Christine turned on the water and checked the temperature before she held it over Pippa’s hair. ‘I know. That’s why you started your own business and moved to Ireland.’
Pippa felt a stab of guilt. The move to Ireland had nothing to do with her business a she’d alluded to when she’d first told people of her move. She couldn’t exactly tell them she was moving away because she wasn’t coping with her grief at being in the place she felt was haunted by her mother’s absence.
‘I’m actually here for a while now, Christine.’
Christine’s eyebrows rose, her interest piqued. ‘Really? Not just a fleeting visit this time?’
‘These days, I can work anywhere as long as I have my laptop and internet, so I thought I’d spend a month or so here. I’ve missed this place. Funny really. When I was a kid, I dreamed of living in a vibrant city anywhere in the world but here,. But now I’d take this quiet little coastal town over the noise and toxic fumes of city life all day long.’
Christine worked up a lather in Pippa’s hair. ‘They always come back—the young folk. Take young Oliver Oney for example. He was gone for years. Now he’s back. Looking devilishly handsome too, and with an accent that would charm a woman before he’d even finished his sentence.’ Christine sighed and giggled. ‘If only I were thirty years younger.’ Pippa giggled too as she looked up into Christine’s pale blue eyes. ‘Didn’t you two date back in high school?’ she asked.
‘Geez, your memory is phenomenal, Christine.’
Christine laughed. ‘I get to hear it all in here. I always say that other than one’s mother, the hairdresser is the best person to confide in. Plus, I listen closely to the chatter of others when they sit and have a chat whilst getting their hair done.’
Pippa whistled. ‘I bet you’ve heard some juicy tidbits of gossip over the years.’ Christine nodded as she washed the suds away before applying conditioner. ‘Yup, but my lips are sealed. Hearing gossip is one thing. Spreading it is another.’
‘I hear that,’ said Pippa.
The door tinkled, announcing the entrance of another customer. ‘Good morning Tom. I’ll be with you in a second. I just need to finish washing my client’s hair.’
‘Morning Christine... Is that Pippa Bramwell I can see?’
Pippa’s mouth stretched wide on hearing Tom’s voice. ‘It is. How are you, you old rascal? I haven’t seen you in the pub since I’ve been back.’
Tom’s voice was melancholy. It immediately caught Pippa’s attention. ‘I’ve been away. I’ve just come back from holiday. It was supposed to be the start of the next chapter in my life...but it’s not the chapter I thought it would be.’
Christine gasped. ‘Are you okay, Tom? Is Jenny okay? Nothing bad happened to her on the cruise did it?’ Christine washed the remaining conditioner from Pippa’s hair and began to towel dry it.
‘No, nothing like that... She-she finished things between us. Our relationship ended on the cruise.’
Christine wrapped the towel around Pippa’s head and rushed over to Tom to embrace him. ‘Oh, I am sorry, Tom. I never saw that coming. She seemed perfect for you. I’ve never seen you looking so happy.’
Tom huffed. ‘Six months we were together. I’m never using one of those darn dating apps ever again.’
Christine rubbed the side of his arm. ‘Crikey. I was going to register and try one myself after seeing how happy you were, but I don’t think I’ll bother now.’
Tom placed his hands on her shoulders and furrowed his brow as he stared down at her. ‘Please don’t let my misfortune put you off, Christine. You might find the love of your life.’
‘He’s right Christine. Just because it hasn’t worked out for Tom, doesn’t mean the same thing will happen for you.’ Pippa smiled through thin lips at Tom. ‘Sorry to hear that, Tom.’
Tom shrugged. ‘Just not meant to be, I suppose.’
Christine smiled up at Tom and glanced back over her shoulder at Pippa. ‘Sorry love, I’ve abandoned you. Come and sit here in front of the mirror. I’ll show Tom where my leak is and I’ll put the kettle on now.’
Christine ushered Tom through a door and Pippa sat in the chair she had indicated. She thought about how well suited Christine and Tom were. Maybe if the dog show went well, she’d also suggest hosting a dating night at the pub. Maybe she could get her aunt hooked up with someone as well. It had been years since her aunt had been in a relationship. She filed the idea away in the back of her mind.
Pippa looked at herself in the mirror. A little water had splashed in her eyes and she’d rubbed them. Now she looked like a panda. She grimaced at her reflection and pulled out a pack of wipes from her handbag. Thank goodness she’d thought to pack them. With her wet, bedraggled hair and panda eyes, Pippa thought what a sorry state she looked.
The tinkle from the bell above the door drew her attention, and she sucked in a shocked breath when she saw Oliver’s American friend standing in the doorway—glowing, with not one strand of hair out of place.
Ava pulled her perfect brow together as she studied Pippa. ‘Oh sorry. I didn’t recognise you. I’m looking for the stylist.’
Pippa rubbed at the black kohl below her bottom lashes. ‘Erm, a blob of shampoo got into my eyes,’ she offered freely as a way of explaining her appalling appearance. Another little white lie. She hoped God would understand—circumstances and all. Ava smiled in acknowledgment. ‘Christine will be out soon. She’s with the plumber,’ she quickly added. They smiled at each other, and the awkward silence between them drew out as the seconds ticked by. ‘Is everything okay with your room?’
Ava nodded. ‘Yes. It’s very quaint. My girlfriends couldn’t believe how small it was when I skyped them. One even joked her closet was bigger.’ Pippa fumed inside. ‘I told her it reminded me of the bedroom inside the mini wooden palace my father built me in my backyard when I was a kid. I think the hotel room is the most adorable place I’d ever slept in.’
Thankfully, Christine came out before Pippa’s tongue could run away with her and tell Ava the words she’d rather keep inside her head.
