She doesn’t fight me, so I don’t.
We emerge into the main room of the salon together. Shannon and Laura look up, eyeing us with mirrored expressions of amusement and curiosity.
Laura’s finishing up with her customer.
The front door to the salon opens. A man walks in. I don’t recognize him.
“Delivery?” he says to the whole room.
“Oh! Laura says. Our shampoo and styling products.”
Another man comes in behind the first one. He sets two larger boxes in front of the reception desk.
Both men turn, and moments later, they return with two more boxes each, setting them in front of the reception desk.
There are only three customers left in the salon, but still. This place is rapidly beginning to look like a storage unit.
“Seriously, guys?” Laura says, turning away from her customer and popping a hand on her hip. She points at the boxes. “This is where you’re putting all the boxes?”
The first guy looks at the stack of boxes and says, “Don’t shoot the messenger.”
I put my hand up toward Laura and step toward the two men. “Guys. We can do better. These women are busy. Let’s carry the delivery to the back room. There’s some empty space back there. Follow me.”
“Thank you,” Laura says with a sigh.
“That empty wall okay?” I ask her.
“It’s great. Thanks, EJ.”
I pick up a box. The two delivery men stare at me. I stare back and then shift my gaze toward the boxes. They reluctantly each grab a box and follow behind me. When the first six boxes are relocated out of the way, I walk with them out to the truck to get the last three boxes of products.
“Thanks, guys,” I say.
The driver grabs a clipboard and walks in to have Laura sign off on the delivery.
Laura thanks me again. “You’d think they’d know better.”
“Sometimes men take the easy way,” I tell her, as if I’m apologizing for my entire half of the species.
“Not you, though,” she says with a smile and a glance over at Angie.
“No,” I agree. “Seems I like to go in more impossible directions.”
Angie blushes slightly.
“But, I know what I want,” I say, not taking my eyes off Angie. “And I’m willing to be patient.”
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Laura says. “Put the man out of his misery, Angie.”
Angie eyes me. “You’re not going to give up, are you?”
“Why should I?” I ask her honestly. “Like I said, I know what I want.”
“A dinner?” she asks.
I want so much more, but I know she’ll retreat if I tell her. “A dinner.”
“Oh, okay. Fine. You can take me to dinner.”
