“Not going to happen. The shelters will be bursting with displaced pets. I’m not parting with these guys—not after everything that’s happened. Besides, you need me to help you hide.”
“I do?”
“Have you even considered the fact that, dead or alive, you’re still Bodhi Beckett? And now that you’re presumed dead, your face will be everywhere.”
He pondered for a second. “So what do you suggest?”
“A makeover – nothing outrageous, just enough to give you a fighting chance. And lucky for you, I’m just the girl to make it happen. You may have magic powers when it comes to luxury trunks, but I’m a magician when it comes to hair.”
“Hold up. You want to cut off my hair?” Bodhi took a giant step back as if he feared I was running at him with scissors. Once he was a safe distance, he took to pacing the floor. “I don’t know, Breeze. It’s sort of my signature look.”
“Exactly my point.”
Bodhi spent even more time chewing over my words and I couldn’t help but smile. It’s not like he was making some life or death decision here. It was hair that was going to grow back.
But then it occurred to me that maybe Bodhi wasn’t used to making his own decisions. From what I gathered, his father had been calling the shots his whole life.
I was about to retract my offer when a smile spread wide across his face and he said, “You know what? I actually like the idea. Let’s do it! In fact, shave it all off if you want to.”
“Whoa, pull back on the crazy, Dude. I’m not suggesting full on baldness here, just a new look – something that will stop up your fans and maybe keep them from immediately recognizing you. Get it?”
“Got it. Do with me what you will.”
I raised a brow. “So you’re sure, then? Road trip with me and the animal brigade?”
“Damn, right.” Bodhi looked genuinely happy.
“Okay then. I’m in too, as long as you promise me as soon as we cross the county line, you’re calling your father and letting him know you’re not a pile of ash and bone. Deal?”
“Um, yeah, that’s not going to work for me. No calls will be placed until I get to see my first live sea lion. Once that happens, I promise to call him. That’s non-negotiable.”
So that was his game. No communication until we were all the way to Pier Thirty-Nine in San Francisco. I smiled as only a northern California native could. Because Pier Thirty-Nine wasn’t the only place to see a pack of seals on the California coast. I wasn’t about to tell him that, though.
Instead, I held out my hand. “All right Bodhi. You drive a hard bargain. But you’ve got yourself a deal.”
13
Breeze: The Makeover
The salon was empty, just as I’d expected it would be. Though my work wasn’t in the direct path of danger from the fire, it was close enough that a bunch of women weren’t going to brave the elements to get pampered.
I held the door open and Bodhi peered inside. “You sure no one will come in?”
“It’s doubtful. But if someone does, I’ll just throw a towel over your head. This is a hair salon. No one will think twice about it.”
Satisfied, Bodhi stepped over the threshold, scanning all the stations. “Let me guess which one is yours.”
“Okay,” I smiled, confident that, of the ten booths scattered around the room, he wouldn’t figure out which one was mine until his very last guess. We all decorated our stations differently. Those with kids had shrines built up of their smiling faces. The older ladies might have a picture of their grandchildren or a photo of their dog. The newlyweds had honeymoon shots and the candy lovers had heaping bowls of mini chocolates at their stations.
“This one,” Bodhi guessed a workstation displaying dog pictures. Given what he knew about me so far, it was a valid choice.
“Nope.”
He snagged a candy out of a bowl. “Okay then, this one and, might I add, my personal favorite.”
“You like candy?”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
