetic gleam lit her green eyes.
“Yep, you’re a therapist all right. Come on in, Simone. We’re so glad you’re here.”
I took a deep breath, mostly because I was picturing myself in a movie moment and that was what the main character did before embarking on a big journey. And that thought, that I was the main character in my own life again, was the last step I needed to move forward. I stepped onto the busted, cobbled path leading to the Magnolia House and walked forward.
When I reached the woman, I stuck my hand out.
“Simone Bardot. Nice to meet you.”
She pulled me forward into a hug.
“Girl, this is the South, and you and I are already besties. Can’t you feel it? Besties gotta hug!” She said the last bit in a funny whine that reminded me of the movieTommy Boy. I had to appreciate a goofy sense of humor. With her friendly embrace, the remainder of my tension dissolved.
“So good to be back in a small town, I gotta say.”
“It’s the place for me, no doubt.” She opened the door, and I followed her inside. “I was born and raised in Atlanta but got here just as quick as I could.
“I’m Brianne Steele, by the way.” She continued forward, toward the open-door kitchenette peeking out from the back of the main area. “You want coffee? Some tea, maybe?”
I barely heard her name. I’d stopped walking when I reached the lobby, and my mouth hung open. The inside of the Magnolia didn’t look anything like the outside. And it was very, very different from when my mom had worked here thirty years ago.
Natural sunlight flooded down from a skylight so far above me I had to crane my neck to see it. Strange, as the house hadn’t seemed that tall from the outside. A wrought-iron balcony, with the same design butpolished to a gleam, overlooked the main lobby. I couldn’t see anything beyond that on the upper floor.
The lobby was long and narrow, with wide-board oak floors and walls a soothing shade of warm gray. A few chairs and a floral rug adorned the center. On each side were two sets of doors. The doors were a dark mahogany, with unique carvings and simple yet tasteful signs next to brass doorbells.
Past the doors was a small corner office, squared off by a matching floral rug. There were no walls other than the one behind the desk, which was covered with two large white bookshelves and a massive filing cabinet. Still, it felt like its own space.
The rustic desk matched the bookshelves and was sparsely covered. A sleek phone sat in one corner with a laptop in the center. The only pops of color were a high-backed, bright pink desk chair and a large bouquet of red roses sitting atop the file cabinet.
The entire area had a clean and simple feel to it, yet it was warm and inviting. There were no scents in the crisp air. Had I been tense when I arrived? That was all gone now. I wanted to relax in this lobby.
“It’s so different.” I gratefully accepted the glass of iced coffee Brianne handed me.
“I’ve had a hand in redecorating over the years. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Why would I?” I wandered closer to the first door on my right. An intricate series of swirls were carved onto the front, reminding me of hair flowing in the breeze. The sign, in simple, bold charcoal lettering, read SALON.
“Well, I took over after your mother passed.”
I pivoted to face Brianne.
