“I thought the celebrities liked when you leaked stuff about them.”
Lily kept her sigh to herself. “Turns out it depends on who it is.”
Sympathetic eyes met hers in the mirror. “Let me guess. Your boss told you to notify the paparazzi and then when it backfired, you took the heat.”
Lily’s throat caught at the simple validation that this shit happened, all the time, and really she hadn’t done anything wrong. She was so stunned she couldn’t speak.
“Lord, I so don’t miss SoCal,” the woman said. “Not even a little bit. The land of blonde extensions, orange tans, bleached teeth, fake boobs … you’re probably ecstatic to be out of there.”
Lily laughed softly. She hadn’t thought of it like that, not once. “Yes, actually,” she said, surprised. “I am.”
Her ten o’clock appointment was Lenny. She remembered him vaguely from high school, but she didn’t really know him. Still, this was Cedar Ridge, so even though they weren’t well acquainted, they could carry on a conversation like they were old friends.
Small-town living at its finest.
“Look at you,” he said with a smile. “You got all hot. Like I want to have you for dinner hot.”
She laughed. “Stop.”
“Come on,” he said, smiling. “I got hot, too, right?” His eyes were warm and frankly appraising, and she laughed again. Lenny had always been drop-dead handsome and he knew it.
“What have you been doing with yourself over the past ten years?” she asked, changing the subject.
He shrugged. “I run the equipment at the resort.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It is. You ever go out with a big-equipment operator?”
In San Diego, Lily had been a master of dodging such questions. She never dated the clientele, period. It made for bad business. “I’m on a dating hiatus,” she said.
“Hmm,” he said, all relaxed and easygoing. “Maybe I could change your mind.”
“I don’t think so, sorry.”
He smiled. “No reason to say no so fast. Just think about it.”
She didn’t need to think about it, but she didn’t want to argue with him. “Sure,” she said. “So, do you like working at the resort?”
Something crossed his face but was gone too fast to identify. “Usually,” he said. “I’ll stick around, at least until the place goes under.”
She met his gaze in the mirror. “What?”
“Yeah,” he said and shrugged. “Hopefully not. It is the Kincaids, after all, so anything could happen. But don’t worry, they’re good at landing on their feet. Real good.”
When she’d finished his hair he tipped generously, joked that she was making him work harder for a first date than he was used to, and left.
At her noon appointment she was asked if she’d ever seen any of the Real Housewives of Orange County stars and if their hair was real.
At her one o’clock, Lily decided to head off the questions from the get-go and steered all conversation toward her client. For her trouble she learned from an ex of Aidan’s that he had been voted most likely to never settle down, which was the one thing he’d apparently gotten from his “no-good” father.
At her two o’clock she met Evan, their hair products rep, and learned he had a huge crush on Jonathan, who refused to date him.
When Evan left, Lily told Jonathan he was nuts. “He’s great-looking, employed, and likes you,” she said. “What’s the problem?”
“He’s great-looking, employed, and likes me.”
Lily blinked. “Huh?”
“Listen,” Jonathan said. “I only go for the head cases. It’s my thing.”
“Yeah? And how’s that working out for you?”
He grinned. “Forget it, Lily Pad. You can’t reform me. Head cases bang head cases. It’s what we do.” He tugged a strand of her hair. “We also hang out together in clusters. Welcome to the cluster.”
She sighed. “So we’re all crazy? The whole salon?”
“Yes,” he said. “And while we’re in between clients, I just remembered—I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“Take over all the product ordering.”
Lily blinked. “When you hired me, you said you didn’t want me to do anything but handle the clients.”
“Well, I was wrong.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You also said you’re never wrong.”
He blew out a sigh. “Just do this, okay? Take over the ordering for me? I totally trust you to handle it.”
“That’s nice,” she said. “But you’re not usually nice. What’s going on here?”
“You know how you said I should give Evan a shot?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Well, the truth is that I already did. And let’s just say it wasn’t a smooth morning after.”
She gave him a bland look. “Didn’t we already have this conversation about Terika?”
Jonathan tried to look repentant and failed.
Lily sighed. “How not smooth?”
“We had a great night but he’s just so …” He searched for a word. “Sweet.”
“That bastard,” Lily said.
Jonathan gave a little smile. “He’s too good for me, and I’m not going to change my mind. I’m not one to settle down, you know that. I’d just hurt him.”
“So you’re going to cut off your friendship with him,” she said with a shake of her head. “Cuz that’s not going to hurt at all, Jonathan.”
“That’s why we don’t tell him. All he needs to know is that my new assistant manager is doing the ordering now.”
She went brows up.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Congrats. You got a promotion.”
“Does this promotion come with a raise?”
“It’s not that kind of promotion,” Jonathan said.
“Uh-huh.” She eyeballed the supply wall, where everything they bought was on display for their customers. She’d been wanting to redo that wall for two weeks. “Okay if I make a few changes to our display then?”
“Fine by me,” Jonathan said. “And if Evan doesn’t like it, we’ll tell him I did it.”
“Yeah, that’s just what Michael told me, and look what happened,” she said. “I was out on my ass so fast my head’s still spinning.”
Jonathan turned her to face him. “Don’t lump me in with that asshole. I’d never throw you to the sharks, not without a rescue plan. Besides, much as I’d like to sleep with you, I won’t. I can’t lose you again.”
“You want to sleep with me?” she asked, surprised. “Since when?”
“Since always.” He laughed. “Have you looked in the mirror? Of course I want to sleep with you. Everyone wants to sleep with you.”
Lily looked into his eyes. He was selfish and self-centered and a bit of a drama queen, but he was also fiercely loyal and fiercely honest to those he loved. “Fine, I’ll take over the ordering. But I’m buying us better coffee.”
“See, I knew you were the right person for the job,” he said.
Lily’s three o’clock arrived. Char Kincaid again.
“I’ve got another date,” she said proudly. “But I can’t do my hair as good as you. I need your help.” She limped a little, leaning on her cane as she sat in Lily’s chair. “Oh, Lord have mercy, it feels great to sit.”
“Your injury acting up?” Lily asked, worried.
“Nah. I had to swim for half an hour this morning to atone for the donuts I ate. I’ve been walking, too, on the easy trails. Need to try to get back in shape before ski season, but I keep working against myself.”
“You still get on the trails? And ski?” Lily asked in surprise as she began to work on Char’s hair.
“Well, sometimes, but only cross-country skiing these days. And of course I have to sneak it in now. Your mama helps me when she’s in town.”
Lily blinked and stopped what she was doing. “My mom comes to Cedar Ridge?”
“C
ouple times a year at least,” Char said, and frowned. “You didn’t know?”
“No.” She’d had no idea, her mom had never said a word. “We get together and get on the mountain,” Char said. “Not Cedar Ridge, though. My sons would plotz if they thought I was still cross-country skiing. We go to Eagle Mountain.”
Lily could only stare at her. One thing at a time. “But Ashley …,” she said, trailing off.
“What about her?”
“She died on the mountain.”
“Yes,” Char said softly, and squeezed Lily’s hand. “And it was awful and tragic and we all hate that it happened. And trust me, no one’s forgotten about it. But, honey, that was ten years ago. Life goes on.”
“But … how?”
Char’s voice was very gentle now. “By knowing in your gut that Ashley would want you to be happy. She’d want you to live your life, Lily, not just mourn hers.”
Lily swallowed hard. This was true. Ashley would most definitely want Lily to live her life. She’d want her to kick ass at it too. Probably she was sitting up on a cloud somewhere with a stopwatch, timing Lily on her hikes, yelling at her to do it better, go faster.
“When your mom and I walk, we always talk about her,” Char said, smiling as Lily went back to working on her hair. “About how she’s looking down at us, probably annoyed that we stop to smell the wildflowers instead of trying to see which of us is faster.”
Throat tight, Lily laughed in spite of herself. “You both still get on the trails. And ski,” she marveled.
“Well of course we do.” Char narrowed her chocolate-brown eyes, so much like her son’s that Lily found herself a little transfixed. “Why wouldn’t we?”
Lily bit her lower lip.
Char sighed. “Let me guess. My sons are still making it sound like I’m on my deathbed.”
“Well, not …all the way on your deathbed.”
“I swear, those boys … And don’t think that I don’t know it’s mostly Aidan.” She sighed. “He’s the one who saw me so fragile, so hurt …” She visibly shooed off the thought. “You know what? I think I’ve got an idea.”
Lily got a bad feeling as she met Char’s gaze in the mirror’s reflection. “Why do I feel like I should be afraid?”
“Don’t be silly. But I’m going to need you to do something for me.” This was uttered in Char’s full-on Southern accent, making her voice sound like melted butter.
Uh-oh.
“I want you to call my son in here,” Char said. “And mess with him the way he’s been messing with me.”
Yep, she’d been right to be afraid. “Which son?”
Char smiled. “Don’t make me lump you in with those idiots, honey. You know which son. The one you’re still crushing on.”
Lily felt herself go still. “I’m not—I mean—”
“Just call him. For me.” She smiled at herself in the mirror. “And oh my, look at me. You sure outdid yourself, my hair looks fabulous. You’re not calling yet.”
Oh boy. “Aidan’s not going to want to come to the salon,” Lily said, stalling.
“Well, of course not. He’s not big on anything girlie. He only gets his hair cut when his captain threatens to take the shears to him himself. And he doesn’t like to be called away from work either. It makes me worry that he’s never going to find a girl and settle down and give me grandbabies. Call him, honey. Tell him he’s won a free treatment or something.”
“But I …” Lily looked around for an excuse to further stall but couldn’t find one. “I’m pretty sure he won’t want to hear from me.”
“I think you’re wrong,” Char said with a knowing smile. “I’ve got a feeling that for you he’ll do anything, even if it affronts his precious alpha manhood.”
Lily thought about the things he’d already done for her: rescuing her keys from the convenience store, loading wood, saving her from a flat tire. And then there were all those times he’d watched out for her on the mountain years ago.
Small things, but they all added up to one big thing—he’d been there for her when she needed him, whether she’d known she needed him or not.
“Oh, and once you get him in here held captive in your chair,” Char said, “be sure to tell him I’ve decided to go into an old folks home and that he and the others can stop worrying about me. Tell him it’s in … Greece,” she said. “Yeah, that’ll mess with him. I love Greek men and their food. Be vague on when, though, cuz when is never. You know what I’m saying?”
Lily paused to take it all in. “You want me to tell your son that you’re moving to Greece,” she said in disbelief.
“Yep.”
“Char, I really don’t feel comfortable lying to him—”
“Now see, that’s the beauty of it—it’s not really lying because it could happen.” Char lifted a shoulder. “Someday. Maybe. You see?”
No, Lily did not see.
Char pushed Lily’s phone across her worktable. “Now make it good, okay? You know how to make it good, right? So that he can’t refuse coming over and seeing you?”
Lily hadn’t the foggiest but she nodded.
Char waited expectantly.
“Oh, you mean right now?” Lily asked, looking to the empty waiting area. Where was a hair emergency when she needed one?
“Yes, now,” Char said. “Better than yesterday, don’t you think?”
And now she knew where Aidan had gotten all of his sarcasm. She picked up her phone and stared at it for a minute, like maybe it could somehow get her out of this.
It didn’t.
Seriously, not even a dead battery?
“Do you have any brownies?” Char asked. “Because brownies would get him here really fast.”
She’d had cookies, but she’d eaten them all. “No.”
“Too bad,” Char said. “It’s just that he’s working so hard, and on top of that he’s also trying to help save the resort.”
“Save the resort?”
“Yes. He Who Shall Not Be Named left them debts.”
Lily remembered what Lenny had said. “How come I feel like I’m the only person in town who doesn’t know what’s going on with the resort?”
“Well, you’ve been gone a long time, honey,” Char reminded her. “But this goes back a ways too. My ex—the son of a bitch—racked up a lot of gambling debts and then took a loan out on the business. None of us knew of course, not for a long time. And by then it was too late. Now the balloon payment’s coming due and it’s in my name and the boys are killing themselves trying to figure the entire mess out. Gray’s been tearing his hair out about it for a couple of years now. They’ve been working hard on some options, but nothing’s come through yet.”
“I’m so sorry,” Lily said. She knew how much the resort and property meant to the Kincaids. She couldn’t imagine how betrayed they must all feel. And Aidan. Her heart hurt for him. “Will they lose the place?” she asked softly, half afraid of the answer.
“They might. The boys are certainly going to have to cut staff this next quarter to try to lower costs.” Char’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears that she sniffed away. “Okay, listen to me run my mouth. They’d hate it if they knew I was talking about this. They’d also hate to see me cry over it. So they won’t,” she said with determination, lifting her chin. “But if the worst happens, I’ll tell you what, I’m going to hunt that man down myself and finish what I started all those years ago and I’ll use more than my frying pan this time.”
Lily didn’t know Hudson or Jacob as well as she knew Aidan and Gray, but she did know that not a single one of them would let that happen. She drew a deep breath and called Aidan.