Jenny sat in the swivel chair, heart palpating with every loud slice of the scissors as Linda hacked through Jenny’s thick ponytail. Panicked tears pricked her eyes. Breathe, Jenny, breathe.
Somehow she’d expected it to be one fast chop—like a head on a guillotine, not five minutes of sawing, leaving her plenty of time to regret her whim.
Snip. Moron. Snip. Stupid. Snip. Idiot.
What’s the matter with you? You have beautiful hair. You love your hair. Gabe loves your hair. What’re you doing?
Snip. Too. Snip. Late. Snip. Fool.
“Getting there. You okay?” Linda asked.
“Mmhh.” Just get it done!
Mom was right, again. Impulsive. When was she ever going to learn? It’d taken her ten years to grow her hair this long. She loved braiding it. What was she doing?
Oh quit being so melodramatic; it’s only hair. It’ll grow. You’ll be fine.
One last saw and tug, and it was over. Smiling in triumph, Linda stepped in front of her, hefting her banded ponytail like a fisherman posing with his prize catch. “Heavy. Wanna see?”
Oh my God. It had to be at least eighteen inches long. Horrified, Jenny shook her head put a hand to the back of her head, feeling the sheared rough ends. Linda patted her shoulder and bagged the hair for Locks of Love. “Don’t worry. The worst is over. Now comes the fun part.”
Fun for whom? She rolled her eyes then kept them shut. Jenny didn’t want to chance seeing herself in that full-length mirror directly in front of her.
You’re fine. Julianne looked older and more sophisticated, and you will, too. Everybody has to grow up sometime, chickie.
Jenny kept her eyes closed as Linda moved around her, combing, pinning, snipping her hair into layers as she sculpted the bob. The rhythmic combing, parting, combing, snipping became a strange little meditation, relaxing Jenny. When satisfied with the rest, Linda carefully singled out the exact strands she wanted, and with minute, precise snips, she carved out long bangs.
“What the heck?”
Jenny’s eyes popped open as her brother’s voice cracked on “heck.” Michael stood next to her, staring. His overgrown mop was layered close on the sides with the top gelled to a carefully messy look. Long hair gone, his square jaw seemed more prominent, hinting at the budding man. “Well, look at you. What an improvement.”
“Look at you. What happened?” Michael eased into the nearby chair. His steady gaze followed the stylist’s every movement with wide-eyed fascination.
“Nothing. It was time for a change. Like it?”
“I don’t know.” Michael stared. “It’s different.”
“Different good or different you-need-to-buy-a-hat?”
He angled his head sideways and gnawed on his thumb cuticle. “Just different. You’ve always had long hair.”
“Not anymore.” Jenny snapped her eyes shut again as she was swung around. She didn’t want to see anything until Linda was completely done. No more regrets. She’d made her decision, and she was going to love it—at least until it grew out again.
As Linda blew dry Jenny’s hair, she let the warm air and rhythmic tugging bring her back to that soothing, calm place. All too soon, Linda turned Jenny around and prompted her to look in the mirror. Jenny slowly opened her eyes to a pretty young woman, with huge eyes and a heart-shaped face.
Her usual center part had been moved to the side, accentuating long, flattering layers. Wow. What a dramatic difference. She took the mirror Linda handed her as the stylist swung the chair around for her to inspect the back. Instead, Jenny leaned closer to the hand mirror. Good God, her eyebrows were bushy caterpillars; she had to get that taken care of right away. And she had a long neck. Who knew? Jenny tried out a faint smile.
Michael was right. She looked different—yet the same.
After thanking Linda and leaving her a healthy tip for squeezing Jenny in and creating the adorable transformation, they left Lou Lou’s and headed back to her car.
Michael put an arm around her shoulder. “Well, sis, that might have been more painful for you than for me.”
“Thanks.” She paused in Kramer’s Bed and Bath window and looked at herself. She tossed her head. “I love it. Much lighter. I should have done this sooner.”
Michael pursed his lips and considered his reflection. He lifted his chin. “Yeah, me, too. Gonna be much cooler for tennis.”
Jenny turned to Michael with a big grin and thrust her hand high. “High five, bro.”
“Heck, yeah.” Michael slapped her hand with enough enthusiasm to make it sting.
Jenny caught their reflections in the window and frowned. Her T-shirt and flip-flops were a stark contrast to her new, chic haircut. And her face was nowhere near as polished as her hair. She sighed.
“Hey, let’s go to Sanders and celebrate with a sundae,” Michael said.
As Jenny turned toward the chocolate store, a stunning evening dress in the boutique’s window next door caught her eye. Now that little black dress with a deep V-neck and sheer, beaded sleeves was worthy of her new haircut. It’d be perfect for the hospital dinner dance. Exactly what a doctor’s wife should wear.
“Uh...” She rummaged in her bag, pulled out her wallet, and handed Michael a ten-dollar bill. “I’ve gotta run in there for a minute.” She nodded at Dawood’s. “Why don’t you have an extra big one for me?”
“Shopping,” he said, as if it were a dirty word. “Can I get a Frappuccino at Starbucks instead?”
“Nope. Too much caffeine.” He’d be up all night, and Mom would kill her. She watched Michael cross the street, calling out, “Meet me back here as soon as you’re done—no, will you go put a few more quarters in the meter first?”
Michael nodded and headed back to the car. Twenty minutes later, with a fantastic dress slung over her shoulder, Jenny and Michael strolled down Kercheval. “What time is it?”
Michael took out his phone. “Five-thirty.”
“Yikes, we’d better hurry.”
“Yeah, well, we hadn’t counted on your shopping spree.”
“Hey, you got ice cream out of the deal.”
“True.”
They hurried down the street, until bright colors in the Gymboree store caught Jenny’s attention. “Look, Michael. Isn’t that little bear jacket darling? The ears are so cute. You used to have something like that.”
“Yeah. Just adorable.”
She ignored his mocking. “Oh my God, that little ducky jumper with the matching bib is so sweet.”
“Yeah, sweet. Let’s go. We’re late.”
“Right.” Jenny pulled herself away from the window and rushed after Michael. Don’t I know somebody with a baby? It was sooo cute!
After dropping Michael off at her folks, Jenny sped home. The station wagon sat in the garage. Gabe was already home. She grabbed her purchases and rushed in the house, calling out, “Hi, I’m home.”
No answer.
She draped her dress over a kitchen chair on her way to the study. “Gabe?”
She trotted upstairs. “Gabe?”
Jenny pulled her cell from her pocket, then paused. Maybe he was down by the boat. She skipped downstairs and headed for the patio doors, when she saw him cleaning off the grill. “Gabe?”
“Hi, babe. I saw the steaks thawing so thought I’d get the grill rea—” Gabe turned around, and his mouth dropped open.
“Surprise.” Jenny threw her arms wide, then pirouetted so her hair whipped around her face. “What do you think?”
Gabe snapped his mouth shut and stepped closer, peering. “Oh. My God. What did you do?”
“I got my hair cut.”
“What did you do?” He moved closer, circling her, staring.
“I got my hair cut. Do you like it?”
“Oh my God, you cut your hair.”
She nodded. Smiling, she tucked a lock behind her ear. “Isn’t it great? It’s like Julianne Hough’s.”
“You cut your hair.”
She frowned. “Stop sayi
ng that.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s annoying.”
“No, why’d you cut it?”
“I wanted to.”
Gabe lifted the back of her hair. “It’s a wig, right? It’s a joke?”
Jenny slapped his hand away. “No, it’s not a wig. I cut my hair and donated it to Locks of Love.”
“But why?”
“I wanted to.” Her face fell. “Don’t you like it?”
“I... It’s different.”
“You hate it,” she said flatly.
“Nooo, I...it’s a surprise.” He examined her closer. “You look so much...”
“So much what?” she narrowed one eye and cocked her head in warning.
“I don’t know. Older. Different. What do you think?”
“I love it. It’s so much lighter and gonna be easier to care for, and I think it makes me look chic.” Older. Sophisticated.
“If you love it, then I love it.” Gabe pulled Jenny close and locked his arms around her waist. Then he leaned back and tipped his head this way and that, inspecting her face and hair. He frowned. “You look so different. Like someone else. It’s almost like I’m having an affair.”
Jenny chuckled. Looked like someone else? That might be a slight exaggeration, but a move in the right direction. This could very well be the perfect thing she needed to help her. “Well, knock yourself out, and let’s make all your fantasies come true, ’cause this is the only affair you’re ever likely to have.”
“Fantasy affair? More like a nightmare.” Gabe shuddered, then pulled her close and rested his cheek on her head. “Pleasing the woman I have keeps me busy enough.”
Jenny grinned. Good.