“As a rule, I don’t. But sometimes we all need a second chance.”
After I close the door, Zosia whimpers and flails all nine tails in the air. Then she trots into the spare room that’s no longer Teddy’s and starts whining, “Pah! Pah! Pah!”
She can’t possibly be missing Teddy already… Can she?
It’s time to shake off my melancholy mood, which has nothing to do with Teddy’s departure and everything to do with my clipped wings. I need to get in the proper frame of mind for my date with Rafe, and I know just thegal to help me: Spectra Twinkler, a middle-aged, platinum-blonde faerie who can turn even my wild waves into something stylish. She’s also one of the best sources of gossip in our town.
“Sophie!” calls out Spectra in her sing-song voice. “I’ve been so worried about you!” Spectra is high strung and speaks with a lot of verbal exclamation points.
“You’ve been worried?”
She hugs me and then guides me over to the sink for a shampoo. “Of course! We all heard about your clipped wings; you must be positively devastated!”
“It’s been a rough twenty-four hours.”
“You poor thing! Let’s get you all fixed up for your date with that gorgeous werewolf.” Spectra drapes a cape over my t-shirt and cutoffs; I’ll change later into my cute boating attire.
“How do you know my date is with a werewolf?” When I made the appointment yesterday and begged Spectra to fit me in, I told her I had a date… but I didn’t mention with whom.
Spectra massages my scalp as she lathers my hair, and for the first time since Teddy showed up on my doorstep two days ago, I feel myself start to relax… until she says, “Who else could it be? We’ve all seen that strapping Norse god wandering around town, and we know he’s part owner of your bakeshop. Lucky you; I hear he’s as sweet as he is good looking! I’d love to inherit a man like that!”
My eyes are closed to prevent soap from getting in, so I can’t give Spectra an eye roll. “Why does everyone assume I should be delighted to have a big, clumsy,finnicky werewolf as my business partner? Teddy can’t cook or bake; the only thing he seems to excel at is cleaning.”
Spectra says something I can’t hear over the running water, so she stops rinsing my hair and repeats herself. “Please send him over here; I’d hire him on the spot!”
“Whatever for? He’s obviously not a hair stylist.”
“That handsome young man could sweep floors for me all day; he’d be good for business. My customers would go gaga for him!”
This is getting ridiculous; first Cassia suggests I send Teddy to my parents’ café for a job, and now Spectra wants to hire him. “Well,” I reply stiffly, “Teddy’s not available. We have a lot of work to do to get the bakery ready for its grand opening.”
Done shampooing, I sit in one of the cushioned salon chairs and watch Spectra’s mirror image as she sprays my wet hair with her patented conditioner, which has been liberally infused with her magic. Spectra is an aura faerie and a master at enhancing hair, makeup, and overall appearance. Her clients are both supers and non-supers (who don’t have a clue why they look so amazing after a few hours in her chair).
As she tackles my tangled locks, she says, “Okay, spill the jumping beans. Whoareyou going out with today?”
I tell her about the sunset cruise with Vreeland, Pru, and Rafe. “So you were right that I’ll be on a date with a werewolf, just not the one you assumed.”
Spectra shakes her head. “You’ve met another werewolf? Do you think the universe is trying to tell you something?”
I quirk my eyebrow. “Like what?”
“Like maybe you need to pay careful attention to all the cues. This seems like more than coincidence, Sophie.”
“If it’s not a coincidence, then what could it be?” I start to shrug but stop because Spectra is snipping off my split ends.
“The hand of fate!” says Spectra with a completely straight face.
I snort. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you really believe in that nonsense?”
Spectra stops scissoring my hair long enough to murmur, “Of course I do!” Then she gets a dreamy look on her face and proceeds to tell me how she met her husband. It’s a sweet and romantic story I’ve heard before, but I smile as she recounts it again.
When Spectra’s finally finished, she spins me around so I can see my image in the mirror, and I clap my hands. “You’re a regular miracle worker.” My hair falls in long, shiny, chestnut waves around my shoulders; she’s done my makeup too, keeping it minimal and natural looking, perfect for sailing around the bay.
Spectra grins. “I appreciate the compliment, but it’s easy to make a pretty girl like you look spectacular.”
“You must be mistaking me for Cassia; she got all the looks in our family.”
“I hope you’re joking!” exclaims Spectra, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You’re two of the prettiest girls in this town; Cassia’s beauty is ethereal and delicate, while yours is earthy and natural. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s one of the reasons why you’reattracting werewolves; they adore sassy, curvy girls like you.”
